Is D3 really terrible?

[Roland]

Best Diablo game in the series.

I second this. Although I have to say it is UNBELIEVABLY hard in some areas. I like a challenge, but some quests on nightmare mode and up are just mind shatteringly difficult to the point where one can get very frustrated. The Black Soul Stone quest in Act II is one such part - very very long quest, and difficult almost all the way through. And that is on nightmare, I cannot imagine it on hell mode or Inferno. All in all, much more challenging than either D1 or D2, by a long shot - although leveling in this game is certainly faster. Level 44 now, at the start of Act 3.

But that aside, it is nothing short of stellar. Kudos to Blizz, it took you guys long enough, but final product is very well done.

I'm level 41, doing this very quest, and I'm breezing through it all. This game is VERY item dependent. I have almost 10k life and over 1k DPS on my Demon Hunter. I can take quite a bit of punishment (read: at least 3-4 good hits, many of which are over 1k in damage), and dish it out just as fast. This will make or break your ease of playing. Don't get me wrong, the game IS hard (Nightmare was a big step up in difficulty, moreso than Act II was over Act I - be warned), but with proper gear (I've bought nothing off the AH except a few flawed gems, and have crafted exactly one item - shoulders - that I no longer use, so all my items have been drops) it's not impossible. At least, not yet anyway. I've no doubt Hell will be just as big a jump from Nightmare as Normal was to Nightmare, and Inferno I imagine will be almost impossible. We shall see.

In my opinion, it's an OK game with a TERRIBLE business model.

I agree with the terrible business model aspect, but that's more due to the RMAH than anything else. I can accept the online-only if it means that much less cheating and duping, despite my frustration when the servers go down. That said, it was clearly indicated prior to release that it would be an always-on online requirement, so I'm not entirely sure how you missed that. Still, I understand your frustration, and I support your decision to stand by your beliefs.

The game itself is another step down from D2. No character customization, no stat point distribution, no skill trees. I already missed the spellbooks from D1, but THIS? The gameplay is VERY repetitive, mostly a hectical clickfest with a VERY low difficulty level in single player and no motivation to do the chore a second time in a higher difficulty (Yeah, I played all 4 acts once while waiting for my key to be deleted ). I actually like the graphics though, the item collector's drive is back and the controls are really VERY good (apart from a terrible hotkey system). If one likes a hectical clickfest better than a stratetic game with RPG elements... it's not for me, though.

This... I can't agree with, but it almost seems like you've outgrown the action RPG model. Diablo III is, in every conceivable way, better than Diablo II in my opinion (and many other old timers I've talked to, though perhaps not so many as old as you). I do not notice the lack of spending attribute points - in fact, I relish it. I can customize my character through Skill and Rune combinations to my heart's content (whereas Path of Exile makes my head spin just looking at it - no thanks). The game is damn FUN, moreso than Diablo II was for me for the last couple years before I quit playing (around 1.10). If it's not your cup of tea, so be it - I'll not argue that. I just cannot agree that it's anything other than a huge leap forward from Diablo II, with a polish that should make old Blizzard jealous (no offense guys!).

Oh, and the little bit of a story they have takes predictability to a new all-time height

Agreed, but it was a very enjoyable ride nonetheless. Pulled all the right emotional strings - highs and lows - and still felt epic in the end.

I'm loving DIII, more than I thought I would. It's going to be my daily play for quite a long time to come.