Because your complaints were idiotic. If you don't like the game fine but saying it stinks because its an ARPG that follows ARPG conventions makes no sense. Do you see a new Final Fantasy title and expect it to be an FPS? Judging it on the first few levels is pretty silly too. The entirety of normal mode is ridiculously easy, with only the Diablo fight posing any challenge. That's my biggest gripe with the game, having to go through normal mode to get to the more fun and challenging higher difficulties.
I didn't say it sucked because it was ARPG. (Well. Maybe in your fantasy.) READ THE GOD DAMN POST CAREFULLY. I gave a very clear reason as to why it sucked. (br4dw4y5ux captured its problems within first day - and you haven't? Wow.)
The problem with the game is not related to difficulty. Its related to the fact that it's the exact same game Blizzard brought out 15 years ago with updated graphics and interface. Yeah they've streamlined a lot but they've also lost things in the process. One of the huge things they've lost is the fun factor, which used to be job 1 for any Blizzard title. Killing clusters of goatmen isn't just so yesterday it's so 15 years ago. The one thing they've kept however is the potential for carpal tunnel syndrome and malfunctioning mouse buttons. Face it. If they brought out the original Star Wars movie with updated CGI graphics and a few minor plot changes set on the ruins of Tatooine but with the same basic plot line it wouldn't be all that great either for anybody who had seen the original. This game was supposed to be great and instead it is a remake with great graphics and an updated UI. That's why it's blah. If I could return it I would.
I'm just not sure what you were expecting. It was always going to be level up, slaughter monsters and collect loot. When you take into account the way that people were still playing Diablo 2 10 years after the game came out, Blizzard would have to be pretty stupid to deviate from that successful formula. Anyway, I think they made enough changes with the skill/runes system to differentiate the way the game played from the earlier Diablos. It's so much better being able to try out all your skills rather than hoarding skill points until you can get all the way down the tree. If you want to talk about Blizzard remakes, Starcraft 2 is a much better example that is literally the same exact game as the original Starcraft.
I was expecting enough of a story difference for the game to still be immersive the way Diablo II was after Diablo. I feel like I am playing the exact same game that I played 15 years ago. The only difference is I'm not chugging pots over and over again. I loved Starcraft and I will probably never play Starcraft II because as you point out it's the exact same game. The biggest indictment of Diablo III at the moment is that I bought it the day of the launch and played it for a few days with a couple of friends and none of us have touched it all weekend. Nobody wants to play the game. That's just a monstrously savage reality that Blizzard is going to have to deal with at this point. They sold me and my friends one copy out of about a half dozen potential buyers and everybody in that group is telling everybody else they know that the game is not worth buying. I'd say the value price for this game is maybe $19.99. Good luck them getting $59.99 out of a lot more people at this point. I gave away all of the freebie tryout cards that came in my box and one person actually dl'd the client and then deleted it after playing it for a few hours.
1. Story difference - well. I wasn't expecting much. Metzen has been butchering the original settings and concepts at will (see: how things changed with the Draenei in warcraft universe. That's one of his crowning moments.) Thus I was expecting to see some other things there - I have no problem with that. 2. What is my gripe with it? It's the way game mechanics work - when the new installment comes in, you'd want more than just a little tweak. That's not how you get the most bang out of your buck. Good examples and bad ones are equally galore. For instance, D2 took a dramatic shift in game mechanics in that, it introduced a spell/skill system that was not there. On top of that, the progression of a character is no more linear. It was a very fresh style at that time. Or take Risk II. When Hasbro introduced real-time battle concept, it was not the same Risk we all came to know and love - it's much more intense, and you need to be calculating a lot more. You should consider when you want to attack that strategic area since your reinforcement is severely limited regardless of your overall strength. Or take Total war franchise. Each new installment introduces new era, or if they are re-doing the era (Shogun total war/Medieval total war, etc) they always introduce a new game concept - that always forces you to readjust from the past practices - either due to the advancement in military technology (you can't expect to use the concepts in Medieval warfare in 19c Europe and expect to win, for instance. By the time of Napoleon, the artillery has successfully become the queen of the battlefield.) or due to new game elements introduced. (I guess I will stop - but I could go on and on and on for ever and ever till the end of time if needs be.) These are what anyone should expect out of any new installment of a given franchise. Now, what is D3 offering? As I summed up in the original posting, it's but a mere souped-up version of D1. That was where my gripe was coming from. There is a reason why Metacritic gave it only 4/10.
