So I’m kind of going to treat this like an ongoing review of Diabo 3, and then I’ll probably write a full review once I beat the game. I’m still having a ton of fun, and have even started some side characters. But my main man, Djibouti the Witch Doctor, is still kicking ass. Last night I beat Act 1, and we’ve moved on from Tristram to a new desert level…just like in Diablo 2. Does Blizzard really like desert levels?

Plus Diablo has a friend! Eurydice the Monk! She’s played by my girlfriend and frequent co-op partner, 1wombat4u.

Us and our pet zombie dogs

That’s us in the new desert city Caldeum. We haven’t gone in yet, but no doubt it will be even more exciting than Act 1 in New Tristram!

I’m still definitely enjoying the game. It plays exactly like the earlier Diablos, and they were great as well. It’s one of the most pure RPGs out there. You fight monsters, you explore dungeons, you arm and armor yourself with the loot that drop sand you keep going. I love those kinds of games. And with a friend, it’s even better. Though it’s a shame that most of the loot you find is only good for selling, and even then most of it is only worth 2 or 3 gold a piece. Djibouti has had the same stinking dagger for 5 levels now. Finding one with a higher damage rating just doesn’t happen very often.

And I’ve decided not to bother with the Auction House. It would just take too much effort.

And here we are in the torture chamber of the Black King Leoric

One thing I’m loving about this game is that they’ve done away with the traditional melee attack. I was wary at first, because melee is an old standard. It’s how Diablo 2 used to work. You clicked on a monster to attack them with your weapon, and that was it. Spells and special attacks were controlled separately. Melee is still in Diablo 3 if you want it, but they have done so much more! Each class has a special attack that replaces your basic melee. Instead of costing you Mana or whatever your character uses to cast spells and special attacks, this new basic special doesn’t cost a thing. Sometimes it even adds to your pool.

For example, ‘Bash’ is a fairly simple attack for the Barbarian class. You could Bash in Diablo 2. It was basically just hitting the monsters harder with your equipped weapon than a basic attack, but it still cost Mana.

Not anymore. Now Bash adds to your Mana pool, and costs you nothing to simply use Bash as your primary attack. So every single hit I make against a monster is a Bash. Which means combat is just that much more badass.

Djibouti has a Poison Dart attack like this. I could stand people with my dagger, if I want, but the Poison Dart attack takes my weapon damage and increases it! This concept may be difficult to explain without actually experiencing it, but I’m kind of expecting a lot of my readers to also be playing Diablo 3. So I’m sure you understand. It’s just awesome and makes fighting much more intense than basic melee combat. I love it.

Two badass demon slayers!

Djibouti is getting up in level, and soon I’ll have access to all the awesome powers that come with being a Witch Doctor. Like Rain of Frogs, Zombie Wall or Locust Swarm! I can’t wait to show you those!

After two days of playing, Diablo 3 remains a fun game. And now my Witch Doctor character, Djibouti, finally has some gear that makes him look like a proper Witch Doctor. No doubt some even better gear is on the horizon, but I feel like sharing.

He’s ready to kill Alvin and the Chipmunks

Diablo 3 has done a great job with individual characters. I’ve discovered that both genders for each of the five character classes (Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Monk, Sorcerer and Demon Hunter) are not only fully voice-acted, but have unique cut scenes devoted to each character. Granted the cut scenes are pictures and not actual movies, but still, impressive stuff.

For a Witch Doctor, Djibouti is pretty noble.

I haven’t managed to do anything too cool yet, other than to kill the Skeleton King, but who is that really? The first level explores the old Cathedral from Diablo 1, so that was kind of neat. As a Witch Doctor, Djibouti can conjure zombie dogs, flaming bats and poisonous frogs to attack my foes. He can also throw a jar full of spiders at them. I definitely picked the right class.