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Diablo 3 Review

An addictive dungeon crawler with great replay value and strong foundations. Always online requirement hurts solo players.

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Diablo 3 looks fine but is not without visual disappointments. Monsters and their animations are great, crumbling upon death or shuffling toward you dragging an axe over stone. Exaggerated ragdoll effects hurl body parts and blood across your screen. Dungeons and caves are suitably atmospheric with seamless random level generation. It only takes one glance at the Halls of Agony in Act 1 to realise there is plenty of gore. The low polygon class designs don’t feel quite right in comparison. The wearable items are over stylized with accentuated features that don’t look practical. The world is fully 3D but you are stuck with one camera angle and two zoom levels. Enemies can be obstructed behind walls as you stand in doorways. The visual quality is generally consistent but the story falls flat toward the end.

Diablo 3
There is plenty of gore and many dark rituals

The main story arc finishes without the punch of its prequels. Major events happen within the game engine, producing less than desirable results. It also tends to have a flippant attitude in regards to major and returning characters. The carefully placed loose ends lack the intrigue they are usually accompanied with. When the last foe falls, the game asks if you want to quit to the menu and you are treated with an ordinary cinematic and the longest of all credits. Despite the healthy nostalgia during the later acts, it lacks the same demonic impact its predecessors generated. Blizzard was happy to reproduce their efforts because it has worked for so long.

Diablo 3 is a good game because it doesn’t stray far from the successful gameplay we saw ten years ago. It’s certainly not a dramatic upgrade or expansion on the classic formula and occasionally lacks the passion the previous games were built on. Changes made to skill and health system don’t seem to bring about improvements. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of fun to be had. Searching for treasure in the myriad of randomized dungeons will be more than enough for most gamers. The action feels great and progression system proves effective. The addictive qualities of the franchise survive and exploring with friends will provide many hours of entertainment.

Our ratings for Diablo 3 on PC out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
Presentation
78
Good random level design with plenty of atmosphere. Varied monsters, smooth animations and powerful skill effects merge with pleasing ambient music. Low polygon counts, poor in game cut scenes and mixed wearable items reduce visual appeal.
Gameplay
84
Enjoyable even through repetition thanks to all the loot and solid combat mechanics. Reproducing skill combinations and getting in amongst the action is rewarding. It flows smoothly between encounters with little downtime.
Single Player
72
Always online requirement results in latency problems when playing alone. Has a lazy story with a weak finish. Follows the structure of Diablo 2 too closely and regurgitates poor dialogue. One play through on normal should provide around 15-20 hours of gameplay.
Multiplayer
83
Dungeon crawling with friends is fun, but you�ll want to join with somebody who can match your pace or play after you finish solo. More action in multiplayer games, monsters get harder and health orbs are shared.
Performance
(Show PC Specs)
CPU: AMD Phenom II 955 @ 3.2GHz
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1GB
RAM: 4GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
PC Specs

83
Generally runs fine, large groups of monsters and allies can bring the frame rate down but it is pretty rare. Network problems may interrupt games at any time.
Overall
80
Diablo 3 brings back monsters, weapons and locations from the previous games to maintain the addiction. Not much has changed in ten years and there is only a minor shift in focus. Random dungeons, multiplayer and difficulty levels provide great replay value.
Comments
Diablo 3
Diablo 3 box art Platform:
PC
Our Review of Diablo 3
80%
Great
The Verdict:
Game Ranking
Diablo 3 is ranked #436 out of 1957 total reviewed games. It is ranked #42 out of 145 games reviewed in 2012.
436. Diablo 3
437. Saboteur, The
PC
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Screenshots

Diablo 3
48 images added May 28, 2012 04:23
Videos
Diablo III - Gameplay Beta footage
Posted: Aug 4, 2011 16:19
Diablo 3 - Black Soulstone Trailer
Posted: Oct 28, 2011 03:22
Diablo 3 - Opening Cinematic
Posted: Dec 13, 2011 00:20
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