They’ve done it! They’ve finally done it!
Those wonderful folks who decide what games come out for personal computer and what comes out for console gaming systems have made a beautiful decision: Diablo III” for Xbox 360.
“Diablo III” is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game, or MMORPG. Up until now, the series was only released for PC and, let’s face it, how many of us can really afford a high-end gaming computer?
At first, when I heard “Diablo III” was coming to console, I was weary at best. My primary concern was how the controls would transfer. Computer controls tend to be more complex while consoles are a little easier to figure out.
Sure enough, the controls took some getting used to on the console version of the game. While my character should have been walking, I was rolling across the ground because I was trying to change my camera angle. However, it only took a couple of rounds to get things sorted out, and, from there, it was all standard controller layouts as far as how to attack and defend.
The “Diablo” story has carried the franchise through all three games. Though it varies in each game, the antagonists are the same: hordes and hordes of undead are sent by the devil. In “Diablo III,” the dead are rising and massacring the living faster than they can be killed. Your mission as the hero is to save the world from the undead and permanently stop them from rising.
One of my favorite things, in any game, is online play, and “Diablo III” is no different. The way the online play is set up lets you work with friends to complete objectives. The thing that differs in this game, from any other online game, is you and your friends can each play a different role.
You have a choice between several roles, including warriors, wizards, witch doctors and rangers. Each has a specific set of skills that can be used against the hordes of the undead. Some roles allow you to use magic, like the wizard and witch doctor, while others focus more on brute strength and combat, like the warrior and ranger.
I’m the kind of gamer who has to explore every little nook and cranny of a map, and, boy, was this the wrong game for that. Throughout the first couple of maps, there are all sorts of empty cellars and houses that, if you are not looking for a challenge, should be avoided.
I walked into a seemingly empty cellar toward the beginning of the game, and only when I was nowhere near an exit did the undead appear. The cellar was not an easy one to fight my way out of, and I’m not proud to say I died several times. The moral of the story is the cellar is never harmless.
Aside from the occasional cellar from hell, the gameplay is pretty easy, even for playing it on one of the hardest settings. Monsters are not terribly difficult to target and kill. I’m not saying this is an easy game by any means; it’s just not impossible.
By far, my favorite part of this game lies in how true it is to the original. I grew up with Diablo. I stayed up all night, every night in high school playing “Diablo II” on my old, dial-up Internet connection. This game is so quintessentially “Diablo” in every way, from the controls to the gameplay. I’m just giddy over it.
That, coupled with killer gameplay and a perfect transition from PC to console, is why I’m giving “Diablo III” five out of five health potions. You’ll need them!