"Highly Addictive? Hardly..."

Surely if you are a PC Gamer, you've played Diablo II. Back in the day, Diablo II was a high-quality game, in which millions of people came on Battle.Net to rework their character to perfection. However Diablo II overall isn't as great and addictive and many say it is, and the game gets repetitive, really and I mean really fast.

Graphics 8/10
For a pretty dated game, Diablo II has some decent graphics. The game can look a bit blocky a times, but overall the environments and details put into characters are very nicely done, with the exception of terrain being the same a lot, it needed more flavor. Blizzard has amazing abilities with FMV movies (as seen in StarCraft and WarCraft III) and Diablo II is no exception. Diablo II has some highly impressive FMV cinematics.

Controls 8/10
The Controls as well are very solid in this game, and eliminate some strains of some control schemes. There is absolutely no way to move the camera up or down, it always stays locked above your character. To move, you may either click a location, or hold down the mouse button around locations to continuously move where you have the mouse held down. I felt Blizzard should have taken out the entire stamina system completely, since I think a player should always be able to run, or make it a long time before stamina drains, because walking is just too slow.

Sounds/Music 9/10 (Sound) 1/10 (Music)
The sounds are definitely what can make Diablo II what it is. The footsteps of enemy units, sword clashing, all very nicely done for it's time and age. The sound also adds to some of the dark and creepy dungeons. The major flaw that deducts from overall sound is lack of music. Where is it? It would have been nice if it had SOME sort of soundtrack to it. This may please some people, since they can listen to their own music, but I just thought Blizzard was lazy not to include some in game music to increase the flavor of the game.

Gameplay 6/10
This is where Diablo really manages to lose steam. Diablo II is entertaining at first, but within a few days, you will already get bored, especially with today's currently lineup, Diablo II is just a game that should dissolve into the past of Blizzard. To combat, you click, or hold down the left mouse button. Or right click to use your spells and abilities. Yep, that’s it for the entire combat system. Now how boring is that, a constant clicking game with 3D graphics, not fun at all, just play a flash game for no cost that involves clicking to kill an enemy. Leveling up also takes awhile and gets nerve racking after awhile. Once you are in the teen levels, you will notice that it will take you an hour to level up or so, that is insanely long for one level up. Overall, how the game flows in Diablo II is extremely poorly done, and it needed a better combat system, and many some interesting mini-games to add to it. There is about 6 classes of warriors to pick from, each having their own unique abilities to reign supreme in the Diablo II realm .However when it all boils down, it’s the same stuff in a different wrapper.

Multiplayer 7/10
Diablo II's saving grace was Multiplayer. The biggest entertainment and replay factor is to head on Battle.Net with a bunch of friends, form your own party, and go through the quests together. It's always fun to co-op with a friend to complete a game working together. It is also possible to link up with some high-level players, and ask them to get some good equipment earlier, making your journey a simple one. Another major gripe I have with the elements of Diablo II is dying. When you die, all your equipment is lost, with a gigantic proportion of your gold at times. This means that you must find your corpse where ever you died, and recover it to get all your equipment back. This can be a huge pain if the area you died in has very strong monsters, causing you to make breaks for your stuff a lot. All the multiplayer elements only keeps the flavor going for a little awhile, even with other people around, who don't necessarily have to play with you, this only makes the game lasts a few weeks or so.

Lord of Destruction Expansion
The LoD expansion for Diablo II definitely adds some replay to the dry Diablo II. With thousands of new items, and monsters, it makes your journey more rewarding in the end. It also includes two new classes: The Assassin and the Druid. Both are two interesting additions to the Diablo II universe.

Recommendations
Diablo II is like an old style MMORPG, with much less people, and much crappier game play. If you are looking for the approach of forming parties, with defeating monsters, with a BETTER combat system, consider various MMORPG games. Such include the EverQuest series, World of WarCraft, and Final Fantasy XI. Note that some fees may apply. If you are looking for an interesting MMORPG type game, with some RTS elements combined, with no fee, try Savage: The Battle of Newerth. If you are looking for a great straight forward RTS game that is made by Blizzard, try StarCraft and/or WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos.

Worth the Cash?
Diablo II's price has dipped considerably, and you can purchase the Diablo II Battle Chest which comes with Diablo, Diablo II, and the Lord of Destruction expansion, which comes to only $40. Or you can just buy Diablo II for as low as $13, and the expansion for around the same price. It's easy to purchase Diablo, but just read this review carefully if you are deciding to purchase it. There is also a demo on Blizzard's website. Be sure to check it out if you are strongly considering this game.

Final Words
Many people say this game is one of the most addicting games that they have played. While I agree, I don't agree for as long as some people do. This game only stays interesting for a few weeks to a month or two at latest. The repetitive battle system, and the various cheats, and sold item distribution over the internet, giving insanely huge advantages over other players, is what bogs down offline and online play. You will probably be more satisfied in the end with an MMORPG, or some of other Blizzard's well-known games.

Overall Score: 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/06/04