Diablo 3 is a disappointment, didn’t meet any expectations

Diablo 2 has been released 12 years ago and Blizzard finally managed to launch the 3rd version of the game only two days ago. Diablo 3 has been one of the most awaited games in the world and it sold in millions, though many gamers realized that it wasn’t exactly what they expected.

[lepithon]

I've waited ten years for Diablo 3... now what?

happy birthday marius maria

[alexdumitru]

Happy birthday !

[ShinMaster]

I find Diablo II superior. It was better for its time and after so many years, Diablo III is a disappointment.

Why do I have to log online to be able to play single-player?
I can't play single-player when their servers go down. This is BS.

And the trend for $60 PC games continue. Not so much cheaper than consoles anymore...

[ilikecookies]

This is a very poorly written article....disregard this trash how did this even get approved.

[Trebius]

IM a huge Diablo fan, loved every second of Diablo 1 and Diablo 2. Diablo 3 is definitely Meh...i was going to buy it bur checked it out and decided against it. Disapponited yes, but theres a lot of other good games out no need to stress it.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Well this is my first Diablo and Im having a blast playing it... my friends who have played Diablo and Diablo 2 as well as the expansion packs are having a great time as well, and are teaching me the ropes...

I guess after 12 years of waiting... its really hard to live up to the hype people gave it...

Well, at least its not Duke Nukem Forever... right?

[Bobby Kotex]

Well the other 98% of us love the game. It's funny how it's so fashionable to trash this game.

[Spydiggity]

Just because people's opinions differ from yours does not mean they are trying to be "fashionable" or that they are "trolling."

I was a HUGE diablo fan in the late 90s...diablo 2 was okay, but basically more of the same skill-less gameplay and constant returns to town to vendor loot and to swap out your current piece of +2.4% whatever for your new +2.45% whatever.

That formula...in 2012...uh..no thanks. i played it for 2 hours tuesday morning, and i have no desire to play it again. No matter though, Max Payne 3, contrarily, is one of the best games i've played this generation and is keeping me quite occupied.

[FanboyPunisher]

Diablo 3 sucks, 30day refund if you bought it over battle.net.

I GOT MINE, and enjoy d3 more when i'm not playing it.

[Chuk5]

12 years?

Was anyone gonna truly be satisfied after a decade of hype?

[Diver]

its not the hype dude its cutting out the choices. an their explanations were crap.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[da_2pacalypse]

Yeah, I'm disappointing with D3 also. It's a solid game, but D2 is a much better RPG. D3 has been streamlined WAY too much. I think this has convinced me to purchase Torchlight 2 later this summer :/

[Christopher]

Yeah. His example with the armor made no sense. If it only took 100-120 to wear all the armor and it wasn't intended, then freaking make it so that the armor has higher requirements, don't just take away the choice and then make it so that the majority of armor can be worn by anyone.

[Diver]

get path of exile. a friend of mine pointed it out and wowsa.

http://www.pathofexile.com

costs as little as 10 bucks to get into the closed beta. eye popping graphics and a skill tree you wont believe.

if someone wants to like d3 thas fine but saying it met all expectations is telling the world they never played d2.

[kingdavid]

I played the beta of D3 and I even preferred Titan Quest to it.

[synchroscheme]

Yeah, it's just more Diablo, which is not a bad thing but I certainly was not blown away.

@da_2pacalypse
Torchlight 2 does look very promising and I'm a bit more excited for that interestingly enough.

[CarlosX360]

Maybe they're not looking to "blow you away." They're looking to satisfy your thirst for a new Diablo game.

[Hayabusa 117]

@ Carlosx360

Why would they not want to blow you away? Shouldn't every game aim to blow the player in one way or another?

