Diablo III is getting killed on Metacritic

IMO, they don't have a single player option. Its a multi player game that you can play alone. World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer game, but does that mean you can't play it alone?

I suppose if you want to look at it that way. Hmm. Yeah okay I can see the logic in looking at it like that. Doesn't really make me want the game all that much, but it is what it is.
 
IMO, they don't have a single player option. Its a multi player game that you can play alone. World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer game, but does that mean you can't play it alone?

Unless you go to an unpopulated zone, there are always people in WoW. If you play singleplayer D3, there are never people other than yourself. It's not an opnion as to whether or not there is a single player element, as there is.
 
Probably because the people that like playing the game are too busy playing it to post a review.
 
Unless you go to an unpopulated zone, there are always people in WoW. If you play singleplayer D3, there are never people other than yourself. It's not an opnion as to whether or not there is a single player element, as there is.

why so black and white though. If hes playing by himself thats a single player playing. You're just arguing semantics. I can play single player world of warcraft all day long because theres just a single player playing. no groups no nothing.

if Im in diablo 3 game with somebody else they could sit in the town the entire time. . does that make it multiplayer? no.
 
why so black and white though. If hes playing by himself thats a single player playing. You're just arguing semantics. I can play single player world of warcraft all day long because theres just a single player playing. no groups no nothing.

if Im in diablo 3 game with somebody else they could sit in the town the entire time. . does that make it multiplayer? no.

It's not semantics. In his "opinion" Diablo 3 doesn't have single player. In reality, it does.

Also, if you give yourself hand relief at home, it is different than doing it at the mall.
 
It's not semantics. In his "opinion" Diablo 3 doesn't have single player. In reality, it does.

The only reason "single player" is the term we're arguing over is because historically games have had an offline component (single player) separate from the online component (the multiplayer).

Due to the nature of the games design and that it is server-based, there is no "single player" mode in the historical sense. You can't just load up the entire application and have all elements necessary for the game to run working completely on your machine. That's really all that matters: it's how the game was designed to work. There isn't any magical switch for them to flip that just "enables" a single player mode without connecting to their servers.
 
Unless you go to an unpopulated zone, there are always people in WoW. If you play singleplayer D3, there are never people other than yourself. It's not an opnion as to whether or not there is a single player element, as there is.

The thing is though, when I see these people, they might as well be NPCs. I don't talk to them, I dont group with them, I don't attack the mobs they are attacking. They are in no way impacting my game.
 
SO I guess this should be my place to rant... I finally got some free time to install my copy that I downloaded a month ago and all I get is "The servers are too busy now." FUCK BLIZZARD!!!! WTF, I'm really frustrated by this, there is no option for me to just fucking play the game without logging and, and I can't fucking log in. I can't even play the goddamn game I spent my hard earned money on.
 
Well the login screen music is pretty nice right? It should be worth a few bucks of entertainment.
 
I played a little today. Reminded me too much of Wow aesthetically. Just not very mature or edgy. Very Cartoonie didn't get into it. To each his own though.
 
I just loaded up the starter edition , downloaded the entire game fast and just finished Act 1.

Didn't encounter any bad lag.

When I can afford it I'll be buying it.
 
The fact that they're STILL having server issues after this much time is a travesty. I could forgive the problems on launch night, but this is really a collosal fuck up. As a software dev myself, I understand shit happens, but this isn't a mom and pop shop here, this is blizzard FFS! They already know what kind of infrastructure is needed to handle 10 million players, this isn't uncharted territory.

The only positive I can see here is that it might disuade others devs from making this same mistake, because from where I'm sitting, the folks at blizzard look like a bunch of goddamn idiots right now. Btw, I don't even own the game, but it pisses me off to see stuff like this. It's bad for gaming and the people who paid they're hard earned money shouldn't be getting punished for blizzard's hubris.
 
There was a rolling restart that took the servers down for ~10 minutes tonight, besides that I just played for 2 hours with my brother without any problems. It's definitely getting better.

The game itself is quite fun and I am enjoying it. I think the graphics are a bit of a mess though... I mean, it's like they started to make the game dark and moody and then let the WoW influence creep in, and the textures are terrible. Torchlight I looks better than this (imo). I know they wanted mass audience appeal. But it's 2012, your game doesn't need to run on an X1800XT...
 
