Avoid this product until EA allows people to enjoy the single player offline
584391
The game forces you to play online even in single player, which has zero gameplay advantages yet causes extremely long load times as well as slow-down, crashes, and other technical issues. For the life of me I can't imagine why EA won't allow the game to be played by yourself, especially after the negative reaction to Sim City, is it some kind of DRM? Avoid this product until EA allows people to enjoy the single player offline, it's a waste of $60.
2605434
The single player racing for this game is good, with decent graphics and good sound effects.  However, if you want to race online, forget it.  Don't waste your money.  I don't know exactly what the problem is, but it is practically impossible to find an another player to race with online.  Judging by the number of "help me" message posts on EA's website, many others have the same problem.  No one seems to have any answers.

I bought this game to race online, as they advertised, so it's a frustrating waste of $20.00.
356265
Graphics are amazing. The transition screens and music are dead on from the original movies.

That being said, the game leaves much to be desired. There are only 4 battles you can take part of off line. There are no campaigns, or conquests, and from what I can tell, no stats being taken of your offline play. Also, split screen only allows you to play AGAINST the other player. Very repetitive and downright boring.

Very disappointed. Hopefully EA does the right thing and releases a huge update to give more off line options.
35456
What I hoped would be a brilliant addition to my favorite series has been utterly gutted by EA. Server overload and connection issues make the game almost unplayable. Don't buy this unless you like the soundtrack so much that it's worth $60 to hear it play (for a loading screen) while you do other things around the house.
4842641
If you don't have an internet connection, you cannot play this game. That's a dealbreaker. Please make sure you do not purchase this game. EA has destroyed a franchise.
768225
The lack of an offline play option is a SERIOUS drawback.  Suppose I wanted to play this on a long airplane ride?  Or, in my case, up at my cabin where I have no internet access?  Not possible.  Blizzard really screwed up by not allowing an offline play mode for D3.

The only reason why I gave it an overall two stars instead of one star is that I am actually enjoying playing the game.  BUT, I would much rather play it on my main PC with its 22" screen and high power graphics card which will NEVER have internet access (by choice).  Instead I am stuck with having to use my laptop with its 14" screen (my only D3 capable PC with internet access).

So, in summary...
- If you had planned to play this game offline most of the time, do not waste your money on this offline-unfriendly product.  You WILL NOT be able to play this game without an internet connection.
- If your internet is available 24/7 and never breaks down, then you'll have no problem playing this game.  Buy it and enjoy it and think of all the rest of us who feel we wasted our money expecting the capability to play offline.
949070
No offline play. What a rip off. I should have read full details. Buyer beware...
1971431
I was enjoying this game on xbox for a long time.
Now got PC version ti play online with PC friends and I cannot use it.
It constantly looses connection with EA servers and does it either on beginning or on the last wave loosing all the progress.
Store does not work too. It took me 5 restarts and 20 minutes just to make one purchase.

Checked online if I'm alone with these problems - and not. Many people experiencing issues and both Origin and EA are aware but no fix issued so far.
I wish I can refund this purchase as there is zero value for me.
1612968
I paid $60 for a game I can't even reliably play, thanks to EA's DRM! I'm very frustrated!

Hopefully EA will rectify this by removing the DRM for paying customers!
4848185
Reinforcing what previous reviewers stated, without both a Live account (even for local solo play) and the EA servers functioning properly (Christmas morning is a joke) this game is unplayable. I regret buying it for my 8 year old son.
1755404
A great idea wrapped up in EA's horrible DRM. It's an awful experience. Please do yourself the favor and avoid this game.
1873366
This always on DRM is ridiculous. Being forced to have an always on connection to play what is essentially a single player game is ridiculous. EA is ridiculous.

I've had this game for a couple of days now and I've yet to play it. Server are always down. When I do connect, I'm disconnected even before a game can start.

