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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Majortom420
    May 18, 2012
    5
    This score does not reflect the DRM or the account/lag issues.

    The game is very detached from what Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction set out to be, highly customizable and intimate while Diablo 3 deters from that. Blizzard supplements the phrase 'Steamlined' instead of 'simple', in which it is. Diablo 3 has been simplified from previous sequels. Your character skill points (dex, str, chr, etc)    This score does not reflect the DRM or the account/lag issues.

    The game is very detached from what Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction set out to be, highly customizable and intimate while Diablo 3 deters from that. Blizzard supplements the phrase 'Steamlined' instead of 'simple', in which it is. Diablo 3 has been simplified from previous sequels. Your character skill points (dex, str, chr, etc) are standardized and placed for you according to your class, similar to WoW where you have no choice over where your points should be allocated. Some people may actually like this change because to them the latter system may have been obtuse, complicated and confusing. Indeed which it was but if not only to separate the leaders from the followers. You could truly hone your character to formula 1 precision. They've replaced the system with runes instead of innate character stats. While the runes work, they are not as in-depth as precision stat stacking and because of this Diablo 3 will not have a life span of 10 years unlike it's predecessor. While D2LoD was very much an item game, Blizzard has redirected its focus and taken some scripts from it's biggest success which is World of Warcraft in which character skills and stats mean little in D3 as the Loot is now you're best chance of success for stats and skill is of little importance. Blizzard also claims Diablo 3 is run on a custom game engine which in truth is a blatant lie. The game is very clearly ported from Blizzards Warcraft engine, the texture resolution is quite poor, the games world geometry system is a positive match to World of Warcraft. They chose not to use a different art design studio and thus the game looks like an eerily match to World of Warcraft's art design. Overall the graphics are very poor especially for a game that is released in 2012 where the expectations are quite high. Another displaced World of Warcraft correlation that does not necessarily suit the Diablo franchise is the implementation of Arenas. The premise, principle and rewards are tit-for-tat straight out of World Of Warcraft. Special Titles, Special Trophies, Awards, Arbitrary Arena Points used to purchase Armors and Weapons. Blizzard didn't bother innovating on the front, they just literally ripped the system from their Mega-Successor. There is no mention of open world PVP whatsoever, otherwise known as 'Duels' in D2LoD that made it wildly successful and addictive, they've dropped it entirely in favor the lacking arena system in which they repeated the exact same behaviour in World of Warcraft. Blizzard has not given a sober coherent statement as to why the Singleplayer mode was omitted stating issues with piracy and issues with the core-gameplay in which case is classic Blizzard. Remember when Starcraft 2 couldn't have LAN play because it was too advanced and too hard to incorporate then? Which brings me to my next point;

    If things are so hard to implement then what makes Blizzard believe they will be able to control a cash based auction house and that people will not circumvent the system?

    I have a lot of issues with the game, mostly the shallow over-simplified character system, shallow gameplay, shallow story (which is just awful in modern times) and art direction/style. It would have done Blizzard well to keep the original Diablo 2 LOD developers but 10 years ago after their acclaimed success Blizzard shut down that studio and let the creators go. Which in my opinion was a disaster.

    Diablo 3 may be a great financial success but in its current form, it is an unworthy successor to the Diablo franchise and Blizzard have come full circle onto themselves. They started losing it with World of Warcraft and now they've lost it with Diablo 3. If you enjoy an over-simplified, shallow character system, bad inventory system and non-existent story compared to Diablo 2 LoD then this game maybe for you. However if you enjoyed the depth of Diablo 2 LoD you will be unfortunately disappointed with Diablo 3.    … Expand
  2. smallpoet
    May 18, 2012
    1
    A big disappointment for all of us who played DII for days on LAN. Blizzard has tried to please everyone who buys the game but the continual compromise leaves DII as the much superior game. The most damning thing I can say about Diablo III is that I will only play it once.
  3. CaptNovolin
    May 23, 2012
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Diablo 3 is an average game and overall it is very disappointing. It is very short, the main game can be finished in 20 hours. Relying on repeat runs of the same game with difficulty settings changed feels like a cop out. Graphically the game is not impressive character sprites are small and difficult to see. The game play was very repetitive your abilities may vary but every character type is a killing machine and you essentially mow through similar looking monsters using the same abilities over and over from the beginning to the end with a few bosses in between to interrupt the monotony or boredom? that sets in. The story is average and it even rips off Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. At the end you feel unfulfilled and maybe even ripped off, did I just play an expansion or something? The cut scenes are gorgeous as expected and may be the best part of an average game for Blizzard. If it were any other company this game might deserve a 7 or 8 but by Blizzard standards this game is a 2 or worse. After 12 years is this the best they could do? Overall very disappointing.… Expand
  4. RayonMazter
    May 23, 2012
    0
    A load of hype that appears to have been derived from a purposefully low budget, toss-up of a game in order to make a quick profit. This company has lost all my respect.
  5. lemming4hire
    May 25, 2012
    1
    RMAH, bugs, glitches, server problems, and possible security issues aside. Still bad gameplay. The developers had over 4 years to test this game. During that time, none of them could beat Inferno mode. 3 days after release, thousands of players from all around the world beat Inferno mode. What does this say about the game? I gave it a 1 because I thought the soundtrack and graphicsRMAH, bugs, glitches, server problems, and possible security issues aside. Still bad gameplay. The developers had over 4 years to test this game. During that time, none of them could beat Inferno mode. 3 days after release, thousands of players from all around the world beat Inferno mode. What does this say about the game? I gave it a 1 because I thought the soundtrack and graphics were decent.… Expand
  6. Palessan
    May 16, 2012
    5
    Bad always online DRM for a single player game with optional coop.
    Bad log in servers implementation.
    No choice over skill unlock means makes the game boring, and nothing to plan or wait for.
  7. zer0_c0ol
    May 16, 2012
    0
    this will be my shortest review ever

