Hands-on With the Diablo 3 Console Version
Fans should feel right at home.
On Thursday during the last few hours of E3 2013, I got a chance to get some hands-on time with Blizzard's console version of Diablo 3. This play test was on the PlayStation 3, but the company also had the Xbox 360 playable build available as well. I only chose Sony's console because the station was the only one open to play – it had nothing to do with fanboy preference (I own both consoles thank you very much).
For the demo, I stuck with my favorite Wizard character class which was already leveled up to around 35 and packed full of potent, boosted abilities like Disintegrate and Frost Nova. The difficulty was also set on Hell or Nightmare – I don't remember exactly but it sounded like bad news for my character. Luckily the Wizard was ready for action.
The setting was during the "Trailing the Coven" quest towards the back of ACT I. I really didn't recognize the area although Diablo 3 gamers will know the overall terrain: each ACT has their own unique style. I mostly blew through this area killing everything with a red hot dose of Disintegrate or Frost Nova if the masses got too overwhelming. The Wizard had several other abilities on call, but these two were my most used.
So how does Diablo 3 work on the console? Incredibly well. The left analog stick handles movement while the right stick adds a new evade feature. Push down and the character quickly steps back. Push left or right, and the character jumps left or right. Piece of cake. This makes it extremely easy to stay alive in the higher game modes like Hell or Nightmare.
For skills, they're all mapped to the right side of the controller. The "X" button is Skill 1, the "Square" button is Skill 2, the "Triangle" is Skill 3, and the "Circle" button is Skill 4. The R1 button is Skill 5 and the R2 button is Skill 6. I believe the skills themselves can be mapped to wherever you want them.
On the left side, the L1 button is for potions, and the L2 button is for targeting the enemy. Finally there's the D-pad: press up for fast equipping weapons, right for using a Town Portal, and down for pulling up the map. That's it.
It's funny: Diablo 3 feels extremely comfortable on the console given it has been a PC/Mac exclusive since May 2012. Unfortunately, my time with Diablo 3 was limited, so I didn't explore other options like using the Town Portal or digging through the inventory. However the Select button brings up the Character Menu and the Start button activates the Game Menu.
So what's the verdict? Did Blizzard do an awesome job translating a PC hack-n-slash into a console gem? Yes indeed. I guess it felt a little awkward because it just looks and feels different despite being nearly identical: I can't exactly pinpoint what that "different" is outside the control setup. It could be that the point-of-view may be zoomed just a bit more than the PC versio, or maybe I was just tired and ready to wrap up E3 for the year.
Regardless, Diablo 3 for consoles doesn't feel like a port. It feels like Diablo 3 on another screen, only with controller support. That's a good thing, but don't expect to play with your buddies on Battle.net or Xbox Live: all versions are locked to their proprietary networks. Bummer I know. As for multiplayer, gamers can choose to lock everyone out, open the game up to friends, or let the entire Diablo 3 population invade their game.
Look for Diablo 3 to arrive on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September.
Eh I dunno about that. It almost seems like Diablo 3 is better suited for the console than it is for the PC. Besides, Blizzard is clearly interested in the console market, and the Diablo franchise is the only franchise Blizzard owns that has even a remote chance of being decent on a console.
But then again, this is coming from someone who finds the entire Diablo series (including the widely loved Diablo 2) one of the most boring game series ever made, and will continue to believe that Diablo 3 was perhaps the worst $60 he has ever spent. So... what do I know?
I just finished Torchlight 2 the other day and the game was pretty damn awesome, I'm glad I bought that game instead.
Also will the real money action house work on the console?
No it sucks. It's all about playing auction house and not the game. When you can buy level 60 items for your character that have been reduced to level 48 for 100k gold, it breaks the game horrendously.
As for me, They've lost my business - I'll never by another game with their name on it - I hope it was worth it Blizard
As for me, They've lost my business - I'll never by another game with their name on it - I hope it was worth it Blizard
As for me, They've lost my business - I'll never by another game with their name on it - I hope it was worth it Blizard
Lol, why would a casual scrub (that's a realistic term for 'average') be allowed to get best gear in game for playing 2 hrs a week?
I've got 350 hours played on this character and I haven't spent a penny on RMAH, infact I sold gold for roughly €100 which paid for the game two times over and I still got good enough gear to smash through MP10 inferno and by smash I mean boosting 1 or 2 of my friends that don't play very often on MP10 ubers literally soloing everything.
This is a grindy game where you find good items that aren't necessarily good for your class, but thanks to AH you can sell it w/o the hassle of trade chat and scamming potential and then use the gold to buy an item for yourself.
Everyone with the sense of entitlement should get over themselves.