Diablo II

"Worlds of excitement and adventure!"

Have a seat and relax. This could take a while. There are so many excellent things to say about this game! Basically, this Blizzard marvel is a sequel to Diablo. You select the type of character which best suits you, and your adventure to save the Earth from Diablo continues once more! I don't want to spoil any major storyline elements for you, so you'll have to find out on your own. Now then, to continue speaking about this marvel to behold.

Gameplay: 10/10

For this type of game, the Gameplay is at its peak. This is a point-and-click RPG at its best. In its preceding game, Diablo, your character basically ''walked'' everywhere you ventured. It didn't have any certain ''pace'' to it. That's been taken out. Your character now has the ability to run, and the speed depends on the equipment you wear. A stamina bar judges how much longer you can go before having to catch your breath. This somewhat adds a little more speed, or pace to the game. Walking everywhere gets very dull very fast. Also, this game is no walk in the park. The first couple of Quests start off as cake-walks, but the difficulty gets increasingly harder. There are four mind-stressing acts which you must complete before undergoing the ultimate challenge! More /very cool/ items have been added. So now you have more of those nifty uniques, rare, and crafted items to choose from. Not to mention you can contribute status points into your character to heighten his/her attributes! Just like the old version. Only this time, your character can reach level 99. That's a load more levels to gain than before. Also, skill points are distributed to obtain different skills & magicks your character can learn. Each character has a different skill tree, so everything isn't the same.

Cinematics/Audio: 10/10

My favorite part of this game. The cinematics are simply breath-taking! They make your imagination run wild. The images are very vibrant and good-looking. It's simply candy for the eyes! The sound is fluent, and clearly expressed. The voices are very clear and concise. The sounds made by the casting of spells and different attacks have been refined and are excellent. Cinematics and Audio deserve the high score I gave them.

Graphics: 10/10

The characters look astonishing. The spells are well-produced with excellent imagry. The cinematics are vibrant and absolutely breath-taking. The different individual items and accessories are constructed perfectly and look the same way as well. The graphics are so marvelling, that it's nearly impossible to use words to describe how astounding they are! I was expecting big, and new things graphic-wise when I purchased this game. Not much to my surprise, I was right. :)

Story: 10/10

Diablo II has a very strong and supported storyline. It constantly makes you wonder what's going to happen next! Or, where am I going to end up now? Loads of NPC (Non Player Characters) exist in Diablo II, here to throw little hints at you, or even tips & observations they've made. Each plays their own role in this new, epic tale. The game is composed of 4 Acts, with 21 quests to complete. This game has a LOT of longevity, even AFTER you beat it. Like I said before, there are so many things you can do in this game, it's unbelievable! There are unique, or significant different items to work for, new levels to obtain, challenging obstacles to overcome! It takes an assiduous player to complete this game with perfection.

Challenge Factor: 8/10

The Challenge Factor is very level. The strength of different individual enemies varies as you move farther and farther into the game. It also depends on the statistics of your character as well. The game can get unchallenging when you collect the best items, reach your maximum level with extremely high skill levels. But this takes persistence and concentration. So don't expect to achieve this goal in just a couple of days. Although it IS possible, I doubt you would. The Challenge Factor is good, with an 8/10.

Replayability: 10/10

After completing this game, you'll want to keep playing for hours and hours more! There are many, many new items to collect in this game. There are also new secret areas to visit. Also, I forgot to mention the Horadric Cube. This nifty little tool has been added to Diablo II. Using it, you can use different items, and transform them to form something completely different! You never know what combination you'll get next! So there are new items to obtain, new areas to visit, new enemies to destroy, and higher levels to attain. The Replayability is excellent. 10/10.

To Buy, or to Rent:

With all of the supportive details I've given you with this review, how can you say no? Definitely buy!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/02, Updated 02/25/02