Image via Complex Original
Grab your axe, learn your spells – Evil has returned. Review after review, Blizzard Entertainment’s latest release, Diablo 3, has blown the dungeon doors off of PCs and laptops everywhere. We already know that the trilogy’s long-awaited entry is great but why is it so addictive? Why is it that when we have ten minutes here or thirty minutes there, we go to medieval war in the land of Tristram? Why have relationships suffered? Why have jobs gone unmanned and why have gamers everywhere sold their soul to Blizzard just to fight the devil? Here are 10 Reasons Why Diablo 3 is Addictive.
The Story
With the series debut back in 1996, gamers were introduced to the land of Tristram and its hellish siege by the fallen angel Diablo. A land was under attack. We wanted to know about Deckard Cain. We were concerned about the lost minded town fool. We read about the Skeleton King’s fall from grace and the Butcher’s appetite.
Diablo 2 and its expansion pack gave us angels and an epic battle. Now Diablo 3 has continued this decade spanning tale. From its opening scene to its completion, Diablo 3 tells a story and its one that we're excited to hear.
The Graphics
Sporting a custom 3D engine, Diablo 3 shows players wet lands, brick houses, flickering lights and rotting flesh all with great visuals. The streets of Tristram, the gray stone of dungeons and burning lands look more realistic than on any other game around. Even when running on minimum, Diablo 3 does an amazing job of showing us the world we're playing in thus making it hard to forget that we are in a virtual scene and not knee deep in wetlands or sand. The look and the desire to see more of it has us coming back for more every day.
Deckard Cain
The carryover NPC from Diablo 1 and 2 has returned. From the trailer and the opening cinematic, the return of evil shatters Cain’s home, leaving him lost to an infernal hole. His ultimate fate will remain a secret here but there is something refreshing to his aged face. Cain offers gamers information about the current adventure and his memoirs appear with every new beast encountered. Cain and his niece Leah are the stability to the shifting land of jungles, burning towns and hellish ash. It is worth the next zombie, spider or demon just to get Cain’s wizened take on what you’re battling.
Voice Acting
A game is much like a movie or theatrical production. Without the right actors, it falls flat. Diablo 3 has a cast of seasoned stage and screen presences that flush out the gaming experience. You actually stop to listen to the dialogues between characters. Consider this roster – Dorian Harewood, Robin Atkin-Downes, Carl lumbly, Crispin Freeman, Jennifer Hale, Dominic Keating and Simon Templeman to name a few. Fans of sci-fi TV and film will recognize many of these actors and the numerous projects they have worked on. Their performances will drag you into the game.
High Replay Value
You could rush through Diablo 3 trying to beat it in record time but it would be like running through a museum with your eyes closed. Diablo 3’s classes of adventurers and their separate paths to power make this game worth playing again and again. Listen to the witch doctor’s need to follow his gods. Witness the barbarian’s quest for honor. With each journey, the layout, NPC party members and monsters can change thereby altering the game and make you want to relive the adventure all over again.
Multiplayer
The brave can go it alone but so will the foolish. Enlist the aid of a fellow gamer and hunt the fallen one to the ends of the world. Being able to go against the forces of darkness with a friend adds more playability and makes us call, email or text our crew to see whose got time to join in. The multiplayer angle also allows for PvP gaming which lets players battle it out on various maps. The social connection that multiplayer can create sparks the urge to connect with like minds all the time – further feeding the Diablo 3 addiction.
Bragging Rights
Who wouldn’t compare achievements like Breaking Not So Bad, Secrets of the Ages and Diabolical? You can gloat to your buddies and fellow gamers about your rich stash of magical weapons and reptile pants. Your friends and online acquaintances can regale you with how quickly they killed Aranae or Ghom. What about your comparisons of who cleared the Acts the fastest? Diablo 3, like any good game, allows players to sport badges and medals worthy of energy-drink infused chest-puffing- even if these bragging rights only exist while Battle.net is running.
Leveling Up
There is something deeply satisfying about the growth of your near powerless adventurer. The sudden aural burst as your character shouts a declaration with their new level speaks to a simplicity that every gamer wishes they had in day-to-day life. One’s gains are based off what one does. This addictive curiosity is what drives us to what lies ahead for the demon hunter’s skills or the wizard’s magical powers. It's an addiction that eats at us and has us traveling far to battle evil despite time or place of day. It's the thing that made you late for work because you wanted to get your monk to level 20.
Game Progression
There is a nagging feeling to any Diablo 3 player that says “what’s next?” or “how many more skills can I unlock today?” The progression of your character and their journey pulls you in and refuses to let go. You want to know who the "Stranger" is. You need to wander the deserts of Act 2 or look with disbelief at the palatial settings which await you later in the game. The building of friends in each act that were not available before and the growth of items you experience all lead to progress and that is incredibly addictive.
The Feel of Being Rewarded
We do things and we are compensated. It is a clear path to that basic reptile part of the human brain – gratification. Whether it be extra experience point gains for the most enemies killed at once or the copious gifts released by a boss’s death, the cause-and-positive-effect aspect of Diablo 3 is truly addictive. The combination of progress, leveling up and a storyline speaks to the part of us that wants things simple again. It's that part that wants to trade department meetings at work for a vampire broadsword in Bastion’s Keep. We give in to Diablo 3 and it makes us feel good for doing so.
Conclusion
Adventurers beware – Diablo 3 has claws that reach far and deep. With amazing gameplay, graphic and sound achievement and an environment built for PC gamers, Blizzard’s latest production rules. It also controls, demands and never lets you go. We’ve waited for over a decade for this game and it has finally arrived. German poet Friedrich Schiller once said “Accursed be he who plays with the devil.” Those that battle Diablo know the truth of these words and this game, like any tempting addiction, is at its best when surrendered to.
