Diablo III - Starter Edition is FREE! No more real money or gold auction houses

[Overmind One]

I just played the Diablo III Starter edition which is free if you have a paid game (I have Starcraft II and WoW). I found it to be very very cool in terms of graphics and feel, and the gameplay was very cool I had played Diablo III when it was released but was disappointed because the drops in the dungeons were next to nothing. You almost HAD to visit the auction houses to get items, and yes we are talking about actual money! People were making lots of money selling items in the auction houses, and you could not really get around that unless you spent hours in the dungeons waiting for stuff to drop from dead creatures.

Anyway, the game is better now and the drop rate has increased a lot, at least in the Starter edition. Im thinking about getting the whole game. Here is a video of gameplay (not me):

 

[shavedape]

Reminds me of God of War.

 

[Overmind One]

Reminds me of God of War.

After beating the free boss that comes with the DIII Starter edition (The Skeleton King), your only replay options are to play as the different races. I am particularly fond of the Wizard and the Witch Doctor, and the Barbarian is sheer brute force. Fun to play, but honestly the gameplay feels more like a ported over WoW and less like the gameplay in Diablo and Diablo II. The graphics are a big improvement over Diablo II, and they really work well in the dungeons. If you are a fan of the quest type games where you build your characters over time, this is great for that.

Im still not going to shell out for the full game yet because Blizzard says there will NEVER be offline gameplay available. This means that if you do not have access to the internet, you cannot play the game. Asinine.

In the Diablo gameverse, Diablo III is the SGU of the series. Diablo I and Diablo II were spooky, had heavy horror elements and dark dusty dungeons with many levels to explore for magical and powerful items. It made for hours of awesome gameplay found in no other game. But Diablo III looks almost the same as World of Warcraft. It plays like World of Warcraft too, except you do not get the freedom to do your own quests like you can in WoW. You follow a linear story that the game forces you to follow. Variation comes from playing as different races. Im rambling here... Not much replay value.

This thread at the EU Blizzard says a lot.

http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/4941486367

 

[shavedape]

After beating the free boss that comes with the DIII Starter edition (The Skeleton King), your only replay options are to play as the different races. I am particularly fond of the Wizard and the Witch Doctor, and the Barbarian is sheer brute force. Fun to play, but honestly the gameplay feels more like a ported over WoW and less like the gameplay in Diablo and Diablo II. The graphics are a big improvement over Diablo II, and they really work well in the dungeons. If you are a fan of the quest type games where you build your characters over time, this is great for that.

Im still not going to shell out for the full game yet because Blizzard says there will NEVER be offline gameplay available. This means that if you do not have access to the internet, you cannot play the game. Asinine.

In the Diablo gameverse, Diablo III is the SGU of the series. Diablo I and Diablo II were spooky, had heavy horror elements and dark dusty dungeons with many levels to explore for magical and powerful items. It made for hours of awesome gameplay found in no other game. But Diablo III looks almost the same as World of Warcraft. It plays like World of Warcraft too, except you do not get the freedom to do your own quests like you can in WoW. You follow a linear story that the game forces you to follow. Variation comes from playing as different races. Im rambling here... Not much replay value.

This thread at the EU Blizzard says a lot.

http://eu.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/4941486367

I hear you on this. Right now I don't have a need for an online gaming feature. I've tried a few online games like COD and was bored to death by them. Same with the Halo series (sorry Halo fanbois).

I also prefer games that are more original in design and content. That seems harder to find each year though. The "hunt and fetch" theme can get tedious very quickly unless the designers have really put thought and originality into that gimmick. It can be done. Games like Bioshock (the first one) and Resistance (the first one) and Fallout 3 all have an originality about them.

As for God of War, the first two were fun but they did get a bit tedious eventually. Not a lot of replay value I thought. Didn't bother with GoW3.

 

[Illiterati]

I play WoW, DIII, Hearthstone and StarCraft II.

Of those, Hearthstone is free.

 

[Overmind One]

I play WoW, DIII, Hearthstone and StarCraft II.

Of those, Hearthstone is free.

Wait...you play Starcraft II? I soooooo want to play you! I play all of those (not Wow much anymore), and I see Hearthstone in my free list but I fired it up once and it is a card game isnt it? I didnt play. Is it any good? I have the full versin of SC2 plus the expansion. I believe I have posted video of me playing on here somewhere...but I have been playing offline because most everyone on Battle.net seems to be a "rusher" and I hate that. You never get to build much because some idiotic, boring Terran wants to rush within the first 4 minutes of the game. One of two things happen:

1) The Terran (or Zerg) rusher can be defeated by building your defenses first before spawning fighting units (then the Terran Marines get slaughtered when they rush). If the other player is a rusher and they encounter resistance like that and their first Marines get slaughtered they will leave the game.

