Rating: 
Summary: Repetative and linear
Review: I liked this game. I'm actually a huge Blizzard fan, which means I spend a lot of time waiting, but the games are always worthwhile. HOWEVER, I just didn't see how this game took about 4 years since Diablo I and only improved as much as it did. The graphics are almost the same! My $1200 monitor and Voodoo3 card were waiting to do something spectacular, but went to waste. More importantly the game was linear and repetative. You can't finish quests out of order and there are no side quests to keep you occupied if you want to level up before moving on. I replayed part 3 about 6 times to get to level 29 and it got pretty damned boring. Also, part 4 took me about 3-4 hours-total. I won't spoil the end, but at level 30 I won on the first try without a problem. One more complaint I had was that Blizzard did that Diablo I trick of making you face same monsters over and over again, while making them different colors and more powerful. Lame. Overall this game was disapointing. Although I don't regret buying it, I found myself finishing it just to finish it. I guess I have to wait another 3 years for Starcraft II, so I'm going to go get Icewind Dale now.
Rating: 
Summary: Who says this game isn't great?
Review: Diablo 2 will probably win an award for most underappreciated game of the year. It's interestin to see so many people bashing a game that, if you actually think about it, is exactly what people were expecting.The original Diablo was a fun game, in that it was addictive and people who liked repetetive hack and slash action enjoyed it. However, it only held appeal for a very narrow branch of gamers. The rest of us wanted strategy and something else to make fighting endless hordes somewhat more interesting. Enter Diablo 2. By adding a horde of various skills and tweaking a lot of code, the original Diablo battle system returns with a punch. Imagine being a huge barbarian: instead of just hacking everything to pieces, you leap 7 meters into the fray, slash a few monsters, block some attacks with your shield, leap out again and just for good measure, give a huge shout to scare off any pursuers. You clamber behind a wall and equip a bow to shoot monsters from between the bars of a jail cell before they catch up to you again and you decide that *this* time, you're going to equip *2* swords and do a huge double slice attack. Sounds a lot better, doesn't it? The graphics of this game are also highly under appreciated. Everyone seems to think that it looks basically the same...but in reality, the graphics have improved in many, many ways. Take the lighting effects for example: walk around any pillar in a dungeon and you will see some of the most beautiful lighting effects ever created. Every animation is smoother, more pronounced, and easily distinguishable. But enough about the graphics. Even smaller changes to the game system have made it so much more enjoyable. The concept of "tomes" - huge collections of identical scrolls - have freed up inventory space for everyone's characters. As previously mentioned, the skills system is huge and allows for crazy levels of character customization. But the biggest, most incredible part of this game is the multiplayer. Diablo 1's major fault was that you could import a character from your single player game and use it online. In addition, a monstrous number of hacks and other programs of that nature went into circulation so that everyone online had the best of everything...where was the enjoyment? There wasn't any - I stopped playing Diablo online very quickly because of the lack of enjoyment. This time around, Blizzard got smart - online characters are stored online and cannot be modified short of hacking Blizzard's character database, because none of the character data is stored on your machine. Multiplayer has become that much more fun because of it. And last, but not least, the storyline is much improved. No more of this "we live in one town and walk into the same dungeon to fight everything". Diablo 2 actually has something of a storyline, and a new quest system that enables you to more clearly see the benefits of doing favors for the townspeople you encounter. In addition, the world map is huge - and easily travelable due to the added concept of waypoints. To conclude, people who are saying this game is a Diablo 1 clone are obviously not very attentive, or are playing both games without half as much enjoyment as they can offer...
Rating: 
Summary: It's Diablo 2
Review: Alright, first off, I believe Diablo 2 is well worth your money. Before I get into the minor things, I'll go through why you should get it. The amount of play you get with this game is myriad, single player or battle.net. Yes, its a traditional hack and slash, getting the items and killing diablo, but its addictive and trust me, its a LONG game. On battlenet, you got different levels of play, including hardcore, which is a one life game, a challenge and kind of like a reward to get one. There are a lot new items, set items for instance, which are pretty neat. Then you got the skill tree, a different one for each of the 5 characters, so it gets attractive to play through the game with each person. Now some cons...the graphics are a bit dated, yet still exceptional, with great lighting and environment. There are 4 towns, but most of them are identical but in a different landscape. There are a few other small things, but all in all, its a very good buy.
