Anyone getting Diablo 3 for the 360?

[Brand86]

As the embers for this generation slowly burn out, it seems amazing (or annoying, I can't decide which) that there are so many good games coming out still for the 360 and PS3. Top of the list for me are the new X-Com expansion, GTA 5 (I think, still don't know if I have the time to commit to this beast) and Diablo 3.

After reviews I think it's Diablo 3 which is going to get my money - as it sounds right up my street. However it's meant to be best in co-op mode and wasn't sure if any of you guys would be getting it?

 

[Darren S]

Well, I had it on pre-order for nearly two years from Play for the PC. I played it a fair bit when I first got it, but to be honest, I found it quite underwhelming.

I loved the first game - which along with the original Red Alert title were the first two online games I played, back in the 28.8k modem days. Then when Diablo 2 came out, I put even more time into it. The music, the cinematics, the characters (whom I applaud Blizzard for allowing a necromancer to be a character choice) - seemed to significantly improve on the original game.

Then D3 arrived. I don't know if Blizzard had been side-tracked and blinkered too much by that cash-cow that is WoW, but D3 is a distinctly go-through-the-motions type of game. It looks pretty, but it's bland - I feel that the character development is handled far better by the superior Titan Quest - Immortal Throne game. I really wanted to get enthralled by the story and pulled into it, but it just never happened for me and as such, I've not logged into my Battle.Net account for going on a year now.

I'm also puzzled as to why Blizzard released this game on the 360 when the console is clearly well past pensionable age? It's not a game I would traditionally associate with the console platform either? I'm not saying that consolers shouldn't have D3 - but I just don't see it being a key seller for the console market. Just in the same way that the non-management FIFA games are rarely pushed on the PC platform.

In summary - a slightly odd console choice, left way too long to be released and one that has been done far better by other games out there. Worth it if you find it cheap, but I'd definitely not spend top dollar on it.

​D.

 

[Fieldini]

Well, I had it on pre-order for nearly two years from Play for the PC. I played it a fair bit when I first got it, but to be honest, I found it quite underwhelming.

I loved the first game - which along with the original Red Alert title were the first two online games I played, back in the 28.8k modem days. Then when Diablo 2 came out, I put even more time into it. The music, the cinematics, the characters (whom I applaud Blizzard for allowing a necromancer to be a character choice) - seemed to significantly improve on the original game.

Then D3 arrived. I don't know if Blizzard had been side-tracked and blinkered too much by that cash-cow that is WoW, but D3 is a distinctly go-through-the-motions type of game. It looks pretty, but it's bland - I feel that the character development is handled far better by the superior Titan Quest - Immortal Throne game. I really wanted to get enthralled by the story and pulled into it, but it just never happened for me and as such, I've not logged into my Battle.Net account for going on a year now.

I'm also puzzled as to why Blizzard released this game on the 360 when the console is clearly well past pensionable age? It's not a game I would traditionally associate with the console platform either? I'm not saying that consolers shouldn't have D3 - but I just don't see it being a key seller for the console market. Just in the same way that the non-management FIFA games are rarely pushed on the PC platform.

In summary - a slightly odd console choice, left way too long to be released and one that has been done far better by other games out there. Worth it if you find it cheap, but I'd definitely not spend top dollar on it.

​D.

Why would Blizzard hold back Diablo III for Xbone and PS4 when there is already an user base of 100 million + on current gen consoles. Naturally it will potentially sell a hell of a lot more than on Xbone and PS4. And the 360 is from what I have briefly seen more than up to handing the game, the graphics look quite snazzy to me. Not up to your standards maybe but more than good enough for the game.
And your point as to why would a game like Diablo appeal to console gamers? Why wouldn’t it? Take a look a Skyrim, you can easily say this is a traditional PC kind of game. Check the sales figures, it sold 10 million copies, only 14% of those copies were on PC.
There are no doubt legions of former PC gamers that are now xbox owners like me that still want to play the types of games that were once restricted to keyboard jockeys. Also is should be noted that the ability to play coop on the same screen is a big selling point. Look at the success of the Lego games, a big reason for this is you can get your partner/children involved in the game at the same time. Something that will never really be a thing with a PC where you may play co-op but you will be very unlikely to be doing it on the same machine, in the same room, sat on the same sofa!

