Is D3 really terrible?

[whyBish]

http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/diablo-iii

So a 4.0/10 user rating.
Is it just the users with access difficulties on the Blizzard servers, or does the game truly suck chunks?

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P.S. no spoilers please :p

[MMAgCh]

Without even looking at any of those, I predict that virtually all of the negative reviews concern themselves exclusively with the various drawbacks of the game's being online-only, perhaps with a few complaints about a lack of character customisation thrown in for good measure.

As for D3 itself, most people who are actually playing it seem to be enjoying it so far (which includes me). Given that it's been out for less than a week, I think it's too early to make any calls along the lines of "this game is good/bad", though.

[Jester]

I don't have many rules to live by. But one of them is: Don't ever listen to metacritic user scores.

-Jester

[DeeBye]

The website 4chan (not going to link directly there because it really is a cesspool) decided to have some "fun" with the server instability on launch day. Being unable to connect produced an "error 37", so 4chan decided to bomb Metacritic with reviews ranging from 3 to 4, in the hopes of getting exactly a 3.7 rating in honor of "error 37".

D3 is far from terrible.

[Elric of Grans]

I wrote a review for some friends. I had probably 1500 words on how great every aspect of the game was, followed by a couple of sentences about the lag issues and server downtime in ``single player''. Diablo III is a fantastic game that seems to absolutely blitz Diablo II. It feels bigger, better designed and is most definitely more tactical. Biggest issue so far?

*** MINOR SPOILER ***

Adria did not say ``I sense a soul in search of answers,'' and sounds less mystical than in Diablo.

*** END SPOILER ***

[Mavfin]

*** MINOR SPOILER ***

Adria did not say ``I sense a soul in search of answers,'' and sounds less mystical than in Diablo.

*** END SPOILER ***

That's not all that's different about Adria.

And yeah, don't believe everything you read. I'm having a blast playing it.

[MongoJerry]

It's a truly wonderful game. I highly recommend it.

[FireIceTalon]

It's a truly wonderful game. I highly recommend it.

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.

[Armin]

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

I've gotten used to DRM, to be required to authenticate my game every time I start it, but Diablo III takes this to a longer longer bearable level for me.
Being forced to play on a server for every single minute I want to play the campaign in single player, no save game option, no way to have my characters on my own bloody hard drive?
Having to cope with disconnects, server downtimes and the release day fail, when just wanting to play single player? Unacceptable.

I was aware of the online requirement, but I thought I had a choice like I had in Starcraft II (where I could still play offline, create my own savegames and not suffer from Blizzards server troubles). So my copy of D3 went back to Amazon, because I simply do not want to support this.

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.

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

All in all a very mixed bag, which I can very well live without, just to send a message to Blizzard about their business practises.

[Mavfin]

No character customization, no stat point distribution, no skill trees. I already missed the spellbooks from D1, but THIS?

I always have to laugh at the 'no customization' thing. What, having access to all the skills and their runes doesn't allow customization? To me, that's MORE customization, because I'm not locked into one skill build from 1-60. Even more boring was keeping most of the stat points till 30 and then allocating them. Most fun of all was getting a toon to Hell trying something different, figuring out it wasn't really viable, and having to reroll the character completely. How the hell was that 'more customization'?

As far as stat point distribution, I guess you really liked the "enough str/dex to wear the gear, don't touch energy, and put the rest into vit" model? That gave so many choices...oh wait, it didn't, and I didn't care for it. That was boring as hell. You do stat allocation with gear now, and I much prefer that model.

Sounds to me like you wanted D2 in a new wrapper, but, if you want that, go play PoE, or D2 still works.

Oh, and it's so relevant to say the game is 'too easy' just from doing normal once. Of course, it's pretty easy for a veteran. Like SC2, there's four difficulty levels, and D3 Normal = SC2 Casual.

[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.

[ClamsAreHot]

Haven't played it, don't have to. I agree with Armin. As far as I can tell people who like D3 are diehard fanboys who have just deluded themselves into enjoying it because they really *want* to enjoy a new Diablo game. The worst part is these people actually make excuses for all the negative aspects of the game, generally in a very condescending tone. Anyway, it's a waste of $60. You can still play Diablo 1 for free. Spending money on this game simply motivates companies like Blizzard to keep putting out crap because they know the dumb masses will buy anything. Have some principles fellas.

[Jester]

Haven't played it, don't have to. I agree with Armin. As far as I can tell people who like D3 are diehard fanboys who have just deluded themselves into enjoying it because they really *want* to enjoy a new Diablo game. The worst part is these people actually make excuses for all the negative aspects of the game, generally in a very condescending tone. Anyway, it's a waste of $60. You can still play Diablo 1 for free. Spending money on this game simply motivates companies like Blizzard to keep putting out crap because they know the dumb masses will buy anything. Have some principles fellas.

Is consistency one of the principles that us "fellas" should have? Because you're criticizing condescension in a post that calls everyone who disagrees with your opinion delusional. Even though you haven't even played the game.

-Jester

[ClamsAreHot]

There's also Path of Exile, and though it has its flaws, at least it's free.

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Haven't played it, don't have to. I agree with Armin. As far as I can tell people who like D3 are diehard fanboys who have just deluded themselves into enjoying it because they really *want* to enjoy a new Diablo game. The worst part is these people actually make excuses for all the negative aspects of the game, generally in a very condescending tone. Anyway, it's a waste of $60. You can still play Diablo 1 for free. Spending money on this game simply motivates companies like Blizzard to keep putting out crap because they know the dumb masses will buy anything. Have some principles fellas.