2) The Terran or Zerg rusher encounters no resistance to the rush, and proceeds to damage your structures and destroy your spawning fighters as they are created, sucking the life out of the game. You can hang on and perhaps even win if the other person continues to build their base and not just more Barracks or Hives. The rusher usually only builds Barracks and Hives and when they can build air units before you can, youre done.

Hearthstone...is it any good?

 

[Overmind One]

I hear you on this. Right now I don't have a need for an online gaming feature. I've tried a few online games like COD and was bored to death by them. Same with the Halo series (sorry Halo fanbois).

I also prefer games that are more original in design and content. That seems harder to find each year though. The "hunt and fetch" theme can get tedious very quickly unless the designers have really put thought and originality into that gimmick. It can be done. Games like Bioshock (the first one) and Resistance (the first one) and Fallout 3 all have an originality about them.

As for God of War, the first two were fun but they did get a bit tedious eventually. Not a lot of replay value I thought. Didn't bother with GoW3.

I got bored of CoD too and Halo. I loved Crysis, but the demands on a PC are way too high unless you have a really high end gaming computer with Crossfire and tons of CPU and graphics power. Nobody to play with online much! CoD is the new "old" WoW in terms of fandom. It has become the game that "everybody" is playing . Halo bored me too. I like Bioshock, have not played Resistance. I liked Fallout 2 but have not played Fallout 3 yet. You ever play Starcraft II?

 

[shavedape]

Have not played Starcraft yet.

Fallout 3 starts out really lame but once you get thru the first "chapter" and out into the world it really gets going good. There's a linear story line but you aren't forced to follow it.

And Resistance is pretty good for a FPS. It has a WW2 feel to it. They made changes in the sequel that made it lame though so I'd avoid that one to be honest.

 

[Illiterati]

I really do enjoy Hearthstone. It can be frustrating at times, but I get over it.

 

[Overmind One]

Have not played Starcraft yet.

Fallout 3 starts out really lame but once you get thru the first "chapter" and out into the world it really gets going good. There's a linear story line but you aren't forced to follow it.

And Resistance is pretty good for a FPS. It has a WW2 feel to it. They made changes in the sequel that made it lame though so I'd avoid that one to be honest.

Starcraft II can be played offline. But if you have never played Starcraft, then the original will still be awesomely fun. Starcraft II has stunning graphics and fun units. It is a strategy game, and you have to collect resources and build buildings and units. Awesome gameplay if you like strategy games. First person shooters are another fave, but I havt really played one since the Quake days. Call of Duty and DAYZ were cool.

 

[Overmind One]

This game is now $19.95 for the Standard full edition, and this is down from 39.95 less than 5 days ago. I went for it, and man am I having fun with this game! It isnt quite like Diablo II, and it is a whole lot like WoW, but it is quest driven. Diablo II was somehow more fun to play, but the graphics and music and more involved lore in this one was worth the upgrade. There is no offline play available, like there is even in Starcraft. Blizzard does not plan to make it available either. In a way, I cant blame them because Diablo II hackers found ways to break just about every rule. They found ways to upload equipment builds at spawn, to kill in the town, to be invisible to other players they were attacking (so they could steal their gear), etc. This one has none of that going on. It is fun to play in a different way.

Right now, I am using a Witch Doctor and he is at level 19. He is accompanied by the Enchantress, a Gargantuan (one of my spells), and three Zombie Hounds (also a spell). Here is an example of gameplay (not me playing). You can join up with friends on Battle Net to play this.

 

[Illiterati]

glad to hear you're having so much fun with D3. I thought it was worth every penny I spent on it.

 

[Overmind One]

glad to hear you're having so much fun with D3. I thought it was worth every penny I spent on it.

I loved WoW as well, and this reminds me of it a lot. But I like the fact that I dont have to pay a subscription to play it. This one is addicting in a way that Starcraft II isnt. In that game, I am obsessed with building defensive and offensive strategies to defeat multiple enemies who are evidently only attacking me because I am present. In Diablo 3, you have a reason for killing the bosses and for going on your quests to find stuff. In WoW, you find stuff that makes you more powerful, but it feels more like treasure hunting than seeking solutions to finding a victory. Its really a great game. The trial version I had was played out. I had tried every character and killed the Skeleton King countless times. Now, Im just finishing killing Magdha the Witch and going on a new quest.

 

[Illiterati]

Just wait until you finish the first difficulty level and move on to the next one. LOL My brother and I really enjoy playing it.

 

[Overmind One]

Just wait until you finish the first difficulty level and move on to the next one. LOL My brother and I really enjoy playing it.

So I've heard! I am playing normal level, but I understand nightmare level is insane. I swear, some of the bosses seemingly take 10 tries to kill just on normal level. It tool me 6 tries to kill Magdha. But leveling up is often and easy enough, and when you have companions with you things are easier.

 

[Bluce Ree]

 

[shavedape]

 

[Overmind One]

 

[Bluce Ree]

See how smiley guy is indestructible?

 

[Overmind One]

See how smiley guy is indestructible?