Retroview - Diablo 2

Official Site: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/d2/

Source: Youtube Channel XdiabloX125

Diablo 2 is considered by many PC gamers as the best Action-RPG gaming has to offer, and it took me 10+ years to find out.  I finally tried out Diablo 2 last week after beating Torchlight (created by developers who worked on Diablo 2, Fate, and Mythos) and playing Titan Quest last week and found that many gamers still prefered Diablo 2 over it.  I had previously tried out D2 a few years back when I was still busy with college and didn't have the time to truly sit down and play the game very much.  Both Diablo 2 and Titan Quest took about 1-2 (maybe even 3) hours before I started having fun.  It feels slow and monotonous in the beginning as it introduces the story and the gameplay mechanics to the player.  But once the real challenging enemies appear, better loot falls out, and the player gaining incredible skills, the game gets really interesting.  One very refreshing concept that I always liked about older Action-RPGs is exploration, and Diablo 2 is a ton of that.  Sure, the player can revisit past dungeons and gain experience/get better items; however, the player is rarely in the same spot or area for more than a minute.  Many RPGs, especially MMORPGs, have players fighting the same spawn of monsters for long durations (for some, it could be hours, or even days).  Loot can come in all varieties with some being strong, other more useful, and most being useless.  There's isn't a strong linear equipment progression that a lot of RPGs have which forces the player to stick with the same equipment until they find the next level.  In Diablo 2, the player has to delegate which equipment would be more beneficial.  Diablo 2 has such a strong sense of dynamics in every aspect of the game that I'm surprised so many RPGs now (not all) seem to have gone so linear.  I suppose it makes it easier to progress through the game without having to plan and organize as much.  After playing Torchlight and Titan Quest, I wasn't prepared the first time my character died in Diablo 2.  In Torchlight, you can choose to sacrifice gold and fame to respawn where you died or at least the beginning of the dungeon if not choosing to respawn in town with no consequences.  In Titan Quest, you respawn at the last save fountain you came across with some experience penalty.  But in Diablo 2, dying meant that you drop everything that was on your body (weapons, armor, shield, charms, and such) where you died and end up back at town with nothing on you.  The repercussion of the first death put me on edge from then on, making it more challenging.  It reminds me of the tense nature that Demon's Souls gave me whenever I fought a formidable foe.  Luckily, I was able to go back to my body and pick up everything I had equipped before.  The pace of the game is very fast, and perhaps ARPGs are slower now so that players can be more strategical rather than relying on quick reactions.  Still, I am very bothered by games where I'm walking for 5-10 minutes just to get to my destination (mainly in MMORPGs).  There are always monsters that needs to be fought along the way or things to do to keep the player on edge and focused rather than watching their character run a marathon throughout the entire game.  There's still much to say.  But to make it short: if you like point-n-click Action-RPGs or waiting for Diablo 3, I highly recommend playing Diablo 2 (with the expansion).