    WHAT A PIECE OF..... u know what i mean and as i said on guru 3d ppl deserve any trouble they get from the servers just because they are brainless automatons... they did not raise there voices for this crap of a drm
  8. borzy
    May 16, 2012
    0
    Oh dang, I just wasted $80. It's like you bought a Big Mac Meal at drive through, and opened the bag at home to find only a half-eaten Cheeseburger with no pickles.
  9. TheXand
    Sep 8, 2013
    0
    Terrible Titan Quest clone that requires you to install the game onto a flash drive just to prevent the framerate stutter. Or splash out on an SSD hard drive. Either way is a little awkward for those of us with normal hard drives.
  10. misterblister
    May 15, 2012
    3
    Was ready to log on after release. Then I got constant errors, my palms where sweaty, knees weak arms were heavy. Why have always online DRM ? I felt sick, vomit on my sweater... next to moms spaghetti
  11. Festisio
    May 15, 2012
    0
    Absolutely abysmal. To pay £45 for a game and be unable to play the single player mode because they are an imbecile company who learn nothing from their previous highly anticipated launches.

    Disgraceful fail. They don't even deserve to take on the Diablo legacy - it's not like any of hte same designers are involved anyway.
  12. coolspot
    May 15, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game requires Internet connectivity to play, even in single player mode ... and with Blizzard's servers offline, this means I cannot play. My hard earned money for a paperweight. Very not happy.… Expand
  13. Sly697
    May 16, 2012
    0
    The took everything that made diablo diablo and removed it. theres basically no character customization, you cant spend talent points, you cant choose which talents you want as you just get the next one available when you level, theres no button customization. They even took out the scrolls of TP and identify.....thats like not having your presents wraped at christmas time....essentiallyThe took everything that made diablo diablo and removed it. theres basically no character customization, you cant spend talent points, you cant choose which talents you want as you just get the next one available when you level, theres no button customization. They even took out the scrolls of TP and identify.....thats like not having your presents wraped at christmas time....essentially its an easy mode version of the game made for 12 year olds instead of the die hard fans like it should have been… Expand
  14. GeneralOfDeath
    May 16, 2012
    0
    I am giving this one a zero, I feel I am being relatively generous with this score as well. This game is a sequel to what was a great game for this very reason Blizzard has made one of their worst games to date. They thought they could just roll through on a name -- think again. It is literally impossible to even get into the game with Blizzard's new multilayer only solution to DRM.I am giving this one a zero, I feel I am being relatively generous with this score as well. This game is a sequel to what was a great game for this very reason Blizzard has made one of their worst games to date. They thought they could just roll through on a name -- think again. It is literally impossible to even get into the game with Blizzard's new multilayer only solution to DRM. Blizzard and every other dev take this game as an example DO NOT use online as a DRM it is just being lazy learn better encryption then develop games. Now when you FINALLY get into this game you will notice the lacklustre game-play and graphics. Then once you have played for a day you will have beat the game already. This game has literally no playability. If it costed less or was free with 3-months(not a whole year sub) of Word of Warcraft things may be different. In the state that this game was released, sorry to say but it is utter garbage.… Expand
  15. Dartamos
    May 16, 2012
    0
    I knew launch would be rough,. with so many people. I would excuse the DRM and full servers if I or anyone I know could even install and go fullscreen successfully. Honestly whatever this agent.exe is, its pure fail. Ive never had this sort of trouble and its not new, same issue with thier panda beta and the D3 beta, theyve had tons of time to fix this and just ignored it. There areI knew launch would be rough,. with so many people. I would excuse the DRM and full servers if I or anyone I know could even install and go fullscreen successfully. Honestly whatever this agent.exe is, its pure fail. Ive never had this sort of trouble and its not new, same issue with thier panda beta and the D3 beta, theyve had tons of time to fix this and just ignored it. There are hundreds of posts from months and months ago complaning about these same errors. I would not reccomend this game.

