Diablo II
Narrative-driven action role-playing game with dark and compelling graphics
- Category Role Playing
- Program license Paid
- Version 1.5-beta-0.92
- Size 138.31 MB
- Works under: Windows NT
- Program available in English
- Program by Blizzard Entertainment
Diablo II is a classic action RPG with gothic themes.
In Diablo II, you take the role of an adventurer having arrived in a small, weather-beaten town. Before very long at all, you're out in the dark of the wilderness, killing monsters, finding equipment, and mastering new abilities. Based on your choice of class, your character's basic appearance will change, and so will what little dialogue they have, but the real meat of the game is in its gameplay, and Diablo II's various character classes all play very differently from each other.
Having been enjoyed by players across the world for well over a decade, Diablo II still receives token support from its developer, Blizzard, around 16 years after its release. Players still compete with each other online, trying to get the most experience points and the best gear, and when that fails, slaughtering their competition with mighty spells or dancing arrows.
Having said all of that, Diablo II has a storyline – a "campaign" of several acts, each of which features a new setting and new foes. It is often played cooperatively or competitively with other players, but it can also be enjoyed as a single-player experience. And that is recommended for new players: with enemies that kill the player quickly, and a lot of skills that are only worth investing in once to learn different skills, the game can take a little bit of effort to learn at first.
For those who've already mastered the game, though, or for those eager to do it one day, there are several other play options: higher levels of basic difficulty, of course, but there is even a "hardcore" mode that harkens back to Diablo's roots in RPGs from the 80s. In this mode, if you die, your character is erased, along with your equipment, abilities and progress. In many ways, this is the ultimate challenge, and if even thinking about that has a little appeal to you, you might enjoy Diablo II for a long time to come.
Pros
- Fast-paced combat
- Wide variety of playable characters
- Commonly played even today
- Multiple difficulty options, to taste
Cons
- Surprisingly difficult for new players, with many "gotcha" options that are not good to use
- Player-versus-player combat is extremely lethal
