Diablo II
Description official descriptions
Knowing well that Diablo's spirit could never be truly destroyed, the hero of Tristram made the noblest sacrifice of all: he took the spirit of the Lord of Terror into himself, hoping that his strength of will could contain the demon within. He was wrong. Diablo's essence corrupted him, gradually taking over his human nature. He has turned into the Dark Wanderer, a mysterious being whose every step causes destruction and death. A nameless adventurer visits the Rogue Encampment and decides to help its inhabitants by slaying monsters surrounding the area, and eventually pursuing the Dark Wanderer himself.
Like its predecessor, Diablo II is an action role-playing game. The player may choose between five available characters classes: Amazon (a rogue-like class with ranged attacks), Necromancer (can summon undead and inflict status ailments), Barbarian (a powerful melee fighter who can dual-wield weapons), Sorceress (offensive spellcaster), and Paladin (fights with shields and can cast support spells). Much of the game takes place in randomized dungeon-like areas heavily populated by enemies. Unlike the previous game, the environments are not restricted to a single dungeon and include variously themed locations, each with its own town and quests.
The player character gains experience points from slaying monsters, and can be leveled up manually, increasing his or her primary attributes and acquiring abilities. Much of the customization relies on equipment and item combinations. Diablo's magic has been replaced with skills: class specific abilities that can be purchased with skill points as characters level up. For example, a Paladin's skills allow him to cover allies with a protective aura, while a Sorceress can learn to fire lightning bolts and frozen blasts from her hands. Skills can be purchased several times to level them up, and some skills, when purchased, will increase the effectiveness of other skills. A new item type, socketed, has been added as well. Socketed items can be modified permanently by adding magic gems to them, increasing their statistics or adding elemental properties.
Spellings
- 暗黑破坏神II - Simplified Chinese spelling
- 暗黑破壞神 2 - Traditional Chinese spelling
Groups +
- BestSeller Series (Cendant / Havas / Vivendi Universal) releases
- Diablo series
- Fantasy creatures: Golems
- Game feature: FMV / cutscene player
- Game feature: In-game screenshot capture
- Gameplay feature: Alchemy
- Gameplay feature: Armor / weapon sets
- Gameplay feature: Auto-mapping
- Gameplay feature: Character development - Skill distribution
- Gameplay feature: Controllable pet companions
- Gameplay feature: Gambling
- Gameplay feature: Grid Inventory
- Gameplay feature: Optional permadeath / permanent death
- Games with randomly generated environments
- Middleware: Bink Video
- Protagonist: Female (option)
- Video games turned into board / card games
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Credits (Windows version)
1,450 People (295 developers, 1,155 thanks) · View all
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 88% (based on 65 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.9 out of 5 (based on 312 ratings with 19 reviews)
very fun at first, boring after
The Good
Every now and then, you like to relax you brain with a "stupid" game. Kill everything, collect gold, get better equipment... that kind of stuff. Diablo II provides such a gameplay.
Graphics are not stunning, but more than decent
Sound effects and music are as spooky as they should
The pre-rendered movies are cool
The environment is random... which adds replayability (but only in the unlikely event you want to actually go through the game again)
The Bad
Diablo II is long, and that's good, but every part of the game is the same with different graphics. The gameplay is just too repetitive to entertain you until it ends. I gave up just before reaching the middle of the game.
Some character classes suck when they should be great. Take the necromancer : it sounds cool : command an army of squeletons and golems. Yeah, but either your "army" is too weak and will be of absolutely no use, or it is strong enough and then the game is just about walking and watching your squeletons kill the enemies, which is such a dull experience.
The environment is random, which means... that no-one puts any design in them. So some parts of the game will end up being too easy, while others will be frustratingly impossible to venture through.
The Bottom Line
Diablo II sounds fun, and at first, it is great fun.
But it fails to be an entertaining experience in the long run because of its repetitive gameplay and lack of balance.
Windows · by Xa4 (300) · 2001
The Good
It seems that so little people actually take the time to rate these games after they review them here on Mobygames. This makes for some rather inaccurate scores (though at the time of writing it, the 3.9 seems pretty much what I'd give it). With so many reviews written, another review would probably just add to the pile and not be worth much, but due to the lack of people rating the games, I don't feel that would suffice as a good contribution. So, rather than making a lengthy review about this game, I'll just go down the list of things I liked and disliked about this game. It's another person's opinion on the game, but nothing more.
Now, for the good.
