Publishers: Blizzard
Cert: 16+
Platform: PC
Genre: Fantasy RPG

No one could every accuse Blizzard of rushing their products. Diablo III is twelve years in the making and it is one of the most hyped PC games in years. The hack and slash dungeon crawler depicts the return of Diablo: the Lord of Terror to the fantasy realm of Sanctuary. Players can pick from one of five classes: the Witch Doctor, the Barbarian, the Wizard, the Monk and the Demon Hunter. Each class has distinct abilities, which can be slowly leveled up.

It’s possible to beat the game alone but you still need a constant internet connection. That said, Diablo III is much more than a solitary, linear dungeon crawl. The point of this game is teamwork. Co-op players must use their character’s various abilities to take down demons that scale up in difficulty, depending on the level of who is playing. Their reward is loot, which can be bought and sold via the in-game auction house (soon to be supported by real-world currency).

Blizzard’s trademark AAA cut-scenes are as impressive as ever and the colourful looking game performs well, even on modest machines. The influence of World of Warcraft on Diablo III is unmistakable. Everything from the leveling system to the way NPCs hand out quests smacks of Azeroth. Then there is the hack and slash nature of the gameplay which is remarkably similar to Diablo II. These aren’t necessarily bad things but when a game is this long in development, it’s hard not to expect more.

Diablo III is less a revolution of the RPG genre than it is an evolution of what made Diablo II so popular in the first place. Fans won’t mind; if Amazon’s pre-order sales figures are anything to go buy they’ve already bought the game.

Buy or Rent: Buy

Graphics: 4/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Replay Value: 5/5

Overall: 4/5
 

Reviewed by: Bryan Collins