Diablo III

 PC
User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 10199 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,918 out of 10199
  2. Mixed: 1,570 out of 10199
  3. Negative: 5,711 out of 10199
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  1. Syllvir
    May 16, 2012
    8
    I found this game to be exactly what it described itself as. A first class ARPG. I had no problems installing and playing the game after the initial 24 hour hiccups. If you were smart and took advantage of the open beta weekend to try the game and liked it, then it only gets better. I was/am a fan of the series and have played D1/D2 for years and only see the series moving in aI found this game to be exactly what it described itself as. A first class ARPG. I had no problems installing and playing the game after the initial 24 hour hiccups. If you were smart and took advantage of the open beta weekend to try the game and liked it, then it only gets better. I was/am a fan of the series and have played D1/D2 for years and only see the series moving in a direction I like. Fast game play with less behind the scenes searching the web for the "best" build. The duping and hacked game play have been taking care of with most information hosted serverside. Downside of that is no "local" play, but worth it in the end for a secure game. "Ganking" has been taken care of with open world pvp removed. If you are into pvp there still is the option for arena style pvp coming in a future patch.
    Over all a very happy experience.    … Expand
  2. Slithy333
    May 16, 2012
    8
    Excellent gameplay. Score marred by day one problems which Blizzard certainly should have anticipated. The DRM is the same as StarCraft 2 pretty much and it's occasionally frustrating, but not that bad.
  3. OneShot77Kills
    May 16, 2012
    8
    Diablo 3 is a great dungeon crawler to be remembered. The abilities are scripted throughout the levels to keep the game challenging so you wont auto-unlock the best abilities. Every character has 24 abilities, with 4 for each slot, and each ability has 5 different effects/types through a rune system that is also scripted in leveling up. Many have an issue with this and believe the game hasDiablo 3 is a great dungeon crawler to be remembered. The abilities are scripted throughout the levels to keep the game challenging so you wont auto-unlock the best abilities. Every character has 24 abilities, with 4 for each slot, and each ability has 5 different effects/types through a rune system that is also scripted in leveling up. Many have an issue with this and believe the game has no customization. There are still passives to choose from and PLENTY of items to find or even make. The real thing people are overlooking is the gameplay. They complain about less customization, and even more aggravating to give a game a bad review for, the day one servers (which will never be good on day one). The singleplayer/online is only a minor flaw, which to blizzard is protecting the game from torrents. What is the true gem here, is the gameplay! Truly PHENOMENAL gameplay that most are too arrogant to realize. TL;DR great abilities, gameplay, and plenty of customization… Expand
  4. leesan43
    May 16, 2012
    8
    Note: Keep in mind that this is coming from a person who has only gotten around halfway through act 2. I'll also say this right now, I think a lot of the negativity surrounding this game has less to do about the actual game than people would like you to believe. A lot of people, myself included, have been upset about the immense amount of downtime on the Diablo 3 servers. This has leftNote: Keep in mind that this is coming from a person who has only gotten around halfway through act 2. I'll also say this right now, I think a lot of the negativity surrounding this game has less to do about the actual game than people would like you to believe. A lot of people, myself included, have been upset about the immense amount of downtime on the Diablo 3 servers. This has left a lot of people very frustrated, and I believe a lot of that frustration at the servers turn into very negative, and in my own opinion inaccurate, reviews for the game itself.

    Character customization - very good, once you get to higher levels. While you lack the skill and attribute points used to customize your characters like in the previous games, you instead get runes to customize your skills, and powerful passive skills as well. Gemming is also still around, but only available after you've beaten act 1. While you won't spend nearly as much time customizing your character, the runes you select for your skills, along with the 6 skills you decide to use, have a large impact on your gaming experience, and allow your character to play the way you'd like to. Want to stunlock enemies into nonexistence? Go for all the stunning runes for your abilities. Want to become amazingly tanky? Barbarians can spec in a way to receive a lot of self heals, and damage reduction.

    Difficulty - Playing through normal mode so far (on act 2) and its been pretty easy so far. However, it does get a lot harder on coop mode. Not to mention, I've heard of people on inferno difficulty already (yes, not even 2 days after the game came out). However, at that difficulty level a LOT of people are having problems, even after level capping (the level cap is currently set at 60). Overall, it seems like they undertuned the game a bit, as act 1 was very very easy to beat, even with the server lag that we all experienced on day 1.

    Story line - The story line was probably the most disappointing aspect of the game thus far. The plot is fairly linear, and if you've played through Diablo 1 and 2 then the identity of the stranger in act 1 won't surprise you much. This is definitely an area that could have used more work. After act 1, the story does pick up a bit, but even at that point its not exceptional.

