Diablo II: Lord of Destruction

"A great Action/RPG game, that is very addictive!"

The creators of this game, Blizzard, has done a magnificent job in Diablo II. The game is an Action/RPG game, that is extremely fun to play, and becomes addicting. Diablo II is a very popular game, and has thousands of players on the game, each and every day. This game is very entertaining, and has many interesting features you can use. Some features include playing single player mode, where you play through out the game alone, while other features are multi-player mode, Credits, etc.

As your gameplay begins, you will see that when you create a new character, that there are seven unique classes to choose from. These classes include the Amazon, Barbarian, Paladin, Sorceress, Necromancer, and the two new classes inside the expansion set only are the Assassin and Druid. Many players focus on attaining the most powerful items, and the strongest builds for these characters. One aspect in gameplay is trading with NPCs (Non-player characters) your gold for their equipment. Another is achieving quests, and leveling your character to become stronger. There is much gameplay in Diablo II for you to experience, and it will be fun to play and experience the gameplay for Diablo II.

The story begins with a cinema, with Diablo in disguise of the hero who slain him before, destroying the town of Tristram. Deckard Cain ends up hostage, and is trapped in the town, guarded by numerous monsters. After the cinema, your character appears in the Rogue Encampment, where you begin your quest to find Diablo. There are a total of 27 quests you can achieve, along with five different acts to journey through. It is up to you to travel through out the land, and search for Diablo and finish him off, once and for all.

There are many foes, bosses, monsters, and such, that are impeding your path to Diablo. Sometimes, when defeating monsters and unique bosses, they will eventually drop items you will be able to equip and use. You character is able to equip a Weapon of choice, Shield, Body Armor, Helmet, Belt, Gloves, Boots, two Rings, and an Amulet. There are many different types of equipment to choose from, and some of the equipment you find can be Magical (Blue items), Rare (Yellow items), Unique (Gold items), Set pieces (Green items), or socketed items (Gray items). From all the items you find, you will see thousands of different attributes the equipment can possess. It is very challenging to find the best of all items, but each item's usefulness can vary depending on your character and how he/she is built for.

If you are a big fan of graphics, then you will love this game without a doubt. The graphics in Diablo II are amazing, and is another reason why this game is superb. All the character models look realistic, and the background and terrain has a great touch. All items and equipment look unique and has their own touch, and also look just as real as the real thing! The skills your character uses, the attacks, the monsters, just look absolutely fabulous. If you saw the graphics, you would be shocked and amazed at how great Blizzard has done. Nice work, indeed!

Another great enjoyment of the game is the audio sound quality. The sound of Diablo II stands out with great quality, with characters speaking clearly, and exellent sounds from attacks and skills, that will blow you away. The music, however, will make the game sound a little boring and less entertaining. It is usually filled with soothing, classic music, which does not fit in at all when you are killing monsters and the like. The music does fit in with the land and terrain surrounding you, but later on will annoy you while you are beating up on people.

The best feature in the game is Battle.net's free multi-player gaming server. You are able to play with eight players in a single game, and quest together to fight the forces of evil. It is a great way to socialize and make friends online, too. Playing online will allow your game to be upgraded and updated with a new version patch for the game, meaning more items, more fun, more experiences on Diablo II. You can compete with other players to be the top on the Ladder rankings! Absolutely spectacular playing multi-player games with other people.

If you ever end up beating the game, there is a lot of replayability you can still have. You can always choose a different character to begin a new game with, or you can continue on to the next difficulty with your current character. You can also try finding great quality items to help you further in the game, which is what most people do, but it is up to you. If you beat the game, there is still much more you can accomplish in Diablo II. You can replay the game as much as you want, and never get bored ever again. Diablo II is extremely addictive, and will have you at the computer for hours a day.

Now that you know about the game, should you buy it? Should you rent it? Should you throw it away?! Well, it is best to buy this game, since there is much you can experience. You must definitely buy this game if you want to enjoy great gameplay features, touching graphics, and excellent sound quality. I definitely recommend buying Diablo II, and you won't regret buying it, I guarantee that.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/05