EA needs to patch this game so you can play it without an internet connection. What a bunch of BS.
1977330
Diablo III, unlike its predecessors, has resorted to using an always online DRM feature so that they can pursue online micro transactions.  The problem, which has now be revealed over and over, is that their service is not always going to be online.  In this case, their service is rarely online.  Two days after purchase, I have managed to play 20 minutes of time.

In a persistent, online world, this can almost be forgiven.  In what was, and likely will, remain a mostly single player experience, it is not.

The second issue is that since it requires a persistent connection, the performance of the game suffers badly.  Playing on a I5-750, 16gb of RAM, ATI 5850 was a stutter filled experience.  This is when I was playing ALONE.  I wasn't waiting on other players packets, I didn't need to sync with servers.  I was trying to enjoy a single player experience with a game that I have always played single player.  While the stuttering is not so bad that it's unplayable, it is jarring enough to mar what could be a decent game... that is, if you can actually get in to play it.

To say that this is one of the industries bigger let downs, might not be much of a stretch.  I am sadly thinking that this game will sit alongside other luminaries: Duke Nukem Forever, Battlecruiser 3000, Daikatana, as over hyped and substantially under delivering.
425821
SimCity is really fun - if you can get online to play it.  It's fun to build things, watch Sims walk around, drill oil, etc...but for some reason you need to be online to do all of that.  Is it to play with other people?  Not so much...It's mostly to prevent piracy.  In practice, it actually just prevents everyone from playing it.

Way to go, EA =(
1817499
Safe yourself the money and don't buy this game. At least not for PS3. The game constantly lags or boots me out despite the fact that my connection is fine. I'll put another game in to play online and it works fine. Not to mention you pay the same price for a game that used to come with a campaign mode. I'd still be playing black ops 2 if it were better maintained.
4446841
This is a great game with a huge variety of fun vehicles, heart-racing air-dropped bombs/missiles, and interesting weapons. The single-player is a long trip and it's a fun one with a constant stream of new weapons and vehicles unlocks. The destructible environments can't be beat either. Don't want to go through the front gate to that base? That building in your way? Then knock it down with a few anti-tank rounds, let the dust clear and charge in!

Other than that, no version of this game can be played in co-op mode any more. EA, those disgusting, rights-hating, maggots disabled the EA online servers required to play the game with friends. The servers were only up for 17 months before they did this.

Even if you buy this game, be prepared to create an "EA Online" Account in order to play the game which is also a frustrating and annoying experience that is poorly implemented. That account creation part, though, they still have that up and running. They managed to figure that out.

Everything about this game is great, except that one day it may not play for you at ALL, even in single-player. If the EA account validation servers are taken down then you just flushed your money down the toilet. Pandemic, the developer did a great, great job of making a fun and unique game. It's just a shame that they sold their publishing rights to that disastrously de-humanzing and liberty-freedom-apple_pie-loving-customer-humiliating-money-grubbing-garbage-strewn-immoral-mess of a company called EA.
4840674
WARNING: IF YOU BUY THIS, YOU MUST HAVE AN INTERNET CONNECTION TO EVEN PLAY IT!  YOU WILL ALSO HAVE TO ALLOW STEAM TO ACCESS YOUR COMPUTER EVERYTIME!

This game is fun.  There's no doubt about that.  However, the amount of fun I had with it was limited due to the fact that in order to play the game, I had to have a connection to the internet, have steam installed on my computer, and have a games for windows live account.  When I bought this game, I bought the game because of the franchise and I knew it would be good.  But they have infected it and alienated me as a consumer.  Talk about trying to avoid piracy... all they are doing with all these DRM infected titles is forcing consumers to go out and find a cracked version.  They will eventually force themselves out of business.

If I buy a piece of software, I intend to be able to play it without an internet connection.  If they want me to activate it online or something, fine.  I have a key for that since I bought it.  Don't make me connect to your stupid software everytime I want to play a game that I PAID FOR!

Game companies better start wising up.  There will be a day of reckoning very soon, and I don't think it will be in the game companies favor.  They need to get their heads out of you-know-where, and start listening to the people that pay their salaries.  YOU AND I!!!