Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Diablo 3 The Most Fantastic Game!!

Huntn

Huntn

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
May 5, 2008
24,575
27,683
The Misty Mountains
Well is it? I realize this is shocking but I've not purchased it yet. A friend who is basically addicted to WoW told me that she could only play it about 3 hours at a time before it became repetitive- imagine! :)

I did a search on Diablo3 reviews, post retail, but did not find any. Please point me at it if there is one. Thanks!
 
Huntn said:
Well is it? I realize this is shocking but I've not purchased it yet. A friend who is basically addicted to WoW told me that she could only play it about 3 hours at a time before it became repetitive- imagine! :)

I did a search on Diablo3 reviews, post retail, but did not find any. Please point me at it if there is one. Thanks!
Click to expand...

There are many reviews here:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/diablo-iii

User score is horrible tho, 4/10 after 4500 votes.
I was planning on getting it, and was really looking forward to it, until i played the beta.
I have several friends that have gotten it, but they are mixed on how it is.
Some love it and some hate it.
 
Blizzard games are always greatly overrated. For some reason there is some core fans out there who think Blizzards long development times = best "bug free" game ever and it doesn't.

That being said I wasn't going to get the game, but liked the beta so I got the game and have been having lots of fun. I've played through it twice and here are my thoughts:

The cons:

-The game is definitely bug ridden. The auction houses aren't working correctly (commodities and real money house are down) and there are some in game bugs like the mouse cursor disappearing (you can alt-tab to get it back). To be fair I only encountered the second bug once.

The servers also go up and down although now are stable almost 100% of the time.

-The game is short. You can play through it in a day if you want.

-The story is pretty much just hashed together. Don't expect a deep involving story line or to remember who any of the characters really are at least the first time through.

The Pros:

-The game is fun IF....you have a class you enjoy. I recommend playing through until level 7 - 10 with each class to see which you enjoy. My favorite is the witch doctor.

-The game is even more fun with friends, and each person gets their own loot so you can steal everything on screen and you aren't robbing anyone.

-The CG scenes are gorgeous. The rest of the game is nice too, I like the art style a lot although it could use a few modern effects.

If I had to rate it I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10. Its a good game, a bit on the short side but addictive. Its not perfect by any means but its one of the better ones I've played in awhile and I generally don't like dungeon crawlers.
 
I really like the interface. I want to click to an area on the screen and have my character walk to that area. In WoW, you can't do that. You have to run and I always end up running sideways and going off track which makes the game frustrating. So thumbs up for Diablo's simple interface.

I also like viewing the battle from above, so I can see who is moving quickly, who is behind me, etc. It keeps you from getting killed all of the time.

I like that I can play by myself and not have any users with me. I like to explore each area, not just fight. If I want to open the game to others, it is done easily. This is handy for boss levels.

You can also play it without having a great graphics card.
 
Story is awful, (no surprise there, really--but not as bad as SC2) but the gameplay is top-notch.

It is repetitive, but that is the nature of the beast.
 
Scrapula said:
I really like the interface. I want to click to an area on the screen and have my character walk to that area. In WoW, you can't do that. You have to run and I always end up running sideways and going off track which makes the game frustrating. So thumbs up for Diablo's simple interface.

I also like viewing the battle from above, so I can see who is moving quickly, who is behind me, etc. It keeps you from getting killed all of the time.
Click to expand...

I remember you could do both of these in WoW. The click to walk was an option in menus (or it wasn't ? been some time since I stopped playing but I'm almost certain the option was there). As for the camera, you can zoom it out so you can see the action from above. Still, very different games so no real comparison here.
 
It's true to the series in that it is a game about grinding gear to improve your character.

If you don't like grinding in any game then DO NOT buy this.

Personally I enjoy the grind, I enjoy my class of Barbarian and I look forward to the PvP being added.

The story took me 20 hours on first play through which by 2012 standards is more than most AAA games, however anyone expecting a massive long 100 hour epic story is going to be sad. But that isn't what diablo is about anyway.

So far I have had issues with logging in on the first couple of days but since then it's been fine, the auction house has been fine too.

