Diablo 3 is here!

[hockeywarrior]

My friend sent me a trial code and I have started playing to see for myself if my concerns with D3 are true.

Aaaaand they are. Every single one of my main concerns is valid. In a matter of two hours, I got disconnected from the servers twice, and both times I lost significant exploration progress and good items from my inventory. The entire time I experienced significant warping lag which made the game unplayable at times. All of this was happening while I didn't see a single other soul ... it was simply a SP game with all the nasty side effects of an MMO. Oh and no pausing ... it's ludicrous. Love me some draconian DRM of the worst variety.

From a gameplay stand point, I'm not impressed with D3. The game just feeds you skills ... gone are the skill trees from D2 where at least you had to make choices about how you wanted to develop your character. Now all of that is taken care of for you, which severely reduces replayability. Even the runes which add a layer of depth to the shallow system are fed to you via unlocks, and the entire set up feels artificial, contrived, and uninteresting. The removal of assigning stats also feels like a gross mistake. I'm really shocked Blizzard went with such a dumbed down system -- though I suppose it makes the game ideal for 10 year olds.

The removal of scrolls of identify and town portal really take away from the game, and I hate how enemies drop little health orbs like Devil May Cry ... it just feels lame somehow -- no longer do I really have to manage my character's health, which I thought was interesting in D2 (despite the potion problems). In fact, the game is so damn easy that I never really felt like I had to worry about health much at all, and I don't even have access to an auction house (can't use it in the trial), which would make things even easier. I am aware that you can unlock harder difficulties, but the game should NOT be this easy on Normal -- especially since you can't simply skip the difficulty level. I'm also aware that the game probably gets harder, but even so, I can't imagine the tedium of playing through level after level of such an easy experience.

I have to admit that the graphics style looks more impressive when I played the game in person, but even so, the low resolution textures really make this feel like a title from 3-4 years ago. Physics destruction is a nice, if mostly totally cosmetic touch. Music and voice work is more than solid, which is to be expected. Even so, with the unrewarding gameplay thus far, the strong presentation fails to carry the game for me.

On the whole, D3 feels like a Diablo-inspired casual action game made by a different company -- not an action RPG that requires tactical strategy or smart player choices. For these reasons, I'll stay clear of D3, and I'm glad I had a chance to play it for myself to not only avoid hypocrisy but to confirm my suspicions about the game.

 

[Grimreapo]

I'm putting my money into Dragon's Dogma but whilst playing the trail you can pause using Esc! That said, the log in system is fricking dumb as games like Diablo are perfect when you have a down net connector or to play over LAN...

 

[[-project.rattus-]]

And when you're get into the higher difficulties, you pump....vitality instead of damage. And a single piece of gear can easily increase your HP 10% to 40%. Meanwhile, ALL the other gear stats are downplayed. And then there are stats like "Increase range of gold/health globe pickups" that seem to get attached to every ****ing item, like Blizzard went "Oh ****, gear is super boring! Quick! Set a filler stat to 70% prevalence!"

The Health globe radious is a true live saver on higher difficulties and especially on hardcore. Honestly, hardcore changes how you play the game so much that if you didn't like D3 as of yet, you should totally give that mode a go.

 

[Amerikaner]

When did this community get so tough on everything? You launch the game, click on ****, cool stuff happens, and fun is had. End of story. I have enough complexity with ArmA or Starcraft2. I don't need every game to require hours of learning. And it's not even like D3 is dumbed down, its simply streamlined. Can you guys even have fun anymore ?

 

[Nenjin]

When did this community get so tough on everything? You launch the game, click on ****, cool stuff happens, and fun is had. End of story. I have enough complexity with ArmA or Starcraft2. I don't need every game to require hours of learning. And it's not even like D3 is dumbed down, its simply streamlined. Can you guys even have fun anymore ?

It's not just this community. Plenty of people all around are wondering why the game was so....streamlined, and are wishing their first playthrough didn't feel like a waste of time.

And are you really going to pull the "we have other complicated games, so this series you love and waited 12 years for not meeting your expectations is totally acceptable?" Because that would be the point where I start looking for what people said about RO2.

So yeah. Diablo has always been mindless clicking, but there were other things going on to give the game depth beyond that. With D3, I don't feel like there's any of that depth. It's just mostly mindless fun now, and if that's what we accept Diablo 3 is, then that puts Blizzard on par with plenty of $10 games I've bought. For the richest entertainment company on the planet, with the absolutely highest level of creative control and the freedom to do exactly what they want without pressure from an external publisher....yeah, I expected a little bit more.

I enjoy the game for what it's doing. But I would have enjoyed it more if I could have clicked a button that said "**** your stupid trial mode intended for pre-teens, can I play the actual game instead?" The first brain-meltingly easy mode pretty much made me take everything else less seriously, including the story.

 

[Amerikaner]

It's not just this community. Plenty of people all around are wondering why the game was so....streamlined, and are wishing their first playthrough didn't feel like a waste of time.