    Game play - If you enjoy fast paced, chaotic action, this game definitely delivers. Combat is mostly very fluid, but there are a few clunky mechanics. Since I play the barbarian class, and haven't tested out the other classes, I'll only talk about him. Your Leap ability doesn't always work the way one would like, sometimes it hits some of the terrain and won't keep going, instead you'll drop a few feet from where you originally planned to land. You also can't leap up edges, which while making sense gameplay wise (as you'd be able to skip through content much faster) it doesn't look right with the animation. You CAN however sometimes use your grappling throw ability on enemies on a ledge higher than you. Whether this is intentional or not I have yet to determine, as the skill doesn't always want to go over the ledge. As I talked about earlier, the difficulty level of the game does need some work, so I'd definitely recommend that you find some friends to play with, as the game gets a little bit harder with more people. While I do say a lot of negative things about the gameplay, these are all mostly minor issues.

    PVP - While there is no world PVP, there will be an arena style PVP system. While some people are complaining about this, I feel this is an awesome change. Since the beginning of the Diablo series, people who wanted to PVP were left with very few options. You could either duel, or participate in world PVP. World PVP was always a risk, as in the old games you dropped your items when you died. This new PVP system allows for those who hate PVP to not have to take a part in it, and for the hardcore PVPer's out there (I am one of them) it will promote a more competitive atmosphere. While arena's haven't been released yet, Blizzard has let us know quite a bit about them. While I won't go into detail how they work as you can just look that up yourself, I will say that there will be a matchmaking system in place to match up teams of approximately the same skill level to fight against each other.

    Since I'm running out of room, I'll just end my review with a quick talk about the server issues people have been complaining about. I am 100% in agreement with people about how Blizzard mishandled their launch. However, since day 1 of the game should determine how I permanently rate the game, I didn't include this in my scoring of the game. Yes, it really sucked, but anyone who reads this review after day 1 will never run across the server issues we did, and if I talked exclusively about it it would render my review completely unhelpful.    … Expand
  5. PatrickBekckett
    May 16, 2012
    8
    I am still in the process of playing the game, and I would say I am about half way through. Generally I think that Blizzard did an excellent job. The game reclaims the original "feeling" of it's older counterparts such as Diablo II, but at the same time, puts a fresh new spin on the franchise and supports more modern day visuals. The story is very interesting, as are the variousI am still in the process of playing the game, and I would say I am about half way through. Generally I think that Blizzard did an excellent job. The game reclaims the original "feeling" of it's older counterparts such as Diablo II, but at the same time, puts a fresh new spin on the franchise and supports more modern day visuals. The story is very interesting, as are the various environments you get to explore. The graphics look great. Sure, they aren't the best, but not everyone has a top-of-the-line graphics card, and many people don't even have one that will support the game despite it's already low requirements. I think in modern days people are spoiled. They think that just because a game comes out after another, that means it has to look better.

    Not to mention that many of these people are giving a rating of "O" just because of server issues within the first few days of launch, and that is nothing but immature. Do you rate a movie as bad if you can't get in the theatre to see it because the tickets are sold out? Why don't you base your rating on actual gameplay, instead of having a temper tantrum like a 5 year old?

