06-13-2012, 08:53 PM
You can read my huge wall o text about why I went with hardcore vs softcore on this game the topic headings I use point out some of the major points of the game I'll touch some other stuff here.
Playing hardcore adds some replayability that softcore won't have (because a toon dies and you have to start over) which means that it extends the "journey" phase of the game which I like so I'm a bit of different perspective.
In short though the game should still provide 100+ hours of good entertainment playing each the classes through the end of hell difficulty without any real need to grind at all and with challenges increasing as you progress difficulty due to the new unique affix combinations that champion and unique mobs get, which I find a ton of fun. Yes you will see the same basic content 3 times with each class, but the scaling of difficulty is mostly with the champs/uniques and they way they scale is by having more affixes which makes how each pack works a unique and different challenge. Likely you can also do Act I of Inferno for another 4 or 5 hours per class without the need to grind either.
I compare that to games like Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, both of which I loved, and between the two I'm only at just over 100 hours played (of course I only paid $25 total for them since I waited) that was well worth my money. I've already logged 120 or so hours of D3 all of which I have found very fun, I need to double that to get to the same value point, 4 hours per dollar, and I fully expect to reach and exceed that.
The game feels more like D1 in atmosphere, but plays more like D2 in that you do have the ability to wade in and just destroy packs but can bite off more than you can chew and the real challenge/tactics comes from the random affix sets on the champs/uniques.
If you think you will feel the desire to have to beat Inferno difficulty before the tuning patches are all in place then you will hit frustration and grinds. I don't think it will have the longevity of D2, but I find the gameplay more fun than D2, which I could simply not enjoy playing solo and I can play D3 solo but really love it in multi.
It's not perfect but it easily gives a great return on the entertainment dollar in my opinion.
Playing hardcore adds some replayability that softcore won't have (because a toon dies and you have to start over) which means that it extends the "journey" phase of the game which I like so I'm a bit of different perspective.
In short though the game should still provide 100+ hours of good entertainment playing each the classes through the end of hell difficulty without any real need to grind at all and with challenges increasing as you progress difficulty due to the new unique affix combinations that champion and unique mobs get, which I find a ton of fun. Yes you will see the same basic content 3 times with each class, but the scaling of difficulty is mostly with the champs/uniques and they way they scale is by having more affixes which makes how each pack works a unique and different challenge. Likely you can also do Act I of Inferno for another 4 or 5 hours per class without the need to grind either.
I compare that to games like Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, both of which I loved, and between the two I'm only at just over 100 hours played (of course I only paid $25 total for them since I waited) that was well worth my money. I've already logged 120 or so hours of D3 all of which I have found very fun, I need to double that to get to the same value point, 4 hours per dollar, and I fully expect to reach and exceed that.
The game feels more like D1 in atmosphere, but plays more like D2 in that you do have the ability to wade in and just destroy packs but can bite off more than you can chew and the real challenge/tactics comes from the random affix sets on the champs/uniques.
If you think you will feel the desire to have to beat Inferno difficulty before the tuning patches are all in place then you will hit frustration and grinds. I don't think it will have the longevity of D2, but I find the gameplay more fun than D2, which I could simply not enjoy playing solo and I can play D3 solo but really love it in multi.
It's not perfect but it easily gives a great return on the entertainment dollar in my opinion.
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It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.
It's all just zeroes and ones and duct tape in the end.