I'll start by saying I loved Diablo. I still love Diablo. At the time, before I grew up, it seemed like the greatest game ever made. Imagine...every time you begin a new game, every level of the dungeon is different. You'll never know what kind of weapons you'll find. The combinations seemed endless. You work a little harder with every level you visit, descending deeper and deeper into Diablo's dungeon, getting more powerful and battling more powerful enemies until you meet the big man himself.
Ever since I beat Diablo for the eleventh time, I've wanted a sequel. The ending of the first was odd, and who didn't like the idea that you weren't stuck in a single town?
Well, Diablo II came and a lot of our prayers were answered. This time you were not stuck in one single town, one long ever-deepening dungeon. This time, you faced off against monsters in the forests, the deserts, swamps, dungeons, prisons, abandoned temples...the list goes on. With more monsters than you can shake your staff at and more weapons than you'll know what to do with.
Along with the expanded game world (and oh is it expanded), you get more character classes to choose from, and each one has its own set of advantages, along with unique skills they can get.
Also, you won't have to worry about not being strong enough to fight the next area, because every time you exit the game, the monsters come back.
There's no more foul trickery by saving and loading in order to get an advantage over the enemy. No saving-then-scout-ahead-and-load-back-after-you-get-your-ass-kicked. The only saving you'll do is when you exit. Otherwise, you'll respawn back at a waypoint and will have to go retrieve your corpse. I felt this really added to the thrill of gameplay.
The game remained in 2D, which I particularly liked. I feel that 3D technology hasn't quite evolved enough to take the place over good ol' 2D RPGs. But there's this "perspective" psuedo-3D view style which...well, is odd. Some people, like me, dislike it, but other people -- most people enjoy it, so I'll list it in the "good".
The lighting effects are nice. The bosses can be entertaining and their deaths are usually dramatic and bloody.
Revisiting old friends from Diablo 1 was my favorite part of the game, even if it was sad outcome.
The cinematics rock! Some of the best I've ever seen.
Stamina plays a part in this game, which is good.
The Bad
Now for the bad.
Despite being in 2D, the graphics weren't that good. The water looked goofy in most areas, the monsters were often times indistinguishable and the running animation wasn't that good.
The game is repetetive. Of course, it's unfair to say that, because the gameplay hasn't changed at all since Diablo 1. But there was a huge difference between the two. In Diablo 1, you cleared out a dungeon and went down further. Clear out a dungeon, go down further. Diablo 1 wasn't an RPG - it was an arcade game with RPG elements. Diablo 2 isn't the same. Diablo 2 involves lots of "go allllll the way over here, killing everything in the way, kill this thing, then go allllllll the way over here, then allllllll the way over here, then come back and then you progress". It gets extremely old, extremely quick. I found myself forcing myself through many areas just so that I could hurry up and kill whatever it was I was sent to kill and go back to progress the story a bit.
In Diablo 1, you were an errand boy. If Cain or that blacksmith guy wanted you to do a task, you'd do it, because it was on your way and you'd get a reward and it was for the good of the town. But in Diablo 2, you're everybody's errand boy because they always want you to prove your worth. "Sure, I'll help you, if you go and do these things for me," they might as well say. And you have to do a number of errands for every town you go along on your way. Not for the good of the town, not to fight evil, but just to get people to tell you something.
While I thought that, when you leave the game the monsters respawn was a neat idea, it's really only a neat idea if you're enjoying the game. For me, I couldn't play for more than twenty minutes before I'd get bored and leave. And whenever I'd come back, sure enough I'd have to hack my way through an army of bad guys. And what was an aggrivating cycle, is that, I would hack through a bunch of enemies to reach a point, then leave. When I came back, I'd have to hack through the army again, then get bored. The cycle went on, making my progress in the game verrrrry slow. But at least I was uber powerful by the time I got anywhere. Heh.
Since monsters can't follow you out of dungeons, they became pretty easy. Fight the monster, leave the dungeon, recharge, go back in, etc.
The weapon characteristics aren't nearly as interesting as they were in Diablo. In Diablo, sometimes you'd get a weapon WAY ahead of your level. It rocked, but it was rare. Maybe it's just as rare in Diablo 2, but I can't remember ever getting a weapon that wasn't just appropriate for my level unless I bought it myself.
Dungeon plunging is boring, since you'll never find anything worth keeping.