    And as for the online only requirement, how many of you actually played Diablo 2 and bothered playing offline? Not many, I bet. All these childish reviews are going to look dumb in the coming months, and you have no idea how immature it looks.    … Expand
  6. Cionek
    May 16, 2012
    8
    Great game. Should allow offline play, like StarCraft 2 though. But other than that, its nice! One more thing.. char customization is also something that should be available!
  7. Uriann
    May 16, 2012
    8
    First of all, sorry for the baaaad english. So, maybe I'll be crucified for I'll say or that hasn't played the Old fashioned D1 and D2, but I've played. I guess that most of the people is just being too rush by the fact that the game is different and didn't matched with the expectations. I've to say that I feel almost the same... it really is different. D1 and D2 makes your shiver (orFirst of all, sorry for the baaaad english. So, maybe I'll be crucified for I'll say or that hasn't played the Old fashioned D1 and D2, but I've played. I guess that most of the people is just being too rush by the fact that the game is different and didn't matched with the expectations. I've to say that I feel almost the same... it really is different. D1 and D2 makes your shiver (or goose bumps, I don't know which is correct) with the sound, graphics, creatures, blood, scenario, story and all the rest. Even today at my 22 years I still can't play it without feeling weird. D3 can't be compared to that looking at this direction, that's true, but I think you can't just say that a game is bad just because of that. It have it's flaws like some has said, the loss of singularity at you character, in the end everyone will looks like the same (I hope not, I'm at the beginning yet), the easy gameplay but man, it's normal difficulty, has someone played it in Nightmare or Inferno mode yet? I remember I've played so focused on my sorceress in D2 that I've killed Diablo so easily that I though that was something wrong, when I've tried again later in hard difficult, he beat the "thing" out my "you-know-what" many times. Well, I don't know, if you ask me NOW what I think about D3, I would say "Well, isn't what I was waiting, but, well It's good, let's see if it can become better later."… Expand
  8. BlackDog_9
    May 16, 2012
    8
    The most exciting game I have played in a while, a worthy successor to D2. The first group of champion mobs I faced had me on the edge of my seat! Absolutely do not understand all the negativity surrounding the game. My experience has been of a well-executed, very fun, very addictive game that has got me hooked for at least a few more run-throughs.
  9. HellRaiser1026
    May 16, 2012
    8
    With the initial server difficulties aside, Diablo 3 is a pretty good game. It is a faithful return to form from the previous titles, and while at times a bit too faithful (feels the same), still feels like the Diablo I grew so fond of in the past. The art style has blizzards typical impressive hand painted style, with just the right balance of color and contrast throughout the game toWith the initial server difficulties aside, Diablo 3 is a pretty good game. It is a faithful return to form from the previous titles, and while at times a bit too faithful (feels the same), still feels like the Diablo I grew so fond of in the past. The art style has blizzards typical impressive hand painted style, with just the right balance of color and contrast throughout the game to maintain the darker gothic style when appropriate, and the more colorful more action oriented sequences that pepper the game. The game-play is exactly what you would expect if you're coming from Diablo 2. The point and click combat is as grind-tastic, and shamelessly addictive as ever. Your motivation for grinding on is collecting the most powerful weaponry and armor in the game. While seeing the end of the game is likely your initial interest, once you enter repeat play-throughs your soul motivation will revolve around developing your character. This motivation was considerably stronger in previous titles due to the simple fact that you can no longer spend multiple points in increasing the effectiveness of your powers. The skill system is the most altered aspect of the game. Your skill tree is now more of a single branch that you climb along until you reach level sixty and have all the abilities to choose from. Once you unlock a skill, the majority of your skills will be dependent on what you have equipped, making your skills develop with your equipment. Meaning it's quite possible for a level 60 mage with base equipment to lose to a level 30 with magic equipment (although that match-up will likely never happen). You unlock runes to change the effect of your equipped spell or abilities, such as adding ice damage to a weapon, or adding another minion to a summon spell. There isn't much to mention that wouldn't ring very familiar to Diablo fans. It's a faithful recreation of the Diablo franchise, and while not evolving as far as one would hope it would, it sucks you in and motivates you to play on. With later difficulty settings allowing you to gain more powerful equipment and crafting abilities there is enough reason to grind on for most more dedicated players, but to a casual player, the game may leave you wanting a more varied experience.… Expand
  10. Burglekut
    May 16, 2012
    8
    Having played D1 and D2, launch night for D3 felt like Christmas morning did when I was 12. I had not been that excited for a game in a long time. I suffered the install and server errors as everyone else, and truthfully, it was not that big of a deal. As of now all of those issues have been fixed, or you can find the info needed on Blizzards support site to get you up and running. I haveHaving played D1 and D2, launch night for D3 felt like Christmas morning did when I was 12. I had not been that excited for a game in a long time. I suffered the install and server errors as everyone else, and truthfully, it was not that big of a deal. As of now all of those issues have been fixed, or you can find the info needed on Blizzards support site to get you up and running. I have a friend that has found out how to run it on Ubuntu already as well. I think the beginning of the game is slow, which if very friendly to new comers to the series. When it comes to customization, there are many ways to make your character feel like your own. At higher levels you have to choose what abilities you will use to bring the pain to the hosts of Hell, so not all Barbarians will be running around with a whirlwind all the time. Plus I love the fact that if I don't feel like some skills are working, I can change it up and figure out what works for me. Customization options are endless depending on the gear you use. If you want to stack an attribute, then level up your blacksmith and make a bunch of rare items until you get what you are looking for, or head to the AH. Who cares if I can't choose to distribute a few "skill points" every level? That just slows down the fun of bashing 20 hellions skulls to a pile of mush. Graphics are a non issue. I have a powerful computer running 2 video cards. The game at max settings is not using all the resources available, but it still looks great. Torchlight's graphics are not spectacular, but they don't need to be for the genre to be fun. I really like the artwork, and environments. The sound does a great job of drawing you in. When I got to act two, I had a feeling of vertigo at first because of the environment, so I think they did a great job there. I do not think the lack of "next generation" graphics is a deal breaker for this game. It is not like they need to be using the latest unreal engine. I have have a Barbarian to level 22, and I can't wait to get back on. I find D3 a more than great title to share the Diablo name. I would not wait for the starter version on this one.… Expand
  11. dork_police
    May 17, 2012
    8
    The game itself is really good (only played up until act 2) but I am very much satisfied with the game itself - just a quick shout out to those people giving a solid "0" to D3, just think of what Blizzard was expecting, in the Beta there were never any more than 10k players online at a given time, and now that the game was released there are a lot more people playing (I would put theThe game itself is really good (only played up until act 2) but I am very much satisfied with the game itself - just a quick shout out to those people giving a solid "0" to D3, just think of what Blizzard was expecting, in the Beta there were never any more than 10k players online at a given time, and now that the game was released there are a lot more people playing (I would put the number at ~3 million). So give blizzard a chance to sort things out. As for the short story - if you recall Diablo 2 also only started with 4 Acts and then the Lord of Destruction Expansion Pack added Act 5.

    So I guess I am just asking for consideration for Blizzard, yes they made it harder on themselves making us wait this long for D3, but give them some props, the whole project could have been scrapped. So be thankful. In my oppinion, a well rounded off addition to the Diablo series.

