@OP, thanks for your assessment and I appreciate your opinions. I just want to share my experiences with both the PC/MAC version and the PS3 version for yours and others comparison.
I purchased the PC/MAC version a few weeks after release. At the time, I was living in a temporary apartment in Tampa for work and was using a 4G hotspot for my internet access instead of a land line. So I had issues with latency and the game itself where loot could take a second or two to drop after a kill or the system would lag out. I was loving the game but always felt they were being very stingy on loot drops. At the time, if I remember correctly, the RMAH was not yet online though I wouldn't have used it if it was. (It might have been but that's not my bag) I finished Act I in a few evenings, as I like to take my time and clear everything that I come across for the xp/loot. When I started Act II, I like to think I was appropriately geared for my level and by the players guide, I was over leveled by 3 levels or so to start the next Act. Upon starting though, I got my butt handed to me by the first two bugs that you encounter. Two shotted. I tried numerous times to beat them (I'm not a bad gamer, I just didn't have the gear) and could not do it. It became clear that I would have to re run some of Act I for loot and xp, or I would have to buy gear off the AH to make up the difference. So I checked out the AH and that's when I ran into the problem. A rare weapon for my Wizard was over a million gold! I searched the AH high and low and everything that I could find that was an upgrade was EXPENSIVE to the point that I could never afford it. So I was pidgeon holed into having to grind for gear and levels to be able to move on. It wasn't like I point A to point B to get through Act I. I killed everything, explored every inch of every dungeon, etc. That was the end of my playing Diablo 3 on my Mac.
Now enter D3 on PS3 which I bought about 3 weeks ago.
I have leveled my Wizard to 60 running through the whole game on Medium difficulty. I'm well geared (IMO) for a paragon 6 character with a stable DPS of about 130k with buffs. Farming Keywardens on Master I though I feel I am going to try Master II soon and see if I can handle it. I don't play PUGS online so the cheating isn't a problem, though I can see how this could bother some being how easy it is to dupe items/mats. I mostly play solo but my 11 and 12 year olds play couch coop with me on the weekends. We love it. We can always agree how to divide up loot though I really would love to see implementation of Round Robin or Need over Greed to coop modes to streamline the process. Going through Normal mode with 3 people on the couch can get tedious with inventory management. We have a rule, no whites. So we can go a bit longer before we go back to town, then it's bathroom breaks and snacks while one person does their inventory. There have been times that I was over powered due to a great loot drop. Act IV of inferno comes to mind. I picked up a 1400DPS dagger at the beginning of Act IV and burned everything down including Diablo. But in a way, it felt rewarding. I already went through beating him numerous times, and to finish the last difficulty so powerful felt gratifying to say the least. Like I really did wipe him from the face of Sanctuary.
I do have to say, the crafting system is weird and I don't like it much. I want to like it... I really do. But I just don't. Inferno mats are not all that common due to having so many under lvl 60 items drop. I can do a Master I clear of Act IV and only end up with 6 tears. But I do convert the Hooves into tears when needed as I have an over abundance of those. I guess I would like if you could refine the crafting recipes more. I have many copies of some of them that I give to my kids. If every time I "relearned" the recipe the stats became a little more predictable I would love that. I also dislike that I can craft gear for another class (IE my daughters DH) without switching to my DH and doing it from there. I would like an option on the crafting system to turn off smart loot for crafting.
And the final piece of the puzzle is the controls. Playing a wizard has been a true joy with the controller and I am someone who dislikes controllers in general. It feels logical, easy to control, and it is just satisfying. I went back last week and tried to play the Mac version again and disliked it even more. My dodge stick is always being used and it just feels great. As a glass cannon wizard, being able to dodge on command is so amazing!
So to sum it up, no the console version is not the end all be all of the Diablo universe. It does address many issues that I had with the PC/MAC version that made me feel like it was a waste of time. Players who are heavily invested in the current PC version may very much dislike this version of the game but I know that I am not alone in the world in my opinion of the original. I was on the fence if I was going to get a new console when they come out soon and I am now sure that I will get a PS4 just so I can play Diablo 3 on it.
Thanks for taking the time to tell us how you feel and I hope none of what I say comes off as offensive. This is just my take on what the game is to me.
