Diablo

The Good
Diablo kind of remonds me of an old ASCII based game called Rogue. You were a little hero that went tramping into a randomly generated dungeon that went on for 30 - 40 levels. You killed monsters and gathered treasure. That was a lot of fun then, and Diablo is a lot of fun now.

At first, Diablo seemed a little unassuming. Just another hero going to save the day. Then I kept needing to get to the next level. Then I needed to complete the next quest. I need money for that new weapon! Just one more level to the catacombs! -the caves! -hell! I was addicted. Plain and simple. And if you died, and chose a new game... all new dungeon layouts. Every time you play, its a new experience.

Those graphices were something else. I started getting a little cluastrophobic down there sometimes. I had to go back to town just to see some light. They definitely added to the whole experience without seeming too dark.

The Bad
The sounds for the game were fairly good, but they could have been a little better.

The Bottom Line
This game can be played forever! Well, maybe not, but with a different experience every time you play, plus three different characters to play as, the replay value is pretty high.

The Good
When you won't care of being beheaded, won't fear of raging horde of skeletons. When you're okay with being alone in the dark, surounded by the glowing eyes of memories. When you're sure you'll become what you kill, and feel no regret, then you can enter this realm of undead. It's time for you to reveal your dark side to youreself, or let be killed instead.

Now, I agreed to these terms, and came out in one piece, victorious. But I only got acquainted with dark side of my victory. I became everything I used to hate, everything I used to fight; slice and dice without mercy. I became diablo. A creature without emotions, the one to hate the light, and fear the goodness. I knew nothing but what the crystal told me. I changed. I changed a lot. I was unrecognizable to everyone, but to my minions. Aaah, am I gonna be a bad guy now, waiting for someone like me to come and release me this fate, hoping to destroy the crystal mistake I made. Noo..., my thoughts can serve me still, but my power is way out of my control. I fear something horrible will happen, I can feel it, but I'm hopeless to help, 'cuz I'll be doing these fatal menaces.

My minions are obeying me, and my power serves me well now, but my thoughts have been released, and new ones came. The dark visions crystal implanted in me. I'm beginning to like them, to worship them. They're growing a part of me, and I let them enter. I'll rule upon this kingdom, and crush whoever oppose me. Only one thing can stop me from doing that - Blizzard. Their only hope is to release "Diablo II" before time, and save theirselves from the hand of fate.

So much of a story telling, but that's how it all was, is, and will be if you start this game up. First to mention the music. The village theme is such a nice and lovely gitare tune that I don't believe it could be made better then it already is. When you enter the dungeons, you won't pay much attention to music anymore, 'cuz if you do, hack you'll be dead before you know it. Characters are very well made as well as other creatures, and voice talent is really great, at least for the time being, but let's make it real - you can't improve voice talent, games you can, but not the people :)

Game controls are great and easy to use. You have two potions all the time, red one (for the health and energy) and blue one (for your mana) as it usually always is, with more or less the same colors. Only way back to the village/small town is through the church where all the demonish things started to happen, or using teleports like gates into the city and back. This game made the well impression and I hardly believe that Diablo II will get more points. Blizzard also made "Diablo: Hellfire", add on for this game, where you start in the same town, only another passage is discovered, and you get one more extra character to choose. As much as I prefer "Revenant" or "Nox", this is the first game that used good engine and show us fast performance wandering through the 3d mazes, and will always be a part of classics, at least in couple of decades if you think it's still rather fresh now.

The Bad
Only places in this game are the town where you do the communications and shopping, and belove the church dungeons and crypts where the main fight is. Walls in the game changes after every 5th or 6th level, and there's about 15 in total, and that's about it. It's okay that you after each 5th level get new way into town, so you can directly approach to that level from up the town.

Aaaaaaah!!!! They made such a huge mistake not giving us the option to save our position more than once. I came about level or two before the endgame, and since I was close to stairs, and running from bunch of creatures, whenever I got down, I couldn't get to swing my sword, and since my position was saved, my only way to finish the game was from the bottom of the start, so I did the only reasonable thing - uninstaled it. Thery really shoud've done more saving positions than one... sigh

The Bottom Line
RPG classic that will show you the dark side of your mind. Everything is great, from atmosphere up to gameplay and controls. Graphic, audio, music, everything's great, except one thing - you don't get to save more than once. That thing really sucks! I can only hope they'll consider (or already did) that option in the sequel.

The Good
there was blood and some spell effects were cool.

The Bad
boring, slow, monotonous gameplay.

The Bottom Line
what is everybody thinking?