Diablo 3 review

[originalbadboy]

Not really true

Starcraft 2 was a fantastic game and not made too long ago. It added things to the genre and improved on virtually everything that has come before it. Its a brilliant game.

I never said it wasn't ... my post clearly states that Blizzard games are for the most part excellent, going all the way back from Rock & Roll Racing to Starcraft II.

Diablo III is an excellent game it is own right, but given the history it seems to me that Blizzard are rapidly becoming a three trick pony; WOW, Starcraft (or Warcraft for that matter) & Diablo, none of which in my opinion have been pushing the gaming envelope over the years. If it wasn't for WOW making so much money we probably would never even got Diablo III. I just don't understand why Blizzard are held in such high regards, especially at moment, given all the issues with this game.

Anyway getting off topic, currently have a Level 21 Wizard on Act II Normal. I am enjoying it enough but taking my time running through the game, no rush.

[rmoxon]

I never said it wasn't ... my post clearly states that Blizzard games are for the most part excellent, going all the way back from Rock & Roll Racing to Starcraft II.

Diablo III is an excellent game it is own right, but given the history it seems to me that Blizzard are rapidly becoming a three trick pony; WOW, Starcraft (or Warcraft for that matter) & Diablo, none of which in my opinion have been pushing the gaming envelope over the years. If it wasn't for WOW making so much money we probably would never even got Diablo III. I just don't understand why Blizzard are held in such high regards, especially at moment, given all the issues with this game.

Anyway getting off topic, currently have a Level 21 Wizard on Act II Normal. I am enjoying it enough but taking my time running through the game, no rush.

Actually I thought your post was pretty clear in stating that Blzzard are has beens and you feel they don't make notable games any more. You compared them to ID software and said they were stuck in the past.

Starcraft 2 is a two year old game, it is not old at all, it feels very modern, and it shows that they are still capable of making somthing special these days.

[dataDave]

WoW and Starcraft aren't pushing any envelopes?

WoW is THE* MMO.

SC2 is THE* RTS.

Just like SF is THE* 2D fighter.

There isn't even any competition in those genres.

I have to admit, Diablo 3 isn't quite cutting the mustard compared to those two greats.

*Pronounced 'Thee'.

[originalbadboy]

WoW and Starcraft aren't pushing any envelopes?

WoW is THE* MMO.

I don't want to get even more off topic so just one final word on this, whilst I agree that SC2 may well be THE RTS game to play these days, WOW is certainly not THE MMO to play.

There are plenty of others to choose from which are no worse or better than what Blizzard have been doing, and in all honesty the MMORPG space is old hat now. The bubble has most certainly burst on it, and the majority of people still playing WOW are of the 'No Life' 'No Girlfriend' 'Addicted for life' variety of people. I played WOW pretty much solidly for about a year when it first came out, till I realised I wasn't doing anything else with my life.

In the same vain, Torchlight is no worse than Diablo, in fact I much prefer Torchlight to Diablo simply because as a dungeon crawler / loot collector game it works much better. That doesn't mean that Runic Games should be revered simply because they have the best game for that particular genre.

I'm not saying that Blizzard haven't contributed to the gaming world .. of course they have, I just personally don't hold them in as high as regard as others do.

[rmoxon]

I'd say WOW still really is THE MMO.

It has a heck of a lot more subscribers than any other game, even though it's so old now, and it's also the game that most MMO players go back too when they are bored with whatever new MMO is out at the moment.

It has more personality and variety than anything else I have sampled in the genre. Most games simply copy it but without as much class.

Ive been enjoying Tera recently, but beyond the combat (which is admittedly excellent) it is just another world of Warcraft clone, only with even less variety.

[Daragon]

Finally cleared hell after a fair of slogging. Act 4 was pretty tough, following on from the literal piss take of an act 3 boss (honestly, he was tougher on normal and nightmare).

->Open Spoiler<-

Izual

was a bit of a bitch, had to change my skill set several times before I settled on one that worked.

->Open Spoiler<-

Diablo

was fittingly epic, managed to take him down solo on first attempt despite it being VERY close to the wire on several occasions (bone cage followed by a grab stung like hell with my abilities locked). Very proud of my accomplishment though and am now able to relax a bit with my gold and loot farming on act 1 of inferno.

