"Devilishly Good"

Diablo 2 is an Action\RPG developed by Blizzard North. Not a single PC gamer in this world hasn't heard of the legend called Diablo. An oldie but a true classic, quite addictive and unique for its time, became highly popular and thus paved the way for a sequel. Now, sequels either blow and blow hard or just do the same all over again with better graphics but there are a few though that take a franchise into a whole new level and Diablo 2 is one of this few games, making the original Diablo look mediocre compared to this marvelous action-packed wonder.

Story: 8/10
Presentation: 8.5/10

The intro shows us a strange, dark, cloaked man that enters an Inn. The man is tired and can't even carry his own sword, moreover he is possessed by something… something that suddenly gains power over him and within him all hell break's loose and after a long minute the tavern and everybody in it are burned… all except one! The stranger has spared the life of a measly middle-aged man who without knowing why starts following him… Later on rumors for the return of Diablo start spreading and you, a new hero in the storyline of the Diablo universe start chasing this strange couple because wherever they are trouble is too…

While the story is once again the typical find the evil dude and kill him, it is far more complex and draws you into the game with its fabulous cutscenes, its various plot twists and the new characters you'll meet that will give you a lot of info. I absolutely loved the plot of Diablo, in fact I was so fascinated by it that my only complain is the fact that it isn't enough to quench my thirst. So kudos to Blizzard for that!

Gameplay: 10/10
Replay Value: 9.5/10

Believe the haters! The game is highly repetitive and it lacks the depth of pure RPGs. All you do is click, click, click, kill enemies, click, gather items, click, click, level up and choose new skills, click, click kill bosses. Yes the game is simple but you can't believe how addictive this game can be. First of all in an almost magic way the game draws you in, making you feel as if you are the hero, even though Diablo 2 is less a RPG and more of an Action game.

You first choose one of the new and unique 5 hero classes: The amazon, skilled with spears and bows, the necromancer who raises the dead and curses his enemies, the barbarian, skilled in melee combat, the sorceress, a young lady, master of the elements and the paladin, the defense and beneficial auras specialist. These heroes are the main attraction of the game. All are great and completely change the way you play. The next great thing in the game is the fact that the skills have nothing to do with the simple magic skills of the original Diablo. You can assign a skill in each mouse button, so you can make nice combinations. Also each class has a skill tree with three branches, for example the barbarian has a tab where passive skills are, a tab where the special skills are assigned like dual hand combat specialization and a third tab where you give your barbarian some special buffing\de-buffing war cries.

So the game starts, you have a town with all the NPCs needed for selling\buying\repairing, talking and talking\quest finding. Instead of many small quests the game in each town gives you 6 main ones, with 2-3 of the usually being simple ones and the rest revolving more around the main plot. However plot based or not the quests are pretty simple since the game is mainly a pure hack n' slash fest. Apart from the skills the fun also lies in finding items for your character in order to make him even stronger. Believe me folks, there are tons of items and range from simple swords and armor to extremely rare and powerful full equipment sets.

So pretty much that sums up the gameplay of Diablo 2. Believe that even though it may look a bit too primitive it is extremely fun… Pac-man was primitive too you know. However since everything is relative, I respect the gamers that hate this game or find it average, so beware, if you are looking for a more RPG-oriented game with more depth than pure action look elsewhere! For the rest of the bunch join one of the world's best games ever and after playing for hours in the single player game and defeating Diablo in all 3 difficulties play on the Net with your friends.

Graphics: 9.6/10
Design: 10/10

The graphic quality of Diablo 2 is so good that makes the original Diablo look older than it actually is. Blizzard was never a big name when it came to graphic engines and such but the developers quite possibly have the best designers in the gaming world, so while the game isn't the epitome of technology manages to look great even when compared with today's games. Diablo 2 once again isn't 3D, instead it uses pre-rendered 3D images for everything, but as I've said everything looks great. Wonderful level design that fortunately has more variety than the first game where all action took place in a deep dungeon and the hell that was underneath. Now you'll venture through medieval planes and cathedrals, deserts full of nearly destroyed ancient structures, vast dangerous jungles and a whole new look of our sweet home hell! The levels are much more detailed, full of various props and with great lightning and somehow look more “3D” than in the first game. The resolution is unfortunately too low for today's standards but that's nitpicking.

The new heroes look very good and more distinctive, have great animation and their appearance dynamically changes when they put on their various items and the special effects especially those used by the sorceress, look magnificent. Also great work on the monsters that range from the not-too-special little mobs like goblins and such to giant demons that look absolutely fantastic. Apart from the in-game graphics, Diablo 2 has excellent cinematic cutscenes, quite possibly the best ones of the game's time.

Sound: 10/10
Music: 7/10

Major improvements in the sound section, with high quality sound effect for everything, from battle sounds and magic spells to the enemies and the wonderful voice acting of the characters you'll meet. The music still is ok, again mainly composed of ambient tracks that suit the atmosphere of each region of the game, but somehow it lacks the mystery created by the dark music of the first Diablo.

Positives:
-5 Unique characters with many skills
-Addictive hack n' slash fast-paced action
-Very good plot\presentation
-Great graphics
-Great Net play

Negatives:
-Once again a bit too repetitive, (but still addictive)
-Low resolution
-Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Also Play:
Diablo 2: The Lord Of Destruction (PC)
Diablo 3 (PC)
Divine Divinity (PC)
Titan Quest (PC)

Overall: 9.1/10

Diablo 2 is devilishly good, addictive like heroine and one of the main reasons for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. However it can't hide the fact that it is nothing more than an item-finding, hero-leveling-up clicking fest, so people that don't like these games avoid it. The rest of you buy it RIGHT NOW!!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/09

Game Release: Diablo II (US, 06/29/00)