I just loaded up the starter edition , downloaded the entire game fast and just finished Act 1.

Didn't encounter any bad lag.

When I can afford it I'll be buying it.

The starter edition is only to the skeleton king, that's about the first third of act 1. Just letting you know the game is much, much longer than that. :)
 
Damn, I really, really hate the server finder system. All I want is a full damned party, not one with only one other person. This Bnet version is a step behind D2's Bnet that's for sure.
 
Unless you go to an unpopulated zone, there are always people in WoW. If you play singleplayer D3, there are never people other than yourself. It's not an opnion as to whether or not there is a single player element, as there is.

But it requires a connection. That's my complaint. If I wanted a game requiring a connection, I'd play a multiplayer game. I don't buy Ubisoft games for their DRM. I view the online component of D3 just as a well disguised DRM system.
 
The starter edition is only to the skeleton king, that's about the first third of act 1. Just letting you know the game is much, much longer than that. :)

Oh I know it is. But I'm broke so I can't buy the full game until the end of the month.

Sounds like its for the best anyway.
 
Oh I know it is. But I'm broke so I can't buy the full game until the end of the month.

Sounds like its for the best anyway.

They are still working out some kinks. I haven't had any downtime but im really causal. I am only level 13.
 
They are still working out some kinks. I haven't had any downtime but im really causal. I am only level 13.

Thats funny been trying to play almost nonstop since release and im only level 13...
 
People are making a mountain out of a molehill---to those of them who can play, it's the greatest game ever... but you don't hear that because they're too busy playing to post any positive reviews. To those of them who can't play, because they apparently have nothing else to do, all they do is sit on the forums and complain, complain, complain. So it seems overwhelmingly bad when it's really only a very vocal minority.

Since the game went live Tuesday I've been unable to log in twice but both times were only for a couple hours, and then I could log on and play to my heart's content. I just went and did something else until the server was available.

When I did get on, the gaming experience has been flawless... good latency, stable, and I have no problems connecting with friends and grinding down the first Act in a couple of hours. I'll play some more tonight, and throughout this weekend, when Blizzard should be getting a handle on all the little issues. Every single Blizzard release involving millions of people is like this but somehow folks always seem to forget by the time the newest one comes around.
 
The game is and feels exactly like what I expected. A somewhat dumbed down and by comparison, soulless, cartoonish version of diablo. It's fun enough to play through once or twice, but too stupid, easy, and trivial and artistically uninspiring to get the kind popularity the prequels got.
 
Played through the Start Edition content without the servers going down on me, yay. However having the game lag when you're playing alone is god damn annoying. At least it was fun though.
 
Reserving my vote. I am deployed and the internet is crap out here. I thought I had read there was an offline mode like SC2. Not blaming Blizz for my own inability to research. I disagree with the always online though, make any argument you want the vast majority will agree that it is pointless and done soley to sustain the money grab AH. Still was looking forward to this for some time, was kind of a cookie as the launch also marked my half way point to going home. Heard there was a crack for the single player but I have the distinct fealing this will lead to my BattleNet acount being banned the second I log in from home.
 
I'm finding the tone and look of the game to be appropriate to Diablo so far while trying to remain somewhat modern. I have seen no evidence of the Happy Happyland colour-scheme that those first gameplay videos had. I think I have looted about 300+ "dead villagers" so far, so there is plenty of dead things laying about.

I never felt any sense of atmosphere in Diablo II apart from being in the Durance of Hate in Act III. The original Diablo still has a very dark and thick atmosphere to it. Diablo III certainly doesn't reach that standard but it has a stronger vibe to it than Diablo II. The music and sound effects are excellent.

Those who are lamenting the lack of atmosphere they are feeling with Diablo III should bear in mind how old they were when they played the first game, what other games were available at the time and what games they have played since. There will be a degree of desensitisation that comes with maturity and gaming experience. Diablo II and III don't stack up against anything like Silent Hill, STALKER or Amnesia when it comes to atmosphere, but back in the day there wasn't anything else.
 
I'm finding the tone and look of the game to be appropriate to Diablo so far while trying to remain somewhat modern. I have seen no evidence of the Happy Happyland colour-scheme that those first gameplay videos had. I think I have looted about 300+ "dead villagers" so far, so there is plenty of dead things laying about.

