So, is this the game we the Diablo fans have been waiting for, like, 12 long years? What the hell?
Not mentioning the servers problem which by itself can drive even a well-mannered lady such as myself nuts, in some aspects the game is a huge disappointment. Is it WoW 3 or Diablo 3?
I don't mind mediocre graphics and the followers stuff is a welcome addition but where are my stats? Gone. What happened to my elaborate skill tree? Gone. Unique sets of armor* and runes? Gone. The crafting system is seriously dumbed down compared to, ahahahah, many D-clones.
So, in a few words, after finishing the game, the good:
1. Diablo himself is back and looks sufficiently red
2. Destructive (not just destructible) environment: you can even kill mobs with it
3. Decent VO and nice sound effects
4. Scattered lore that enhances exploration (too bad the notes are not arranged properly in your journal even if you try to rearrange)
5. Good story (for a Diablo game)
6. Random side quests (aka "events") a la original Diablo
7. Followers (can't be killed)
8. Randomly generated map
The bad:
1. Character customization is practically non-existent; the only difference between your Barbarian and my Barbarian is her gear
2. Monsters (even the mini-bosses) are forgettable, unimaginative and the red outline makes them all look alike and rather crappy
3. Loot is dull and the rare items are not exactly rare (and not exactly awesome), your smith can mass-produce them if you are so inclined
4. The traders offer nothing noteworthy, their stock remains the same and there is no gambling
5. Crafting is boring and you have to play and replay and replay again in order to unlock stuff
So, basically, the addictive formula explore-kill-loot-level up is majorly screwed up: "explore" is OK, "kill" (really easy on normal difficulty) is not as much fun as you'd expect, "loot" is underwhelming (to say the least) and "level up" is a joke.
6/10
Overall, D2 was much more fun, in my opinion.
edit: *to be fair, some sets of armor are unlocked on higher levels/difficulty but if you play with different characters on normal there is none to be found so my point stands.
mmogarden
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