By the Dark Wanderer I have waited for quite some time to get my hands on Diablo II. The hype on the net for this one was overwhelming. This is one of the few games that has such a large following that you can actually sell things you pick in the game like armour, weapons, Horadic Cubes and whatnot on eBay. That’s right, there are people out there willing to buy a games paraphenilia. They use their credit cards and then you gët on battlenet (the games internet multiplayer forum) and drop it off for them.
Diâblo II is a story of angels and demons and you are a hero who tries to stop Evil from taking over the world. You can be one of five characters: a Necromancer, who raises the dead to fight for him, a Sorceress, who uses magic, a strong Barbarian, a knightly Paladin (my favourite) or an Amazon.
It is a continuation of Diablo (the devil) and it is stimulating. Each episode takes us to the next in a storyline. What is really neat is that the storyline changes when you come back to it. Say you want to take a level or episode over again? The monsters change each time so you aren’t too bored while getting more money or looking for special objects. This makes replaying innovative and fun.
Someone said the game is as additive as crack. Personally I would never try crack but this game is additive and I can’t wait to start on the other characters. The graphics show a lot of work went into the scenery. This was a minor problem with the last game but seems to have worked out well this time around. I was impressed.
One of the reasons why I will be trying out the other characters is that each one of them has different abilities and powers. The Paladin, for example, can heal others. No other character has this ability. He has a skill tree in which you chose where to put points. What helps you in the beginning is pretty much worthless in the end and there is a point where the differences between skill level 7 and 8 don’t really matter so you should put the skill point elsewhere. It is these skills which allow you to have an unique character all your own. After all you made the choices that created the character.
There is a random magic items generation. I guess this is so that the eBayers will have something to sell. Not really, it just makes the game more interesting as you can get different things each time. Some are of benefit for your character but others will benefit other characters. For example the War Specter has features that only the Paladin can use while the Grim Wand will only benefit the Necromancer.
In short there is a whole new bunch of weapons, quests and maps with a horde of new characters that will keep you occupied for some time if you like the role playing games.
I give this baby a full thumbs up because the friend who lent this game to me is going to be waiting a while before she sees it again. By the way…. anyone have the expansion pack?
