Hello again friends and fiends! With the recent release of 'Diablo II: Resurrected' I am kicking off what will hopefully be a series of game reviews. I am huge fan of fantasy/medieval RPG and so most of my reviews will likely revolve around these sorts of games. I will probably review old and new games alike, to hopefully spark interest in the older games I am so nostalgically fond of.
'Diablo II: Resurrected' was released Sept. 23rd this year, so as of this writing has been out for a total of 24 days. To write about 'Diablo II: Resurrected' I would be remiss not to also write about it's previous iteration(s), 'Diablo II' and 'Diablo'. The Diablo series first debuted in late 1996 and is what I would call one of Blizzard's flagship games (though it does not pre-date Warcraft). I have fond memories of watching my dad play this game as a child, despite my mother's concern for its violence. The storyline of these games has always been secondary to the gameplay, and honestly not extremely involved or particularly well written, but compelling enough.
**SPOILER ALERT**
The original 'Diablo II' game was released in the year 2000 and was one of the most popular games of the year. I started playing this game when I was about 13 or 14 years old and would play over LAN with my brother. Many hours were spent leveling our characters, collecting and trading set items, and saving Wirt's leg for the cow level.
I only heard about 'Diablo II: Resurrected' being in development in early summer of this year. Unusual since I have been following the release of 'Diablo IV' for some time now (don't even get me started on the travesty that was 'Diablo III', but I have high hopes for IV). When I found out, I immediately informed my brother. We live in different states across the country now, so I was looking forward to not only the nostalgia of our childhood gaming, but some quality time with my bro who I don't get to see so often any more.
Graphically, this game is exactly what I expected 'Diablo III' to be and stays true to the spirit of the original game. The graphics are detailed, dark, and gritty. The gore is disgustingly realistic (in the best way). There are some graphics that I am a bit disappointed in, such as the flowy glow effects of the town portal and Tyrael's wings (I just think they looked more ethereal in the previous game!). The good news is, if you want to experience or compare the old graphics to the new, you can seamlessly transition with the tap of the 'G' button on your keyboard.
Gameplay and story wise, there is not much to comment on. They really didn't change much of anything. The Diablo series has always been known for being more of a 'hack and slash' game, and less of a thought provoking storyline. The original game had a great re-playability factor as you could re-start the game with the same character on a harder difficulty level and continue to level your character and get more powerful items. All of the extra content from the Lord of Destruction expansion has been included. Certain enemies are (still) mind numbingly difficult and almost impossible to defeat in single player (Duriel), but this is not any different from the previous iteration. It's my opinion that 'Diablo II' has always been a game meant for multiplayer. There are a few minor bugs I have noticed here and there, but nothing game breaking so far. One issue I have run into during online play is with the popularity of the game, Blizzard appears to be experiencing some server overload. When there are too many players online you now have to queue, and I have experienced some lag in the game during these times.
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the outcome so far and look forward to continuing to enjoy this game. I definitely think this game was tailored for those of us who will enjoy the nostalgia factor, but I am certain it is also going to be enjoyable to anyone who is a fan of fantasy RPG/'hack and slash' games.