[Review] Diablo III (PS3)
Diablo III, the third installment of Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo franchise has finally hit consoles. Its original PC and Mac OS X versions were released on 2012.05.15. The game set a new record for fastest-selling PC game, selling over 3.5 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release. It was also the best selling PC game of 2012, selling more than 12 million copies during the year.
The console version of Diablo III, released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, marks my first foray into the franchise. I never really got into the game as a kid as I was never a big PC gamer. I’m just now starting to get into it, but I have some serious obstacles to overcome first.
Twenty years have passed since the Prime Evils were defeated and banished from the world of Sanctuary (read: Diablo II). Now, you must return to where it all began—the town of Tristram—and investigate rumors of a fallen star, an omen that the End Times have begun.
Diablo III is an action role-playing video game, where combat occurs in real time. Players choose one of five character classes—Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, or Demon Hunter—and are tasked with defeating the Lord of Darkness, Diablo. Each class has their own unique skill sets and abilities. For this review, I have chosen to play as a Wizard, as I prefer to attack from a distance.
To progress the story, you are given Quests from non-playable characters (NPCs). Completing quests will grant you money and experience points. As you gain experience, you level up, increasing your health and are granted access to more powerful abilities. Defeating enemies will also give you experience and loot. Loot is primarily equipment, which you can use to enhance your character, or you can sell it for money.
Combat is really the only thing that isn’t all that accessible, as the entire controller is used. Every button has something assigned to it, whether it’s an ability, an attack, or an item. The analog sticks are your movement -- the left one is your main way to move, while the right stick serves as your dodge button(s), which was added to the console version. Finally, the D-Pad has various functions such as pressing Right returns you to Tristram and so on. Let’s just say I’m glad I took my initial uncertainties into account and played the game with my PS2 One Handed Controller.
The music was composed by Russell Brower, who has worked on the World of Warcraft expansions as well as StarCraft II. So if you have played any of those, then you know the sort of awesomeness to expect. As with World of Warcraft, Diablo III’s world is so rich and deep that you could spend hours upon hours learning about it.
There are several adjustments made to the console versions. Among these adjustments, direct character movement and combat mechanics are the most significant. The number of players online has dropped to 4, but local co-op has been added for couch-friendly fun. With the console versions, you no longer need to always be connected to the Blizzard servers, but you lose the Real Money Auction House. Other adjustment include a newly designed loot system and a completely reimagined interface with a new dynamic camera designed specifically for console play.
Whether or not I’d recommend Diablo III really depends on your level of physical challenge, and if you have an alternative controller, like the PS2 One-Handed Controller, or BenHeck’s Access Controller. If you do, then you’re good to go. If not and you don’t have at least decent fine motor functions, then I’d suggest holding off until you get one of the aforementioned peripherals, or even picking up the PC version. For everyone else however, I would most definitely recommend Diablo III.
The console version of Diablo III was developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 2013.09.03, has a MSRP of $59.99 USD new, and is rated M for Mature.
Game Rating: 5/5 stars
Accessibility Rating: 2.5 stars (Hurts to give it such a low Accessibility Rating because it’s a great game)
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher known for the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo series, and the MMORPG World of Warcraft. Blizzard graciously sent me a PlayStation 3 copy of Diablo III for review, and I would like to sincerely thank them for doing so.
