Eurogamer.net Podcast #113: Diablo 3

Oli, Donlan and Champ talk skills, auctions, internets and Anna the Ukrainian.

Podcast by Oli Welsh Former Editor-in-Chief

Updated on 24 May 2012

Seems like, in 2012, the bigger the game launch, the more furious the message-board outcry that surrounds it. We've had the uprising over the Mass Effect 3 ending, and now it's all about Diablo 3 and Error 37gate. Meanwhile, Rockstar, previously the champions of popular outrage, barely raised a heckle with Max Payne 3; gratuitous violence is so nineties.

Anyway, a game as big and contentious and, let's face it, interesting as Diablo 3 offers plenty to talk about - so on this week's podcast Oli Welsh, who reviewed the game for Eurogamer, and Chris Donlan, who reviewed it for [REDACTED], join Tom Champion to get stuck in.

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Of course, there's plenty of debate about the game's permanent internet connection requirement and Blizzard's botched launch, and Oli reveals how he changed his mind about it over the course of the last week, and discusses the difficultly of factoring these kinds of issues into reviews.

The pair also wax lyrical about the game's incredible skill system and express mild disappointment about its loot - as well as trying to figure out what the point of the auction house is and what the impact of the real money version will be.

More to the point, we get the inside story of Donlan's hacked account, which ended with a woman called Anna messaging Oli in-game on Sunday morning and not getting quite what she bargained for.

For proof that Donlan is not in fact a lady Ukrainian gold farmer, check out the beard in this video of the podcast.

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