    Thank you Blizzard    … Expand
  12. ChaoSXDemon
    May 17, 2012
    8
    It seems that the most negative comments can be summarized as the following:

    1. Diablo 3 has removed Stats Point placements 2. Diablo 3 has changed Skills Point placements 3. Diablo 3 has connection issues alone side with forced On-Line single player. 4. Diablo 3 has no LAN. Let us address these issues one by one: Stats Points Stats points in Diablo 2 was not that varied. If you played    It seems that the most negative comments can be summarized as the following:

    1. Diablo 3 has removed Stats Point placements
    2. Diablo 3 has changed Skills Point placements
    3. Diablo 3 has connection issues alone side with forced On-Line single player.
    4. Diablo 3 has no LAN.

    Let us address these issues one by one:

    Stats Points

    Stats points in Diablo 2 was not that varied. If you played Diablo 2 and had made characters that were capable of killing bosses in Hell difficulty or uber bosses, then you know already, stats don't vary in builds all that much. Namely, all you do is, minimal strength to wear gears, minimal dex to get 95% block rate (with skills active) and finally all remaining points into vitality. Therefore, it seems pointless to create such system where the players are all simply following the "best" way to play the game. Of course the down side is that players may no longer "fool around" with "funny" stats.

    Skills Points

    Diablo 3 has introduced a different system for skills. Note this is different from saying the skills system has been removed. It is true that you get skills based on levels without variation but it is the combinations that makes it interesting and VARYING. This is a nice solution to re-specialization which is a feature added in 1.13c of Diablo 2 LoD and this feature is what many want. In Diablo 3, the stat points also makes more sense and lets each character utilize it much better. Each character would have a primary stats and other stats simply adds Resistance, Armor, or Dodge. This means there won't be any useless stats such as the "Mana" stats in Diablo 2.

    Connection Problem

    True this is indeed a problem and it is sad that single player part of the game cannot be played single player like. No more experimenting with character items and builds. Players will simply have to do these online. As for the actual server shortage and performance, over time Bilzzard will have to address this. Therefore this should not be something that turns this great game into 0/10. Sadly for those who does not have cable connection, there is simply nothing you can do since the majority of people are using cable services.

    LAN

    Honest, do you really invite people over and make a private game? I hardest ever do that since your friends are simply always online anyways. This is almost like instead of talking on MSN, Tweet, Facebook, let's invite them over and talk. It's not a bad thing to do but just not frequent enough to worth taking off points. Honest, if you don't game that much, you would probably have a social life and therefore, this wouldn't be a problem to begin with. Conclusion

