So I picked up Diablo III on its PC launch day and played through it on Normal and enjoyed it, however it wasn’t as fun as I wanted it to be because I was never really playing with people I knew like I did with Diablo I and II and often played with random strangers. Today I picked up Diablo III on its console launch day for the 360 and this time I’m much more excited.

The console version of Diablo III features 4 person local co-op. You can fire it up, hand out 3 other controllers and sit on the couch drinking beers as you hack and slash your way through thousands of demons together. This is the way a Diablo game should be played. 

So far I’ve played a bit of it online with random people just to get a feel for the console controls and I’m absolutely in love. No more hovering over a keyboard, I can kick back in a recliner and play through Diablo with a controller in hand on the big screen. That is what I loved about Torchlight on the 360 and I’m glad Blizzard has finally brought Diablo to consoles (again).

Diablo III on the 360 plays quite well so far. I’ve never played a wizard character before so I created one tonight and it’s quite easy to play. The aim assist works wonderfully and it’s not difficult at all to hit your intended target with spells. Attacks / skills are mapped to the right trigger and face buttons and you can flick the right stick to dodge attacks and it all feels very comfortable and natural while playing.

Some of the most fun couch co-op games from my high school years were Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 1 and 2 on the original Xbox and I’m quite excited to relive that kind of gaming experience with Diablo III on the Xbox 360.