So we got an invite to play the D3 Beta, and after beating it (many, many times) I am here to offer my review.
First of all let's get this out of the way: I was absolutely hooked on D2x. I had several 90+ characters, decked out in runeword items, had rush characters and MF characters and duel characters, etc. I was, for better or for worse, an addict.
One day, I somehow kicked the habit. And now I look forward to being addicted to Diablo 3, as I can tell from the beta that I probably will be.
Let me start off by saying the developers did an amazing job from what I've seen so far. The combat is fluid, the game play is polished, and the advancement system seems to work.
Now, the only thing at this point that I am unsure of, is the cash auction house. You heard me right, cash money auctions. Players will be able to sell their hard earned items for real cash. This is going to turn into either a blessing or a curse. But only time will tell which.
Other than that minute worry, I am very pleased with how this game is turning out.
Advancement
At first glance, I was shocked and appalled by the advancement system. I said what no doubt many others have said or will say, "They took away all the freedom!" But after leveling to the cap (level 13, at the time of writing) I walked away very satisfied. Even at such a low level the amount of unique builds for each class are plentiful.
Basically, each class earns the same skill set as they level up. But you only have a total of 7 skill slots to allot any of your 30 or so available skills. "Respecs" are free, and only require a trip into town. This creates a situation in which you gear up for your favorite build as you move into endgame. Ultimately I think this creates a decent amount of freedom, and switches the focus to your items, which for a Diablo game is paramount.
Items
Obviously, items are Diablo's trademark. The randomized stats meant there was almost always room for upgrading, and that may have been part of what gave D2x such longevity. They're back in the newest addition to the Diablo franchise, and so far as I can tell, they've done it right.
In fact, there's already a lot of decent rares on sale in the auction house!
Item customization is available, not just in terms of randomized stats, but also that you can socket them, or enchant them. Speaking of enchanting, did I mention crafting?! Yes, there's crafting, and so far I've got nothing negative to say about the system.
Gameplay (In other words: Combat)
As I said before, the game doesn't lack polish. It's fluid and its paced very well. I'm still not bored of slaughtering the same enemies I've already seen over and over, half for the off-chance that I find a rare item with my measly 40% magic find, and half just because playing my demon hunter feels bad ass.
I can't wait to experiment with runestones and different builds, and I definitely can't wait to try my hand at soloing Inferno difficulty.
Overall
All in all, this is shaping up to be the Diablo sequel I've been hoping for. Hurry up Blizzard! I'm getting the itch!