    So with all that said, people need to rationally look at the game WITHOUT the anger is well reasoned. Review game is not the same as complaint about what you don't like.    … Expand
  13. leo702
    May 17, 2012
    8
    People are angry at the bad release day, but it does not mean this game is a 0. Blizzard was not prepared enough on release date, but like most online only games they stabilize pretty quickly. I played Diablo 2 and maxed out a Hammerdin and Blizzard Sorc. Normal difficulty has been made for casual players, but Hell, Nightmare, and Inferno mode ramps up the difficulty considerably. YouPeople are angry at the bad release day, but it does not mean this game is a 0. Blizzard was not prepared enough on release date, but like most online only games they stabilize pretty quickly. I played Diablo 2 and maxed out a Hammerdin and Blizzard Sorc. Normal difficulty has been made for casual players, but Hell, Nightmare, and Inferno mode ramps up the difficulty considerably. You can't even play Inferno mode until you reach the max level. PVP is not implemented yet, and I am hoping with future updates they will provide more content. Graphics are fine, and animations are cool. I do not think Diablo 2 graphics have aged well (I tried playing it again before D3 came out). Diablo 3 took away skill trees and attribute points. I am disappointed about the removal of attribute points, but maybe with the release of PVP they will add more customization. As for skill points..."skill runes will increase the number of skill variations to 6 including the base skill. And as each character class has at least 20 skills, the overall total of skill variations per class is 6^20." So removal of skill points is not that bad in my opinion. If you can look past the horrible release day...overall the game is fun and the game will get deeper in time with patches/updates and people figuring the game out.… Expand
  14. Bringer
    May 17, 2012
    8
    At the beginning it feels a lot repetitive, but as you advance and start to unlock skills, crafting, companions, and more, the game reveals itself very addictive. It's a great game, but i hope that there Blizzard launch some patches with new features and expansions with new content because this game can still have much more to give!
  15. rodier
    May 17, 2012
    8
    Please dont read reviews with red score. Its from dumb people that think Internet connection is something new. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Most of people there gived game 0-3/10 just because they -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    a)    Please dont read reviews with red score. Its from dumb people that think Internet connection is something new. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Most of people there gived game 0-3/10 just because they -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    a) - think singleplayer game means offline game. b) - they just cant logged in game firsty day These people should be banned by Metacritic. I already contacted MC to do something about it. Its not possible to exploit review of game to use it for something else. This place is to review content, not form or any first day issues. so again.. for savages.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    DIABLO 3 IS ONLINE GAME. Its single player game with cooperation, auction house and pvp arena. Its not offline game. single != offline. So dont rant about it. Its like if you start ranting about "why wow isnt offline mode". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    About game itself - graphic is really good, on start, you will not like it, but when u get better equipment and get to nicer sorroundings.. it get way better. Diablo created itemization in games. I mean how we have it now, and in Diablo 3, this itemization returns, with many new features. Like crafting - yes, you can craft things.. which is cool. And you can sell them and then pay for WoW or Internet connection - which is even more cool. Yes, there are some downsides, like no setting atributions, no skills tunning up (yes there is rune system but its automatical..) BUT THAT ITS NOT PROBLEM OF DIABLO 3 - THAT IS PROBLEM OF PROGRAMMERS THAT START MAKING GAME EASY. THEN CURRENT GENERATION OF PLAYER GET WITH THAT AND THEY DONT WANT HARD GAME ANYMORE. That's all. and ps - DRM IS LIKE WHEN GAME WANT ONLINE REGISTRATION (ONLY) OR WHEN GAME WANT DVDROM ..ETC NOT WHEN ONLINE GAME NEED INTERNET. THATS NOT CALLED DRM. THATS CALLED NORMAL FEATURE THAT NEED TO BE DONE. GAME NEED INTERNET NOT FOR DRM BUT FOR BECAUSE ITS ONLINE GAME.. LIKE WOW. EVEN SINGLEPLAYER GAME IS PLAYED ONLINE, ALL CHARS ARE ON SERVERS = SO NO CHEATING. THAT IS WHY.. NO FKED DRM HERE    … Expand
  16. Leonius
    May 17, 2012
    8
    I played the game, fully, and I must say that i liked it. Not loved, but liked. Yeah, Blizzard did some stupid things, like a different character customization, but the game was enjoyable, I did. Some might not like the changes, I never said it was perfect, so you might have your reason to hate it, but if you like a good hack and slash, with a good story, a good cooperative play, ecc...I played the game, fully, and I must say that i liked it. Not loved, but liked. Yeah, Blizzard did some stupid things, like a different character customization, but the game was enjoyable, I did. Some might not like the changes, I never said it was perfect, so you might have your reason to hate it, but if you like a good hack and slash, with a good story, a good cooperative play, ecc... then you might like Diablo. I read reviews talking about how they copied the skills from WoW as the worse thing ever happened , but in the end does the name of a skill really matters? Other say that the character customization lacks depth, I say that it does IF you don' t want it to be deep. To be able to change set of skills right before a Boss is a good thing, I suppose, while D2 players had to delete a character whenever their set of skills was wrong, while now the real customization is in the equipment . The gold based auction house is a good (WoW inspired) new feature, even thou the real money one isn' t that good. Pay for win should remain in the free-to-play games, where it belongs. As for the maps, some might complain, but they are randomly generated, so if you play twice the game you'll still find new dungeons, even new secondary quests. In the end the biggest problem Diablo HAD was the massive lag of the 1° day, but that was obvious, and if you really waited till the midnight of the 15, then you are a real fan, or just stupid (I don't mean to offend anybody), because the only thing we knew was that playing on day one was going to be a nightmare.
    Nothing else to say.    … Expand
  17. isloudas
    May 17, 2012
    8
    Diablo III is by no means a perfect game but I am over 8 hours in and I do indeed enjoy the game. People are complaining about the graphics but I think there good and at least up to standard. The gameplay is exceptional I love the looting and yes the skills are simplified but I dont think it takes away from the overall experience. Yes ok DRM sucks balls, I love the game but that is a ****Diablo III is by no means a perfect game but I am over 8 hours in and I do indeed enjoy the game. People are complaining about the graphics but I think there good and at least up to standard. The gameplay is exceptional I love the looting and yes the skills are simplified but I dont think it takes away from the overall experience. Yes ok DRM sucks balls, I love the game but that is a **** and fianlly stop complaining about not being able to get into the game on a REVIEW, so many people including myself got it on the first day Blizzard couldnt contend with the amount of people, no beta could have prepared them for that, so stop complaining. I got in on the first day so stop complaining even if its sdtill not good now it WILL be fixed. And oh yes if you think im soem new fanboy No i have played both Diablo I and II and they are exceptional games but so is Diablo III… Expand
  18. Razorjeff
    May 17, 2012
    8
    The majority of user reviewers have not even played the game, based on the fact that it's only been out for less than two days and one of those days the servers weren't working. I am giving the game an 8, based on how it compares to other games in the genre.

    While I haven't completed the game (not even close), I am really enjoying the storyline, mechanics, and overall atmosphere. And    The majority of user reviewers have not even played the game, based on the fact that it's only been out for less than two days and one of those days the servers weren't working. I am giving the game an 8, based on how it compares to other games in the genre.

    While I haven't completed the game (not even close), I am really enjoying the storyline, mechanics, and overall atmosphere. And of course, the main thing we all like is the loot, which is rampant in D3. Fans of the first two Diablo games will appreciate how similar this is - Blizzard did not deviate far from its winning formula for the franchise, and I appreciate that (especially after seeing how Bioware destroyed the Dragon Age franchise with its sequel). For those of you who gave the game a zero, you should play the game (servers are fine now) and then come back and modify your score. Just because servers crashed on the first night does not mean the game is a zero. Please don't let metacritic lose credibility by giving skewed scores based on the fact that you called in sick to play Diablo and were unable to on Tuesday.    … Expand
  19. SaltySaacks
    May 17, 2012
    8
    First. For all those people hating on the Launch HELL THE HELL DIDNT YOU SEE IT COMING Over 20Million Units Sold even Blizzard couldnt see that coming.

