16.9.2013

I pre-ordered Diablo 3 for Xbox 360 with my Amazon prime a week or so before it was released. This is something I almost never do, part of the reason I frequent Amazon is because I like to save money and don’t mind waiting for trends to end! But this was different…Diablo 3 was big news when it came out for PC in 2012. But things like always online DRM, the auction house (a system in which players exchanged real cash for in game weapons and items others found), and just the fact it was an online RPG and thus a potential huge time sink for professionals with limited game time like myself, combined to dissuade me from purchasing it.After hearing that this version had done away with the always-online DRM,removed the mind-melting auction house, and added four-player offline co-op. I was intrigued! Was this what I was waiting for? Was this Gauntlet Legends or Baulder’s gate reborn?Not quite, but it is damn good!The Good:Just like old timesFirst and foremost playing four-player-offline co-op in an RPG game with character development is awesome. Scores of these games should be available, yet sadly are not. Diablo 3 for console has brought back those ancient (15 year old) feelings of sitting around with three of your buddies exploring and developing together.Well-madeThe game is very solid. The gameplay feels responsive, the combat is enjoyable although it can be a bit tedious at times and so can the scenery; this is a dungeon crawler after all. But just when you think you might start to get bored, the scenery changes, or suddenly you get a new ability/rune/item to mess around with and make things more interesting, this paces very well, especially the arrival of new abilities.I’d do it againThe scent of ‘replayability’ is in the air, with 5 classes and 4 difficulty settings already in the game, a level cap of 60 and tons of hidden areas, there is a lot to do in Diablo 3. In addition, a new expansion pack with yet another class, a bump to the level cap and a new addition to the campaign will drag things out even longer for all of your characters.The Bad:Stat SelectionI can’t choose my stats? The removal of attribute selection chops off a huge and historical part of dungeon crawlers; stat selection is what makes your character yours and not just another ‘barbarian.’ All of those strange builds with a melee-wielding wizard, a lightning bolt throwing barbarian, and more, are a thing of the past in Diablo 3. Sure between your ability selection and item crafting you have a ‘bit’ of choice, but it is more of a style selection than a character build. I understand the rationale, they made it this way so players can’t ‘ruin’ their characters, but why not just let me have a bit of fun, ruin a character or two and then make some expensive or difficult to find ‘stat-respec’ potion punish me for my silliness?A bit repetitive“It is too repetitive.” Was my girlfriend’s first reaction as she watched my friends and I hack up yet another group of skeletons in yet another floor of a dark dank dungeon filled with the same pile of vases, with the same flame trap around every corner. But once her wizard had a couple new spells, and pink armor, she got over it for the reasons I listed above. But will you? This game isn’t a grind per se, unless you’re into that, but it can feel like a bore sometimes.The StorylineThe narrative of this game can’t decide what it is trying to do, sometimes the content is hilarious, an example being the man you meet in the sewers of a desert colony who tries to convince you his colleague isn’t such a bad guy as you beat his face in with your axe. But sometimes it is down right dreadful “oh no, monsters! We must save Tristram!” All right, shut up already! And then out of nowhere the super serious, high resolution cut scene appears, trying to draw emotion from me about the fate of this strange realm! Ehh nope. If they had gone for either, dark and serious, or silly and funny they might have gotten a home run in one of them. The story isn’t great, but then again, we’ve all seen worse!The Ugly:My what did what?Not a huge problem but what is up with our characters not using the weapons they are equipped with? I get it, the basic attack button is itself a spell, but it looks kind of funny watching my monk choose his fists over the legendary halberd he just picked up, or my girlfriend’s wizard ‘firing’ arcane energy from her unstrung bow. I get it, they still ‘use’ the weapons stats and damage, but it sure doesn’t look like it. Seriously, was there no other way to do this?Bottom Line:It isn’t the greatest game of all time, and didn’t change or shape the genre the way its predecessors did, but what it did and does well is be a very fun game. If you like playing 4-player games that build towards a common goal, exploring dungeons and finding epic loot, or have played any dungeon crawler of any kind and moderately enjoyed it, Diablo 3 is for you!Purchasing tip:If you’re the sort who has been starving for a great 4 player game you can slap in and enjoy with your friends on the couch that doesn’t involve head shots, buy it now. You won’t regret it. But if you’re content with the multiplayer games you’ve got, wait for a price drop in a few months!

