The original Diablo was the first RPG I ever played, and it introduced me to character stats, spells, and the addictive nature of loot hunting. While I was never able to best the prime evil of the original game (I was six... it was scary), I did fall in love with the lore of Sanctuary and its revolving door of heroes that arise with whatever demonic threat walks the world.

Oh! And loot. Loot is kinda awesome. And then there were set items and things got crazy.

Diablo III took what people loved about the previous installments in the series and refined them into what I could only call a perfect game loot loop. Hunting for equipment has never been as satisfying, and the breadth of gear options in Diablo III is staggering. Add in the customizable skills and runes of each unique character class and the ongoing content support from Blizzard and the result is an almost endless game experience.

Considering what Diablo III looked like at launch and what the team at Blizzard did to revitalize and rescue the game, it is pretty incredible to think there was ever a time where D3 was ever anything but incredible.

In the end, it's just another testament to how special the game truly is.

You want some loot? I got your loot right here. Diablo III is an action RPG that has sharpened to a fine point the loot hunt that defined the endgame of its predecessors and imitators. The six playable characters are unique and interesting, the combat is fast and satisfying, and the quest for better equipment is just a blast. The quantity, quality, and diversity of the different items in Diablo III are excellent, and players have a myriad of ways to build and tweak their characters.

I won't spend many words defending Diablo III's story, characters, or atmosphere (which are more memorable in Diablo II), but that's not why I continue to play it. Every few months Diablo III's seasonal patches give players new goals to strive for and small changes to the grand treasure hunt that is the real reason I keep playing. Diablo III is one of my favorite action RPGs ever, and I can see myself returning periodically to it for years to come.

Diablo III has changed so much since it was first released in 2012. Even with all of its initial flaws, I loved the original game and poured countless hours into grinding for loot and experimenting with the different classes. Since then, the updates have been countless and varied. Gone are all of Diablo III's rough edges, leaving only a perfect game.

Coming into this Retro Encounter I had nothing but good memories attached to Diablo and thankfully this playthrough only added to them. Most of my experiences had been prior to the enhancements or new areas that have since been added. With my Retro playthrough I was able to finally enjoy these improvements in all their glory and boy are they amazing!

Diablo III is a special game. People still are playing Diablo II 17 years after its release and I could see me doing the same with Diablo III. They perfectly capture the feedback loop of kill, loot, enjoy, and repeat. Even now, just talking about it has made me want to play some more. Hold on a second; I'll be right back, after I finish this dungeon...