Rating:
Summary: A very good game
Review: Still people complaining about bugs? I've played the game for hours on end, and I havn't even met any. In any case, if compared to other games that the developers don't spend as much time on, this has virtually no bugs at all. This is a very good game! The graphics might not be perfect, but look at it this way: they are not real 3-D graphics, in other words, they don't look like big polygons, the characters actually look like real people. Even if you don't like the graphics, the game is highly addictive and fun to play. And in my opinion, the game is VERY good. The story is good, the world is cool, I love the jungle and the desert acts, and the cutscenes are outstanding. The game feels very different from the original diablo also... the running, the fact that it does not seem like a grid, the music, the sounds, the weather, the scorpions that you can squish in the desert, the Shamans, the OUTDOORS. Also, I see someone complaining about not having the option to make a custon character... well, get over it, this isn't a pure role playing game, in pure role-playing games you have the option of talking to the monsters before reducing them to bloody pulps, and other role-playing games drag on and you get lost, and things like that. EITHER WAY, you have a fight, a magic fighter, a missle and ranged weapon specialist, an auffensive sorcerress, and an evil summoner..... WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? A thief or something of that nature wouldn't last long against the hordes of raging, demonic minions... now would he? The game isn't perfect, but it is still a great game, and there are few games coming out nowadays that can even stand up to it. Planescape torment is alright, but it is dull, and at the place where I am in the game, it is impossible to escape because I don't stand a chance against the monsters... AND THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT... in Diablo II you always stand a chance, and it does not grow old or boring, it is ALWAYS fun to play, and what more do you really need?
Rating:
Summary: escape from reality
Review: Had enough of your real life? Had enough of The Sims? Then get your computer chewing on Diablo II as soon as possible. Every second you delay keeps you from enjoying another creative wonder from Blizzard. Be prepared to use your brain as well. This game will force you to make important decisions before and during gameplay. While this may frustrate some lazy gamers, Blizzard knew that a little extra strategy and a lot of user choices are all part of a great gaming experience...(plus an Amazon in shining armor).
Rating:
Summary: Bigger, Better, and Badder
Review: Diablo, Lord of Terror, is back, and this time he has even larger hordes of hideous powerful minions out to get you. Diablo II (Blizzard Entertainment ...) is the long awaited sequel to Diablo, one of the most popular hack-and-slash PC games of all time. The wait is over. Keep your sword sharp and your reflexes honed because Diablo II is a nonstop battlefest with the forces of the darkness. The game is based upon the same formula as the original. The gamer plays a hero who battles through many levels until a confrontation with the Diablo at the conclusion. The gamer may choose their class of hero from Amazon, Barbarian, Paladin, Sorcerer, or Necromancer. While each hero has a preset starting attributes, the gamer may customize the character as they gain levels, weapons and different powers and abilities. By the higher levels each character, even those of the same class, can be very different. The game does have a plot, and some impressive cinematic cutscenes between segments, but those efforts are easy to forget in the nonstop action. The major changes in the sequel deal with scope and size rather than the playability. There are far more levels, more monsters, and more heroes from which to choose. Diablo II is about four times larger than the original. Diablo II also has an improved multiplayer option including a feature that allows play with and against others on the Internet. The remaining changes are minor improvements, like changing the interface so that the player does not need to wear out the computer mouse. If you are looking for an intellectual challenge, you have come to the wrong place. Diablo is grim, violent, graphic and not intended for the young children or the faint at heart. Even the battle hardened may feel a tinge with the lights down and the hordes of undead approaching.
Rating:
Summary: AWSOME!
Review: I think the tittle sums it up
Rating:
Summary: Good decision
Review: After MUCH deliberation, I finally took the plunge and bought Diablo 2. I was unsure at first because there were so many mixed opinions, I'd find a review with five stars than one underneith with one! Well, am I glad to have made the right choice. The game is the biggest thing since AD&D in RPG's. I'll admit that the plot is not as engrossing as Baldur's Gate (which I also have, highly recommended) but it is very methodical with the quests and how everything is tied it. I like the idea of having five characters to choose from, and the skill tree is an awsome idea. To me, the graphics are awsome, the blood, movement, and environment are very realistic. True this is not a complete RPG, it still has all the elements of it, making Diablo 2 one of the most innovative, and challenging RPG's out there. I have a DVD ROM drive and I had NO problems with the installation or playing the game. The sound and graphics work great on my Dell. If you like RPG's you will probably love Diablo 2, my suggestion is to download the demo before buying, or make sure it is returnable, just in case! Overall, D2 is a fabulous and entertaining game my pick for Game of the Year 2000!
Rating:
Summary: Great fun, the best game of it's kind.
Review: This game is without a doubt, one of the most addictive games ever released. The enjoyment you get from developing your character and watching as he or she kills all of the evil creatures is indescribable. With this game you have more options availible for your character with five classes and thirty skills for each. Also, when you complete the game once you are given the option to play in nightmare mode which is harder, but much more powerful items are dropped. After that, there is Hell mode which is VERY hard and there is even better weapons and items. All of this on top of terrific multiplayer adds up to very good value for your gaming dollar. The only flaws in this game are the less than spectacular graphics, which aren't horrible, but they could have been better. Also, the hardcore RPG crowd might not like this game as it is more action oriented and doesn't have the intricate character customization that "true" RPG's have. If this was a review for that type of game it wouldn't have gotten five stars, but taken for what it is, which is action/rpg, you can't find a better game.
Rating:
Summary: disappointed in defects
Review: We have not been able to play the game. There are several quirks that need to be worked out. The blizzard tech support has listed them, but does not have the solution as of yet...quite disappointing to spend so much for a game we cannot play. No, its not our system. We justed upgraded. Oh well!
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