Diablo III

Wrong.

I don't see you making wrong assertions that often - this is one of these, I guess.

This game SUCKS. I played it for a few hours during closed beta phase and immediately realized how much this will suck. No. I will not buy this game.

Why do I say this game sucks? I will pick it apart element by element.

1. Random map and replay value: But you are still doing the same shit over and over again. That fact does not change. AND you get to see the bullshit cinematic cut-scenes or events times and times again till thy kingdom come. Trust me on this. It might seem like a very good quality for the first few times. Let's say you played it for countless hours, and have leveled all 5 classes to the maximum level. Do you think that replay value will mean anything more than annoyance? If you didn't realize yet, that element has been there in D1 and D2 already. Replay value? I don't know if repeatedly killing the boss mob a million times a day just to get a better loot can equate to that replay value.

2. The change of the game itself: D2 was a fresh change from D1, where the customizing stats and skill trees both presented happy conundrum for players. Say, when you came across with a decent set of armor, ring and weapon, you had to think which stat you would invest first. (This is about opportunity cost - which item will provide the most bang for the buck.) And each class offered at least two distinctly different play styles (typically 3, but some more than 5 as well.) and with the complexity of items, this had generated synergy effect on the game play itself. As for D3, both options are completely taken off. There is only linear progression of skill tree - everybody gets to use same skill at the comparable levels - with the exception of the runes they use on the skill. Is that enough to differentiate the play style? Unfortunately, OH HELL NO. In that regard, D3 gameplay is essentially a souped-up version of D1 gameplay with some element of skill (and the modification) sprinkled over each class.

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Blizzard games after the departure of Bill Roper has been at best pedestrian. Starcraft 2, World of Warcraft and Diablo 3 all lack the luster that made Blizzard games "BLIZZARD GAMES." - the intensity within the gameplay is gone, and so is the element for "player skills." Everything is so dumb-ed down and then under the name of "balancing" the game elements constantly go through ridiculous changes that make little sense if at all. And the auction house system. I did spend my share time on a lot of blizzard games (starting from the original Warcraft) but now I realize that their games are not worth my time any more.

P.S. What I didn't clarify is, what my job history contains. I once worked as a video game designer about good 10 years ago. (Now I am a fully fledged engineering physicist, and a happy one at it) so it was my job to 1. come up with game mechanics and 2. analyze competing game mechanics, etc. Thus, it didn't take me that much to see through the entire game by barely playing the closed beta phase of the game. You cannot make a ground-breaking difference at higher level in any game after all. It cannot differ too much from how the game plays out early on. Thus - if you see basically a linear progression from the start, you can see how it will end.

 

I played a little last night, I like it.


The video card on my laptop sucks and I have to run it in windowed mode.

 

So how about alternatives to Diablo 3 for those of who want a great RPG without it being THAT one (not saying this is great either).

I'll start:

The Mass Effect series (haven't finished 3 - don't know what the uproar is about yet)
Dragon Age: Origins
Skyrim
Fallout 3

 

Cant go wrong with SKYRIM!!!!!!!!!

 

Your first complaint is the foundation on which the entire Action RPG genre is based on. Either you've never played one of these types of games before or you're just talking out of your ass. The beta was such a small part of the game it's pretty silly to judge it based on that. You don't have most of your skills yet and it's the easiest part of the game on the easiest difficulty setting.

As for your hero Bill Roper, I take it you've never played the fucking abomination that was Hellgate: London, which is what he's accomplished since leaving Blizzard. As far as online games go, I would rate it as the 2nd biggest disaster ever, just behind Final Fantasy XIV. Just awful, everyone wanted to love the game too.

 

1. All right. Fine. If you like it, go ahead. That's you. Obviously you never spent much time grinding for these type of games, sleepwalking through the dungeons ad nauseum. But I will leave that to you.

2. I know what kind of bullshit Roper came up with after he left Blizzard - he is not the same game designer that he was once he left Blizzard. Now how is that relevant to the discussion of Diablo 3?

 

It's so sweet! I'm running it on my 2011 MBP. Runs fine, just had to adjust some things in the options menu. This is my first ever pc game that I've bought. I played Diablo II briefly at my neighbors back when I was 7 or 8 years old. I have fond memories of watching my neighbors dad play. Diablo 3 is a great game.



Console alternative to add to the list above:

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

 

If this is your first serious experience in the Diablo franchise, then you can safely ignore just about everything I said above. You will more than love the game.

 

I'm enjoying it greatly so far, if your a fan of Blizzard or the series your going to love it.

I love that in multi players "your loot is your own. Each player gets drops only he can see. A nice change to the loot whoring past of previous MMO's.

 

booo ninja-ing the loot and typing "yoink" in the chat box was the best thing about playing MMOs!

I just dont think my PC, which is now about 3 to 4 years old could handle it considering it nearly died trying to play Sims3 (though that is a legendary memory whore)

 

Add Civilization V to that list.

 

Was a bit put off with the fact the first day of release, the servers were down for nearly 7 hours of "emergency" maintenance. Only downloaded this game because I got it free from Blizz. I certainly can see this being a game I log into for small periods of time, without the usual hour plus long commitments when i log into other mmo games. If I were to play this game tirelessly, i could see myself getting burned out on it within a month or so. So, just going to take it slow

 

Gotta say that after a couple of days of play and letting a few friends try it out the universal reaction has been blah. My issue with it is that it's too much like Diablo but with upgraded graphics and interface. I'd have loved this game 15 years ago, but for today it's like doing the same thing over again.

The story may branch into interesting stuff later on but so far it's just blah.

Edit: to better explain blah - I'm sitting in front of my PC right now and one of the people who has been playing on it is in the room with me and neither of us is looking to play the game. That's just not the usual reaction to a Blizzard game right after release. I've got one level 11 Monk and have not created another toon yet and the idea of doing that is like work.

 

I warned you. Right?

 

Yeah, I just had a hard time believing that a game that Blizzard had this much invested in could be so flat.

The huge complaint is that the content and style are 15 years old already. This game is technically far superior to what Blizzard brought out in 1996 but as a game it's no different.

Just imagine Donkey Kong with very improved graphics and interface. The nostalgia would last for an hour or two but side-scrollers have moved way on in the last two and half decades and there's no way the game would capture anybody's interest for more than a few sessions.

Blizzard is going to have to pull a rabbit out of the hat here to save this one. Maybe release a PvP module that makes up for the basic game being blah.

I'm guessing their target market was the kids who never played either of the first two Diablos. Instead they got the vets who are going to spit on this.

 

Yeah if you're not an old-time Diablo player you'll probably like this. The flaw in it is that it's a remake.

 

Keep an eye out for The Secret World. I'm under NDA so I can't divulge much, but this one is a game changer. If they go with the monthly subscription as planned it will tank, but I've never played an MMO like it, so I hope they don't.