0
I purchased the PC/MAC version a few weeks after release. At the time, I was living in a temporary apartment in Tampa for work and was using a 4G hotspot for my internet access instead of a land line. So I had issues with latency and the game itself where loot could take a second or two to drop after a kill or the system would lag out. I was loving the game but always felt they were being very stingy on loot drops. At the time, if I remember correctly, the RMAH was not yet online though I wouldn't have used it if it was. (It might have been but that's not my bag) I finished Act I in a few evenings, as I like to take my time and clear everything that I come across for the xp/loot. When I started Act II, I like to think I was appropriately geared for my level and by the players guide, I was over leveled by 3 levels or so to start the next Act. Upon starting though, I got my butt handed to me by the first two bugs that you encounter. Two shotted. I tried numerous times to beat them (I'm not a bad gamer, I just didn't have the gear) and could not do it. It became clear that I would have to re run some of Act I for loot and xp, or I would have to buy gear off the AH to make up the difference. So I checked out the AH and that's when I ran into the problem. A rare weapon for my Wizard was over a million gold! I searched the AH high and low and everything that I could find that was an upgrade was EXPENSIVE to the point that I could never afford it. So I was pidgeon holed into having to grind for gear and levels to be able to move on. It wasn't like I point A to point B to get through Act I. I killed everything, explored every inch of every dungeon, etc. That was the end of my playing Diablo 3 on my Mac.
Now enter D3 on PS3 which I bought about 3 weeks ago.
I have leveled my Wizard to 60 running through the whole game on Medium difficulty. I'm well geared (IMO) for a paragon 6 character with a stable DPS of about 130k with buffs. Farming Keywardens on Master I though I feel I am going to try Master II soon and see if I can handle it. I don't play PUGS online so the cheating isn't a problem, though I can see how this could bother some being how easy it is to dupe items/mats. I mostly play solo but my 11 and 12 year olds play couch coop with me on the weekends. We love it. We can always agree how to divide up loot though I really would love to see implementation of Round Robin or Need over Greed to coop modes to streamline the process. Going through Normal mode with 3 people on the couch can get tedious with inventory management. We have a rule, no whites. So we can go a bit longer before we go back to town, then it's bathroom breaks and snacks while one person does their inventory. There have been times that I was over powered due to a great loot drop. Act IV of inferno comes to mind. I picked up a 1400DPS dagger at the beginning of Act IV and burned everything down including Diablo. But in a way, it felt rewarding. I already went through beating him numerous times, and to finish the last difficulty so powerful felt gratifying to say the least. Like I really did wipe him from the face of Sanctuary.
I do have to say, the crafting system is weird and I don't like it much. I want to like it... I really do. But I just don't. Inferno mats are not all that common due to having so many under lvl 60 items drop. I can do a Master I clear of Act IV and only end up with 6 tears. But I do convert the Hooves into tears when needed as I have an over abundance of those. I guess I would like if you could refine the crafting recipes more. I have many copies of some of them that I give to my kids. If every time I "relearned" the recipe the stats became a little more predictable I would love that. I also dislike that I can craft gear for another class (IE my daughters DH) without switching to my DH and doing it from there. I would like an option on the crafting system to turn off smart loot for crafting.
And the final piece of the puzzle is the controls. Playing a wizard has been a true joy with the controller and I am someone who dislikes controllers in general. It feels logical, easy to control, and it is just satisfying. I went back last week and tried to play the Mac version again and disliked it even more. My dodge stick is always being used and it just feels great. As a glass cannon wizard, being able to dodge on command is so amazing!
So to sum it up, no the console version is not the end all be all of the Diablo universe. It does address many issues that I had with the PC/MAC version that made me feel like it was a waste of time. Players who are heavily invested in the current PC version may very much dislike this version of the game but I know that I am not alone in the world in my opinion of the original. I was on the fence if I was going to get a new console when they come out soon and I am now sure that I will get a PS4 just so I can play Diablo 3 on it.
Thanks for taking the time to tell us how you feel and I hope none of what I say comes off as offensive. This is just my take on what the game is to me.
Cheers Mate!
~Vaughner