    Its a freaking isometric game, it really shouildnt be that complicated.    … Expand
  16. Bloozered
    May 16, 2012
    2
    Potentially great title, turned into a complete piece of crap. Can't play solo without playing online...all the time. And their servers are down...lately, all the time. If I wanted to play an MMO with plenty of server downtime, I would have bought WOW instead. I'm off to replay Torchlight, pick up Torchlight 2, and ask my credit card company how to get my money back.
  17. ZeroX_CHN
    May 16, 2012
    1
    Error 37/3003 in first day,Queueing in next day...I have to play a lag single online game.The traditional Chinese Edition use a font so small that hard to recognized. How should Blizzard believe the game worth 60 Dollars?
  18. sidicas
    May 16, 2012
    0
    Vote with your dollar. Don't buy a game that failed to transparently implement always online DRM. Not only does it disrupt play, but pirates were able to play on the 14th; the day before release.
    So only paying customers were disrupted. That kind of consumer disrespect is shameful for a company that owes its current stature to investing in its players to create long term fans.
    There is an    Vote with your dollar. Don't buy a game that failed to transparently implement always online DRM. Not only does it disrupt play, but pirates were able to play on the 14th; the day before release.
    So only paying customers were disrupted. That kind of consumer disrespect is shameful for a company that owes its current stature to investing in its players to create long term fans.

    There is an argument that the online requirement is not DRM, but to protect the real money auction house. What that fails to account for is how simple it would be to exclude offline loot from eligibility on the auction. Just like how achievements work.

    Anyway, if you require me to be online, Bliz, then I require you to be online.    … Expand
  19. Dangwiggums
    May 16, 2012
    0
    Good Sound track..... that's bout it.heck, not even THAT great of a soundtrack. The graphics look pretty, but all this is, is a cross between WoW and Starcraft 2, that I can't even play because it won't let me log into the game. For the last two days, since it launched, I have been trying constantly to get on, and have succeeded for a grand total of 1 hour of game play. Go Blizzard...
  20. talesdiann
    May 20, 2012
    4
    I waited for a long time for this game, and re-played Diablo 2 recently to be sure Iâ
  21. Marco1991
    May 22, 2012
    5
    First it didn't want to install kept coming up with "The Fire from the sky still falls" error but found on forums that I wasn't the only one. The solution to this error is here https://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5149179449?page=5
    Then after playing for one hour the US server just turned off so I couldn't play anymore so I have to change server to the EURO. Then I could finaly play    First it didn't want to install kept coming up with "The Fire from the sky still falls" error but found on forums that I wasn't the only one. The solution to this error is here https://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/5149179449?page=5
    Then after playing for one hour the US server just turned off so I couldn't play anymore so I have to change server to the EURO. Then I could finaly play after 6 hours stuffing around. Wow Blizzard get your **** out you've had many years to work on this. Not a good look.    … Expand
  22. dirtforker
    May 22, 2012
    6
    Homogenized. Uncreative. Uninspired. This is Diablo 3. The terribly unoriginal and boring story and dialog are the first things you notice, though the voice acting is at least good and helps make much of it passable. Also, you always have to play online. This sets the scene for several different scenarios where you might not actually be able to even play the game, even if just toHomogenized. Uncreative. Uninspired. This is Diablo 3. The terribly unoriginal and boring story and dialog are the first things you notice, though the voice acting is at least good and helps make much of it passable. Also, you always have to play online. This sets the scene for several different scenarios where you might not actually be able to even play the game, even if just to tinker around with character generation or play through the whole game once-through in some remote place.

    The skills and statistics on the items have been homogenized and dumbed down, big time, ostensibly to make the game more appealing to the masses. And the skills aren't very exiting either. You get all exited to get a new ability, only to find out it doesn't work well at all with the other abilities you have, or is barely different from the ability you were already using, and thus superfluous. To be fair Diablo 2 had a few skills like this as well, but at least you had a feeling of control as you stepped past them to fill the other more useful abilities with more points, or experimented with different 'builds'. You'll find not much for builds in this game --- the metagame surrounding Diablo 3 is pretty much non-existent.

    The dungeons are also far too long, and you can go for a good 20-30 seconds down a hallway without encountering a single monster. Or sometimes you encounter like... 4 monsters, kill them in 1 second if you're a melee class, or 10 seconds if you're a sorcerer or demon hunter, and move on. No, you don't want to be a ranged class right now in this game...