Yes but its also the fastest selling PC game of all time. The simple fact is, the vast majority of people are having fun. Obviously, that's not a guage of how good a game is (obligatory CoD reference) but I've never seen such a huge backlash against a game that's largely undeserved. And of course it's important to always be highly critical of games to keep the developers in check but, in this instance, I just genuinely enjoy the game for what it is.

And I don't think its fair to equate streamlined with "10 year olds" and "pre-teens". I enjoy the most complicated of games but there is still room in my catalog for a game like D3. I guess my expectations were just lower than yours and alot of other people complaining. I expected a visually impressive clickfest. That's exactly what I got with D2 (maybe less so the visually impressive part) and that's exactly what I got with D3.

 

[Nenjin]

I expected a visually impressive click fest. I also expected to have to make choices, that those choices would have impact, and that the first 7 hours of the game would be balanced to provide at least a passable challenge.

Having act bosses die in less than 30 seconds, only dying to fire pools on the ground, never falling below 80% health, items that bloat your damage over 200%....it's just a horribly balanced experience in normal that says "yeah we don't really give a **** about this." And since that's your exposure to the story, your reaction to the story is "yeah I don't really give a **** either." If their goal was to ultimately make me not give a **** anymore, they did a pretty good job.

The simplicity of the system combined with the ease and idiot-proofness of normal mode is what makes me feel like it was designed to be as accessible as possible to people the least familiar with the game, or gaming in general.

Basically this is me being sad that Diablo now feels like the CoD of action RPGs. (Which D3 feels less like an RPG to me than it used to.) I suppose I should have known that's where it was going, but it doesn't make me feel any better about it.

 

[Grobut]

Yes but its also the fastest selling PC game of all time. The simple fact is, the vast majority of people are having fun. Obviously, that's not a guage of how good a game is (obligatory CoD reference) but I've never seen such a huge backlash against a game that's largely undeserved. And of course it's important to always be highly critical of games to keep the developers in check but, in this instance, I just genuinely enjoy the game for what it is.

Basically, your argument is "i had fun with it, so anyone who says they didn't are wrong".

A little objectivity is called for..

 

[Nenjin]

That's basically been the counter argument I've read elsewhere. If you have complaints about the game, you're being an eliteist. It's pretty ironic.

 

[The Masta]

Diablo 3 looks pretty meh from what I've seen so far.

 

[Holy.Death]

Yes but its also the fastest selling PC game of all time.

It is not an argument in itself, because people have to buy the game, before they'll play it (save for other means to view the in-game content, like demos, gameplays, reviews, etc). Good sales can be also explained by status of Blizzard and fame of Diablo II.

The simple fact is, the vast majority of people are having fun.

How one can measure that? Of course, there are people who are having fun, but that can be said about any other game. There will be probably also people who are not having fun. To me it's kind of surprising that both Mass Effect 3 and Diablo 3 got so low notes (from users), but when I look closer it isn't that surprising. Unfulfilled expectations are bane of any game series and with the legend that rose around those titles it was facing really high expectations.

Obviously, that's not a guage of how good a game is (obligatory CoD reference) but I've never seen such a huge backlash against a game that's largely undeserved.

I could observe that on these very forums. With the release of GOTY edition of RO2 overall opinion seems to have changed. I suspect that people feel that their needs has been addressed or are not falling on deaf ears, some got new options to play with and so on. In the end it all comes down to expectations versus reality.

I have enough complexity with ArmA or Starcraft2

StarCraft II can be old school, but it's not complex - it relies heavily on reflex as well as on your decisions, that's why it might be seen as hard game.

 

[Amerikaner]

Basically, your argument is "i had fun with it, so anyone who says they didn't are wrong".

A little objectivity is called for..

No that's not really my argument. My argument is the game was shown to be one thing. I bought the game based on that. Turns out the game is just what I was shown. Now you have an army of people wanting something different. You shouldn't have bought it then.

It is not an argument in itself, because people have to buy the game, before they'll play it (save for other means to view the in-game content, like demos, gameplays, reviews, etc). Good sales can be also explained by status of Blizzard and fame of Diablo II.

There was a closed beta, open beta, and plenty of screenshots, feeds, and video shown about the game. All of the content up unto release including the playable betas showed the game for exactly what it was. So you're saying the massive amount of people who got the game at launch were duped and now dislike the game?

How one can measure that? Of course, there are people who are having fun, but that can be said about any other game. There will be probably also people who are not having fun. To me it's kind of surprising that both Mass Effect 3 and Diablo 3 got so low notes (from users), but when I look closer it isn't that surprising. Unfulfilled expectations are bane of any game series and with the legend that rose around those titles it was facing really high expectations.

You can measure it by how many players stick with the game. So fine, its too early for that. Still, the fact that 300,000 concurrently played the beta and gave plenty of feedback and yet 3.5 million still bought the game either says most people like what they're getting or this may be the most hive-minded customer duping of all time.

I could observe that on these very forums. With the release of GOTY edition of RO2 overall opinion seems to have changed. I suspect that people feel that their needs has been addressed or are not falling on deaf ears, some got new options to play with and so on. In the end it all comes down to expectations versus reality.

