#020 - Diablo II Review

#020 - Diablo II Review

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Diablo II
Game:
Diablo II (2000)
Category:
Review
Duration: 1:55:17
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Diablo II

Kaleb Schweiss

Diablo II is an action based, hack +-and slash rpg by Blizzard north. The game was published in 2000 for Windows and Mac. The game’s design was done by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, who acted as a project lead for the game.

Diablo II built on the success of the first game in the series, and was one of the most popular game of 2000. The continuation of it’s fanatsy themes from the first entry, and the access to Blizzard’s free online play service through Battle.net were a major factor in it’s popularity. The servers are still available through Battle.net, and they even had a major patch release in March of 2016. There was an expansion for Diablo II, titled Lord of Destruction released in 2001, of which I have played about half of.



The game progresses through four portions, divided up into acts. Each one follows a set of objectives, but still holds true to the random generated areas of the first game. Diablo II also introduces more side quests, mainly in the form of optional dungeons with an uber loot chest at the end. Diablo II has much more variety in environments, where Diablo I only had the floors in, and below, the monastery.



Diablo II also introduces three difficulty levels. Normal, Nightmare, and Hell are unlocked once the game is beaten on normal. Higher difficulty means harder enemies, and less resistances, but it also means better loot. The player can return to a lower difficulty at any time.



Diablo II brings a couple more character selections to the table. You can play as an Amazon, Necromancer, Barbarian, Sorceress, and Paladin. Lord of Destruction also added the Druid and Assassin classes.



Diablo II’s story begins right after the events of Diablo. The great and powerful warrior, Husk, defeated Diablo in the first game, and tried to contain his essence within his body. Since then, Husk has become corrupted by the demons spirit, and has caused demons to enter the world.



Stories begin to be told in reference to this “Dark Wanderer”. We later find that the soulstones were originally designed to capture the Prime Evils who were banished to the mortal realm after being overthrown by their lessers. When Diablo’s soulstone became corrupted, the demon was able to control the Dark Wanderer. THe soulstone of Baal, another demon, was united with the mage Tal-Rasha, who volunteered to absorb the spirit into his body and be imprisoned. The story is told from the perspective of a drifter named Marius. Marius is following the Dark Wanderer, and finds that he means to unite with the other Prime Evils.



Act I: Rescue Cain from Tristram, follow Dark Wanderer. Wanderer gets Andariel to corrupt the Sisters of the Sightless Eye and take over their monestary. Overcome, yada yada.

Act II: You head east, in search of Tal Rasha’s tomb. Marius and the Dark Wanderer get there first, and Marius is deceived into removing Baals soulstone from Tal-Rasha, and Tyrael, an Archangel, orders Marius to take the soulstone to hell to destroy it. THe dark wanderer joins Mephisto and Ball, opens a portal to hell, and sheds his skin to become Diablo.

Act III: Mephisto is killed guarding the entrance to The Temple of Kurast. The character takes his soulstone, and goes to Hell.

Act IV: Slay Diablo, and destroy the soulstones of Mephisto and Diablo on the Hellforge, preventing their return.



Kaleb Schweiss Joe

Story 8 8

Gameplay 10 10

Design 10 10

Music/Sound 10 10

Replayability 10 10




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blizzard
diablo
review