I bought
Diablo III when it came out (05.12), finished the game once, and then put it away. Like many, I’m a fan of the first two titles and had been looking forward to the third instillation of the series, but
Diablo III at release was a letdown.
I couldn’t deny the amount of polish Blizzard had put into the game, but playing it was a hollow experience. Later that year, I loaded up
Torchlight 2 (09.12) and wondered why an obvious Diablo clone made by a small studio managed to entertain me more than Blizzard’s own fare.
Diablo III quickly faded from memory until
Reaper of Souls was announced. Most interesting to me was Loot 2.0 and the substantial changes Blizzard was willing to make regarding difficulties, classes, items, and the reward system. Also, getting rid of the Auction House was an excellent decision. I hopped back into
Diablo III when the big patch hit (02.14), about a month before
Reaper of Souls released.
The difference was remarkable.
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| Amazon vs. Andariel. Amazon Wins. |
My second journey through
Diablo III reminded me of the times
Diablo II would keep me up all night long, furiously clicking, until I looked out my window and greeted the sun in embarrassment. After beating the game again with a Monk, I switched to a Barbarian and played the game that way. Then a Wizard and the Monk again at a higher difficulty.
Did I pick up
Reaper of Souls? No.
There were other games to spend money on.
Diablo III was engaging, but I was satisfied occasionally playing it between games. Now,
Blizzard has started its first Season and today I found
Reaper of Souls was half off. $19.99 for an expansion is far more attractive than $39.99. I expect this means we’ll see a
Diablo III announcement at Blizzard Con.
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| Queen of the Mercians... and Demon Slayer |
As for myself, I just created a Seasonal character: one of the new Crusaders.
See you in Sanctuary.
