Other Games

Diablo 3 – Preview

Console-based fans of the “Diablo” series, as well as RPGs in general, take note: Blizzard Entertainment, developer of the “Diablo,” “Warcraft” and “Starcraft” franchises, announced that “Diablo 3” will be released for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on Sept. 3. “Diablo 3” will retail for $59.99.

PC games have always been something of an enigma on home consoles, games that are considered a defining experience for one system can go relatively unnoticed by other demographics. A lot of the time it’s simply because it was forced onto a platform that it was inherently not meant for, causing it to feel awkward or watered down.

Blizzard claims that the console version of “Diablo 3” has been optimized with a dynamic camera that will put the focus on your character, as well as a brand new user interface and control system that should help “Diablo 3” transition smoothly from the PC to the living room. “Diablo 3” also offers four-player cooperative play. The game will support parties made up of both local and online players.

One the best things about Diablo 3 overall has to be the co-op experience it brings and, thankfully, the console versions of the game seems to handle this flawlessly. With 4 player drop-in/drop-out couch co-op and online play, Blizzard seems to have thought of everything to make the experience as forward thinking as possible.

Any PC gamers who are looking to pick up a console version will notice a few differences between the two games, as the optimization for the new market was Blizzard’s highest priority. The biggest difference between the two, visually, has to be the new inventory screen – which was changed to fit the mechanics of a controller without sacrificing the depth of its looting system. Sadly, as many people have been wondering, the in-game market will not be making its way over to the console version, also, drop rates have been decreased, but when something does drop, it has a better chance to be of quality.

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