Diablo 3 Review

The release of Diablo 3 was not without a lot of criticism, both towards the game itself and towards the DRM protection, which required players to be constantly online. But what does the game look like now, about half a year after its release? Let's try to figure it out and see what conclusions we come to.

Let's start with the downsides, which, after such a significant amount of time, have not gone anywhere and remain unaddressed.

The very high pace of the game is immediately noticeable. Many have talked about this, but it bears repeating. While you're playing through the game three or four times (in order to reach level 60), you'll memorize every quest, every path, and every turn in every location or cave. This is doubly disappointing, since Blizzard should have come up with something and expanded the size of the game areas within a month or two after release.

Another shortcoming—a lack of enemies—is felt by players on higher difficulty levels and in co-op mode. The thing is, their numbers don't increase; they just get a bit stronger. Throughout the game, you'll only encounter a real crowd of opponents a few times, even though mowing down hundreds of mobs could have been Diablo 3’s main attraction. As it is, even if you team up with friends, there won’t be much to do, especially since a brave team of four players can decimate monsters very quickly.

It’s also worth mentioning that Diablo 3’s “old-school” nature is evident in how the story is presented. There are no in-engine cutscenes or even proper dialogues. Everything is done just like in the first two games. This approach might please a couple of old-school fans, but in 2012, it’s time to adopt competitors’ technologies, and Diablo 3 would have been much better if it featured more modern storytelling techniques. Even the most modest RPGs now have first-person dialogues, but Blizzard’s creation hasn’t learned this.

The auction house was also a clear misstep. While it offers a full range of in-game items, its prices often satisfy neither buyer nor seller. Specifically, as soon as you list your legendary-rare item for sale, a dozen similar offers will immediately undercut your price by two or three times. But if you need a rare item yourself, don’t dream of a good deal—the price will be inflated several times over.

Can you imagine the disappointment of those who bought the game? And right after release, there were even more glaring flaws. Nevertheless, Blizzard immediately started making promises and fixing major gameplay issues. Now, on the eve of the full-fledged 1.0.6 patch, the game looks pretty decent and can attract many undemanding players who aren’t very familiar with the Hack & Slash RPG genre.

First of all, the game has very soft and pleasant graphics, with colorful decorations and cool effects. The game will run smoothly not only on most laptops but even on weak PCs.

Secondly, the gameplay in co-op mode is much more interesting than in single-player, and this is perhaps Blizzard’s main achievement in their attempt to revive their once-great brand. Of course, with their experience developing multiplayer games like World of Warcraft and Starcraft, a different result would have been hard to expect. It’s quite likely that the next game in the Diablo series will also focus on the multiplayer aspect.

That’s why we recommend making your game “open” and exploring the world of Sanctuary as a group of four. The success of your joint adventure depends on the right party—after all, the game’s balance is so flexible that a silent barbarian, an agile demon hunter, and powerful wizards can easily coexist. A tried-and-true gameplay formula, deadly bosses, and diverse characters—this is what keeps players engaged the most.

A truly interesting innovation is the blacksmith and jeweler, who, for a small fee, will teach your character to craft weapons and gear, as well as improve them using special gem properties.

At first, you’ll pay for their training, but if you want to reach a high level, you’ll have to farm books and tomes containing the most secret knowledge from bosses. And while the jeweler’s skills can help you kill hundreds of mobs more easily, crafting weapons is almost pointless—loot dropped from monsters always has better stats. Even gear can’t always be replaced with crafted items. The only real joy for the blacksmith is crafting legendary items, but getting such rare recipes is very difficult, and the ingredients required are quite specific.

And at the end of our review, I’d like to point out that the story has never been the main pillar of the Diablo games, and with Diablo 3, history repeated itself. Yes, it’s completely linear, and as you play, you’ll be haunted by a sense of déjà vu. Just look at Act IV, which parodies the fourth act of the second game. Our younger friends, who weren’t aware of this fact, were quite surprised by its absence, but it is what it is.

Surprisingly, playing Diablo 3 feels like experiencing an anachronism—it’s just not possible to spend 12 years making a game and expect it to fit into the space-time continuum of this universe. Perhaps the most difficult question is the game’s price, because it’s hard to say that Diablo 3 is worth 1,000 rubles (or even 2,500 rubles for the European version). Probably, the best time to buy this game would be during a sale, for example, the New Year’s sale.