PC Critic Reviews

It takes the core experience that made Diablo II great and makes it less frustrating and, more importantly, much more accessible. Where Diablo II encouraged careful planning and forethought, Diablo III encourages experimentation and fun. And hey, if you're not down with that, Torchlight II is right around the corner.

Blizzard had to compromise to manage the expectations of a larger audience. Diablo III still manages to remain truthful to its roots, while still increasing accessibility for newcomers. Some players might be annoyed by those revisions of the formula, but the truth is that Diablo III still is the benchmark of modern hack'n slash games we were praying to get, thanks to incredible production values, polish, sound work and content.

At its core, Diablo 3 is a series of combat encounters and, when you realize just how carefully it's put together, Blizzard's expertise is staggering.

It is true that Blizzard is not a company known for being innovative, but there is a word which I believe defines their games: competence. Diablo is the best of its genre and is there to last for several years.

It's such a rare thing that my interest in continuing to play a game keeps increasing not just toward the end of the game but past the end, yet somehow the more Diablo I play, the more Diablo I want to play. It doesn't do anything especially new with the action-RPG genre, but it does all the old things very, very well, and sometimes that's more than enough.

Games this thoughtfully crafted don't happen very often, and the care that Blizzard has taken with Diablo 3 shows in every facet of its design and execution. It might not be perfect, but after 45 hours, I'm not sure where it missteps, and after 45 hours, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. Diablo 3 is almost evil in how high a bar it's set for every PC action RPG to follow, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that bar remain for a very long time.

It's everything Diablo II was except better.

Diablo 3 is an odyssey in a cruel and dark world. Its epic and violent story is yet again upon us. And we shall all tremble.

Whether you're dual-wielding axes and swords, rapid firing a mighty crossbow, fist-fighting, throwing a spear, casting a powerful spell or indeed summoning a monster of your very own, this game will make you feel like a true hero - one that is caught in the eternal and epic struggle between light and dark. Diablo 3 is a truly memorable experience and one of the best video games we've played in recent times.

With Diablo III, Blizzard made one of the most approachable and enjoyable games in the world even better. In fact, aside from the annoying online-only infrastructure, I can't imagine a single thing I would change to make this game better. That's when you know you have a classic on your hands, and that's also when you know you should play this game as much as you can.