A lot of people seem to have went in to this expecting it to be an MMO and those people are bemused, most of the bad reviews are from people bemoaning the always online aspect but its 2012 and if they don't do that the game will be pirated into oblivion so what ya gonna do?

I would say that the first difficulty of the game is just too easy, i didnt even die apart from going afk to the toilet once and my friend walking away leaving me but when i was at the keyboard i did not die.

So far in the two weeks since release I have logged 50 hours, I am on the HELL difficulty now and it has definitely got harder now, I can only imagine how frustrating inferno will be.

Bottom line is, Good game if you like to grind for money/items, sadly we have no idea if PvP will be any good yet.
 
This hype has been pretty amazing.

After hearing so much about it, I had a look in a few game stores for a copy and everyone told me the same thing. No stock, but they could put down a "pre-order" for me that should come in within a month :eek:

I've out down an order through Amazon, lets see how long it takes to arrive :)
 
I got it and played throught the first act in an evening (5 1/2 hours). I was on the fence...but dropped the cash on it. So far im really enjoying it. and it will only get better as you play through the increasing difficulty levels. It's a very pretty game on my 2011 imac.
 
Dr. McKay said:
Looks nice enough, but runs like a dog on my system. Guess I'll wait for Torchlight 2 which will no doubt have less steep sys reqs...
Click to expand...

Speaking of Torchlight, how does TL compare to D2? It seems like it took them ages to release D2, while Torchlight just popped out, no muss, no fuss. Ok, maybe that's not quite an accurate description...

SlickShoes said:
It's true to the series in that it is a game about grinding gear to improve your character.

If you don't like grinding in any game then DO NOT buy this.

Personally I enjoy the grind, I enjoy my class of Barbarian and I look forward to the PvP being added.

The story took me 20 hours on first play through which by 2012 standards is more than most AAA games, however anyone expecting a massive long 100 hour epic story is going to be sad. But that isn't what diablo is about anyway.

So far I have had issues with logging in on the first couple of days but since then it's been fine, the auction house has been fine too.

A lot of people seem to have went in to this expecting it to be an MMO and those people are bemused, most of the bad reviews are from people bemoaning the always online aspect but its 2012 and if they don't do that the game will be pirated into oblivion so what ya gonna do?

I would say that the first difficulty of the game is just too easy, i didnt even die apart from going afk to the toilet once and my friend walking away leaving me but when i was at the keyboard i did not die.

So far in the two weeks since release I have logged 50 hours, I am on the HELL difficulty now and it has definitely got harder now, I can only imagine how frustrating inferno will be.

Bottom line is, Good game if you like to grind for money/items, sadly we have no idea if PvP will be any good yet.
Click to expand...

Your have to be online all the time or you can't play this game?? If so, that's BS. Another reason to hate DRM.

I apologize cause I know I've asked this before, but probably forgot- can you host your own game on your network at home?
 
Huntn said:
Speaking of Torchlight, how does TL compare to D2? It seems like it took them ages to release D2, while Torchlight just popped out, no muss, no fuss. Ok, maybe that's not quite an accurate description...



Your have to be online all the time or you can't play this game?? If so, that's BS. Another reason to hate DRM.

I apologize cause I know I've asked this before, but probably forgot- can you host your own game on your network at home?
Click to expand...

Whilst I don't like it either unlike you I understand why Blizzard has taken that step and it is justifiable. I guess if you don't like it then don't play the game simple as. Firstly they are trying to avoid piracy and secondly the online auction system for safety and security reasons requires them to know who is actively taking part in the game at all times. As for hosting your own game I don't think it's possible. Even if you could you would still need to be logged into Battle.net.

As for Torchlight the first game was pretty good and no doubt the second one will expand upon it with I believe drop in drop out co-op amongst other things. That said its production values are nowhere near as good as Diablo's and I would say in basic terms it's a more simplistic version of the same genre of game. It's main advantage is that it's system requirements will be lower.
 
Mr.C said:
Whilst I don't like it either unlike you I understand why Blizzard has taken that step and it is justifiable. I guess if you don't like it then don't play the game simple as. Firstly they are trying to avoid piracy and secondly the online auction system for safety and security reasons requires them to know who is actively taking part in the game at all times. As for hosting your own game I don't think it's possible. Even if you could you would still need to be logged into Battle.net.

