Diablo II

The Good
Although the graphics are somewhat dated, you quickly forget the slight blockiness of your Barbarian when you dive into a horde of monsters. Diablo 2 is at its heart a character building game, and the skill system allows you to really experiment with different playing styles, even when only playing one class. For example, the Amazon can be played as a jabbing melee goddess or a mistress of missile weapon mayhem. The classes are well balanced, especially after you patch the game up to v1.06.

Although the graphics aren't the best, the cinematics, voice acting, and sound effect are awesome, especially in several sections of Act 2.

This is one of the few games that I have that I can come back to in six months and still enjoy, whether playing single or multiplayer.

The Bad
The one problem with the skill system is that it rewards you for specializing in high level skills at the expense of developing low level skills. Some classes even have a few throw away skills that are only useful as a means to get to the better skills. For example, the Necromancer's Skeleton Warriors never get very powerful, and so it is useless to build this skill up at all since the golems, revived creatures, and skeleton mages are so much better. If I really wanted to be a master of a skeleton warrior army, I should be able to do it and survive at high levels.

Another thing I don't like is that you are penalized too much when you fight monsters that are 10-20 levels higher than you are. In an attempt to balance the multiplayer game so that a high level character couldn't join a party of low level characters, kill everything for them, and have them advance quickly, you are penalized in xp per kill if you are way above OR BELOW the level of the monster. So if you manage, like I did, to finish the game at Nightmare difficulty when you are level 38 or so, there is no way you can survive or even gain any xp in Hell difficulty until you gain 15-20 levels! The game just slows down too much after level 30 or so.

The Bottom Line
A great hack and slash game no matter how you play it. Despite what Nethack fans may tell you, this is not just "Rogue with nice graphics and sound". It is a different, more entertaining, and much less frustrating and obtuse gaming experience than its text-based predecessors.

The Good
Everything!!!!! well, everything except for the graphics...It's like Cinderella in a box...once you get past the graphics and looks, you'll be in LOVE...

The five classes are a complete improvement on the original, with each one doing different things, different spells, skills etc....further more, there is additional specialization within classes, especially in the spell casting classes, and paladin class...gives the game HUGE replayability...plus an enormous game world, definitely worth the price tag...

Multiplayer is much better...no hacking...no more people walking around with Fluffy's polka-dotted sword of the orangutan that can kill you in one hit...also includes cool clan halls that can be expanded, and a hardcore option...

New weapons...there are fresh interesting item sets, unique items, socket items...gems...makes the game very interesting...

An all new spell/skill system that rocks...instead of picking up books everywhere...you can choose which spells and skills you want and which you don't by adding skill points into desired skills...which gives you total control over your character...want a fire based sorceress instead of a lightning one? than just pump the points you get into fireball or warmth instead of lightning...want an axe wielding barbarian? then just increase your axe mastery, and leave that sword mastery alone...the possibilities are endless...

It's an improved Diablo...what more can you ask for???

The Bad
The graphics can be some up in one word...crap...although many people say that Act II has amazing graphics, I would like to voice my opinion that it is still crap...the graphics engine is the old diablo engine, but in some areas it looks even worse that Diablo I's...and minimal 3D acceleration...

Corpse retrieval...especially for necromancers and sorceresses...you'll probably die a few more times trying to get your friggin' body back, when you're weak, naked and some pissed off monsters are standing between you and your items...

AI pathfinding...when you are a necromancer, sometimes it will take all of you will power to keep yourself from going insane...sometimes your minions are stupid beyond belief, as they clog up in congested hallways, block you from escaping, walk into walls instead of around them...even more half-assed than the Dikatana AI, if you can believe that...however, it is only sometimes...so it is quite okay as long as you don't have too many in a cramped space...

Battle.net LLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAGGGGGG...although not as bad as before...sometimes the slowdown is annoying...

The Bottom Line
The Blizzard hack n' slash clickfest is back and better than before. With five classes, three difficulties and a huge game world, the replayability is endless, even more so with B.net...excellent gameplay that keeps you glued to your seat...The cutscenes are awesome...If you need your sleep or treasure the good condition that your mouse is in, you might want to pass...if you don't, it is your duty as a human lifeform (or otherwise) to pick up a copy of Diablo II..

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.