Diablo III Impressions
Not far in Diablo III. I choose to be a demon-hunter and I just got done slaying the spider-queen. I really like the Tim Burton-ish level designs in the first areas. The twisted leafless trees, dying brown grass, and gaping deep holes in the earth definitely add a menacing atmosphere to the proceedings. Caves and ancient ruins are done with gusto as well!
That out of the way, I’m a little disappointed. Not so disappointed I regret my purchase but disappointed to the point it makes me wonder if I’ve simply outgrown action-rpgs.
First of all the story “is” rather good with decent voice performances. Not anything that will blow your mind but you will still find yourself caring about Leah and Deckard Cain. Yet I feel as if it is all a bit of a missed opportunity. I mean Diablo III could have had some fucking twisted hell-raiser/Berserk shit in it. Flayed skins hung up by chains, succubi having orgies in pools of blood, people getting their entrails removed and eaten while they’re still alive…..I mean this “is” a game about a demonic invasion. Unlike Diablo 1 and Diablo II, there’s just not as much of a sense of dread this time around.
"Diablo III scary?! It's a fairy tale for scrubs!"
And the bosses? They’re so meh. Seriously, I get “Giant skeleton King” “Maleficent’s less famous witch sister” and “Spider Queen”?! How many variants of those have we seen in other games already? Can’t I get a tentacle rape demon, pin headed pain lord cenobyte, or some sort of weird abomination that’s both disgusting and beautiful simultaneously? So far it seems like all the creativity for “dark fantasy monsters” went into Dark-souls.
"Move those arms and dance...dance I say! Dance like it's disco inferno night!" ~Demon of the dance
Don’t get me wrong. The game is fun to play! It’s easy to break stuff down and make better stuff. The new “dodge roll” is a nice quick maneuver that helps against enemies hurling projectiles, and it’s viscerally satisfying to kill everything in your path. All the same, Diablo III has a sense of stifled creativity. It should be bolder, uglier, “more adult” and darker than it actually is.
"This demon has fallen...and can't get up! Hang on,bro! The ambulance is on its' way! Don't fade out on me!"
So far to me it is a solid 7.5. Good game but it’s aesthetics are a bit bland and progression is very linear both in how your character develops and how the story progresses. Honestly, you would get just as many jollies out of playing Torchlight II and TLII also gives you more freedom in how you build up your adventurer. If the team from Torchlight II and the team of Path Of Exile ever combined forces to create “the ultimate action rpg” Blizzard would be in a heap of trouble.
Keep in mind, the best of D III is probably yet to come! I’m hoping it actually gets better.
Oh,and here is my art of Silent-Bill,stoner/shaman merchant guy!
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