As for Torchlight the first game was pretty good and no doubt the second one will expand upon it with I believe drop in drop out co-op amongst other things. That said its production values are nowhere near as good as Diablo's and I would say in basic terms it's a more simplistic version of the same genre of game. It's main advantage is that it's system requirements will be lower.
Click to expand...

It's justifiable if you are a big game company. Ultimately I play if the game is worthy while bemoaning the state of DRM. I assume this means that the game is tied to your account and there are no resales... yeah figures. :p
 
Huntn said:
Speaking of Torchlight, how does TL compare to D2? It seems like it took them ages to release D2, while Torchlight just popped out, no muss, no fuss. Ok, maybe that's not quite an accurate description...



Your have to be online all the time or you can't play this game?? If so, that's BS. Another reason to hate DRM.

I apologize cause I know I've asked this before, but probably forgot- can you host your own game on your network at home?
Click to expand...

yeah you can't host your own game, the way it is built is with seemless multiplayer everywhere. The first 2 diablo games may have been single player first but this is 100% a multiplayer game, you just have the option to play it completely solo. You can make your game totally private so that no one can join, you can make it so only friends can join, or you can let anyone at all join. You are never forced to play with random people or even forced to play multi player, I actually think that multi player seems harder than playing solo to me.

Diablo 2 came out in 1999 or something like that, some of the people that made that left blizzard at some point and they worked on torchlight and created that game which came out a few years ago. No one that worked on diablo2 worked on diablo3.

Torchlight is a good game and it is cheap, torchlight 2 at release though will NOT have a OSX version so you will nee to install windows to play it. They have said they will work on an OSX port once the windows game is finnished.
 
chrono1081 said:
The game is definitely bug ridden. The auction houses aren't working correctly (commodities and real money house are down) and there are some in game bugs like the mouse cursor disappearing (you can alt-tab to get it back). To be fair I only encountered the second bug once.
Click to expand...
Yes it has a few bugs but nothing compared to the average EA release. D3 is very good in that respect.

chrono1081 said:
The servers also go up and down although now are stable almost 100% of the time.
Click to expand...
On the NA server I could not long in the first 2 days after that not one error 37 (wait que) at all. And I'm Australian. So maybe it's something only you are getting.

chrono1081 said:
The game is short. You can play through it in a day if you want.
Click to expand...
Diablo does not end at normal with one character. If that's all you play then you're missing out on a lot of Diablo. The Diablo series has always been about beating the game with all characters on all difficulties. 5 characters and 4 difficulties, that's 20 games completed and that's without touching hardcore. Can you do that all in a day? I would say no. Mind you no one can. So the game in that respect is not short.

But normal alone is 20-25 hours if not done in a speed run. And that's pretty good for most modern games. (I got 44 hours out of my first normal run through but I was going pretty slow)

chrono1081 said:
The story is pretty much just hashed together. Don't expect a deep involving story line or to remember who any of the characters really are at least the first time through.
Click to expand...
That "hash" as you call it is damn good. If you actually watch it. Reading the Book of Cain is also a good idea for the lore junkies. Saying Diablo 3's story is bad is just plain wrong.

chrono1081 said:
The game is fun IF....you have a class you enjoy. I recommend playing through until level 7 - 10 with each class to see which you enjoy. My favorite is the witch doctor.
Click to expand...
That's why the starter edition exists. If you find it all boring the Diablo 3 is not the game for you.

chrono1081 said:
The game is even more fun with friends, and each person gets their own loot so you can steal everything on screen and you aren't robbing anyone.
Click to expand...
I say just as fun on your own or with friends. Solo, go grab a follower and then it's very fun to hear their words along your travels.

chrono1081 said:
The CG scenes are gorgeous. The rest of the game is nice too, I like the art style a lot although it could use a few modern effects.
Click to expand...
The pre-rendered video is amazing I agree. And the rest of the game was designed as it was. So more computers can play the game. But they go on a high aesthetic value. That's why games like D2 were played for 10+ years. The other pretty games lost their shine when their graphics came out dated but the Diablo series as always had a feel that lasts a lot longer.

chrono1081 said:
Its not perfect by any means
Click to expand...
Of cause. Nothing is perfect. But it's one of the best out there.
 