    Other then that the game was fine for game play had a good time playing through both Nightmare and Normal Completed Both now time too far for Inferno come on this game has come from 12 years of nothing to just 12 year old crying cause they    First. For all those people hating on the Launch HELL THE HELL DIDNT YOU SEE IT COMING Over 20Million Units Sold even Blizzard couldnt see that coming.

    Other then that the game was fine for game play had a good time playing through both Nightmare and Normal Completed Both now time too far for Inferno come on this game has come from 12 years of nothing to just 12 year old crying cause they couldn't login on release it was bound to happen. You ask any diablo fan it is FANTASTIC and for the PvP not on Release they said that over 5 Months ago it was going to be on Release.

    Thank you Blizzard for the Lovely title for the next installment cant wait :D    … Expand
  20. Megrim-
    May 17, 2012
    8
    Blizzard has once again delivered on a great gaming experience. Graphics are good, gameplay is solid and intuitive, and the soundtrack is back to its Diablo roots with ominous and ambiant tones that set the mood approprate for the setting. The storyline a is rather cliche good vs evil story with very few actual surprises. But as far as the gameplay itself goes, things are a polished toBlizzard has once again delivered on a great gaming experience. Graphics are good, gameplay is solid and intuitive, and the soundtrack is back to its Diablo roots with ominous and ambiant tones that set the mood approprate for the setting. The storyline a is rather cliche good vs evil story with very few actual surprises. But as far as the gameplay itself goes, things are a polished to sparkle.

    That said Blizzard seemed to forget many of the basics that make connecting with your friends and building a community around a game fun and easy. No inclusion of custom private chat-channels and voice chat in 2012 is something sorely missed. Clan/guild support is another thing that fans would love to see. I know Blizzard is working to address many of these issues, but one would think that with the development time taken some of these little things would not have been overlooked. At it's core, Diablo 3 is a great game, but it is missing the little things that could make it a great "gaming experience".    … Expand
  21. Lanky14
    May 17, 2012
    8
    I don't really understand why everyone hates this game. They fixed a lot of the tedium of d2 while expanding and evolving the gameplay. Skills:
    Yes, you get any and all skills and can swap "builds" whenever - what's wrong with that? If you couldn't people would be crying for dual specs and such. (removes tedium as well...) Good move Blizz. Graphics:
    There are people saying the graphics are    I don't really understand why everyone hates this game. They fixed a lot of the tedium of d2 while expanding and evolving the gameplay. Skills:
    Yes, you get any and all skills and can swap "builds" whenever - what's wrong with that? If you couldn't people would be crying for dual specs and such. (removes tedium as well...) Good move Blizz. Graphics:
    There are people saying the graphics are too cartoony... All blizzard games are cartoony. It is visually appealing while still conveying some serious epicness. There are people saying the graphics are outdated... Blizzard always makes games that are lower on the graphics end so that more people with a wider range of system specs can play. You don't play a blizzard game for the graphics, you play for the gameplay. SC2 is no graphics prodogy. >.>

    Having to play online:
    Ok, this is one of the two issues I have with this game. There should be some sort of offline option where any items you get cannot be sold on the auction house. Not being able to play a single player game, whenever, is pretty frustrating. Multi-player groups, etc..:
    This has been streamlined so much it is glorious! You can join your friends whenever you want, wherever they are within seconds. Admittedly, this makes the single player experience less appealing - simply because of the amount of fun one has playing with friends. Bosses:
    These bosses are similar to WoW. Some may think this is cheating, I don't. Blizzard found something that works well - why change it? Multi-mechanic fights involving learning what animation means what and how to counter it are fun... get over it. A quick list of things that I think Blizzard did very well with. - Rewarding and appropriately epic sound design
    - Most spell animations are pretty and fairly epic
    - Many small side quests/stories/events
    - BEAUTIFUL vistas and landscapes in some parts of the game
    - More interesting boss fights (compared to d2)
    - More interesting hero/elite mechanics (compared to d2)
    - Much better difficulty progression (compared to d2)

    Overall, I would give the game a nine, however the online requirement makes me a little bit sad. As such, it will receive an eight. Oh, and don't take the day off to play the release of any online game. There are always a million problems. Why haven't people learned this?    … Expand
  22. deekan
    May 17, 2012
    8
    I'm sorry. I get that you are frustrated by the online issue. But this game is near perfection in every category. Go drown your heads in ice water, there is steam pouring from your ears.
  23. alperoost
    May 17, 2012
    8
    I think most of the subcraders are reducing 5 or more points just because of the servers or technical problems.It is ridiculous to reduce so much point.we need to look inside the game not problems.problems can be fixed but the points you gave will remain here.now the game is awesome but it has huge problems.I am reducing 2 points because of them.the character creating screen is reallyI think most of the subcraders are reducing 5 or more points just because of the servers or technical problems.It is ridiculous to reduce so much point.we need to look inside the game not problems.problems can be fixed but the points you gave will remain here.now the game is awesome but it has huge problems.I am reducing 2 points because of them.the character creating screen is really poor.but they can expand it with updates.and the story isn't so good.but actually that problems doesn't make you unhappy.I know all the problems but I am playing it without getting bored.… Expand
  24. TriCannon
    May 18, 2012
    8
    So many people give poor scores because the launch didnt go as they expected. Thats not a review, thats a rant. Hardly any major launch goes well these days, accept it.