[Bowzabub]

This generation of gamers expectations are astronomical, not that this is a bad thing, but it's hard to please the unpleasable. I think game developers deserve a lot more credit than they are seldom given. I do like graphics and new concepts and the whole innovative shebang.. But me and the majority of the people that develop these 'flops' have been gaming since the days of Pong. Please don't misunderstand me and think that I don't desire innovation and greatness for the almighty dollar, euro, yen or whichever; but I think that gamers need to show more appreciation. Starting with the "journalist' / crybaby blogger. Talk is cheap. (edit) And I'm not just talking about this game. In fact I haven't even looked at this game.. I don't even game on PC. At least not since about 2005.
LoL..no rebuttals, just disagree. It's ok.. just let it burn. XD

[memots]

Totally agree with you. I played some game that are supposedly bad .. you know those 6 out of 10 " Teh flop" and totally enjoyed. I am able to enjoy any form of gaming since the pong age ( literally i am 37 )

But with less free time and the amount of choice in gaming out there right now i find it hard to keep up and do want the most for my time spent playing a game. Right now i totally want to buy Diablo , Starhawk and RR Unbounded but i still can't put down Bf3 on my pc and cannot see how i could possibly find time to play any new games.

Gamer do not want crap but with that said the expectations are little off the chart right now. Calm down people and have some fun.

[EditorAtGNG]

I am. I've been playing Diablo 2 for a decade and this new installment has surpassed it in every way: story, gameplay, design, presentation... it all wreaks of AAA quality.

I really hated their decision with the "always online" for a single player game (I am still having internet connection issues and lags) though the core of the experience is still indescribable.

[Ravenor]

My girlfriend recently played through a portion of D2, she enjoyed it a lot. We then finally got to actually play D3 yesterday and she still enjoys it. The gameplay is more or less intact, the monk is also super satisfying to play. Whiners, are whiners.

Also, the Online only is definitely in part caused by how god AWFUL the D2 community was. D2 proved more then any other online game that people can never be trusted and that people will abuse anything that can be abused.

[Letros]

I'm enjoying it a lot, the connection issues need to be fixed pretty soon though.

[alexdumitru]

Yeah, these are pretty big issues and I sometimes wait for half an hour to be able to log in.

[jakethesnake]

Doesn't meet any expectations? That can't be true, because it met and exceeded a lot of my expectations!

They do need to fix up their server issues though - but that wasn't totally unexpected.

[Lucretia]

low expectations then? no offense

the game is a massive let down. 12 years and this is the crap we get? it feels like it came out 10 years ago. Plays and looks like it came out 10 years ago and has less features than diablo 2......im really not sure how anyone could have been blown away by this game. let alone how short it is.

all they did was downgrade the game, barely change the graphics and gameplay and just release it.

i also miss the cow levels. Blizzard seriously, i would have expected better since they have gotten so much money from WOW....but oh well. never again, i should have known from the beta -_-

[jakethesnake]

I don't think I have low expectations, but I didn't have insanely high expectations either like a lot of people seemed to have had. I just wanted a game that I could sink a lot of hours into that would entertain me for a long time like Diablo and D2 did. I can't judge that yet, but I have no reason to believe otherwise. Sure, there are lots of areas where D3 isn't great (like the plot), but they were expected. I think having realistic expectations and not demanding perfection is just a better way to be happy and enjoy things. You can call them low expectations if you want, but I think they are just rational. I don't buy very many games on release date (maybe 2 a year), but I don't regret my day 1 D3 purchase a bit, of course I do wish the server issues were corrected for good though!

[Christopher]

***but I didn't have insanely high expectations either like a lot of people seemed to have had.***

If by "insanely high expectations" you mean "at least as competent and capable as diablo 2" then I think most of us who played Diablo 2 had those expectations. And many feel that they were not met, including myself.

[jakethesnake]

I just wanted at least as fun as Diablo and Diablo 2. They changed a lot of things, some for the better, some for the worse. I refuse to get bent out of shape over things if the game is fun and worth my time and money. Diablo 2 was one of two games I played while I was in university and I'm sure I sunk more hours into it than probably all other games I own combined. If Diablo 3 provides half of that, I'll be happy. Sure, it isn't perfect and I'm not trying to argue it is, I just think it is silly to say that it didn't meet ANY expectations (ok, beyond silly and just trolling for hits). I'm fine if people don't love the game or were disappointed, I just want them to have a rational discussion about it without gross hyperbole (like I think we are doing).

[Lucretia]

hey, your right jake. tho i dont think we are really arguing.

aslong as u enjoy it and You find value its fine. but im sure the article and majority of opinions is dissapointment.

sorry again i didnt mean to be offensive. yes ur expectations werent overly high, nor were mine, heck i knew it was going to be an ok game and dated just by the trailer, but was just shocked at the final product.

its like nintendo working 12 years on a new mario game for it to just be a 16 bit mario game with less content and less features.

its just a wtf to most of us is all.

[jakethesnake]

@Lucretia - no offense was taken. You are just giving your opinion which you should be free to do without apology. I know that doesn't always end well on N4G (or anywhere on the internet), but I'm always happy to engage in a discussion with people giving their opinions in a rational manner :)

[Christopher]

Diablo 3 isn't a bad game and it can be enjoyable, my point was on meeting expectations based on Diablo 2 (and not on it being 12 years after Diablo 2, just Diablo 2 as it was).

I'm not sure how long I'll play Diablo 3, I blame Torchlight 2 on that, but I'll enjoy at least a complete game through it.

[Saladfax]

I actually agree with jakethesnake:

They've trimmed the most boring pieces of the old game (which in my opinion is not at all better) and added a fair number of features.

Yes, they took away the illusion of customization you had in D2, but multiple active skills and no global cooldowns mean that the game is slightly more than just a one attack/one skill spamfest.

I played tons of Diablo 2, and these days I just can't anymore. It's goddamn boring for every single character build be identical in terms of stats and in terms of gameplay. It doesn't matter if you're spamming auto-attack, javelin/bow shot, Frozen Orb, or Blessed Hammer, you're spamming something.

[CarlosX360]

@Lucretia Stop complaining! It's a new Diablo game!

Geez, a lot of people complain too much for a new game with the old formula.

[Ravenor]

They barely changed the visuals between D2 and D3. We must be playing different games.

If D3 is bad then the original Torchlight is awful.

[Tr10wn]

Diablo 2 more for the hardcore fans, Diablo 3 more for the casual and the hardcores are to lazy to get into inferno, thats all, i find inferno 3 times more difficult than hell in Diablo 2, i been playing diablo since launch day one Diablo 1 and this game meet my expectation completely, most of the guys in articles arent even in hell and they are writing full load of sh**, i loved D2 but D3 is good and imo better.

[Drekken]

I didn't read this article because of the crap title. I disagree.

[CoryHG]

you sir get a bubble. This game is amazing.

[KentBlake]

I love the game, and I'm one of the people who waited 12 years. Too bad some people didn't like. Despite the (serious) connection problems, the game rules. I haven't played on my PC for ages, and now I'm enjoying PC gaming again.

[NeoTribe]

I'm having a blast playing it. Met a lot of the hype in my eyes.

[Nerdmaster]

If it's like Diablo 2, people complain saying "it's the same thing!". If it was different, people would complain saying "it doesn't feel like Diablo!".

[jukins]

lol exactly. This internet generation will never be pleased. even if they like something it seems like they say they hate it anyway since its the cool thing to do on the internet. Im having fun with D3 i'll admit it was a little slow and boring until i got close to the end of the 1st act and the first real boss of the game.

[fullymoated]

Agreed.
I think you'll like this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[jukins]

lol fullymoated that video hit it on the head. everyone feels owed something. love louie.

[Bowzabub]

Oh, so I' m not alone on this issue? I was beginning to worry that maybe It was just me having a different kind of respect. Whew.

[Christopher]

I would not have complained at all if it was the same as Diablo 2. Not a single bit.

But, it's easy to generalize.

[ZeroX9876]

At least it's not WoW!

I was fearing that the stat system, skill system,etc. would be just like WoW, but I'm pleased to see that it's not. I don't want to play WoW, I want to play diablo.

They can't please every fans out there, you gotta choose the basis of the game and stick with it until the end. I played Diablo 1 like crazy, diablo 2 was just amazing and right now, I'm having a blast playing diablo 3 with my friends.

[Christopher]

Dunno, I'd kinda wouldn't mind some talent tree options for my Demon Hunter... it would at least be some sort of customization.

[Drake117]

Are you trying to say that diablo 3 has no customization? If you are then idk what game you are playing because D3 has plenty of customization options in terms of abilities and passive talents, possibly even more than D2. Just because there's no talent trees doesn't mean there's no customization.

[jukins]

runes are your talent tree except this time there's pretty much no fluff as far as i've seen everything can be useful especially when you're grouped up runes make a big difference.

[Christopher]

@Drake117: There isn't any customization in Diablo 3. Customization means making choices that allow you to focus on one power over another or make choices that limit one over another. In Diablo 3, there is none of this. Every single Demon Hunter is the same, they have the same powers, the same runes, etc. Having more abilities doesn't mean having more customization.

For example, Is there a way for me, in D3, to decide to focus more on my trap abiilies and improve these over my bow/xbow abilities or vice versa? That is customization. Having the option to at any time swap out abilities that all Demon Hunters have isn't customization, that's just having more abilities. None of them can be customized in a way that makes you different from other Demon Hunters.

And, the sad thing? There are achievements for playing through the same class twice to level 60. What's the point? One Demon Hunter is going to gain the exact same options as every other Demon Hunter. This would be entirely different if there were ways to customize your Demon Hunters from one another. As it is, one Demon Hunter can do all that any other Demon Hunter can do.

@below because I'm out of bubbles

***Yes all the demon hunters get the same exact abilities and runes and all that but the difference between your demon hunter and my demon hunter is what runes and abilities we actually use and master.***

1. You can't master any runes. There is no mastery in this game other than player skill, which is the same "mastery" you get in any game.

2. That's not customization. That's just options. Customization means the option to do something unique to yourself.

3. Runes are set so that the better ones are always the higher level ones. You're honestly limiting yourself if you don't take the higher level ones. That's why they have level locks, because each rune improves the ability better than the last one. Doing otherwise isn't "customizing," it's "limiting."

4. I don't have it in my head that it should be just like D2, but I do have it stuck in my head that Diablo 1 and 2 were about letting us make the decisions on what abilities we wanted and how powerful we wanted them to be. That has been taken away, along with any decision on attributes, let alone the importance of them.

5. Diablo 3 isn't a bad game, but it took some major steps back from what Diablo 2 is rather than building upon it. We can sit here and go through this "To-may-to" or "To-mah-to" argument, but I think it boils down to, obviously, and opinion on what made up Diablo and how that was greatly changed in Diablo 3 that makes it feel lesser in some aspects compared to the previous games.

[Drake117]

Just because D3 doesn't lock you to a certain talent tree doesn't mean there's no customization...And all customization is, is building something according to personal preference, and D3 def gives players alot of customization in terms of what abilities and runes they use.
Yes all the demon hunters get the same exact abilities and runes and all that but the difference between your demon hunter and my demon hunter is what runes and abilities we actually use and master. It seems like you just have it stuck in your head that Diablo 3 should of been exactly like Diablo 2 and you cant accept the changes. I do agree tho that it is pointless to play the game to 60 twice as the same class.

[Drake117]

1. I was referring to player skill, no it isn't different than any mastery you get in any game, completely irrelevant.

2. Whats in Diablo 3 is surely customization. Its exactly like customizing(yes they call it customizing)your load outs or weapons in a CoD or battle field game(or even real life for that matter). Instead of choosing whether or not your gun is going to have an 8x scope as apposed to a red dote site, or a shotgun attachment instead of a grenade attachment, you are choosing weather or not you want to use a chain shot or bola shot as your left mouse click ability. Its still customization.

3. Completely false. The different runes are usually a matter of preference. Take the chain shots first two runes for example. You can either choose to have more control over the battlefield by having your chain shot effect 4 targets opposed to 2, or you can choose to do more damage by electrocuting them but only hit 2 targets instead. The reason why they level lock abilities is so that players are always unlocking things as they level, its always giving players something to work towards, its as simple as that.

4.You still do make decisions on what abilities you want to use. If you have the Impale ability on you action bar you can't also have the chakrams ability, you choose between them. With the attribute options, all they are doing is simplifying it. Why would they want to give Demon hunters the option to put points into strength when its a completely worthless stat for them? This way when the player levels up they just give them points in stats that matter to that class. If you are a Demon hunter and for some reason you really really want strength(idk why you would), they give you the option to wear gear that gives you strength(or more vitality instead of dexterity if you want).

5. Agreed some what but to me it feels like the new way Diablo 3 does abilities is a breath of fresh air and decently unique. I'm a stats/number crunching fan but i still don't mind it when developers cut out unnecessary fluff.

