Gimme that loot.For the uninformed, Diablo III is a dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game with elements of dungeon-crawling. Set in the world of Sanctuary, players choose from one of a myriad of character classes to then begin their journey thwarting evil and snagging some awesome loot. Here are our impressions:
GOOD
- Loot
"Legendary, legendary, legendary - LEGENDARY!" - this is what goes through my mind as I'm taking down yet another unique/elite enemy type in Diablo III. The loot system in this game is addicting. You just have to find the better equipment! The feeling of triumph when you do inevitably pickup the oh-so-rare legendary item is palpable. However, that feeling is twice as crushing when you realize it is specialized for a character class other than yours! Thankfully, you are able to store your items in a cross-character-accesible "Stash" that allows nothing to go to waste. And then you move on to your next legendary conquest. LOOT FTW!
- Mythos
The world of Diablo III is a fascinating one. Between the High Heavens, Sanctuary and the Burn Hells, there is a multitude of interesting and compelling characters you are either anxious to talk to or smite in battle. The backstories are particularly interesting as well, leading even the most gameplay centric players to pause and listen to the audio summaries of characters, events and histories. This is definitely pulp-fantasy awesomeness.
- Satisfying Gameplay
Immolating a screen full of demonspawn, zombies and angels feels good - the mechanics of gameplay in Diablo III are extremely fulfilling. Nearly every button on the controller has a dictated ability type however, it never feels cumbersome. In fact, as you unlock new abilities and flesh out your roster of button types to use - you just feel like a badass throwing the kitchen sink at your opponents. Lightning armor, followed by Arcane Torrent, followed by Blizzard, followed by Chain Lightning, followed by Archon, with each having its own specific button - this madness is actually intuitive and habit-forming!
MEDIOCRE
- Console graphics somewhat dated
Diablo III isn't an ugly game but it definitely isn't pretty either. Jaggies and rough textures are abundant. Character models also lack a certain level of detail you'd probably expect from a AAA title such as this. That said, it runs really well and no drop in frame-rate ever takes you out of the experience.
- Fetch quests can get tiresome
Years earlier, Torchlight on XBLA was proof that a Diablo-esque game was possible on a console. Now we actually have Diablo on a console and overall, Diablo III continues to be a fun endeavor with massive re-playability. You won't want to leave Sanctuary anytime soon.
@techandjunk