The reviewers metacritic score for Diablo was 88 (which is extremely high). The user score was 4.0 but its mix of people giving it a 0 because it has DRM or they had trouble logging in on the first few days as well as those that did not like the actual game. I havent tried it yet as my PC is probably a bit too old for it and a lack of supply (people trying to gouge you reselling on amazon etc).
I dont have a cpu right now and I was killing myself over not being able to play this since D1 and D2 are some of my favorite games of all time. I talked to my friend though and dont feel as bad about missing out though. He essentially told me the game is very easy. Great story and cutscenes as usual. Thats expected with Blizzard. But he also told me the character customization is kind of a facade. That you can pretty much beat the game using very few skills from the runes. He also beat it quickly. I expected a much more in depth and difficult game. And my friend knows what hes talking about we grew up as video game addicts, especially RPGs. he pretty much said its a better looking version of d2. now before I get screamed at for expecting too much out of the action RPG genre, my retort would be Blizzard took almost a decade to make the game and it sounds to me like they produced another great story with good presentation but lacking the innovation the series experienced between D1 and D2 Kingdoms of Amalur:Reckoning, however is one of the more entertaining action RPGS ive played in a while. when I get a cpu I will still get d3 at some point because itll be the last diablo game for another decade. but by no means am i rushing to play it.
Normal mode is a joke really, once you start playing through on higher difficulties is when the shit hits the fan.
Yeah nightmare and hell Always felt they described the difficulty levels quite well lol I havew a cple friends about to start playing even after my previous post the thought of butchering story mode co op always makes me want to play. And of course the boss runs for loot.
Totally agree with your point on the loot. It is a nice change when killing bosses not to have to try to get in position to beat someone else for the item.
D1 and D2 was my hook into Video Games. WOW became too involved and expensive. At my age (somewhat older, lets say) I don't have the time to invest in a game as I have had in the past (pre-children) I did not expect anything brand new, other than advancements in the gameplay. It's D3 ... 3rd gen, how far out of sync of the story did people want to go? While I don't invest the time in gaming as most of you do, I find the game OK. As expected, as advertised. Normal appears to be too easy, but I expect that to change quickly into NM then to Hell. I actually like to see some of the old bosses/monsters tweaked as they are.
I just started playing the game. So far, I think it is fun. If anyone wants to add me as a battle.net friend, my ID is MatadorM83#1108
Normal mode is beyond easy. My 10 year old can stomp it. Nightmare was not too bad. I could use what ever gear I wanted and had to think a little to plod through. Now in hell mode I'm having to gear a certain way to survive fights. Thankfully the people ahead of me are putting just the right items I need up on the AH to help me along. I have a couple of hardcore gamer friends that have advanced through inferno. Gear level an knowledge of how to gear was a huge issue. Most long time gamers can figure it out and make their class work, but ranged classes can kite the mobs so are not as geared dependant. It's a fun game. I do miss the customization of D2 and I liked the story a bit better but D3 is fine as long as your not expecting too much out of a game that's always been about grinding kills and gear. It is a major time sink, but FTP after the initial investment. Subscription gaming is slowly dying off. FTP games based around micro transactions are taking up more of my time and gaming money lately.
I blew through normal. As a wizard I'm getting crunched on nightmare. Only a level 39 here. My templar who I use to block enemies sucks and they peel of them while I bombard them from range.
I'm getting wrecked by trash mobs on inferno. It's only Act 2 and I can't even get past the very first area. That nerf to force armor really fucked up the wizards.
Just got it... game seems fairly decent though I'm used to more complicated games. I have a feeling I'm going to destroy my mouse with this. Very good looking game though... wonder if I'll make it to the harder difficulties to experience the real challenge.
Heard a rumor that it may be getting released on PS3. Might even be announced today at E3. Sony's press conference is at 6pm or something. That'd be cool, I'd pick it up for sure as my PC is fried.
