Diablo

"A Blizzard game...on a console?! Sweet!"

Diablo for the Playstation should be in your video game collection. I spent hundreds of hours on this great game. Once you play through the game you’ll realize why anyone would spend so much of their time on a game such as this.

Gameplay: 10
Movement is easy to get the hang of. You move in the direction you push according to the screen, and not the character. So this concept is easily mastered as you learn to fight and travel further into the game. Everything from trading in town to fighting and looting monsters flows together very nicely. Once you memorize every button and what they do, you should practically whiz through the game. Since there are 3 different character classes to choose from, I found myself spending hours upon hours going through the game with each one. Also, the reason I like this part of the game so much is that you can also play through the game with a friend on cooperative mode!

Story: 10
Although there are some holes in the details of some side stories, the main plot wraps up extremely nicely throughout the game. I very much enjoyed what the townsfolk had to say to you at different parts of the game. From the beginning to the end of the game I was enthralled with the storyline. Books and tombs also add to the overall plot, which I found very cool when you come across one.

Graphics: 7
Not as polished as it could have been. You’ll find yourself squinting to find items that are laying on the ground. Your character will also look quite bland in the beginning of the game. Dungeons and background images are nicely done however. Moving images (such as monsters) will have a few animations: Move, attack, and die. Also, when you attain a neat looking spell, say Nova for instance, don’t expect it to be anything too “over-the-top” in the visuals department.

Sound: 8
The town music is my favorite sound in the whole game. It is a seven minute piece of music that repeats if you stay in town that long. You’ll find yourself growing accustomed to it shortly into the game. Dungeon music is very well done. As you go deeper into the game, the music and ambient noise will get more mysterious and scary. You’ll begin to hear moans and scratching sounds off in the distance. Although, these sounds are good, there are some that get on my nerves. The sounds of fighting will be as repetitive as ever. Monsters have roughly 3 different noises they can emit: an attack sound, a magic sound (if they can cast magic), and a dying sound. Though, some monsters have war cries which I thought was a very nice addition to the game.

Replayability: 10
I spent so many hours going in and out of town to look at the different items the vendors have. I found myself saving the game, then loading for hours on end just to get a better weapon or piece of armor. I’d say I have easily spent over 150 hours playing through the game. Definitely an addictive action game.

Overall: 9
I love this game. It’s great for the casual gamer, and great for the hardcore gamer. With an awesome story, fun gameplay, and interesting sounds this game have you coming back time and time again. Walk, run, fly to your nearest video game distributing installation and pick up this game. It’s definitely a game worth adding to your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/03, Updated 07/31/03