    On the plus side, yeah, it can be fun to blow up lots of baddies. It's just too bad there's not much statistical depth or story behind you doing it. It could have been alot better.    … Expand
  23. Jawaka
    May 30, 2012
    6
    Its a solid game but its unfortunately always going to be compared to its superior predecessor. Pros
    * The graphics are an upgrade from D2 but lets be honest, they'd have to be since D2 is more than 12 years old at this point. The graphics are nice but not mind blowing. I do however like the destructible environment. * Like other Diablo games the game is addictive. At least until you    Its a solid game but its unfortunately always going to be compared to its superior predecessor. Pros
    * The graphics are an upgrade from D2 but lets be honest, they'd have to be since D2 is more than 12 years old at this point. The graphics are nice but not mind blowing. I do however like the destructible environment. * Like other Diablo games the game is addictive. At least until you reach Hell or Inferno (depending on your ability) where the game kind of loses it's appeal. Trash mobs that are more powerful than Diablo become somewhat common as well as being one shot by most of them. It eventually becomes much easier to just buy gear upgrades which again kills and replay value. Cons
    *Despite Blizzard's mantra "when it's ready" and its 10 year development cycle this game wasn't ready when it was released. Blizzard hyped release parties but because of server problems (even when playing solo) most people couldn't even log into the game for the first few days. Some people say that this should be expected but I call it unacceptable. If a game is released then that means that it has Blizzard stamp of approval. * There's absolutely no need to require a constant internet connection to play this game in single player mode. This means that at some point in the future, even if it's 20 years from now people who purchased this game and have the CD won't be able to play it any more. * The auction house ruins a game that pretty much entirely based on gear. * The idea to not make any items BoP or BoE blows my mind. This means that every item that ever drops in the game for every player will always exist in the economy unless someone purposely vendors or salvages it. Think about that. Every item ever dropped. * The talent trees are a step backwards from that of D2. * The replay value is a lot less than that of D2.    … Expand
  24. JimBerry
    Feb 27, 2013
    0
    Changed my mind. I was one of the suckers defending this game, and the game itself is not so bad, except for one thing. Through "coincidence" I happened to stop the slider for one of their videos at around 10-13 seconds, and saw some guys sticking out their tongues at the camera and giving devil horns. Then a group of people standing behind the camera with trophies in their hands likeChanged my mind. I was one of the suckers defending this game, and the game itself is not so bad, except for one thing. Through "coincidence" I happened to stop the slider for one of their videos at around 10-13 seconds, and saw some guys sticking out their tongues at the camera and giving devil horns. Then a group of people standing behind the camera with trophies in their hands like laughing and glaring at the camera. If these guys want to play like this then they can go "screw" themselves. I hope these guys choke on their success. I'm boycotting their products, until this issue gets solved. The last thing we need is a group of bullies and jerks disrespecting their fans. Bye Blizzard. Have a nice fall. "Pricks." I would personally like to punch each one of these guys in the face now.… Expand
  25. UAC-Marine
    Aug 9, 2013
    0
    Long time Diablo and Old Blizzard fan that had the unfortunate experience of playing this pay to win scam game in which the makers do not listen to feedback and try to avoid the real issues with the game. No game deserves a 0, but I must give it one in the hopes it keeps people from buying this on console and/or pc. Trust the users on this one folks; the game is garbage
  26. Atyzer
    May 15, 2012
    0
    Just completed normal, and half of nightmare, its boring and all about crafting, no fun, no cool items, noo cool monsters, music is boring, graphics are old. Giving one for old blizzard reputation.
  27. duck
    May 15, 2012
    0
    Worst game launch i ever could imagine! We waited for that game for 12 years and all we get no is sucky DRM policy that due to bad hservers not powerfull enough servers gives us no choice but to sit and wait to play SIBGLE PLAYER CAMPAIGN atleast for the mother of god freaking love...
  28. JoeCool
    Sep 24, 2012
    3
    This game had it's launch problems, then you could play it for a while and no the RMAH has turned into what many feared it would. There should have been an option to play this game without internet connection. It's a shame, the death of Diablo no doubt.
  29. pazmacats
    Jun 4, 2012
    0
    What could have been a fairly good standard hack'n slash turns into a complete and utter failure by implementation of a real money auction house that forces players to buy equipment there, because drop rates have been reduced dramatically in order to prevent the real money market from being flooded by too many items.
    The items you CAN find are fubbish 99% of the time. Servers are not very    What could have been a fairly good standard hack'n slash turns into a complete and utter failure by implementation of a real money auction house that forces players to buy equipment there, because drop rates have been reduced dramatically in order to prevent the real money market from being flooded by too many items.
    The items you CAN find are fubbish 99% of the time. Servers are not very stable. Overall the game annoys the hell out of me and I stopped playing it after 2 days. 0-/10    … Expand
  30. biship
    May 15, 2012
    0
    outdated graphics. no character customization. online play only. servers down 50% of the time. linear game play. feels like a grind. ui not customizable.
Page:

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.
    Read full review
  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]
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »