Already bored with this game....

[AbsoluteZero]

Sorry it's true. I played diablo 2 ever since it came out, it was a fun game with great replayability. No, D2 was far from perfect, but it kept my interest for many years.

D3 has failed. It's a boring game. I'm not saying they didn't try, it just happened that way ( for me ).

Yes, the graphics are great and it's a well-polished game. The story is cliche and forgettable, but I expected that from a diablo game, so I won't complain there.

The problems?

1. No real character development. No stat allocation at ALL, and the skill system just doesn't turn me on. There is going to be no real variation in builds and very little difference in gameplay. One of the fun things in D2 was stacking everything in 2 or 3 skills. Necro skelly builds with level 40+ SM + Raise Skeleton, or level 40+ blizzard sorc builds etc. Arranging your stats, skills and items in a way to max certain skills was what kept me coming back in D2. That's all gone, now we got this stupid rune thing which gives meager bonuses at best.

2. It's just a grind for items, that's it. That's all the game is. Finding items was a fun part of D2, sure, but if you were clever you could probably complete the entire game naked with probably all the characters except maybe the barbarian. This was called skill. There is no such option in D3, you must at least have a high damage weapon, PERIOD. And to get said weapon you must grind through many enemies. No shortcuts, noone escapes the monster grind. And of course the item level requirements are very stingy, no giving your character a high level weapon to make things easier. In d2 once you hit about level 30, you got access to most of the good items that could carry you at least through NM, not so in D3, all the high level items have level requirements to match exactly the level the designers think you should be at to use it. Boring!

3. The items suck. No really, they suck. There are no items that make skills more powerful, none that offer massive damage reduction, or massive resistances, or even massive damage like Grief from D2. All the items in D3 seem generic and none really standout. Granted I have not seen all the items yet, but this is my impression so far.

4. Poor multiplayer functions. I can't even join a chat room now to talk to other players and maybe coordinate some COOP games in real time. Only 4 players per game. Doesn't really seem to be any advantage to playing with more then 1 player anyway, it just slows you down ( I'm talking about pubs, not organized clan play ). Most players I've run into in games act like zombies, never talking. Also there doesn't seem to be any noise made when players speak, so you don't know to look down at the very tiny text in the left hand corner of your screen.

5. Whirlwind sucks! I was waiting for a glorious return to D2 pre-expansion Whirlwind ( remember those days of awesomeness? ). Well it didn't happen, whirlwind seems to suck ( as far as I can tell ) and doing it continuously is nigh impossible. :-((


Of course some of you may not agree, and I hope you do enjoy yourselves, but to me this game is more like tedious work then having real fun.

[Zenkat]

#2 was the MAIN reason i played D2. Weird builds came 2nd for me after i'd gathered and hoarded massive amounts of uniques and such.

How far did you even get in the game, because #3 is wrong. There are items that give damage boosts to single skills that I've seen. Also some interesting mods started popping up in nightmare. Things like % chance to immobilize an enemy, or stun an enemy. I'm excited to keep going and see that kind of stuff that pops up as i advance.

[Ivan E]

1. Isn't there going to be MORE variation in builds given that there are many, many more skills? Sure, you can change builds whenever you want, but the sheer number of builds has increased significantly. Also, you can still arrange your skills/stats/gear to really maximize something--it's just less about clicking points into something and more about finding the skills, passives, and stat boosts that make sense together. Also, the rune thing does not give meager bonuses. In some cases, runes completely change the skill. It is true that some of the bonuses are not very interesting (reduced mana, slightly increased damage). But most, if not all, skills have at least one rune that completely changes how the skill functions, which gives you essentially another skill to build around.

2. I'm constantly amazed that people keep saying it's just a hunt for items now. It's a game. For me, the game is fun to play. Items are part of the fun, but the sheer gameplay is fun for me. You know, the clicking and running and smashing and killing. If that's not the sort of thing you like, that's great. Maybe the item hunt game will not be as fun, but the gameplay itself is better. Also, saying that you MUST have something in D3 seems like a challenge, and challenges require skill. I don't think it's mathematically impossible to progress with a subpar/weak weapon, so it seems like that could be a fun skill-test. And if you want shortcuts for a game that's ostensibly supposed to be fun, what does that say about the game? I would rather NOT have to shortcut the game that I bought, since I paid money to enjoy said game.

