Some genres are defined by their ancestors. Doom begat the first-person shooter, Grand Theft Auto begat the open-world game, and Diablo begat the hack-and-slash RPG. But unlike the others, the hack-and-slash still carries the moniker of "Diablo clone," nearly 20 years after its creation.

Loot system is exciting; Strong presentation; Console version is a very strong port

You won't care an ounce about the story; Network issues persist; years after release; Grinding to defeat harder difficulties lacks the excitement of the quest to hit 99

Like many of the one-sided NPCs that appear within Blizzard's third summer-vacation‑to‑Hell, it sure feels as if there's something special lurking beneath Diablo III -once you get behind all the odd trappings and poor design decisions, that is.

Addictive gameplay; beautiful graphics; and challenging scenarios will keep you thinkin' and clickin' for a while

Poor plot decisions

When it comes to Diablo, one should expect a sense of finality when an upgraded version features the word "Ultimate". After all, where do you go after defeating The Devil? Developer Blizzard's answer--in the Reaper of Souls expansion--was a villain that was the closest thing to Death.

Exceptionally accessible to newcomers; Well-implemented social features; Dungeons and fields rich in bonuses; Monster killing begets more monster killing; loot; and experience; Lives up to the Ultimate name

Some classes aren't as suited as others for solo play

If you asked me to sum up Diablo III in one line, here's what I would say: it's an average game that you should play, at least once. Now, that may sound like an oxymoron but let me explain. There's really nothing wrong with the game.

Polished gameplay; Great graphics; Immersive sound

Constant internet connection; Too easy the first time around; Best gear outside of the world of Diablo; in the Auction House

Calling Diablo III highly anticipated is an understatement – this sequel was released almost twelve years after its fondly-remembered predecessor. Since so many gamers spent countless hours playing Diablo II , it would seem that Diablo III would need to be near-perfect in order to live up to its...

The combat is fast paced and satisfying; The sound effects really hit the spot

Diablo III 's story falls flat; Every character will have the same skills at the end of the game – only items differentiate you from others

"It's just clicking," they harp, they being the collective mind called The Internet. It's not true, of course, at least not strictly speaking, as there is plenty of tapping the 1, 2, 3, and 4 keys, and sometimes even Q. If we're not speaking strictly, then yes, it's very true.

A refinement of the familiar; Action-RPG satisfaction that feels personalized

Always-online DRM is as belligerent as it gets

The amazing thing is that no matter how much I've played Diablo 3 on the PC (and it was a lot, believe me), it was just tremendously entertaining on the Xbox 360, even though I knew what to expect around every corner. Same enemies, same environment, same bloody story.

Smooth and almost flawless gameplay that's still hellishly addictive (almost diabolically; in fact); a game you'll enjoy from start to finish and you'll probably start playing it again once you're done; plenty of class-specific loot awaits this time around

It's been a long time since the PC version and still no fresh content, they could've at least put a new class in; interface issues in local co-op

You've been patient and waited for this game to come out in the four years since it was announced. Was it worth it? Is it a worthy successor to the Diablo franchise? Will your mouse love you or hate you? Find out in this review.

Gorgeous graphics; Loot whores: this is your brand-new bag; Lots of variety in gameplay

What's with that abrupt ending; Limited follower outfitting; Where's the PvP; My mouse finger hurts

Diablo III is a great game. It manages to deliver a top-notch experience with satisfying gameplay, decent graphics, impressive sound and a solid multiplayer. Sadly, it's being let down by the mandatory internet connection but, once people stop overwhelming Battle.net and Blizzard realizes that it...

+Great dungeon crawling gameplay; +Seamless online multiplayer; +Interesting story

-Mandatory online connection; -Graphics don't look great when zoomed in

The Good : Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, here I come! Addictive Diablo formula remains strong. The Bad : But, like Starcraft 2, Blizzard has taken the safe route, changing very little. The Ugly : Always online DRM. No way to play without an Internet connection.