Yes, the feedback from RO2 is a perfect example of how exaggerated player reaction can be.

StarCraft II can be old school, but it's not complex - it relies heavily on reflex as well as on your decisions, that's why it might be seen as hard game.

Yes, decisions which are complex. If you don't consider SCII complex I'd like to hear what you do consider complex.

 

[Holy.Death]

There was a closed beta, open beta, and plenty of screenshots, feeds, and video shown about the game. All of the content up unto release including the playable betas showed the game for exactly what it was. So you're saying the massive amount of people who got the game at launch were duped and now dislike the game?

It's more complicated:

1. How many people play closed betas and open betas? Beta of Red Orchestra 2 (the second one, where the people were testing Classic, Realism and Action modes) had Classic mode, but overall opinion was "we'll wait for the game to be released before playing it". Senseless from certain point of view, but for a man who simply doesn't have time to play betas and leave content it can be understandable to a degree.

2. Screenshots, feeds, videos and all that can't equal playing the game itself. It's important how the game will feel directly between the game - end user. When people can't test it for themselves they must create an image of the game and that image is later confronted with the copy of the game they play. Bugs and various problems (not shown for the mass public) can also lower their opinion about the game, because they distaste the way how the game was delivered. When you have a problem you don't care why, you just want to play.

3. Take into account how popular the game is/will be - the more people will buy it the more will like and dislike it. It's a pure statistics. Hopes and expectations also factor into this. Include into this different view of the people on the matter.

Still, the fact that 300,000 concurrently played the beta and gave plenty of feedback and yet 3.5 million still bought the game either says most people like what they're getting or this may be the most hive-minded customer duping of all time.

It's Diablo III, made by Blizzard. That fact alone was enough to make people buy one of the famoust game series of the PC-gaming made by one of the most renowned game makers. For many Diablo is the game of their youths.

Yes, decisions which are complex. If you don't consider SCII complex I'd like to hear what you do consider complex.

Hearts of Iron 3, for example? Games like StarCraft 2 are more tactical games rather than strategy games (tactical games have small scale, focus more on real-time part, often feature simple counters, etc). I don't say it's a bad game, but "RTS" term is pretty old (in world of games, where time runs differently, I'd even call it ancient) and doesn't take into account differences within the genre. Call of Duty, Red Orchestra and ARMA are all different games, even if they all fall under "FPS" category.

 

[KrazyKraut]

I played Diablo 1 back in the 90s (I even got hellfire), it was one of my favourites. I bought Diablo 2 probably the week it came out, same goes for Lord of Destruction.

All I knew about Diablo 3 were the first two or so videos after it got announced (2009?). I didn't follow any of it past that and I never saw any videos from the beta, let alone play it myself.

Only by accident did I learn it would come out on May 15th and I thought what the hell and preordered (the first game I ever preordered btw).

And... I like it. Very much. It does a lot of things differently than Diablo 2. So what. Why would I want the same game again? Everything they chose to alter I feel was for a good reason. They may not satisfy everyone with their choices, but that's impossible anyway. Taking Level-Up away from the player seems drastic, but in the end, rather than having to worry about not finding the one perfect way to level up (like in the old games) you might as well make it automatic. I personally never played the same class twice in any of the Diablos (for now), so it's nice to know no matter how I played, I didn't miss any skills. You are free to not like any that, but I do. If I want a deep RPG with character choices of big importance... I know Diablo is not my game.

There's some things that I liked better about the old games: The characters were less cheesy, the second weapon set you could switch to in an instant and a few other things. But I am willing to accept all that for the feeling I am playing a game with fresh mechanics and not just a "more of the same" Diablo 2.

 

[Snuffeldjuret]

I have now played 36 hours and I feel like I am done with it. I guess it is not that bad when it comes being worth it, but except for BF3 (13 hours) one of the worst buys in a looooooong time.

I am just not connecting with the game. Totally boring quest rewards, too few and too crappy legendary items, too cheesy story and storytelling etc.

 

[smokeythebear]

Robert Pooner and the Spice Boys - YouTube

 

[REZ]

If you're over the age of 20 and enjoying this game.. I don't even..

 

[Zennousha]

If you're over the age of 20 and enjoying this game.. I don't even..

If you're over the age of 20 and have that big of a stick up one's posterior... I'd suggest going to see a Doctor.

It's not the greatest of the genre, some things it does well, some not so well, much like any other game of the genre.

It's enjoyable, but the sustainability behind the game is more questionable than "enjoyment".

 

[REZ]

Hahaha, seems I struck a nerve .

 

[Zennousha]

Hahaha, seems I struck a nerve .

Not really. I'm just more surprised that someone who has spent that much time on a forum could say something so childish and bafflingly stupid. Not to mention egotistical.

Though if you think someone could actually be offended by posts of that intellectual caliber, I doubt you'd think a happy person on the planet.

Myself, and others, are enjoying Diablo 3. It's not the best product there is, but there's still things to enjoy in it for however long it can sustain. Deal with it.