It is kind of a random mess at times with three of us, but a fun one. The 11 year old’s analysis paralysis with skill and inventory management is a challenge, but one with which we can deal. “I need to check this one more time.” Her sister and I “YOU JUST LOOKED AT THAT> NOTHING’S CHANGED.”. :D
Part of it is also that when there are 3 of us that have to do it separately on the same screen, it stretches it out, but the youngest is especially particular. Also, having never had a console (outside of the Wii), all those buttons and what they do and the opening and closing of menus is new.
I may analyze and min/max a bit, but mostly I look a second, shrug and move on so we can murdelize more things. :)
I’m not sure how intuitive it is when you’re new to the game, but each player gets a little notification in his or her corner of the screen when a new inventory item gets picked up or a new skill gets unlocked. From that notification, you can see whether the item is better than what you have equipped. You can also instantly equip the item or skill from those notifications, and you can even cycle back through them. It’s designed specifically to avoid each player having to open inventory and skill screens so often. In the interest of keeping the pace smooth, you might want to make sure everyone is clear on what those notifications are and how to use them.