[Psychotica]

He said some parts of Diablo 3 look worse than Diablo 2?? I would like to know what parts those are. One of the best things of Diablo 3 is that I am not stuck playing in 800x600 resolution like Diablo 2.

[Christopher]

There's a mod to increase screen resolution (unless you mean for online play, which could get you banned if you played beyond 800x600).

Edit: At those who seem to disagree that there isn't a mod that exists to do this (you guys are weird)

http://www.moddb.com/games/...

[reznik_zerosum]

this article again confirms that most gamers are very dumb

[CarlosX360]

Yes, thank you!

I wouldn't want them to change the Diablo formula. I want my Diablo!

[reznik_zerosum]

then play first two,what are u catholic church ?

[Trenta27]

I wouldn't say it was a disappointment, but I won't say that I wasn't disappointed. Some aspects of the game are terrific, such as the transitioning and co-op, but some other areas are lacking, such as the story and level design. I am having a blast playing it with friends, though.

[fullymoated]

You can't tell what the runes do? It says exactly what they do when you mouse over them.

PVP would be nice - um, yeah, they are adding it in a few months.

The author clearly hasn't been following any news on the game, and didn't play the game for longer than an hour. Typical entitled complainer.

[Christopher]

He meant their level of effect as well as how much damage your attacks do or any other specific effect. How long does a snare last? How much damage does my bola attack do? How long do I go stealthed?

The game only gives you vague answers to this, never anything specific. Coming from Diablo and Diablo 2, where this information was the meat and potatoes of how to build your character, it can be a very big change for many. I prefer knowing which of my abilities suit my style better based on their stats, but I can learn to live with having to play around with all of them to figure something out. Don't like it, but it's doable.

[fullymoated]

Did you select advanced tooltips in the options? That adds a lot more detail.

Edit: Yeah I’m with you on that one. It’s one thing to completely hide the math which a lot of people love, but at least let us know that you buried it in the options somewhere and we have the choice to turn it back on! =)

[Christopher]

I'll try that out. Don't recall if I enabled that or not when I had to go in and enable it so I could set any ability for my 4 'utility' hotkeys.

Funny enough, the game manual is useless on this type of stuff. Why is this stuff limited by default or at least not mentioned during regular gameplay through their tips?

[jakethesnake]

Advanced tooltips should have defaulted on. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want them! Without it the descriptions of the runes and spells are pretty worthless imo.

[CLOUD1983]

D3 is garbage and it's not even a Diablo game, END OF STORY.

[CarlosX360]

Not even a Diablo game? What are you, blind?

[Simco876]

Guy thinks if you can't put attribute points into 4 different things it's not a Diablo game.

I would rather not blow 80 hours on a character that since I put the points on him wrong or I didn't look up the right build on the internet then I'm destined to start over.

Simple fact is, they made it better. But since it's not D2 with upgrade visuals people get pissed off.

[Christopher]

I get your point... but all they had to do was add in a respec option for people who feel they 'nerfed' themselves. That would have solved your whole complaint right there.

There is no 'fact' here that they made it better. Some people like it better, some don't. It's all opinion. And those who don't think it's better enjoyed the fully customizable elements of the first two games, myself included. To me, this feels just like the major changes they made in Dungeon Siege 3, which were vastly different than the two previous games.

[Ravenor]

Skyrim isn't a real Elder Scrolls title!!!

Wait, what are we yelling about?

[JKelloggs]

When has a game these days met expectations.. Really?

[Mythicninja]

Check out GRIM DAWN and their kickstarter if you are a fan of the more diablo 2 style gameplay

[nix]

i was so gonna buy this game... then i found out about the staying-online-for-offline-pla y.

that pretty much killed it for me. i wanted to play D3 on my laptop.

[leemo19]

Diablo 3 feels like a water down version of D2, Blizzard took out things or change things that should never have been changed. IMO it almost feels like they put MMO feats into it. Having to wait for things to charge up for your special skills or even waiting on potions to charge up that's crap.
Not being able to add what skill points i want to my stats is the dumbest thing ever. You can't choose what game to join anymore. You cant even replay bosses or so without having to do the quest all over again while saving over your previous save.
If they just up graded the visuals, add the auction house, add new skills and such but keep the format/gameplay from d2 i would of been happy with that.

