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IT ALL STARTED WITH THIS MAN...EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW IN-SIDE WITH THE FOUNDER OF XBLGAMERHUB.COM

MANJO999

DIABLO 3: THE REVIEW

To say that people have been eagerly awaiting the third instal-ment to the legendary ARPG would be an understatement. Diablo II came out in 2000 and since then has left a gaping void in the genre, with little to fill it. I believe that many of these players found refuge in MMO’s but there has always been that desire to return to the dark world of Diablo. It has been a rocky road to release, so much so - I had to check and check again that it was actually coming out at all. Is it? Isn’t it? Will it? Won’t it? I must admit I reached the point of not caring, which begs the question have they left it to long? I am certain that a per-centage of their audience must feel as I do, ‘this better be worth the wait! I still can’t believe it’s actually come out!!’ For those that are unfamiliar with the series, Diablo III belongs to a genre known as Action Roll Playing Game (ARPG) – the basis for the genre is point and click to move, wherever you click on the screen to move your character shall go, what you click to attack you will attack ‘you get the idea’. If this all sounds very dull then I would have to agree with you, ARPGs have The first step into our pointy clicky adventure is to decide what we want to be, Diablo III has 5 classes: - Barbarian – A melee class that is based around brute force, utiliz-ing swords, axes, spears, shields ect… and reek havoc using their all powerful slams and stomps. - Demon Hunter – A ranged class that utilizes the use of crossbows and bows to damage, whilst keeping out of harms way through eva-sive abilities such as jumps and defensive rolls. - Wizard – your generic fantasy character, operating from range: staves and wands do the bulk of their minor damage, whilst they build up power to unleash dazzling spells of destruction. - Monk – A melee class so tough they fight demons with their fists! They can focus high amounts of damage on a single foe, or deliver short range area attacks that translate as palm strikes or crescent kicks. - Witch doctor – one of the stranger options, they are spiritual warriors who summon dead souls and creatures to do their dirty work. They can do melee or ranged depending on the skills you choose.

Developer: BlizzardPlatform(s): PC, MACRelease date: Out Now

You must play to your character’s strengths if you wish to sur-vive, I am a Demon Hunter using slowing abilities and ranged attacks (crossbows and bows) to control my enemies and avoid being hit whilst still causing damage. As you progress, more skills become available and you can have up to 6 active abilities, that can be modified using Runes, allowing for a very personal-ized play style, (play the style that best suits you – this will be expanded on - in part 2 of this review). There is unfortunately no character creation, the only option you have upon selecting a class is to be male or female, no alternate races etc… I am uncertain of why this is, though once the game begins it’s not really missed. All the characters are inoffensive in appearance and their looks are defined by the gear you possess, and the dyes you acquire to change how they look. Plus, Blizzard has put in the option to design your own banner so the creators among you have something to do.

Diablo III opens with a rather epic cutscene where by a ball of light seemingly falls from the heavens to earth. This is said to be an omen for ‘the end times’ and so our story begins. I shall not go as far as to explain the entire story, partly because I do not know it - so the gist is: The Demons and undead have re-turned and are quite clearly everywhere! The opening Act will see us trying to discover the link between their return and this strange arrival from the skies; do any of the Prime Evils have anything to do with it? Is it the ‘End times’? We as a hero must uncover why they have returned and in my case - as a Demon hunter - stick an arrow in whatever might be in the way.

Based 20 years after the events of Diablo II, fans of the franchise will recognize some charac-ters, however if you’re like me and know nothing about this rich world, there is still lots to enjoy, having not completed the game at this point all I can say is it seems like a strong story that justifies all the travelling and questing and seems full of epic memorable moments. Diablo III is broken down into 4 Acts in which the story is the driving force behind your actions; each Act will end with a ‘big’ narrative point and a jaw dropping cutscene. The game continuously gives you backstory and ‘Lore’, icons will flash in the bottom right hand corner whenever you discover something new. So prepare to be a little overwhelmed at the atten-tion to detail - anyone who has played a Blizzard game will understand. The game has all the polish we have come to expect from a Blizzard title, responsive, smooth and very quick to master. I was truly amazed at how action packed and engaging they could make a game based around clicking on things…Beyond the story the game offers a wide range of extra dun-geons packed full of ‘loot’ and this is where the addictive qual-ity of Diablo III lies – loot is what we call items in RPGs they can be anything from a belt to a sword, what I and you will come to crave - is better stats, or items of a specific look. Loot in Diablo III drops randomly, but will usually be at your level, that is to say that you will not find level 60 swords at level 5… Items range from rubbish, magical, rare and legendary, these being signified by the item icon (white, blue, yellow and or-ange) there are also class specific gear and tier-sets, which you will acquire later in the game. Getting to 60 will not only see you pass through the 4 Acts core quests, it will also have you undertake lots of extra quests. Do-ing these ‘extras’ along the way will bolster your XP and keep you strong enough to wade through the hell sent onslaught! Each act will take you to different parts of the world, exploring dungeons, forests fields etc… and will always be linked to your ‘base’ a town/city that you can return to – to sell/buy supplies, access your stash or to choose a different follower. All this can be done quickly by, simply Teleporting back to town, then once you’ve done what you needed you can return to exactly where you came from, it’s a very simple solution to the problem of having a full inventory. All these locations are interspersed with Checkpoints, that act as save/re-spawn points – so if you leave the game you will return to that point and likewise if you