I never felt any sense of atmosphere in Diablo II apart from being in the Durance of Hate in Act III. The original Diablo still has a very dark and thick atmosphere to it. Diablo III certainly doesn't reach that standard but it has a stronger vibe to it than Diablo II. The music and sound effects are excellent.

Those who are lamenting the lack of atmosphere they are feeling with Diablo III should bear in mind how old they were when they played the first game, what other games were available at the time and what games they have played since. There will be a degree of desensitisation that comes with maturity and experience.

I wish they game looked better graphically but I do like the over-all art style. Then again I was never hung up on how it looked in the early videos.
 
This is nothing new, sometimes its warranted, sometimes its not. Dragon Age II it is was completely warranted, that game was terrible. Diablo 3? Its not that greatest game ever but a 0? Because there's lack of customization? Obviously they haven' gotten past lvl 2. The customization isn't a tree, so what? Its several different abilities and several runes per ability. Which you can change on the fly instead of having to go back to town and waste time respeccing. In all honesty is way better.

Honestly the main thing that I've heard that is warranted is the graphics aren't nearly as polished as they should be, but I don't know the dev time and when they actually started with diablo 3 w/ WoW and such. Other things include some of the voice acting is a bit subpar in some areas but good overall. The game play though is incredibly satisfying. The cutscenes are also amazing as well. Honestly I'm sure these people have valid opinions but there's always several complaints on meta and who knows if they even own it.

To anyone saying that Diablo 2 was much harder most of them are probably basing their opinions on normal mode (which is essentially easy mode). Of course its easy, and again, saying its dumbed down is doing it a great disservice just because it has no talent tree. Honestly people are looking at Diablo 1 and 2 with rose colored glasses. Nostalgia is too great.

Complaining about servers is also ridiculous, not the fact that they are drm (which is annoying), but the fact that they shouldn't be going down? Ridiculous, new netcode, new server code, new everything, its not like they used the same everything from WoW and just moved it over. You can test with a ton of people but when it comes to the servers getting pounded? Bugs crop up, it happens. Doesn't matter that they are blizzard, its more of a you can either ramp up people slowly by random invites or open the floodgates right away. I actually haven't been dc'd once and haven't had trouble getting in since the first night. Either way you get people complaining.

Diablo 3 best game ever? not really, great game? ya for sure. Its incredibly fun to play, especially with friends and laugh at some of the jokes, see how badass some of the animations are etc.

Also if you bought Diablo and don't like these types of games? Then WTF.
 
I remember very vividly when Diablo II was released, it too received alot of criticism for having "dated" graphics...especially those in D2 Act I. Although I would have liked the option to distribute my stats how I see fit, the reality is that within 48-hours of release these days, there are already character creaters out there telling you what the best possible builds are for each class. So while you can make a monk loaded up on strength...the reality is that you would gimp your toon and then come on the forums and whine about how you cant respec.
 
Everyone upset about not being able to play the game. Its been two days. Lets see how everyone feels in... two years... five years... when Blizzard goes bankrupt (maybe, you never know) and those precious servers go down or if a fire breaks out and destroys some server farms.

When that happens I look forward to hearing everyone defend this type of standardization.

Now I've watched gameplay of D3 and I think it looks really nice. Looks like Blizzard did a decent job on D3, bit too flashy/cartoony for my tastes but to each their own. And with my internet connection I wouldn't be able to stay connected for longer than maybe a half hour a time without eventually timing out.
 
Haha, metacritic bombing is great, it just cuts straight to the truth of the matter that everyone else dances around, the score being so low is a great indicator of the problems that exist, it's certainly not a fair representation of the overall quality but it doesn't really need to be, as long as the issues are flagged up and gamers have their say, it's really all that matters.

To me it doesn't matter if the game really deserves a 6 but gets a 3.4 on meta-critic, I wouldn't buy the game based on either of those scores because fundamentally the issue is the underlying problems with the game which are very real.
 
My concern is that they made the basic gameplay like that of Diablo II, but dumbed down with regard to not having to allocate things like skill points. My issue with the first part of that is that Diablo II is 12 years old now. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the same type of game play in a game released in 2012. If the game doesn't evolve, then nostalgia is the only thing that gives this game appeal.

I really liked Diablo II, but I'm not sure that I want to play a new game like that in 2012. I haven't played it but I'll be waiting to see what more people say about it before plunking down the cash for it.
 