[swice]

One of his responses to a comment:

"I did play it with some friends right after I managed to log in, which took me a few hours actually. And me, along with many gamers on specialized forums, have been very disappointed."

This guys just seems angry, and decided to vent online with a full article.

[cavado]

I don't know what everyone was expecting. I seen the game play I seen the graphics prior to buying it. I am satisfied

[-IronMan-]

Glad i didnt waste 60 bucks for a mediocre 6hr game. Seriously it doesnt even look that great PS2 graphics. And its been dumbed down.

[CarlosX360]

You seriously need new contacts, or glasses... PS2 graphics? *Laughs* hahahahaha. HAHAHAHAHA....

...Wow.

And 6 hours? Psh. Yeah right.

[caboose32]

The game doesn't have the best graphics ever, but the lighting and particle effects in it are awesome and very atmospheric. It's really just the textures that are pretty lackluster.

[CrzyFooL]

Game is great, article is not.

[V0LT]

It's a auction house built around a game and I also won't buy it due to the constant online connection required to play even in SP.

[Bimkoblerutso]

I really like the game but I gotta admit, I kinda wish I had done the same. It makes me feel guilty knowing that buying the game validated Blizzard's business practices.

[V0LT]

It's a cash cow for Blizzard at best.

[_LarZen_]

Diablo 3 is the worlds best hack & slash game atm. There is NOTHING remotely close to it even.

Wel that is when it's actualy working..... :P

[Kaizin514]

Annnddd this is why I do not typically show opinion articles on N4G. The amount of ignorance in this article, not to mention the massive amount of grammar errors, to me, makes his entire article null and void of opinion.

As far as D3 goes, I am quite happy with it. Realization that every game is not perfect is one of the defining things that can make or break a game in my eyes. I know D3 is far from perfect, but I am 100% content with it. I enjoyed all the hours I have put into it and I am going to enjoy all the hours that are going to be added to it in the future.

[WIPEOUT2047]

I am quite happy withe the game so far. I dnt know if they will exspand the game or have DLC as its only around 12 hours , i dnt think I will play it all again with another character once i max out an finish the game .

[kevnb]

if you arent playing all the online content with friends you are doing it wrong.

[Ravenor]

You also can't "Max out" by yourself.

[NnT3291]

The only dissapointment is the server issues, but that can be fixed. Diablo 3 is fun and addictive.

[facedown41]

Bullcrap, this game is awesome. People really need to stop expecting the same game that diablo 2 was. Diablo 2 was a broken game and many of its intended mechanics didn't work out how they expected. Give the game a chance because it is fun if you don't go into it with such a negative mindset.

[Lilioups]

bullcrap this game is crap end fo story

[kevnb]

its a damn good game, everyone wants to hate on it to be cool.

[Pintheshadows]

Kind of like you with Max Payne 3.

[ninavoljic]

can't take this article seriously since the website is a spam...

[Lilioups]

yEP D3 was a big failure

path of exile and soon lineage eternal will put d3 to shame

[Drabent]

Wow almost every game released is crap these days, guess developers think we gamers will buy anything......not gonna say it....I'll let you guys add pun:p

[Rachel_Alucard]

This for all those who say Diablo 3 is good.

Fact: If you buy inferior products. Developers don't improve

[Trenta27]

I'm more excited for Torchlight 2 then I ever was D3. If I'm having a decent amount in D3, I will have a freakin blast in Torchlight 2.

[Marceles]

It's not meeting anyone's expectations, but then those same people play non-stop until they beat it in a day. How boring...

[Marceles]

It's not meeting anyone's expectations, but then those same people play non-stop until they beat it. How boring...

[floetry101]

This article is HORRIBLY written. I mean, Diablo 3 is definitely a title that can be debated for hours, but this article doesn't give me any incentive to start.

[k4rma]

Online for single player is the big kick in the face. Its just a universally bad idea all around, and why I wont be picking it up.

[Rifkens]

Agreeing with most people in these comments, this article is trash. First he says the game fails, then goes on to say its not a bad game. Notice the grammar fail in the first 8 words. How the hell can the game be "very confusing" if they have removed a class from the selection?!

This is my first Diablo game I'm playing the crap out of it, can'f fault it