Diablo

Rating:
Summary: An above average attempt at a RPG
Review: After the success of Blizzard's RTS games, Warcraft and Warcraft II, it was just a matter of time before they would evolve to different genres. The RPG was (and is) one of the most popular types of games out there. It seemed fitting to make a game like this, but does it play well? Is it worth it?

The game has a simple premise, to journey to the depths of a labyrinth and kill the King of Terror, Diablo. Diablo has escaped from the confines of hell and is running amuck through the city of Tristram (sadly, the only city you can explore in the game). Not so surprisingly, it is your job to get rid of him and bring peace to the land. To accomplish this, the game gives you a choice of three classes of characters to choose from: the Warrior, Rouge, or Sorcerer. The storyline is linear, yet remarkably, its premise is actually quite good and has a nice twist at the end. The manual that comes with the game offers a great deal of background to the game's story, and truly shows that a great deal of time was taken into the plot.

Graphics are good, considering that the game was released in 1996. The music is tolerable but can get repetitive at times, and of course you can turn it off if you really don't like it. Control is simple, really too simple; moving your character, attacking with your character, and using spells requires the use of only the mouse. The keyboard is rarely used, turning the game into somewhat of a click-fest.

The repetitive gameplay with the mouse, repetitive music, and the fact that there is nothing truly extraordinary with the game may bore some; although RPG enthusiasts will probably enjoy it the most. Beside the before mentioned problems, the game also has some issues with the multiplayer feature. Although multiplayer through Blizzard's free online service, Battle.net, can be fun, it can also mean a lot of frustration. Due to the game's age, it is no longer supported by Blizzard, meaning that it's a hacker's paradise. From many people altering their character's stats to duping (duplicating) items, the online community for Diablo is in pretty bad shape.

Despite its problems, the game is still a classic and has set the standard for many games today. Randomly generated Quests and randomly generated dungeons each time you play means a great deal of replay value for those who enjoy this type of game.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done but Disturbing
Review: Although it is showing its age, Diablo remains a well crafted game which is easy to get the hang of. The story is nowhere near as immersive as most adventure and role playing games, but the addictive gameplay makes you forget about the lack of convincing story. Level advancement and inventory/spell management are well executed, although the inventory can get filled up very easily. Fortunately, Blizzard refined the inventory system in Diablo II. Also, the computer randomized maps help keep the replay value.

Graphics are decent, and the sound effects and music are great. The game atmosphere is very tense and can keep a player engaged for hours. The multiplayer works very well, and Blizzard is always improving that aspect of the game. The game is very gory, so this is not a quest for the weak at heart, and the satanic undertones throughout the game may make some want to steer away from this title.

Pros:
Good gameplay
Easy to learn
Good replay potential
Excellent multiplayer

Cons:
Some unecessary gore
Aging graphics
Limited inventory
Questionable themes

Diablo is a good value for more casual gamers who are not entirely turned off by the graphic violence and Satanic themes. More hardcore RPG enthusiasts, though, may find the game shallow and repetitive. If you really want this game, I would probably recommend the Mac Diablo Battle Chest, which offers Diablo, Diablo II, and the Diablo II expansion in one package.

Rating:
Summary: Still great after all of these years
Review: I dusted this off a little while ago and played through it again. It's still one of the best games ever, espcially if you put "Hellfire" on it.

Rating:
Summary: A gaming classic that's still lots of fun
Review: Diablo is now looked on as the classic RPG that brought great storyline and replayability to the world. It's still as fun as it was when it came out.

It's hard to remember now, with so many dark games out, but Diablo was really one of the first that had truly evil forces to contend with.

The graphics might be a little blocky compared to current day games, but it's still amazingly fun to play. The levels that are different each time you play, the various character classes, the assortment of armor and weapons you pick up, all add up to great fun both the first time and tenth time you go through.

Plus with on line play, you can build up a character and head through quests with your friends from around your neighborhood or around the world.

If you're a fan of Diablo 2, Dungeon Siege or other hack-and-slash RPGs, you really might want to pick up Diablo and see where they all came from. You should be able to find used copies of the game pretty easily, and even buying it new is at a discount price!

Rating:
Summary: Decent but I've been seriously spoiled by the sequel
Review: Thought I'd download this game just for kicks (after which I downloaded Hellfire for faster movement through town). And what a boring (albeit somewhat amusing) trip down memory lane it turned out to be. This game is very tedious to play (for me) after all the snazzy bells and whistles of Diablo II. Characters plod through both the town and monster-infested areas (and may spritz through town in Hellfire but they still take their time in the hostile areas). I often found myself stupidly and stubbornly pressing the Ctrl key to get the character moving. It gets rather boring for just one level, but there are four of the same to finish (of dungeons, catacombs, etc, plus the Hellfire lvls). Also, mana doesn't recharge here, another definite minus (and another thing taken for granted in II). There's other stuff as well, such as totally desecrated multi-play (which I won't even bother with), where characters cheat like crazy and kill without warning (you get plenty of warning with II and while hacking is not absent, it's moderate by comparison).

The only real plus for me is the nostalgia element and hearing such long-forgotten phrases as "Where would I put this?" and "The sanctity of this place...has been fouled!" or hearing those little fallen ones make retching noises when they die. Plus all those standing-still townsfolk ("I sense a soul in search of answers"). It's all very weird and not necessarily all in a bad way.

This game is a totally different environment than its sequel. Hard to believe I ever thought it was great. But hey, you can't spell Diablo II withouth Diablo. And it's good for a few laughs. So, nostalgia value: 7; overall playability: 5.