Everyone is going to tell you something different about D3, there's no denying it. I do agree with what a few said above though that a lot of the reviews bitching can be chalked down to people going in with MMO expectations. To core Diablo fans it's a perfect fit in the series.

It has it's issues no doubt, mainly in the way drops scale to your level and how insane Inferno is but no game is perfect. The story is decent, the characters are good and the visuals are amazing. Yes, you have to be online at all times but I've had no issues with the servers aside from waiting an hour and a half at launch time so I don't have reason to complain there.

All in all I say it's certainly worth the money you pay if you are a fan of the series. If you expect it to be WoW or exactly like D2 / Torchlight though you will be very disappointed.
 
Thanks for the input guys! :) Eventually when I have a gaming slot open, I'll probably buy this game.

I've played a variety of RPGs and I can see why there are a people coming from WoW expecting something similar. Why shouldn't a dungeon crawl in D3 be that much different than a WoW dungeon?

Can the D3 view be changed? I've never liked isometric view. Can you pull the camera down into a close 3rd person view similar to WoW?
 
Huntn said:
Thanks for the input guys! :) Eventually when I have a gaming slot open, I'll probably buy this game.

I've played a variety of RPGs and I can see why there are a people coming from WoW expecting something similar. Why shouldn't a dungeon crawl in D3 be that much different than a WoW dungeon?

Can the D3 view be changed? I've never liked isometric view. Can you pull the camera down into a close 3rd person view similar to WoW?
Click to expand...

No, you can't, but part of reason the game is isometric is because it uses mouse clicks to do almost everything. Things also get really chaotic where you get attacked by 20 enemies at the same time from all angles so you need the full field of view to know what's going on.

It's a fun game. You beat it pretty quickly but these games are meant to be played over and over in pursuit of the level cap and better gear.

And the always online sucks but then again, this is the first game that actually allow you to sell gear for real life money. Their servers record every action your character makes so anyone selling duped items will get caught.
 
You can not change from isometric view but you can do one level of zoom (letter z) to see your character better/in more detail.

I, personally, think the game is very well done and while I have not played all the way through in Normal yet, because my employer works me way to hard, I find the gameplay very addictive.

Most people I see bashing the game draw comparisons to Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 which I find absurd to say the least as both of those are more RPG than Diablo ever was, is or will be. I have played both the original and Diablo 2 games and when I started playing WoW in Jan 2006, it sidelined my need to play Diablo 2 anymore as WoW has the loot grinding aspect to it. That said I came to Diablo 3 with the express interest to play a fast paced 'loot explosion' game that is not as intense as Heroic Raiding in WoW nor did I expect and MMORPG (or any massively multiplayer, just some multiplayer.)

Regarding the online only issues, it sucks, but if the choice is that or have the damn DVD in the drive to play I will take the online only option (optical media is not something I relish anymore as it is too slow.) The fact that it is help their anti-cheating measures is probably a bonus, as I remember lots of offline mods for D2 (and D1.)

Also, the lack of PvP is probably a big sticking point right now so from that aspect the game is somewhat unfinished but I am glad I have gotten to play the game now and for the most part it has either lived up to or exceeded my expectations as a Diablo game. I think a lot of bugs will be corrected in the next week or so with the first patch since release 1.0.2 and 1.1 looks to make somethings nicer and cheaper (2 gems to combine for the next tier instead of 3, etc - yeah, the game is already being nerf-ed.)

Since today is patch Tuesday (I forgot it is Tuesday) 1.0.2 came out today ;-)
 
Last edited:
I Really love Diablo 3 but i was a huge fan of Diablo 2, but then i never got into world of warcraft either.

One thing i will say is that its quite laggy on my 2009 iMac which i recently updated to 16gb of RAM too, i think its down to the fact it uses a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with shared memory, it seems to lag like heck in wide open areas but runs lightning fast in smaller areas (exploring caves, dungeons, crypts etc etc).

Either that or sky broadband is just plain crap!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back