Diablo 2 is one of those games that will be argued about for years, and rightfully so. It is both a sequel to a fantastic game, and a product of Blizzard, who has developed a reputation for making polished games. Why the mediocre score then? A combination of things keeps this game from truly living up to it's pedigree. The first Diablo was an atmospheric gem, and really was a lot of fun to play. I logged many, many hours on it, and played through it several times. The key word to focus on here is "atmosphere." The music was creepy, the game was dark, and you got to hack through a lot of demons. Not bad. Along comes Diablo 2, and with it rides the hopes of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of gamers. Unfortunately, D2 fails to deliver the intensity of the first game. D2 does several things right, including adding additional classes, changing locales several times, allowing you to run (thank God), and the new skill system. The best of these is the new skill system, which really allows for some decent customization, and is the ONLY reason this game may be considered an RPG. These skills can legitimately make one fighter differ from another to the extent that replay really is created by including them. Unfortunately, D2 moves away from the "Dungeon Crawl" roots which made it so great in the first place. The outdoor levels are mind-numbingly repetitive, and some of the locales are very drab. Your opponents have also undergone some changes for the worse, and none of them are remotely as scary or interesting as the demonic hordes found in the first game. Others have lamented the game's RPG claim, so I won't go too deeply into that. Suffice to say, D2 has no dialogue options, a completely linear story, and very little opportunity to "roleplay" aside from the aforementioned skills. I'd treat this as an action game, not an RPG. Graphics and sound are OK, but nothing fantastic is happening here. The excellent soundtrack makes a return, but the atmospheric underground of the first game has given way to several other generic locales. The notable exception is the Arabian Palace, followed up by the pocekt dimension of a crazed Wizard; easily the best stage in the game. It is also worth noting that the last area seems incredibly tacked on, and I seriously doubt that the developers meant it to be as short as it was. The cut scenes are INCREDIBLE, and are almost worth the price of admission. They are the only real driving force of the story, and the game would be utterly anemic without them. Still, they are not enough to save the game from it's own repetitive nature. All in all, Diablo 2 is a decent game, but is crippled by repetitive gameplay, and the enormous shadow of it's brilliant predecessor. If you haven't played the original, give it a shot first.
(Note: This review is based on the game when the Lord of Destruction expansion pack is installed, hence I'll be basing the game when elements introduced in the expansion are implemented into the gameplay i.e. class-speci... Read Full Review
The original Diablo made a sensation, winning praise among the critics and gamers alike. This second game in the installment is just as great. It sticks to the same old formula of its predecessor, while building up on th... Read Full Review