Rating:
Summary: Another great Blizzard Game
Review: I loved StarCraft, so i decided to try another Blizzard game. Diablo was it. Ever since I popped it in 2 nights ago, I've been addicted. I'm at the beggining to the 7th dungeon and I have a Lv.13 Warrior that kicks.... I love searching for new weapons, armor, and new monsters to kill. Some people critisized the small town in which you are based, but I think it serves it's purpose well. The town was not the reason i gave the game a 4 instead of 5.

The reason was that, so far, I have not been very challenged by the game. All the bosses were a piece of cake and the quests were not as hard as i thought they would be. Also, my uncle and friend both informed me that even the big guy, Diablo, was easy to defeat.

However! Don'r run away yet! This game is extremely addicting and is worth the 10 or 20 bucks you spend on it. Even with the problems I named, it is my favorite RPG. And, I'm not 1/2 way through yet so it could increase in difficulty.

In closing, buy this game. You won't be sorry. Just one warning: Once you get it, your grades will drop and you will lose hours of sleep... because you won't be able to leave the computer! It's time for me to go....

Rating:
Summary: A Great Classic...
Review: Although by now, Diablo is beginning to show it's age in the gaming industry, it remains one of my favorite games of all times. The combat system is very well done in which you choose your armor, weapons, magic rings/amulets, and spells in a menu and can change these based on what you go into combat with. The countless possibilities of combinations are numberless, and there is a slight variation in quests each time you play.

The theme is basically a medieval one in which you venture deep into an underground labyrinth to battle monsters and such that you've heard about, and you end up having to face monsters of mammoth proportions (The Butcher), Magical Skill (Lazarus), and a combination (Diablo). The game really shouldn't be intended for kids that are at an age where gore and such could sicken one, as there are themes of death, sacrifice, and unholiness in the game.

I found the game very enjoyable however, and at the moment it's at a bargain price. If you have played Diablo II already, you'd probably like the first Diablo, although Diablo II is much better. I'd still suggest playing the first one before taking on Diablo II. There are numerous spells and such that you can learn to aid you on your quest, and items appear randomly after battling Monster bosses (regular monsters with special powers...i.e. one with magic resistances). The game implores you to learn the lay out of the dungeon, and you begin to press deeper into the valleys of heck.
The degree of difficulty is not too bad, where after you get used to the game, you realize that all you really need is time to beat it, and plenty of saves. The usefulness of the shops and magic items also turns the tides against darkness in your favor. I'd recommend this game to anyone who's out of elementary school and doesn't mind the gore and violence to reach a game with great gameplay and a relatively detailed storyline, with interesting quests.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best Mac Game I have ever played. . .
Review: First, let me say that I have been with the Macintosh since the late eighties. I always yearned to have access to the best games that my PC friends could play. Then, I happened on Diablo II. I love this game.

With this type of game, the person usually tires of it after one time through. Not with D2. I've played it three times completely through with three different characters. I still have more characters to go.

I had zero problems installing it on my G4. It wants some hard drive space and memory, but nothing out of the ordinary for this type of a game. Installation was not a problem.

If you want a thinking person's game, go elsewhere. This is pretty much a shoot anything that moves type of game and, in my opinion, the best in its class for the Mac. Hands down.

In fact, I like it SO much, I'm heading over to buy the expansion pack as soon as I sign off this review. Buy it. If you like fantasy games, you'll love this.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent game
Review: Diablo -- Lord of Terror, Stealer of Time. I was almost late towork one day because I foolishly thought I could easily complete a quest and still have enough time to get ready. This game is meant to be played for hours at a time. Luckily, the experience is rewarding.

Diablo II was obviously written by people who wanted to make a fun game. It is easy to get into the game even if you've never played the original. The learning curve is relatively gentle, as challenges can increase quickly, but not before you've mastered the basics.

For Mac users, I would recommend a two-button mouse. The game is designed to take advantage of the extra button. The other nice thing about this game from a Mac-user standpoint is that it was released at nearly the same time as the Windows version...

There is plenty of blood and guts, so parents may wish to cast an informed eye on the Mature rating. It is set in a fantasy world, however, so everything should be taken in context.

All in all, a truly fun game that promises to continue to steal hours of my time. In fact, I think I've already been away from it for too long...

Rating:
Summary: hells yeah!
Review: okay, remember all the fun of the original diablo? Of course you do! it rocked! well, no surprise, so does the sequel! D2 is huge, impressive and nicely detailed. there are tons of monsters and bad guys. There's also no shortage of weapons, upgrades and GOLD! And, like other RPG-esque games, when your experience goes up and you level up, you can put your skill points where you want em! yeah! Multiplayer is sweet too. be it through battle.net or a TCP connection, its all good. Suggestions for playing though. When D2 suggests a monitor resolution, go with it. Second, download the update from battle.net or get it off the latest mac addict CD(unsolicited plug) the update speeds up stuff and makes m-player easier. However, there's a lot going on in D2. make sure you are at LEAST 266 mhz G3 in order to play. Also, she wants decent ram. give it plenty(at least 64) to get it going. Similarly, D2 supports almost all video acceleration. So, for god sakes BUY A GOOD CARD! . it'll make d2 look better and play faster. So, no matter what you do, play D2. its a cant miss. We all owe blizzard for porting to mac for us.show them you care! buy this game! And, for those of you who may not trust my recomendation, I unoficially tell you I work for one of the larger game retailers in america. I wouldnt tell ya to buy it if I didnt mean it. now go and kill the undead!.....uh...again!...