Looking forward to teaming up with Dave again once he catches me up

Edit: FFS Blizzard - Inferno epic mobs automatically apply a debuff that damages you over time if you take too long to kill it. Even if you die to it, the effect doesn't disappear. How ****ing unbalanced is that? And you nerf classes LOL!

[JSR]

WoW and Starcraft aren't pushing any envelopes?

I wouldn't say a RTS that plays almost exactly like it's 14 year old prequel is pushing any envelopes. It is still a great game, but hardly innovative.

[Silvergun X]

Edit: FFS Blizzard - Inferno epic mobs automatically apply a debuff that damages you over time if you take too long to kill it. Even if you die to it, the effect doesn't disappear. How ****ing unbalanced is that? And you nerf classes LOL!

That's a sign your gear isn't good enough. If your inferno mobs are hitting the enrage timer, it's a gear check.

I found 15,000 DPS was enough to comfortably get through Inferno Act 1, and JUST take on The Butcher.

[Daragon]

I've got more DPS than that, around 17k I think. The problem is that in melee range I die in seconds. I NEED to kite to live.

Doesn't matter how much hp I give myself, it's like enemy damage does a percentage of health damage as opposed to actual numbers.

[Supergoal]

It's ok, all the 'Westernised' Asian nations connect to the US, including Australia. When the RMAH goes live we can sell stuff for US$ instead of Chinese RMB.

Anyway, excellent, add me to your list: Headshaker#1717

Request sent.

[dataDave]

I'm using this right now.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#gfUQPd!UVf!acaZaZ

I don't need to kite anything anymore, as I begin with buffing up the mana regen with Spirit Barrage, blow CDs, then spam bears with 10-12 secs worth of infinite mana. Those bears just dissolve everything in seconds before it kills me, even elites.

[Blaiz0r]

So I've been playing this solidly since release, I have 5 characters:

* lvl 60 Witch Doctor stuck on Act I Inferno
* lvl 32 Monk on Act I Nightmare
* lvl 16 Barbarian Act II
* lvl 10 Demon Hunter, Hardcore
* lvl 16 Wizard, Hardcore

I love playing my Witch Doctor, he's so powerful, Since I reached Inferno, and knowing I need to grind a bit to get better gear (I kill mobs easily, but I die too quickly), I decided to try and play the other characters.

I just completed normal with my Monk and it was interesting playing with him, but frankly not as fun as the witch Doctor, I don't think I'll invest much time in him any more.

My Barbarian is only lvl 16 but the feeling of power you have playing him has topped any other class, my witch doctor was only interesting when I hit lvl 20, I'm feeling the wizard and Demon Hunter are going the same way, but the Barbarian has been brilliant since the start, and would probably be my main given enough time.

Demon Hunter and Wizard I decided to start on Hardcore, I'm playing with them coop with a couple of friends (Monk and Barb) and the feeling of excitement in Hardcore is completely brilliant, it's something you NEVER get from playing softcore mode.

I'm definitely going to invest more time into Hardcore and it will be my usual mode moving forward, where Softcore I will experiment with builds and equipment.

[Daragon]

I'm using this right now.

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/witch-doctor#gfUQPd!UVf!acaZaZ

I don't need to kite anything anymore, as I begin with buffing up the mana regen with Spirit Barrage, blow CDs, then spam bears with 10-12 secs worth of infinite mana. Those bears just dissolve everything in seconds before it kills me, even elites.

Let's hope it's as effective for inferno hehe. I had a build that was really rather good for act 3 of hell, used literally just Venom Hydra to take down

->Open Spoiler<-

Azmodan

it was quite amusing kiting him across pools of acid watching his hp rapidly decrease.

Sadly, it lacked the required kick for act 4.

[PeteJ]

Finished Normal with my Wizard last night, level 31. Onwards to Nightmare!

Enjoying the class quite a bit though I was way overpowered for the second half of the game, litterally just steamrolled through everything. Imagine I'm in for a surprise when the difficulty increases

My biggest complaint so far is how much influence the Auction House has. Almost no point in grinding or searching for better loot as you can just buy it from the AC. Completely takes away the enjoyment of hunting down better gear. Probably the first RPG I've ever played where I've finished it without buying from a merchant once! Other than selling and repairing they are a waste of space...

...so far.

[Kaido]

Yeah the AH becomes a must later. That much becomes apparent when you get into a public game with someone that doesn't use it.