3. I agree that the items are a bit boring. I'm hoping that in endgame, once level/skill progression ends, items are able to spruce things up a bit by determining the direction in which your character should go (at least if you want them to).

4. I will probably never play D3 multiplayer, so I won't comment. Yes, it's probably almost too seamless and thus impersonal and blah, but that's not really my problem.

5. I'll let you know when I get a barb up to a level where I get WW.

[DirkWasterbaken]

#2 was the MAIN reason i played D2. Weird builds came 2nd for me after i'd gathered and hoarded massive amounts of uniques and such.

How far did you even get in the game, because #3 is wrong. There are items that give damage boosts to single skills that I've seen. Also some interesting mods started popping up in nightmare. Things like % chance to immobilize an enemy, or stun an enemy. I'm excited to keep going and see that kind of stuff that pops up as i advance.

Mm I wouldn't consider those mods all that interesting, mainly because they typically have a low % but also because most classes have skills/runes readily available that allow them to immobilize and stun as much as they like. But I guess it's a matter of opinion.

I agree with some of OP's points, anyway. I do like the game but I have a tendency to fear for its longevity.

[Silverbug]

I am at diablo now normal and I donīt feel all too exited about the game. Not as much as I hoped for anyway.
It feels linear. Donīt know if you even can go between all acts?
Cheesy pop ups with demons who talk. LOL.
All closed off encounters, feels odd like some arcade game.
I donīt love the art direction really. The game in some parts are very nice, but there is always some things that ruin it for me.
I am not sure, but the skill system seems to make everyone choose the same. I certainly would not change anything if I replayed it, ofc, I probably wonīt replay since you can swap skills anytime.
I should hold off anymore comments before I see endgame, but I am not overly exited to even finish now, so I donīt know if I even get there.
Who knows maybe I change my mind at endgame when/if I get there.

[Siege Valgore]

My solution to all those who find the game boring/linear/uninteresting....play Co-Op with friends. It brings a completely different feel to the game. As far as the game being linear, I played the beta for 4 months and I am still seeing stuff in the game that I havent seen before.

[Zarniwoop]

Look, there's one camp that will think D2 is vastly the better game. I fall in that one.

But, there is also the camp that just wants to play the game, enjoy it and get over it. That camp is the vast majority and Blizzard has finally just gone the way of the rest of the industry.

Yes, some of us are just not going to be happy with gaming until the industry has another paradigm shift at the indie level, but until then, this is just how it's going to be.

But, one thing - anyone and everyone saying D3 will be far more in depth or even more in depth.... No. Wrong. Gah. Help me.

[SicklyFish]

One thing you have to realize is that Diablo 2 was a once in a lifetime game. Even with the things that were buggy about it, nothing is ever going to compare. Accepting this, I love Diablo 3 from what I've played. I can't wait to get the full version and start playing with friends (though i will most certainely still be playing D2 on the side).

[AnimeCraze]

But, one thing - anyone and everyone saying D3 will be far more in depth or even more in depth.... No. Wrong. Gah. Help me.

This type of attitude definitely reminds me of the Brood War guys walking about SC2, on how multiple building selections ruins everything, how macro is so easy now, and more. It also reminds me of the attitude of professors who said that this year's students are worse than last year every year, for 20 years. (Note that I have taught a course before, so I am not just a student complaining about profs complaining.) I wonder if we will be saying the same thing about SC3/D4 years from now......

[Zarniwoop]

This type of attitude definitely reminds me of the Brood War guys walking about SC2. It also reminds me of the attitude of professors who said that this year's students are worse than last year every year, for 20 years. I wonder if we will be saying the same thing about SC3/D4 years from now......

Its extremely easy for me to separate nostalgia for objectivity.

Diablo 3 is a lot of fun, is beautiful to watch and play and has great potential as a game base.

This is my profession. This isn't rocket science. Civ IV is better than Civ 2 to me. Heroes 3 better than heroes 2 even though I have better NOSTALGIA for 2. This is just the way it is for me.

For you, D3 may be better because of your own preferences. But, it is IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM a deeper game.