Blizzard’s “Diablo 3” was officially released on May 15th of last year (2012) for Windows and OS X; however, perhaps due to demand, it’s now findings its way onto consoles, starting of course with the Xbox 360 and PS3. For those who are unaware, the “Diablo” game series has a very devout following which has played an integral role in helping the developers to shape the franchise into what it is today. In short, Diablo 3 is a cross between an action / adventure title and a strategy game where you indirectly control character movements. Of course on the console version everything has changed; in fact, a “roll” move has even been added which didn’t appear on PC.
D3 tells the story of your character who resides in a dark realm called “Sanctuary”, which is thoroughly steeped in fantasy lore and mystery. Called in to investigate the story of a falling star, you discover that something is causing the dead to rise. Naturally, this leads to the discovery that a series of items will need to be collected in order for you to progress forward and defeat the Skeleton King Leoric who must be defeated to actually reach the site of the fallen star.
Visuals
In terms of its visuals, Diablo 3 offers gamers plenty to gawk at and fawn over. While it’s unclear whether or not the game will look better on your computer vs. your console (mostly due to the fact that we have no idea what sort of setup you’re running), it would be short-sided to say it doesn’t look great. The simple fact of the matter is that this title definitely pleases on the graphics front. One of the coolest things about this game are the backdrops, which help to blur the line between D3’s “painted art” style in combination with fixed camera angles that demonstrate the scope and scale of the world itself.
Gameplay
Simply put, Diablo 3 is a bona-fide dungeon crawler which takes place in environments which are conducive to certain types of action. Additionally, the hack and slash gameplay it offers also seems to lend itself rather well to cooperative bouts. Some people might be entirely turned off by the notion of directly controlling their character instead of utilizing the standard, more traditional point-and-click mechanic which the Diablo series is known for, but this doesn’t seem to lessen the quality of the experience. Sure, one might argue that some of the precision has been lost, but one could also accurately state that this console version puts an entirely new spin on things (which is perhaps even long overdue). Collecting experience points and customizing your character is also enjoyable in D3, even if there’s a complete lack of anything resembling a skill tree found within.
Verdict
For console gamers who’ve been waiting for a chance to see “what all the fuss is about” concerning the Diablo franchise, this is a great opportunity to jump in and experience the flagship game of the series. Take heed however, due to the changes with regards to the basic core gameplay, it’s not exactly the same experience as what is offered on PC and OS X. But don’t get the wrong idea, Diablo 3 is definitely a great game and certainly worth your time.