16.5.2012

(This review was done in the 1st week of release, now the game is what the above say...)It's been a long wait and it was worth it, I planned to do the review after played the game and checked all the contents inside the Collector's Edition.To start it off let us talk about the Collector's Edition.I received the Product on the 14th a day early so I could gear up before the 12am GMT launch, immediately i could see the casing was done with a lot of thought, detailed and sturdy box unlike many collector's editions i have bought in the past. The contents inside are placed very nicely and easy to take out.The Art of Diablo - This is the art book I was really looking forward to and was I impressed the hardback cover had engraved designs and holographic images when under light.Each page was filled with beautiful drawings, information on the game, each character classes and design progress. This alone made this the best collector's edition.4GB USB Soul Stone - Many fans were looking forward to this, the demon skull and the soul stone USB comes inside a very nice case with foam inside so it doesn't come damaged. The Diablo Skull I think that is what it is called is so detailed and feels like a finished product; however it's smaller than I thought it is approximately the size of a medium sized palm. Regardless the model is amazing and along with 4GB USB already containing Diablo II and the Expansion pack! (The USB lights up red when it is being used)Diablo Soundtrack - 24 Original soundtracks from the game, it is simply blissful to listen to.Behind the Scenes - This comes in DVD and Blu-Ray, So if don't have a Blu-ray player the DVD will do the job, it something extra to see how the game was developed and the hard work that went behind it all.The Game! - Probably the Actual thing we really bought this for, it comes in a standard DVD case and installed fairly quickly and easily (while installing the game informs you about the stories before Diablo 3). For those who tried to play at launch had problems but this was inevitable, millions of people trying to log in. After a million attempts I managed to get in, and straight away the music the game just felt right, and a fan of Diablo 1 and 2 this game was still loyal to its predecessors.The graphics are really nice and very detailed every cave and location you go, the character classes both have male and females and individual story. The collector's edition has an extra feature, when you complete an act or cinematic sequence you can re-watch it on main menu for all classes.The music and sound effects stand out a lot, each spell, attack and movement is unique along with the music and pretty good voice acting makes it a game you could sit and just listen to.Another thing that collector's edition gives is some extra content in the game, firstly you won't notice the benefits but you realise it's quite beneficial.1: You get an exclusive Sigil for your banner so you can show it off.2: you get 2 dyes a black and white, this may seem pointless but this saves a lot of money early in the game so you can dye you outfits to 1 colour.3: Angel Wings, this has absolutely no benefits except looking pretty bad ass.I am not sure if there are any more exclusive items which I haven't mentioned, but all in all the game is extremely fun especially with a friend even if they are higher levels the game world adjusts itself and also allows you friends of higher level to gift you items.The real world auction house is temporally closed, but the in game one is fun to use if you need that awesome rare item or wish to sell one that has no benefit to you.The game acts don't last long (aprrox 5-6 hours if you play strictly story) but with all the extra side quest the life span is quite long added with you playing with the other 4 classes when done add replay value. Also the game connects to all your heroes so it allows you to move items and share money.This Review is dragging along, to SUM it up it is worth buying the collector's edition!10/10 Game and product!

15.5.2012

Diablo 3 is finally with us and it has been worth the wait. The collector's edition of this game contains good quality extras that were also worth the extra price tag, and if I hadn't have managed to secure one myself I would be looking to buy one even at the current inflated prices from resellers. The art book is stunning, page after page of beautiful graphics work and original art that is sure to be a talking point when left on the coffee table. The skull and soulstone look and feel expensive, and I'm refusing to watch the behind the scenes DVD yet as I really don't want to spoil myself for the storyline.The gameplay is smooth and engaging, harking back to the older games in the series enough so that die-hard fans will feel at home,snippets of the older game music also bring back those old memories. The newcomer to the franchise will not be dissappointed either as you can dive straight into the storyline without feeling that you're missing back story. Lore and information is drip fed to you in such a way that you are learning as you level without any hint of a tutorial or being hand-held. The achievement system is fun and adds to the game without immediately becoming a reason to compulsively collect all possible points, and some achievements ping up in normal gameplay before I've noticed that they exist. Weapons and armor are easily obtained and I reached level 10 on my first character in a few hours of gameplay with a couple of 'rare' items and some solid pieces without having to level up any artisans, purchase or craft anything.Gold drops like rain. There will be no issue affording most of what you want to buy from the gold auction house. I picked up the 'scavenger' achievement for 10k gold found in a few hours of casual gaming. Of course I did have the advantage of having beta tested the game, but I'm sure it wouldn't take long for even a novice gamer to pick this game up. It is simple to learn but I suspect tough to master and will keep me entertained for a fair while yet. Random dungeon configuration means that replayability is not an issue. Even taking the same character back through the same levels takes a while to become repetitive. The layout of the places you enter changes, and random events can appear at any time giving good quality drops and often an achievement.Visually this game is very nice. It's not always stunningly beautiful, although there are places where the art and design are just that, especially in the cinematic sequences. The 'paper' effect of some of them looks to be slightly lower quality, but the animated sequences where the non player characters appear are breathtaking and incredibly well done. Of course this means that the game will not run well on a low end computer. You really do need the graphics card and processor power behind a more up to date machine. Most laptops that don't have a dedicated graphics card are going to struggle, but having said that if you're running a machine that's i5 core with a reasonable card there simply is no lag. All the combat calculations are done client side and the results sent to the server, meaning that combat lag is just not an issue. Even a slower internet connection isn't going to be at much of a disadvantage over someone with fibreoptic mega speeds.The online aspect of this game, public chat and random other people are not an issue. If you don't want to interact, simply ignore the public chat channels and keep your games private. You won't be bothered in the least. If you want to interact with other players, it is also simple. Join chat channels, open games, jump in to other people's games and have fun.Good luck to everyone playing, I'll see you in Sanctuary.

24.9.2013

Shipping from Amazon.I had issues receiving my first copy - Informed Amazon and they Next Day shipped my replacement copy. Thank you Amazon. Absolutely perfect service.Xbox Port -I am amazed at the 60 frames the xbox can pull off at almost all times while playing this as this is a relatively pretty game *though, cartoonish for a reason to not put a strain on the Xbox*The controls feel natural and its definitely easy to get used to.The inventory is a little IFFY and a bit annoying to use, but it is a decent way of executing it. It is better in single player mode as it pauses the background, not leaving you defenseless, unlike multiplayer - As it takes up your entire screen.

15.5.2012

I played a lot of Diablo 2 when it came out, it's one of my favourite PC games of all time. Playing it again recently, certain flaws stood out like how while it's still addictive to grind for loot, and while it's cool to see a special enemy and eagerly kick the crap out of it in the hope of something special dropping, the actual fighting - the combat system - is kind of flat and repetitive. Diablo 3 keeps the things that Diablo 2 did right, but has made the combat incredibly satisfying, varied and meaty. There's a huge amount of ways to use each skill in conjunction with others - like using the Monk's dash-attack skill to run between enemy groups to keep your combo count going (which bags you

21.5.2012

Well if you're reading this then I take it you've at least played Diablo and I will tell you that you have got to play D3 the game is fantastic there is lots more to interact with there are plenty more wpns,armour,spells,ruins,quests and chars in the game there's so much more than D2 that really there's to much to list as a D&D game it will fill you're game play time for many an hour as there are just so many little quests you can do though there are a lot of sub quests you can of course just go straight to the big bosses quite quickly should you choose this path in fact I believe the quickest the game was completed and by this I mean the main quests not the sub quests was by a European person

6.9.2013

This is an awesome game, this time around. Why couldn't Blizzard have made this kind of game for the computer a year and a half ago instead of that crap game they put out? I still feel duped about that purchase, but not this one.They fixed the problems. No spending real money, no internet connection, no connecting to server. Long gone are the days of the computer version where I am slugging it out toe to toe with a horde of monsters and the game freezes for a few seconds and when game unfreezes Im laying there dead. What the ??? I quit playing because of that one reason. To die in the game while playing is one thing, but dying because of a constant server lag is another.Enough of my rambling about the broken pc game.

7.3.2014

I was long waiting for the publication of a role-playing game that had among the characters to create one that could heal the other players, a few years ago it had bought Dungeons and Dragons Daggerdale which wasn't bad but left much to be desired, I understand that I bought the arcade version, however, the dialogues were not spoken and very bad online gameplay of more than certain errors in the game. My intention is to write about Diablo 3, so the game is generally excellent, I can say Blizzard, did you it again! I am an ex-player of World of Warcraft some years ago I left the PC games and I bought an XBOX console, since it had always missed WoW, finally I have something good role that entertain me,

26.7.2012

As an avid player of D1 and 2, I know the game series. D3 is a lot quicker than the others - you can move through the game so much easier and get things done a lot faster than the first two. When you die, you start at the last checkpoint, there are a lot (a LOT) more tele pads about the place, which mean you can start back where you left off, and you don't 'drop' your body, so to speak, when you die. This speeds the game up soooo much - if you die, you wait a few seconds, then charge back into battle. While this can be good, it's also a fairly annoying change from D1/2 when you have to go and find your corpse and collect it all up again (it makes D3 too rushed, I felt).As you play,

14.10.2013

I was a little skeptical about getting this game for Xbox 360 at first, because I had only played Diablo 1 and 2 on PC. I was worried the controls and the entire experience might not translate well to consoles, but I checked out a bunch of reviews before I decided to purchase this game for Xbox, and I'm glad I did. Most critics and fans say this version is even better than the PC version currently, because they have revamped and improved a lot of things for this release (compared to the PC version).For one, it is easier to get good items from chests/quests/monster-slaying because they have removed the Auction House, which was basically just a crappy way for Blizzard to make you pay real-world money for decent armor and equipment.

30.9.2014

Our entire family (adults & teens) loved playing this game together (up to 4 players on same machine)! Interesting player class variety to choose from, they level up quickly, tons of equipment & magic items found during game play, immersive graphics, your character regenerates quickly if you die in battle and its addictive. I remember playing the original Diablo on my dad's PC ages ago and this one pays it tribute but is significantly superior. We liked the old Gauntlet PS2 game which is why we bought this one since its similar multi-player gaming style. Diablo III is mostly hack and slash but not gory or graphic like others. When characters level up,

5.9.2013

I am not a Blizzard fan. I am not a Diablo fan. I've tried all of Blizzard's previous games, including World of Warcraft and Starcraft II, and I don't like them very much. I am not a big fan of their art style nor of their game play. Having said that, I tried Diablo III and I really like it (on Xbox 360).If you are a fan of games like Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance of other console-style dungeon crawling RPGs, you might like Diablo III. It has great animations, generally great art, lots of content in terms of quests, loot, and skills, and has a user interface that works well on consoles. The combat systems are simple but flexible, with new skills added over time that change the flow of combat significantly.The quest system,

20.5.2012

Diablo 3So my collectors edition arives I open and am very pleased with the contents, usb with diablo 1 and 2 on it, a nice diablo ornament which can hold the usb, superb artwork book, music cd, the game, and a 45 minute dvd on developing diablo. I then get to load the disk in and follow the onscreen instructions. The game sits on 0% install stage for a while, so do not worry it is justsorting out the files. then it loads up with no errors or issues.So I then start the game, the cinematic work in this game is absolutely superb, its like watching a movie, a real triumph. Then we get down to the game, I was worried that diablo 3 would lose some of its diabloness,

12.9.2013

Diablo 3 is a game that's pretty addicting. Each time I turn it on, I end up losing track of time and when I turn it off I realize I've been playing it for hours. The story is ok, but the gameplay is what shines. If you're an RPG enthusiast, you'll find some real value here. It looks great - the environments are well done and the characters and enemies, while a little small on-screen, look nice. I played the game on a 70" TV, so my opinion may be skewed in that regard. On a smaller screen, the characters would be a little difficult to see in terms of great detail. The controls are also well done. Your character's powers are mapped to various buttons and it works well.

11.2.2014

As a die hard fan of the Diablo series, I pre-ordered the PC version of Diablo III and played a ton of it over the following months. Diablo III on PC was great at the time, save for a few nagging problems. Chief among these were the constant server down times, annoying lag spikes, and an auction house which took most of the fun out of the underlying loot system. While I enjoyed Diablo III on the PC, there was definitely room for improvement.I was a little skeptical about Diablo III on the 360 before I played it. I can now say that the console version is far superior to the experience on PC. The control scheme is well thought out and works much better than the mouse and keyboard alternative.

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