Is consistency one of the principles that us "fellas" should have? Because you're criticizing condescension in a post that calls everyone who disagrees with your opinion delusional. Even though you haven't even played the game.

-Jester

Well if you look at what people who claim Diablo 3 is an amazing game say, I think "deluded" is being nice. It's like listening to a woman give excuses for why she keeps coming back to her abuser. "He's such a nice guy." The game is disappointing and flawed, and it's pretty silly watching these people claim otherwise. When someone says "I always have to laugh at the 'no customization' thing" there's no other words for them but deluded and condescending. But no matter how much these folks lie to themselves and each other, the truth will pan out as they quickly become bored with the game. They'll come back every time Blizzard releases a "new feature" that should've been out already, like pvp, and they'll figurately give Blizzard head again, but they'll grow bored in the time it takes to wipe Blizzard's collective load off their faces. The truth will come out in their actions, not in their words.

[Taelas]

Ah, trolls.

[Jester]

I love the whooshing sound made my a point going right over someone's head.

Welcome to the ignore list!

-Jester

[Quark]

Haven't played it, don't have to. I agree with Armin.

Opinions of morons who don't have evidence on hand aren't valid. Go away.

[Archon_Wing]

The whole "must always be online" to play even single player really sucks if the server says, shuts down due to maintenance. But it's a good game overall.

Haven't played it, don't have to. I agree with Armin. As far as I can tell people who like D3 are diehard fanboys who have just deluded themselves into enjoying it because they really *want* to enjoy a new Diablo game. The worst part is these people actually make excuses for all the negative aspects of the game, generally in a very condescending tone. Anyway, it's a waste of $60. You can still play Diablo 1 for free. Spending money on this game simply motivates companies like Blizzard to keep putting out crap because they know the dumb masses will buy anything. Have some principles fellas.

Interesting that you make this claim as rock solid and deride the other side as more than deluded when you haven't played the game. In other words, you are at best co-opting someone else's opinion. And yes, while I think the game is quite flawed, all of Blizzard's games have had terrible flaws as well. Doesn't mean everyone that likes it are delusional.

If you're gonna hate, at least put some more effort into it. Otherwise leave it to the real trolls.

[MongoJerry]

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.

Wow, you really didn't play the game at all, did you? The skill system is genius. Seriously, I keep going back and forth on which six skills I want. And that's the key -- you can only pick six skills to use at a time and each skill can only have one rune option each. That's where the uniqueness of builds comes in to play. You can choose to be more offensive oriented, defensive oriented, or crowd control oriented based on the skills you choose. It's wonderful to play in pugs and see all the different versions of characters out there. So far, despite many attempts, there aren't the brain-dead cookie cutter builds of D2. In D2, you didn't have choices. You either played a cookie-cutter build or you were an underpowered outcast. With this skill system, the variation in builds actually playing the game is incredible.

Truly, everything Blizzard chose to do with the skill system was terrific. I don't know why you're complaining about not having to choose whether to put stats in int, vitality, str, etc as you level up. You have all the choice you could ask for in that department by gear selection. They also made a wonderful radical shift with the caster classes by making them dependent on weapon damage, which has really added a whole new dimension to them.

Your only having played normal just shows your complete ignorance, too, because while normal is wonderful, nightmare is where the game really starts, with some scary champion and boss mod combinations. Hell and Inferno are going to be jarring. I mean come on, D2 was a joke in difficulty level. I naked punched a sorceress through act 1 and someone at the Basin took it all the way through Act 5 (right before Baal). I want to see you try that with D3.

And to you and any others here who have complained about the lack of off-line play, I'm sorry, but I don't have any sympathy. This is the 21st century. Upgrade from your Apple IIe's and join the rest of the technology using community. All games are going to be internet only going forward. World of Warcraft has been doing it for years. So what that the authentication servers couldn't handle millions of people logging in and creating characters all at once on the first day. I and several Lurkers got in about two hours after launch and played nearly all day the first day, and since then it's been pretty smooth sailing. Internet-only allows companies to not be ripped off by people pirating their software, and it helps protect the game code to make it much more difficult for people to break it -- avoiding many of the duping issues that we saw in D2's day.

The game is truly wonderful. The character classes are great, the skill choices are great, the story is great, the encounters are great, and yes, when you get out of Normal -- which is designed to baby you through getting used to controls and skills just like in D2 -- the game really begins and the encounters get incredibly hard.

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Haven't played it, don't have to. I agree with Armin. As far as I can tell people who like D3 are diehard fanboys who have just deluded themselves into enjoying it because they really *want* to enjoy a new Diablo game. The worst part is these people actually make excuses for all the negative aspects of the game, generally in a very condescending tone. Anyway, it's a waste of $60. You can still play Diablo 1 for free. Spending money on this game simply motivates companies like Blizzard to keep putting out crap because they know the dumb masses will buy anything. Have some principles fellas.

Just play the game. You'll see. It's everything D1 and D2 should have been and more. It's truly amazing. Other than a few truly minor nits, it's terrific. It's nothing like the repeatedly buggy D2 that needed patch after patch after patch before it got to be a decent game.

[Archon_Wing]

Also, while I disapprove of the skill system, stat ones weren't really much to miss. In D2, it was exclusively enough str/dex to put into gear aside from energy shield sorcs and maybe dexazons, but pretty much everything went into vitality because the returns from everything else was garbage. Stack enough charms, and any point not in vit was a waste.