Diablo III, the third major installment of Blizzard’s Diablo game series, is an action role-playing game that expands on the story of reoccurring characters Deckard Cain, Tyrael, and Diablo, and introduces new characters Leah and Adria. Released for PC on May 15, 2012, Diablo III was reformatted for console powerhouses Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 and rereleased on September 3.

“Being an avid PC gamer, I found Diablo III to be simply amazing,” junior Alex Jones said. “The graphics, cinematics, and gameplay were completely new in my experience of PC gaming.”

Diablo III introduces a talent system unlike anything Blizzard has done in previous installments, improving gameplay and overall gaming experience.

“In Diablo and Diablo II, I would constantly worry about and regret my talent choices,” junior Eric Corkum said. “However, this game encourages more experimentation, and I can find out which talent combinations are more beneficial.”

While the PC version of Diablo III was highly praised for its unconventional talent system and award winning cinematics, many people were unimpressed with the game’s handling and replay feature.

“The gameplay in and of itself is phenomenal at first, but after the second play through, it gets rather monotonous and trite,” Jones said. “Even when it still felt like the most amazing game ever, some of the controls and handling seemed more appropriate for a console rather than a PC.”

Jones’s observation was shared by many, and eventually, Blizzard took heed and began to develop a console version of the game in an attempt to pull interest back to the project.

“Even though I prefer gaming on the computer, I noticed a distinct difference in the gameplay and handling of Diablo,” Jones said. “While some aspects of it felt a bit awkward, the mechanics and character handling seemed much smoother and more natural.”

Critics and gamers alike managed to agree on the shortcomings and improvements of Diablo III’s console version–such as character handling–but one feature remains controversial.

“In my opinion, taking out the Auction House was not a smart choice for Blizzard,” Corkum said. “It gave people a chance to earn actual money from the game and cheated the company out of money of their own.”

Others, however, believe that the removal of the Auction House, an extension of the game where players can sell items found in-game to other players for game currency or real money, was inconsequential.

“The Auction House was not popular enough for its removal to really matter,” Jones said. “Few items being put up for sale were of enough import for people to want to spend their own money or even in-game currency on. Because of that, there was not enough reason to keep it.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the Auction House, players agree that Diablo III’s computer and console games were the best of the series, and look forward to Blizzard’s new expansion for the game.

“Reaper of Souls appears to be very promising,” Jones said. “They are using a new idea by bringing one of the game’s archangels back and turning him into the Grim Reaper.”

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls will offer an expansion on the story of the former Archangel of Justice, Tyrael, and his struggles against the former Archangel of Wisdom and now Grim Reaper, Malthael.

“All in all, Diablo III was the best of the series, no matter what platform you play it on,” Corkum said. “It deserved every award it got, and then some.”