Tuesday 17 September 2013

LADY ELEANOR VIDEO GAME REVIEW: Diablo 3 - Blizzard

Release Date: 05/09/13
Publisher:  Blizzard

SYNOPSIS:
Blizzard Entertainment’s epic action-RPG Diablo III is moving the eternal war between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells to a new battleground--Xbox 360! Armed with a controller and a custom-designed interface tailored for consoles, players will step into the role of one of five powerful character classes—barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, or demon hunter--and embark on a dark journey to save the world of Sanctuary from ancient demonic forces. As these heroes adventure from the humble town of New Tristram all the way to the Diamond Gates of the High Heavens, they’ll engage in pulse-pounding combat with hordes of monsters and challenging bosses, grow in experience and ability, and acquire items of incredible power.

Features 

Five powerful character classes to choose from: barbarian, witch doctor, wizard, monk, and demon hunter.

Direct character control and console-focused changes to character abilities and combat mechanics thrust Xbox 360 gamers into the action.


Four-player online co-op and four-player local co-op for seamless cooperative play.


Four different difficulty modes--Normal, Nightmare, Hell, and Inferno--that progressively increase the challenge and reward players with more powerful armor, weapons, and abilities.


Hardcore mode for players who seek the thrill of constant peril that comes with the possibility of permanent death for their character.


Completely reimagined interface and new dynamic camera designed specifically for console play.


Interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and destructible elements.


Randomized settings, events, and loot deliver endless, dynamic gameplay.
A wide variety of fiendish monsters, with unique attack patterns and behaviors redesigned for console.


Features like the Paragon system, Monster Power, Infernal Machine and Brawling add substantial replayability.


Connect with friends, send game invitations, and access voice chat through the Xbox Live.


REVIEW:
Ah, for a great many gamers the name Diablo conjures up a whole host of fond memories, although I did know the game name, I wasn’t sure what I was going to get although having heard about marathon gaming sessions from others reliving the nostalgia I was hoping for a title that would not only entertain but give me a whole host of fun in the process.

What unfurls if you’ll pardon the layman in me is a more modern game of Gauntlet, you have a whole range of characters to choose from and to be honest, if you’re playing on your own, finding the right one for your gaming style can be tricky (The Barbarian didn’t suit me although I did have a whole host of fun with the Demon Hunter), but when you get a back up buddy such as a Templar or a Thief etc. you have a great fun gaming through the challenges. It’s fun, the chance to upgrade your inventory/items gives you great looks and when you add the different skill upgrades, finding something to suit your gameplay really does give you so many choices. However just because you can have an upgrade doesn’t mean that it will suit your style of gameplay, so tinkering around a little will help you find what does work well.

OK, this title is fun to play on your own and whilst some may feel that it’s a little limited, the character graphics a little clunky with acceptable sound, the real gem of this game is the ability to play it in your home with your friends all round, it’s a great way to have a whole heap of fun whilst battling the enemies of darkness grabbing levelling goodies and sharing the spoils round. (Unless you have a tightwad buddy that believes in hogging all the good stuff for themselves.)

All in, it’s a game with quite a few options and to be honest the one addition I’d have liked would have been able to modify the faces, bodies so that you can tailor the things more to your own likes. That said it’s a whole heap of pleasure all round and one that I’d advise to get in when you have your friends round. Just prepare for it to be a lost weekend. 



Lady Eleanor is Falcata Times Mistress of Mayhem, be it in the Horror Genre or on the console, she gives it her all and loves to blow the hell out of anyone who gets in her way.  You can often find her perusing the game sites to get the latest gossip on what’s arriving next or checking out the latest movie/book releases to see what grabs her attention.

In addition to this Lady Eleanor is a lifelong fan of pin up and in particular the Fetish Queen of the 50’s Bettie Page and whilst the name is an alias, its due more to her love of a song by the same title by the group Lindisfarne rather than her dominating presence when she lays down the law.

(Artwork by Isis Sousa for Falcata Times)


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