Are you a devoted dungeon crawler, but prefer to go on adventures in bed with a controller instead of sitting at a desktop computer? Well, you're in luck; Blizzard announced that their critically-acclaimed action RPG Diablo III (or Diablo 3) is officially headed to Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 this September.
While PC and Mac players have been grinding for experience and slaying enemies in Diablo III for over year, Blizzard's June 6 press release promises that console gamers will soon get to enjoy the same experience.
"The console versions of Diablo III have been custom-tailored for gamepad-driven action, with a dynamic camera perspective that puts your hero front and center, as well as an all-new user interface and an intuitive control system that make vanquishing evil feel like second nature." said Blizzard in the announcement.
Aside from a console-friendly control scheme, Diablo players will be able to enjoy online multiplayer on either platform just as they would on PC. But here's the real kicker: The console version of Diablo III will support local co-op for up to four players, allowing groups of friends to hack their way through endless hours of dungeon adventures in-person. This will surely come as a delight for those who yearn for the console hack-and-slashers of old, such as the Lord of the Rings and Baldur's Gate games.
No big console release gets announced without some sort of pre-order incentive, and Diablo III is no exception. Players who reserve their copy of the game on Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 will gain exclusive access to the "Infernal Helm" power-up, which allows players to gain experience points faster than ever.
While the current-gen console port of Diablo III will likely be a hit amongst players who don't have a capable PC or Mac to play the RPG on, the news comes as a bit of a surprise for anyone who watched February's PS4 reveal. At the time of Sony's big event, Diablo III was teased as one of the big exclusives for Playstation 4, while Blizzard has now made it clear that all current-gen gamers will get a crack at their wildly popular multiplayer game.
It's rather significant that this will be the first version of Diablo III that can be played offline, as the title has had plenty of issues with DRM on PC in the past. This may entice jaded PC players to give the title another go on their Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.
Diablo III will hit current-gen consoles on Sept 3 for $59.99, and will include all of the current updates found in the PC version. Will you be joining the fight against the Lord of Terror on your console?