In much of the game you will find yourself assisted by followers of which there are three – enchantress, scoundrel, templar and each play a role in the story but I would have to say do seemingly very little in combat. My templar seems to just heal himself…

This review is of course an incomplete view of the game, it is impossible to give a concrete score to a game when I have only seen a small part of what it has to offer (around 12 hours). I felt it was important to give you an over view at this point, the game is shaping up to be my game of the year but time will tell if I feel that way upon completing it. It is by far the most addictive, polished and visually inspiring game I have seen in a long time. Final score will be given next issue, so keep watching this space. I still strongly recommend this game, so if you have £40 knocking around then come help kill the demons. Reviewed by: REQUIZIT

VERDICT

?/10

Combat is really the bulk of the game ‘you didn’t just think people handed you new stuff did you?’ As well as XP being rewarded for quests it is also acquired through the annihilation of monsters/demons etc… Bonus XP is also rewarded for ‘massacres’ which involve killing a large number of enemies in quick succession. Meaning people that are very skilled will level up a lil bit faster. Important to note that Diablo III will make you feel powerful! Killing wave after wave of foe, it’s you against an army and for the most part you will cut through the hordes with relative ease ‘except on the harder settings, where you will cry… a lot’ Part of feeling ‘powerful’ - is to do with how your character fights, every attack looks, sounds and feels amazing! Watch as a demon erupts in an explosion of blood and screams as they hit the floor after you shoot several dozen ar-rows into its face. You will feel like a god of war! The visuals are amazing, as per usual, Blizzard cater for all – by setting the system requirements low but still allowing those with the machine to handle it a stunning visual feast. Be sure to check your options to optimize the game for your system and find settings that are smooth and pretty. The intro and all cutscenes are breath taking, and yet again prove just how far graphics have come. In terms of the in-game experience graphics are detailed, smooth and consistent. Blizzard does not stop there, offering fully voice acted dialogue, you can talk to pretty much everyone in the game – not that I see much point – but you can! Music is - as you would expect - atmospheric and always appropriate to what is happening on screen. The game seems to have an overall dark, evil and sinister edge to it, after all it is ‘the end times’. Blizzard have captured this mood per-fectly both visually, and through their great use of music and sound effects they have created a fantasy game that feels grown up in every way.

So how is this game shaping up as ‘a game I could play for a long long time’ well it is to early to say and that will be covered at a later date. There are however some great features in place that suggest it will namely - the option to play with friends or alone is a mere click away. It’s easy to do, just add your friend via the friends list and invite them into your game and poof! they appear and your enemies become tougher to cater for the extra firepower. You can invite up to 3 friends (4 in a group) and share the loot and have a damn good time. There are of course the countless Achievements to aim for in the game, I will look further at this in part 2. The Auction House (AH) has caused a lot of fuss – the ‘real money’ aspect has a lot of people wondering ‘how on earth is this going to work’ good question, and we’ll see. It’s expected to go live on the 23/05/12. In the mean time, use the in-game currency AH to see if people have that item you so sorely need. Lastly PVP is coming soon, but has not yet been implemented in the game. Impossible not to mention this: Battle.net issues – playing and reviewing this game on day 1 of release I would have to say I am not enjoying being locked out of a game I have just paid for, Blizzard should have servers prepared for release day… to be honest there is no excuse and it better be sorted out as soon as possible.

This review is of course an incomplete view of the game, it is impossible to give a concrete score to a game when I have only seen a small part of what it has to offer (around 12 hours). I felt it was important to give you an over view at this point, the game is shaping up to be my game of the year but time will tell if I feel that way upon completing it. It is by far the most addictive, polished and visually inspiring game I have seen in a long time. Final score will be given next issue, so keep watching this space. I still strongly recommend this game, so if you have £40 knocking around then come help kill the demons. Reviewed by: REQUIZIT