My concern is that they made the basic gameplay like that of Diablo II, but dumbed down with regard to not having to allocate things like skill points. My issue with the first part of that is that Diablo II is 12 years old now. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the same type of game play in a game released in 2012. If the game doesn't evolve, then nostalgia is the only thing that gives this game appeal.

I really liked Diablo II, but I'm not sure that I want to play a new game like that in 2012. I haven't played it but I'll be waiting to see what more people say about it before plunking down the cash for it.

You could always use a guest pass to trial it.
 
My concern is that they made the basic gameplay like that of Diablo II, but dumbed down with regard to not having to allocate things like skill points. My issue with the first part of that is that Diablo II is 12 years old now. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the same type of game play in a game released in 2012. If the game doesn't evolve, then nostalgia is the only thing that gives this game appeal.

I really liked Diablo II, but I'm not sure that I want to play a new game like that in 2012. I haven't played it but I'll be waiting to see what more people say about it before plunking down the cash for it.

In terms of core gameplay, I have no complaints. It's as fun as ever. While it's similar to D2 at its base, it definitely feels more interactive once you unlock all 4 skill slots.

Not allocating skill points seems to be the biggest complaint from D2 players, but so far it hasn't bothered me. The rune system has grown on me. We'll see how everything works out at 60.
 
I'm quite aware of this. Buying items in D2 was actually very prevelant as were hacked items and duping. The difference is Blizzard is now saying to the community that it's OK to sell your items for real money instead of it being against the EULA or TOS. This is the first game I've seen where the company endorses their playerbase selling items for RM. It sets a bad precedant for future games.

I don't know about you but I don't want my video game economy to interfere with my gameplay. And don't just tell me "if you don't like it don't spend your money" because I won't. The problem is other people will and then it turns into a "pay-to-win" type gameplay for pvp.

You are right though, it was a smart move on Blizzards part because now they are gonna make a ton more money from there 1$ per trade fee. It would also be a smart move to make marijuana and hookers legal so the goverment can tax them, but would it really be a good idea? (Arguable but not in this thread, only using as an example)

Uh RM transactions happens all the time in F2P games and normal games (I remember people used to pay guilds in either gold or RM to run them through end game content). Blizzard just did it the smart way by making it legit while taking a percentage of the profit.
 
The problem is other people will and then it turns into a "pay-to-win" type gameplay for pvp.

Yea... I think the real problem is expecting any sort of meaningful pvp from a 100% gear oriented game.

I never expected the PvP to be any good and don't expect to care about it. I'll get my PvP fix from GW2 when that's out.
 
Haha, metacritic bombing is great, it just cuts straight to the truth of the matter that everyone else dances around, the score being so low is a great indicator of the problems that exist, it's certainly not a fair representation of the overall quality but it doesn't really need to be, as long as the issues are flagged up and gamers have their say, it's really all that matters.

To me it doesn't matter if the game really deserves a 6 but gets a 3.4 on meta-critic, I wouldn't buy the game based on either of those scores because fundamentally the issue is the underlying problems with the game which are very real.

eh, it deserves more than a 6 from me, and I'm not exactly a fanboy. I have only spent about 6 hours with it, but it is fun. It's absolutely streamlined and you never really have a need to make 2 of the same class unless you want wildly different gear. I think, more than anything, the narrative, tone and 80% of the voice acting is what bothers me. The art is fine, especially with FXAA injector. Combat is good. Not a huge fan of skills being available upon level for everyone, but whatever. Music isn't bad at all.
 
Haha, metacritic bombing is great, it just cuts straight to the truth of the matter that everyone else dances around, the score being so low is a great indicator of the problems that exist, it's certainly not a fair representation of the overall quality but it doesn't really need to be, as long as the issues are flagged up and gamers have their say, it's really all that matters.

To me it doesn't matter if the game really deserves a 6 but gets a 3.4 on meta-critic, I wouldn't buy the game based on either of those scores because fundamentally the issue is the underlying problems with the game which are very real.

very well put and completely agree. The numbers are pretty irrelevant if you actually take the time to read the reviews, after only a few pages the legitimate flaws and issues start to become apparently obvious. The brainwashed fanbois and PR hacks are not that hard to identify, I just gloss over those reviews as if they were ads.