    As for the game itself. Graphics are good, good enough to not be ugly in these days, and not so good it'll create horrible stutter on medium end PC's. On high res, eveything is clear, allthough the game has a number of    So many people give poor scores because the launch didnt go as they expected. Thats not a review, thats a rant. Hardly any major launch goes well these days, accept it.

    As for the game itself. Graphics are good, good enough to not be ugly in these days, and not so good it'll create horrible stutter on medium end PC's. On high res, eveything is clear, allthough the game has a number of visual bugs.

    Sound is very good, it will create the right atmosphere on the right moments, but not that it's overwhelming or distracting.

    Gameplay is decent. The amount of content is good for 25-30 runthroughs on normal difficulty, depending on whether you like to explore entire maps and dungeons. If you like to find as much as possible, kill as many monsters and explore dungeons to find every piece of gear you can, while trying to do every achievement, this game will hold you for 40+ hours per playthrough.

    There are some flaws of course. The story is rather flimsy to me. There's not much cutscenes, allthough the ones you do find are beautifull. Certain scene's are very cliché.
    Crafting is rather badly balanced, as most of the items you find while travelling are just as good, and sometimes better then anything you can craft.

    Lastly as for DRM. It's part of the times and most AAA titles will have it. The fact that you have to ALLWAYS be online has it's good and it's bad. The fact that you simply cant take a break while "pausing" the game does suck, as does the fact that checkpoints can be far between, forcing you to play until the next checkpoint before you can stop playing, or risk having to play through the same map again.

    Conclusion: A good game, that will have plenty of replay value for the "collector" gamer    … Expand
  25. omegaironic
    May 18, 2012
    8
    I avoided most of the server issues by coming to the game late. The game itself still fills like diablo with fast and addictive combat and pacing. Im sure i will be playing it for years to come. However it does feel a little simplified with no attribute and skill points to manually distribute which was part of the fun. Skills unlocking as you level stops the feelingof achievemnt when yourI avoided most of the server issues by coming to the game late. The game itself still fills like diablo with fast and addictive combat and pacing. Im sure i will be playing it for years to come. However it does feel a little simplified with no attribute and skill points to manually distribute which was part of the fun. Skills unlocking as you level stops the feelingof achievemnt when your character gains a level and will probably mean that that each class settles into a a series of cookie cutter options much quicker. Being able to play offline would be a bonus esspecially for those of us with unreliable internet connections.… Expand
  26. Xades
    May 18, 2012
    8
    Diabolo II is forever etched into the fondest of my gaming memories. I loved it and played it Offline, Online and Lan. Having spent quite a few hours on Diabolo III I have to say I am loving it. Let me start by saying I also HATE the DRM i think not having an offline mode is disgraceful HOWEVER we have waited for a long time for this game so lets look past it. PROS: No more pesky townDiabolo II is forever etched into the fondest of my gaming memories. I loved it and played it Offline, Online and Lan. Having spent quite a few hours on Diabolo III I have to say I am loving it. Let me start by saying I also HATE the DRM i think not having an offline mode is disgraceful HOWEVER we have waited for a long time for this game so lets look past it. PROS: No more pesky town scrolls you have a button from early in the game to port to town Inventory items all take either one or two slots. I think people that criticize this have forgotten just how annoying it was late game to store items. Hours spent trying to fiddle them together Checkpoints I believe that if you a) have the time and b) want to start from town every time you die then you can play hardcore like I used too. Personally I find resurrection at checkpoints quite refreshing. Cut scenes are in my mind beautifully crafted the cinematic graphics are gorgeous and having recently replayed DII I can also say that I font believe the voice acting in DIII is as good but its not atrocious. Cons: The skills and attributes system is the most disappointing thing for me! Having everything unlock automatically for me has taken the skill down and made the game impersonal this really upsets me. My character does not feel individual and the harder game modes are going to have to bring challenges and items and crafting in a special way to rectify this. The connection problems on day one were unfortunate and have led to many bad reviews but this was always going to happen and I have been playing problem free since the morning after launch. Having an arena style pvp is undesirable I will miss the epic in game duals outside town but I can live with it! My biggest gripe with the game is the facility to buy gold! This will totally devalue items! It will get people ahead who are willing to pay their way and it will not reward good/dedicated players for hours spent clearing content. This is by far the most disappointing feature and I really hope it does not remain.

