It occurred to me a couple days before the release of Diablo III - Blizzard's latest entry into its action RPG franchise - that I have been at least thinking about the possibility of a new Diablo title for over half of my life. It can often feel like a game so high profile - and in development for so long - couldn't possibly live up to the expectations players have had over a decade to drum up in their heads. Not only does Diablo III transcend these expectations by offering a remarkably paced, extremely addictive, and good-looking looting experience, it also expands and improves meaningfully on its legendary predecessor in every conceivable way. I've never played a hack-and-slash game that moves as briskly and plays as smoothly as this one does, and after putting in 25-or-so hours over a handful of days to finish it, I immediately started back in on the next difficulty to keep the game going. Some network issues and other anomalies are a real shame, but only stick out as much as they do because the surrounding experience is so fantastic. Diablo III is a masterstroke of game design and entertainment, and you should absolutely play it.
Although quite a few significant details about Diablo have changed in this game, the basic framework is the same. Your created character, up against the forces of hell, progresses through a series of areas, killing all manner of demons and collecting the gold and items that oh-so-satisfyingly shower from their corpses upon death. Along with the skills you'll learn as you level up, you use said money and gear to continually rearm and protect yourself from the ever-escalating power of the damned.
It all begins with your choice of class, and besides the meaty Barbarian, all of them are new(ish) to the series. Witch Doctors can raise the dead, throw creepy jars full of spiders, and unleash powerful voodoo magic; Monks have combo meters and use auras to buff, debuff, and deal some speedy damage up close; Demon Hunters use ranged attacks - including explosives - to dish out the hurt from afar; and Wizards can use all manner of arcane arts to roast, freeze, or fry Diablo's minions. My first character, Oats the wizard, was far from the typical weak but eventually effective magic user archetype. With icy armour that absorbed all damage for a few seconds, I eventually became as close up and personal as some of the melee classes. I'd activate my armour, pop as many blizzards and spectral blades (a sort of magic melee attack) as I could, only to teleport to safety the instant my protection wore off. Each class also uses its own form of magic energy tailored to their skills, as well. Instead of mana, Wizards use a rapidly regenerating Arcane Power that allows them to really stack spells on top of each other for added devastation, and its only a few seconds until you again have a full tank, ready to rock. No time is wasted, and that ideology applies to all of the classes.
Actually, this unwavering commitment to never interrupt the flow is the heart of Diablo III's brilliance. There are no more scrolls you need to purchase to return to town or identify rare items. You no longer spend skill points - instead, you'll learn all skills for your class as you level up, and you can slot six for use at a given time. What this means is that you never have to create multiple characters of the same class, and since damage is determined by your level and equipped gear, skills remain useful forever. Respecing can be done whenever you want, for free, and takes about 30 seconds to completely switch skill sets. Even the biggest of swords and unwieldy hammers take up a maximum of two squares in your inventory, so the only trips back to town to unload gear and touch up your character are significant, lucrative ones.
Essentially, anything that could have possibly been construed as disrupting the causal loop of looting and upgrading has been streamlined or removed from the game. What's left is a design of awesome, ruthless efficiency. Sure, Diablo III took over a decade to be released, but it's difficult not to see the meticulous detail and polish in every single aspect of the game. Each skill, sound effect and animation is satisfying and fun to behold, and all of the possibilities for using your gear and abilities in conjunction truly are endless (and increasingly necessary as you climb through the game's various difficulties). It's a game that's built to last you for months on end, and when the final boss is bested, you're back at the character select screen, one click away from beginning all over again. Believe me, it's a difficult click to resist. I know I couldn't.
It's really a shame that network issues break through all of this masterful design at times and detract from the game. Diablo III's DRM must constantly be connected to the internet at all times, presumably to prevent cheating and any other sort of foul play. It's an understandable concern, especially given that an auction house for items using real-world money will launch sometime in the future. But the fact remains that connectivity issues will end your Diablo III playtime in a hurry. If you've got a spotty connection at your house or need to use a crowded college campus connection, playing this game could be incredibly frustrating. Likewise, when Blizzard has to test patches or do other maintenance for the game, you're out of luck, even if you just want to play by yourself. Connectivity issues have been leading to all kinds of other peripheral issues as well. I've heard reports from people who have said that key enemies or items that need to be found to further the game can simply be no-shows, requiring you to play through areas again. Certain character skills and equipment can also cause strange "sync errors" that cause a dissonance in Battle.net's server check and will unceremoniously boot you from your game. I imagine much of this will be ironed out through patches soon enough, and all of the major issues seem to already be taken care of. For what it's worth, I only experienced a single sync error in my thirty or so hours with the game. But these blemishes are jamming the gears of enough players that it's certainly worth pointing out.
Some network turbulence can't keep Diablo III down, though. Not by a long shot. This is one of the smoothest and just plain convivial games I've played in ages, and if you enjoy action RPGs in any capacity, you need to give it a shot. And even if you don't, the streamlined approach to skills and character development makes this one ideal for both beginners and veterans. It's just so amazingly well thought out and fun. Even signing in to verify a few facts for this review ate up a few hours of my time. Do yourself a favour and give it a shot.
