A question about Diablo-type games

[Your Weird Fetish]

Can anyone elaborate on the hate Diablo 3 gets -- apart from the always online & pay2win shit. I heard alotta people saying how 3 was much more linear and had less customization. I haven't played any previous Diablo or Diablo-like games, but am curious to know what was lost, and what made the old games so special for many people.

People were just used to having multiple of the same class with different builds, because that's the way you had to do it in D2. D3 just allows you to change your spec at any time, eliminating the need to ever have more than one of a class. I don't know about the "linear" comment, but I guess that has to do with the fact that most (if not all, I don't remember) of the areas aren't randomly generated.

D3 is just a lot easier than D2 in general, and a lot of old-time fans don't appreciate having their hands held. The game was developed by a completely different dev team, and apparently they had "if games are easier, more people will like them" too far ingrained in their minds from the development of WoW to do anything else.

There's less customization in D3 in general. No stats really beyond the one that makes damage go up. You have a skill or you don't, no splitting points up with build spergery. The items were less creative than some of the weirder uniques in D2 as well.

 

[DangerousGas]

D3 is just tediously grindy if you're not already at a stupidly high level. The story missions are shite, the whole thing feels hammy as hell, and it's only once you've unlocked your character skills that it actually starts to feel like you may be in danger of enjoying yourself. Multiplayer isn't bad, and permadeath does mean you have to play with a bit of care, but D3 generally is a bit 'meh' IMO.

 

[Polyboros]

Always online sucks cocks. It only takes one hardcore lag-spike death to turn someone off the game. I've been thinking of getting it on console but I can't bring myself to buy the game twice. Witch Doctor was cool though.

Online only also means when the servers go down, the game is gone forever.

RIP Marvel Heroes, the best Diablo clone ever in my opinion.

In light of the fact that it’s a different dev team, how do diablofags generally feel about the Torchlight games? It’s made by a guy that made a Diablo clone who actively sought out the original Diablo devs.

Edit:Similar question for Grim Dawn, which kind if has D2’s grungy aesthetic going on without some of Path of Exiles incredably overwrought shit.

Torchlight is medoicre. I played through both once. I enjoyed them well enough, don't really remember them, but I may someday play them again.

Have not played Grim Dawn, but a quick overview of other Diablo Clones:

Path of Exile - overrated, skill system is a fucking mess, not bad but never sucked me in, very unintuitive.

Titan's Quest - skill system is messy, but leagues better than Path of Exile, easy to fuck yourself into a hole though. Was fantastic in an era where there was no other options, will eventually give the 15 years later Norse expansion a try.

There's less customization in D3 in general. No stats really beyond the one that makes damage go up. You have a skill or you don't, no splitting points up with build spergery. The items were less creative than some of the weirder uniques in D2 as well.

I will say the one thing I've enjoyed from later Diablo III is the season armors making underutilized skills more viable. Allows them to play with things in a controlled environment, while not completely breaking the base game.