Diablo 4

Diablo IV continually seduces me with its promises of power and riches and regularly follows through. I’ve had a tough time putting it down even after starting fresh numerous times, and I get excited thinking about how I’ll be foiling Lilith’s plans in the months ahead as seasonal updates begin rolling out. Until then, I’m happy to continue relieving Sanctuary of its treasures – and demons of their lives – in this devilishly impressive epic.

Diablo IV, at this time, cannot escape comparison to the past of the franchise it belongs to, but it's thankfully a game that has been crafted with a strong awareness of what made each one either revered or reviled. It represents a measured approach to combining the many elements from previous entries that worked into a system that feels like the new standard-bearer for action role-playing.

Diablo 4 may not be the huge leap forward some were hoping for, but it still offers an incredible adventure through a dark, compelling world.

Overall, the story of Diablo 4 is one that is dark and gritty, but offers enough feelings of hope and power to provide an incentive for the player to keep going. The rush of defeating hordes of enemies for increasingly incredible weapons and armor simply can't be beat. Fans of the series who have been around since the original game will see a lot of callbacks to the previous titles that offers a satisfying feeling of continuity, while many of the issues from Diablo 3 feel like they have been corrected.

Diablo 4 has been an incredible experience. While I have some thoughts on the story, that has to wait for later. The game's combat felt fantastic, and the visual parity has been quality. However, I have to say that the title feels better on a controller than it does on keyboard and mouse.

Diablo 4 is a stunning sequel with near perfect endgame and progression design that makes it absolutely excruciating to put down. The story is a pretty big disappointment despite still being a noticeable improvement over Diablo 3 and there are some annoying bugs that need squashing, but the combat, the loot game, and both the sights and sounds of this world are impressive enough to smooth over those rough edges.

Diablo 4 is a time portal - you start playing it and lose an evening in a heartbeat, with a gorgeous gothic world to explore and a range of classes to experiment with, making for a compelling package.

Blizzard has taken twenty years of game design lessons and put all of them into Diablo 4. The variety of things to do in the game and the plethora of build choices feel like they come from a company that has experienced the highest highs and lowest lows in game development and taken some of those hard-learned lessons to heart. There is a lot of love built into every aspect of Diablo 4, and users will find it in every system and corner of Sanctuary.

Diablo 4 feels like the apex of the series, bringing together everything great about the previous entries. It isn't without its minor flaws, and the success of the endgame content is still up in the air, but for once Diablo has a gripping story,...