This is the reason why I’ll be giving the game a go!

 

[Brand86]

It's got some very good reviews for console and they said, something very rare, that it might actually be better to control on the console rather than PC.

Story I'm not too bothered about - I don't mind some mindless looting and killing a la Borderlands 2 as long as it's fun.

With this and X-Com Enemy Within possibly being my last purchases for the 360 I am left a little surprised, having come into this gen with GoW, Halo 3 and Forza 2...shows how the market has developed and yes there are still too many FPS and 3rd person action games but also some more niche titles available which gives me some hope about the future of consoles.

 

[Darren S]

Picked this up from eBay (new) for £30 - as most places were having a giraffe and charging up to £45. I dread to think of the going rate on next-gen consoles!

Anyways, it plays well enough. Compared to the PC version, there's a slight 'struggling' of the background when moving your character. When I say slight, I do mean slight - but looking at a 42" TV and running 1920x1080, it doesn't flow as smoothly as the PC version. Nowhere near as bad as some game titles without vsync enabled, though.

Then there's the pad. For the general movement, skill set choosing, etc, it's great - along with the nice evade option on the right stick. But that creeping niggle that blights a lot of console games comes back - that of aiming assistance from the game itself. At some points, I was only generally aiming in the direction of the enemy, yet a press of the A button fired a shot directly at it. It can't hold a candle to the more accurate (and arguably) more involving click of the mouse pointer.

I really only got this for the multiplayer aspect when I move house. Hopefully with friend or family alongside, I might rekindle my appreciation of the Diablo series.

D.

 

[Brand86]

Yeah my housemate said he wasn't interested in playing it even if I bought it so might not get it sadly. I am just replaying X-Com ahead of the release of Enemy Within, I'd forgotten just how addictive it is! I've already lost 1 operative (I only lost 1 in the whole other playthrough) but lost 4 countries - the previous time it was only 1! Such a great game.

 

[Darren S]

Yeah my housemate said he wasn't interested in playing it even if I bought it so might not get it sadly. I am just replaying X-Com ahead of the release of Enemy Within, I'd forgotten just how addictive it is! I've already lost 1 operative (I only lost 1 in the whole other playthrough) but lost 4 countries - the previous time it was only 1! Such a great game.

Persist with it in regards to your housemate. I mentioned to my girlfriend about trying this last weekend and she wasn't really bothered. Five minutes in and she's just going through the motions, but then she 'gets it'. Half an hour in, she insists that I can't play this game in future without her in co-op (lol). So true to my word, I've not touched it since then. We're both level 10 at the minute and work well in combination - her being melee-style with a female monk and me being wussy and in the support role as a male wizard. It's definitely more enjoyable in co-op - in fact I'd go as far as to say that it's a pretty crap game unless you're in co-op/LAN mode.

D.

 

[Brand86]

Well he did play Borderlands 2 with me for a while but think he enjoyed the shooting aspect rather than upgrading etc - think he is more of a GTA/COD/FIFA man really so my work could be cut out for me!

 

[Darren S]

We're both on lvl 14 now after a blat on Saturday afternoon. As you expect - the gaps between level-ups now are getting longer and longer. Quite a few things you don't get to unlock until lvl 53, so there's plenty to do yet!

Have you bought it then?

D.

 

[Wilkeh]

How does this feel with a pad? I really can't imagine not using a mouse for these types of games :S

 

[Darren S]

How does this feel with a pad? I really can't imagine not using a mouse for these types of games :S

Well, I'm Mr. Anti-Pad for the most part - pretty much always favouring K&M. But this plays ok with the pad - just marred a little by the games' insistence on helping a bit with auto aim. To most console gamers, you probably wouldn't notice it. But when PC'ers are used to actively aiming with the mouse pointer - you do sense the aim being helped along the way.

D.