Games

To Hell with Diablo 3: Internet Requirement Proves Problematic for Diablo 3

By Dan Horn
May 15, 2012 - 16:03

To much fanfare, the long-awaited and much-anticipated Diablo 3 officially launched last night at midnight. However, if you're one of the diehards who planned on commencing your demon-slaying quest promptly at 12, you'll have been lucky to have been able to play a total of six hours since the servers went live. Since shortly after Diablo 3 went live, game play has been harried by server overloads and bugs. To the chagrin of many players, the game that has been years in the making still seems far from finished, even with a $60 price tag.

Blizzard recently consolidated regional servers to allow for global play of its games like World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo III. It's not yet clear whether the server changes have much or anything to do with the current overloads, but it does seem strangely coincidental. One of the design features of Diablo III, however, does directly contribute to the problem: sustained internet requirement. The requirement is perplexing, considering solo and public play are definitively partitioned, unlike in other MMORPGs. Equally confounding is the crippling effect on solo gameplay presented by server dilemmas such as the ones Blizzard are currently occupied with, not to mention simple connection interruptions on the player's end.

Perhaps, the gameplay itself, for those who have been able to play Diablo III, is also lackluster. People have been mouthing off on message boards since the beta dropped about this retooled Diablo. Sure, after the beta went live, we all knew that this wouldn't be the Diablo that we'd all grown to love. This was something else. However, there was also an anticipation that maybe this was better than the Diablo games we were so fond of. After a little game time today, I have to report that I have my reservations. Diablo III's internet requirement isn't the only design flaw that is readily apparent in these few short hours after the game's release. Gameplay is dumbed-down and overly aerodynamic, skill set customization is egregiously lacking, and gameplay lacks impact and difficulty. To its credit, there are improvements, like organic environs and updated graphics, but the bad just might outweigh the good here. I guess we won't know until we can actually play the goddamn game though.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12