Diablo II

The Good
The game picks right up where the last one left off and takes on a higher degree of depth. There's more to it than simply fighting your way deeper into the same dungeon. This time you chase Diablo through four Acts, each one with it's own flavor and setting, and its own set of quests that must be completed to proceed. Each Act is preceded by a cinematic scene that drives the story forward.

There is much more variety in this game than in the first game. There are five different character classes, each with its own skill tree uinique to that class. This gives each class its own playing style; different from the first game which had three classes not much different from each other. The game also introduces the concept of set items, a group of items which give the character special abilities when put together, and socketed items, which can have gems placed in them and allow the player to customize the item's abilities. There is also a greater variety of items overall.

The game's best attribute is probably its simple interface. The game can be run entirely with the mouse, though there are hotkeys for many functions. The result is a very clean, efficient interface

The Bad
There isn't a lot of variety to the game itself. It's pretty much just hack-and-slash the whole way through. It can get kind of tiring fighting through the same monsters all the time.

Act III is particularly tedious with waypoints spaced too far apart and lots of little annoying monsters.

The Bottom Line
Despite its lack of variety, the game is quite addictive. With so many items to collect and skill paths to follow, there is a lot of replayability. The simplicity of the game makes it easy for anyone to get into. Who doesn't enjoy fighting evil incarnate?

The Good
Good Points:

1.A lot of game content: huge areas chock-full with monsters and items;

2.Cool, imaginative, well created and animated monsters, with great sounds;

1. Incredible cinematics (the best in any game so far, and sure worthy of some kind of award...)

4.A whole lot of items, armors, weapons...

5.Skill system, which really adds a lot to character customization;

The Bad
Bad Points:

1.Average graphics;

2.Gameplay that is, with the exception of the skill systems and the added classes, identical to that of Diablo 1; and this is a double-edged sword, meaning that if you liked D1, you will love D2, but if you hated D1, you'll feel the same way about D2.

The Bottom Line
An improved, polished, and simply better Diablo. If you loved the first, you will certainly love the second. If you hated the first, well, don't buy this game. Personally, though, I had a hell of a lot of fun with it...

The Good
If you take the time to follow the story of the game, its fairly interesting, if for no other reason than to learn more about the lore of the world of Diablo. The real pleasure of the game comes from finding that new item that's better than what you had before. Item hunting is the name of the game for a lot of people, which isn't surprising, since it's really the only variable in the game that keeps it interesting. There's something oddly addictive about playing for just a little longer in hopes of finding an incredible item that transforms your character into an untouchable engine of instant death.

Player vs. player can be fun; there isn't much skill required and just deteriorates into a comparison of who has better equipment, but there is an element of fun hidden in destroying other people's characters.

The Bad
This isn't really a Role Playing Game technically. Not that every RPG has to be based on GURPS or AD&D or anything, but frankly, having an avatar with a few statistic choices and skill allocations an RPG does not make. There are 7 Classes now, and there are maybe 2 different types of characters within each class. If you're an amazon you either use a bow/cross-bow, or you use a javelin/spear. There's no such thing as an Amazon who uses swords and axes, or is a healer or anything like that. Minor complaint, but it's relevant nonetheless.

The first time you do all the acts, they're pretty challenging in that "click until they die" sort of way. After that they become a chore to endure in order get your character up to a higher level. After beating the game you are presented with the opportunity to beat it once more on a harder difficulty, and once you've completed that, do it again! Such fun has never before been had.

In all fairness to the game, Hardcore can truly add to the game, making it challenging in that your character is actually mortal, it dies, it's dead forever. It injects another level of strategy that is absent from normal play.

PvP, as I said before, it's an unskilled exercise in click-ology. It's fun to show off your character's stats/equipment, but nothing more.

The Bottom Line
Action Adventure game with light sprinkling of RPG elements. Play it once for fun, then play it again to find better items, play it again...and again...lose yourself in making your character better than anyone else's...then bring yourself back and go to work, you slob.