This past weekend marked the first time the masses could get their first taste of the highly anticipated dungeon crawler from Activision-Blizzard, Diablo III. Many people, including myself and my roommate, devoted the majority of our weekends to slaying mobs and gathering all the loot we could get our mouses on. The instant I sat down in my chair and entered the game world, I finally knew what had been missing from my life for over a decade; the urge to advance my character further through the levels, and to acquire the best gear available to me, while praying my mouse would not burst into a million pieces from the ridiculous amounts of clicking it was about to be the recipient of. Diablo III is definitely a return to glory for Blizzard (as if they ever fell from it), as well as a game that holds tons of promise for countless hours spent in front of the computer screen. Though short, the beta contained more than enough to give any fan of the series, new or old, a taste of what is to come and to leave them begging for more.

While I did devote the majority of my weekend to the beta, I did have other responsibilities to take care of (stupid homework). Due to those other obligations, I was only able to two of the classes the game had to offer; the returning Barbarian class, and the new Monk class. Both had their advantages and disadvantages, but in order to avoid any spoilers for anyone who might have missed the beta (and who might actually read this), I will discussmy time with the Barbarian, and just leave my time with the Monk as a very enjoyable experience.

Oh the mighty Barbarian… it was the first class I played in Diablo II, so in order to keep the tradition going, I set out to make it the first experience I had with Diablo III as well. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. From the second I smashed my first skeleton enemies to a million pieces, I could only imagine what sorts of awesomeness lied ahead. The Barbarian in Diablo III is the only returning class from Diablo II, and the way the class is played has also made a return. Whether you chose to be a tank, or an all-out damage dealer, the Barbarian’s main resource is Fury, which functions similar to a Warrior’s Rage bar in World of Warcraft.  I chose to go with the relentless play style of a dual-wielding Barbarian, to bring down my enemies with a whirlwind of steel and brute strength. Though my playtime was short, I could not have been happier with what I encountered and cannot wait until I am able to advance further.

Diablo III hits stores on May 15th, 2012.

Please feel free to share your thoughts of the beta in the comments section.