    Overall a very good game! It seems that the problems I have with Diabolo III are ofset by just how enjoyable the game its self is. There are some flaws and problems with this remake, but there were always going to be. It is very difficult to follow an epic game such as Diabolo II and die hard fans will always either love or hate. Its well worth the money and I look forward to seeing where the end game goes. One last word to all theose who say it takes from WOW. Go replay Diabolo II and Diabolo, you will see how much WOW took from them.

    TLDR: Overall very good game with big boots to fill. Some undesirable game play changes to DII. Terrible auction house and DRM.    … Expand
  27. GeorgeOne
    May 18, 2012
    8
    Diablo is always Diablo!!! Good Gamaplay, Good Graphics, Good Story. One word only: super-addictive!!!! I've played for 8 hours with 2 characters, in Single and in Multi and I had Server problem only once. GOOD: 1.The Base remains the same of old Diablo: Very Addictive and prompt H&S!, 2.the Auction House is very useful. 3. Beautiful Story and fantastic Art Direction! NO GOOD: 1.Too simpleDiablo is always Diablo!!! Good Gamaplay, Good Graphics, Good Story. One word only: super-addictive!!!! I've played for 8 hours with 2 characters, in Single and in Multi and I had Server problem only once. GOOD: 1.The Base remains the same of old Diablo: Very Addictive and prompt H&S!, 2.the Auction House is very useful. 3. Beautiful Story and fantastic Art Direction! NO GOOD: 1.Too simple at the beginning 2. Server problems can erase your last picked up items 3.... 3. Automatic skills and not customizable characters (fisycally)… Expand
  28. Shartrais
    May 18, 2012
    8
    I think this is a great game, almost without the first hours problems with the server. It is dynamic and very very playable. The graphics use a so beautiful model shading with scenarios made of cell shading and artistic design. I am enjoying a lot this game. People are so crier with servers or the comparatives with diablo 2, there are people that say this is not diablo 2 and people who sayI think this is a great game, almost without the first hours problems with the server. It is dynamic and very very playable. The graphics use a so beautiful model shading with scenarios made of cell shading and artistic design. I am enjoying a lot this game. People are so crier with servers or the comparatives with diablo 2, there are people that say this is not diablo 2 and people who say that this is diablo 2, but both aren't happy with it, I enjoyed Diablo 2, and I am enjoying this game, I don't need more. I would preferred more cinematics in place of crayon videos.… Expand
  29. Olvenskol
    May 18, 2012
    8
    Diablo, Lord of Error (37) reigned for about a day and a half at launch. Since then it's been smooth sailing and the game itself is super fun. Act I is pretty much standard Diablo-esque encounters. After that the landscapes get more interesting and the enemies more challenging. Like Diablo 2, the first run-through is designed so anyone can get through the game - the "real" game startsDiablo, Lord of Error (37) reigned for about a day and a half at launch. Since then it's been smooth sailing and the game itself is super fun. Act I is pretty much standard Diablo-esque encounters. After that the landscapes get more interesting and the enemies more challenging. Like Diablo 2, the first run-through is designed so anyone can get through the game - the "real" game starts after you unlock the higher difficulty levels. I *like* the new skill system as it lets you experiment with different builds without rerolling. The game in general oozes quality. I'm enjoying my time in the game a great deal.… Expand
  30. Tsipp
    May 18, 2012
    8
    As usual, Blizzard nailed the gameplay and succesfully synthesized the new 'perfect drug' for PC gamers. In this iteration of the franchise however, the production value surprisingly falls short of what we've become accustomed to from the company. Unlike Starcraft II's highly polished cutscenes, Diablo III offers poorly animated in-game cutscenes and jerky dialogue transitions.As usual, Blizzard nailed the gameplay and succesfully synthesized the new 'perfect drug' for PC gamers. In this iteration of the franchise however, the production value surprisingly falls short of what we've become accustomed to from the company. Unlike Starcraft II's highly polished cutscenes, Diablo III offers poorly animated in-game cutscenes and jerky dialogue transitions.

    Multiplayer play was made much better, and much easier - so much easier that you'll probably find it impossible to play alone! Too bad that the cost for this was a highly controversial DRM that Blizzard utterly failed in supporting on the first few days from launch. Blizzard probably lost many supporters because of this (I can understand), but Diablo III remains a fun game that will keep you entertained for a good while.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2012
1
#1 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
3
#3 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 86 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 86
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 86
  3. Negative: 1 out of 86
  1. Thunderbolt
    Aug 31, 2012
    90
    My one major complaint is that the game never feels very difficult, especially on Normal. There are frustrating moments, hordes of baddies, and increasing difficulty levels, but the same feeling of utter defeat never really happens as it did in the past.
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  2. Hyper Magazine
    Jul 18, 2012
    80
    For all the game's missteps, though, you certainly can't accuse Blizzard of phoning it in - if anything, the game suffers from the tendency to try a little to hard at times to evolve the design. [Aug 2012, p.61]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Jul 3, 2012
    80
    When it works, Diablo III is the best of the Diablo games. When it doesn't, all it does is make you mad. [July 2012, p.54]
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