Diablo III Console Reviews

While it’s true that early reviews are generally more positive than late ones, the first reviews for the console version of Diablo III are fairly impressive, with the game’s port receiving almost unanimous praise from the press.

Eurogamer, 9/10.

Diablo 3 on console is one of the best co-op games money can buy. It swings smoothly from easygoing to intense, with perfectly paced pockets of downtime, and is capable of swallowing entire evenings in a single, voracious gulp. It’s a Lego game for loot-hungry grown-ups and it gets better with every player you add. If you have co-op partners who would also enjoy it, this version is an essential purchase. If you don’t, it’s still easier to recommend than the PC game; almost as slick, even more flexible and usable and without that troublesome always online requirement.

Diablo 3 is a bold, bloody, opulent romp built around a ruthlessly simple distillation of action role-playing. It’s perfectly comfortable in its new home on consoles, and so is Blizzard.

GameInformer, 9.25/10.

The console version of Diablo III is different from the PC version, and some diehard fans will denounce it for that reason alone. For me, however, it’s different in all the right ways. With an engaging new control scheme, fewer online hurdles, and all the depth of the original, taking on Diablo’s legion of demon lords has never been more enjoyable.

Official Xbox Magazine, 9.0/10.

With Diablo III, Blizzard had the unenviable task of following up one of the most enduring role-playing games of recent memory and then successfully porting it to an entirely different platform and control scheme. Dispel any doubts you might have had: thanks to some smart tweaks and changes, Diablo III is a deep, spirited game that fits right into its new home.

EGM, 8.5/10.

In fact, the only thing I find truly questionable about this console release of Diablo III is its timing. Anyone who desperately wanted to play the game likely plowed through the PC version months ago, and I’m not certain if the changes here are dramatic enough to draw them in for another playthrough. If, however, you skipped out on Diablo III because you were turned off by the idea of a mandatory Internet connection, if you’ve been meaning to play it but didn’t have a capable PC, or if you’re a total newcomer to the franchise looking to get onboard, this port is certainly worth your time.

Official PlayStation Magazine UK, 8/10.

Starbreeze’s Syndicate, Ninja Theory’s DmC and 2k Marin’s original design for its Xcom shooter were all lambasted for taking liberties with their source material, somehow missing the point of their prequels. Diablo 3 by contrast is nothing if not the essence of the original games, and the anachronisms it displays in everything from an absence of character customisation to low-rent animations are more endearing than underwhelming. It’s an ancient evil residing in a new place, and the marriage of Blizzard’s defiantly old-school dungeon-crawling with its mesmerising craftsmanship works unquestionably. A deceptively simple and expertly constructed Beelzebub-basher, translated smartly for a platform not immediately receptive to the genre.