This one pretty much sums it up for me (hardcore D2 gamer for 6 solid years, even planned to build a dedicated rig for D3):

Diablo 3 isn't even made by the same people that made Diablo 1 and 2. Blizzard North shut down, Diablo 3 was developed by Activision and the creators of World of Warcraft. They successfully created a brainless teen game with the Diablo name and story. If you were a Diablo addict looking for that thrill again, it's not Diablo 3. Look up some of the "Diablo clones". - Grim Dawn, Path of Exile, Torchlight 2...

Torchlight 2 while being more cartoonish than Diablo 3, it is actually made by the developers of Diablo 1 and 2. Check out Runic Games. You can now prepurchase for $20!

Path of Exile for many captures the thrill that you felt playing Diablo 1 and 2. It also has updated realistic graphics, not the drawn artsy graphics we see in Diablo 3. These realistic graphics really help you feel submerged in the game. Path of Exile Open Beta is expected to begin in June, however you can buy into the Beta right now for $10.

Grim Dawn is another ARPG to look forward to. Created by 2 of the lead developers for Titans Quest. They currently have a KickStarter going where you can prepurchase the game for $18 or pay a little more and prepurchase alpha/beta access. This game looks really promising. No DRM, offline, or co-op. Check it out.

If you were addicted to Diablo 1 or 2, or both, Diablo 3 probably doesn't do it for you. But Blizzard and Activision don't care. They think you'll buy Diablo 3 just because it is "Diablo", so they're basically saying "**** you, you're already sold, lets focus on everyone else and dumb down an already simple game, lets remove consequences, lets make this game attractive to the WoW crowd."

Anyways, if you don't agree with my ranting, that's fine. If you actually like Diablo 3, good. I'm not saying it's a bad game, it's just not true to it's predecessors, not true to what made Diablo such a great game. Don't forget, there will be no PVP at launch, and after there will only be Arena PVP - lol. Also there is no longer 8 person co-op, only 4 person co-op.

The game is clearly designed to be console friendly, after all where can Activision make the most money? It hasn't been announced, but it's clear as day. Why do you think you no longer add stats or why skills can be changed anytime. No consequences for your decisions takes the fun out of the game. I played Diablo 2 for years, not just for the loot, but for creating the perfect character, and being able to PVP randomly with a friend who you were just playing co-op with. Remember, screw the quest, lets fight.

I'm not looking for Diablo 2.5, I'm looking for Diablo 3. This game they made should have used a new story and called it Demon Slayer or something. I would not have been expecting Diablo. I mean look at the changes from Diablo 1 to Diablo 2. They were huge, yet most fans of Diablo 1 welcomed the changes as they didn't destroy what Diablo 1 was, they expanded upon the game. Diablo 3 is an entirely new game, yes it's still a hack and slash, but it's really not "Diablo". /End

To me D3 is the gaming equivalent of Phantom Menace, nothing more to say.
 
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I said screw it and downloaded last night. I like it so far, it is a blast to play but it does have some glaring issues.

It does feel very dumbed down, at least through act 1. The voice acting is all over the place, some is good, some is horrific. I do not get the graphics, with everything on high it still looks like it is 5 years old or was made by an indie developer. Also I hate the fact that they pretty much just ripped the art direction from WoW especially the characters, they could have called the game World of Warcraft: Sanctuary and I don't think anyone would bat an eye. Given how the environment is drawn and how there does not need to be any real close in detail, they could have made the game look absolutely stunning. The environment looks good, but it could be so much better.

Performance wise, once I could get in (tried to log in during the server restart) it ran great but I had some slight stuttering during one of the early cut scenes (I’d assume they are streamed as well?), but that was it. At 1920X1080 all in game settings on high/AA etc. I kept an even 60 FPS the entire time. I did notice it favored one CPU core, three were pretty steady at 25-30% and one stayed around 75% my GTX480 stayed around 65%.

Game play wise I really like it, yes they took away much of the “RPG” soul that D2 had, but there is still some customization. However that unfortunately, is the current trend for most “RPG” games, dumb them down so the non-existent attention span instant gratification crowd can get theirs too.

It is definitely a just one more room/checkpoint/etc game. As far as the metacritic score, meh, there are some game breaking issues with the servers right now and given that if those servers are down, you cannot play at all I understand the frustration.
 
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