Day 224, Game 224 - Diablo 3

When I first got my gaming laptop and found my way onto the PC gaming scene, one of the first things I wrote about was my longtime desire to play Diablo 3. I actually mentioned how when this game came out, it was almost enough for me back then to get a gaming PC or laptop, just for that game. Well, it obviously didn't happen then, but as you should know by now, I eventually made the leap.

Ever since then, I have vowed to get and play Diablo 3. I jumped into Torchlight 2 first, as I heard it was a great stepping stone for those looking to get in to Diablo 3. I was fairly impressed by the game, but I knew it wasn't exactly what I wanted when I thought of the Diablo-style game play I so wanted to experience. Shortly after that, I actually got Diablo 3, and have been playing it off and on since then. I didn't want to write about it back then, as I wanted to finish it first so I could write about a full experience of the game. 

However, because I have been slacking on the game, I never did get around to finishing it. But, my recent enjoyment with Dragon's Crown has inspired me to pick it back up and again and see what happens. So that's what I did, to mixed results, unfortunately.

I really do like this game. It is head and shoulders above Torchlight 2, as far as I am concerned, as I found it much easier to just jump in and get going. Torchlight menus and options and inventory felt cumbersome and more of a hassle than it needed to be, but with Diablo, they definitely streamlined the process of just getting in and playing the game, which as a newcomer to series, I truly appreciate. The game itself has a unique art style that's actually hard to explain. It's great graphically and very crisp, but still has the realistic-painting style that you just need to see to fully appreciate. 

The dungeon crawling and looting is what I really wanted from this game though, and thankfully, it delivers in all aspects. Every single bit of it is exactly what I was looking for from a game of this style. While I have been playing this game alone (shocking, right?), I am still having fun running around, creating havoc on the underworld demons throughout the game. But the experience isn't perfect, and I have Dragon's Crown and the Vita to blame. 

While Diablo 3 is fantastic in almost all aspects, it falls short in one category. I can't necessarily blame it, however, just as if it's not fair to compare it to Dragon's Crown. You see, that game is Diablo-like, but it's not a true dungeon crawler in the same way Diablo is. But it does something so right that Diablo can't do based on it's design. It is controlled with joyticks and buttons, not the frustrating mouse and keyboard setup. While the mouse clicks works great for combat and decent for moving, it is a straight up pain to use the keyboard to try and bring up inventory and do certain things in the game. Sure, you can do most with the mouse, but when things are getting chaotic, or if I'm not in a position to use a mouse easily, playing this game is not an easy thing to do. Dragon's Crown on the Vita is completely portable and can be played any time, any where you see fit. 

Like I said, this isn't a Diablo 3 problem as much as it is a testament to how much I am still enjoying picking up and playing Dragon's Crown when I can. Diablo 3 is still an absolute blast to play, and I hope to push through it eventually and see what the final boss is all about. If it were only coming out on consoles, then maybe I would fully be able to enjoy it as much as I think I should. Oh, wait a second...

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