Diablo III

Diablo III appeared on PlayStation 3 in 2013, a year after the PC version, and the console adaptation turned out surprisingly well, in many respects even a better way to play the game. The player chooses one of six classes, from the barbarian through the demon hunter to the wizard, and sets out into the world of Sanctuary, where a falling star heralds the return of hellish forces and where the path leads from the town of New Tristram all the way into hell itself. The core of the game is classic: cut a path through hordes of enemies, collect better gear, and go back for another run on a higher difficulty.

The console version scrapped the auction house that had long damaged the game on PC, adjusted loot drops to be more generous and meaningful for the chosen class, and above all added controller-based movement with a dodge roll, so combat feels much more physical. Co-op for up to four players on a single console works brilliantly, something the PC version never offered at all. Character progression is built around unlocking skills with runes that can be freely swapped, so experimenting with a build costs nothing, and after finishing the story it continues in the form of hunting for legendary items. Difficulty tiers open up gradually, and in the later stages it's mainly about putting together a build that lets you survive under the toughest conditions.

Technically the game holds up well on PS3, the image is clean, performance is stable, and the interface was rebuilt from the ground up for TV and gamepad. The atmosphere is darker than that of many imitators, with gothic cathedrals, desert tombs, and music that works more with mood and space than with a strong melody. Contemporary reviews praised the console version, and more than one critic called it the more enjoyable variant at the time. Today the PS3 release is interesting mainly as a game that can be played entirely offline and by two people on one couch, an experience the series' earlier entries on PC never offered.