To summarize, Diablo II just was very boring and repetetive. If anything unique in the game came along (that is, something other than the massive hordes of enemies you'd spend an hour slaughtering before reaching somewhere), it came along far too late to keep me interested. The graphics were hardly an improvement over Diablo 1, and...well, frankly, it completely lost the feel of the classic original.
The Bottom Line
It has some good stuff in it. Big fans of the original should pick it up just to extend the story. The cinematics are probably the best feature of the game.
Otherwise...disappointing, repetetive, aggrivating, slow, boring.
Windows · by kbmb (415) · 2002
Fantastic sequel if you like the genre
The Good
Diablo II is the sequel to the sensation that was Diablo (obviously). The folks at Blizzard, staying true to their nature, have given the consumers a fantastic sequel to an already great game.
The basis of the game is this. At the end of the first game, your character defeats Diablo, and then stays in the town of Tristam. But after awhile, he leaves, and in his wake a onslaught of devastation occurs. It turns out that Diablo has come back - inhabiting the body of the adventurer from the first game. Your task is to defeat Diablo and his minions and set things right in the world again.
Graphically, the game is utterly beautiful. Even when all the special effects are turned off, there is enough eye-candy to make any jaw drop in astonishment. Spell effects, creature detail, the glow of the fire, all rendered in 800x600 glory. Even the cinematics rival those of the Final Fantasy Series (FF7 and up). The cinematics, although not required viewing to play, contain some of the coolest FMV I've seen in years. At the start of the game and inbetween the various acts, the story is progressed through the movies, and just enhance the game in itself.
The sound and music are excellent as well. Again, all the characters are figures with voice-overs and scrolling text (with the exception of the cinematics), and do well to further the plot. The technical quality of the voice acting is top-notch. The is no doubt in my mind that all the recording was done either at a professional studio or in-house (if they have the equipment for it). The music in the background is very sparse, but it kicks in at the appropriate time.
The controls haven't changed much since Diablo came out. With the exception of on-screen menus that pop-up when you right-click on specific icons, and the fact that you belt number are 1-4 instead of 1-8, the control is exactly like before. And it's good not to screw around with a formula that has worked before.
The automap, while not perfect, is good. Although I would have preferred and automap similar to Nox (with the automap tucked in a corner), Blizzard addressed the automap "clutter" and have different settings depending on your game-style. You can have it like the original (why you would, I have no clue), or you can have it fade out in the center. That way you can still see around you, but still be able to make out the automap to navigate.
The gameplay, after combining all the elements mentioned above, is awesome. The game mechanics are very natural after playing for just a little bit, so it's very easy to get into. The levels are humongous, and wandering around to scavenge everything is only half the fun. And for posterity, here's a small list of other things I found great with Diablo II:
1) The fact that there are only 2 type of Scrolls (Town Portal and Identify). Considering the massive number of scrolls in the first game, I find that this way is much more efficient.
2) The Waypoint system. I like the fact that the waypoints are listed ahead of time, and that while you are playing you can set a goal of how far ahead you what to accomplish. Makes for good strategic play as well. Especially in cases where you are low on potions and need to rush to find the next waypoint. Makes for some great "Evade and Find" gameplay.
The Bad
Although I love Diablo II, I do have a few things that I can't stand.
First, the save system. I like the fact in the first Diablo that you can save at any position and then start back up right where you left off. Especially while you are in the middle of a quest. No such luck in Diablo II. If you Save and Exit Game, your stats, equipment and money are saved, but your position is not. The only benefit from this is that when you start your game again, everything respawns - monsters and gold/chests,etc. But it's still real annoying.
Second, I've had glitches where I gotten stuck on a rock. I can't move and I haven't learn "Leap" yet, so I end up having to Save and Exit, and basically start the level over.
Third, The automap STILL bugs the crap outta me. I find playing with the automap is both a minus and a plus. A minus being if there is a lot going on onscreen, you can't make heads or tails out of anything. And it's a plus when you can see back to where you've been or ahead (somewhat) to where you need to go.
The Bottom Line
Even though it has it's faults, Blizzard did a top-notch job with this sequel. They are one of the few companies that will take a game and make sure it's right BEFORE going gold. A fantastic game. If you like the genre, it's a must have.
Windows · by Chris Martin (1154) · 2001
Discussion
Subject | By | Date |
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Why am I addicted?.. | Unicorn Lynx (181642) | Jul 2, 2013 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Diablo II appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Dungeons & Dragons
Diablo II was adapted into a set of two D&D rulebooks: Diablo II: Diablerie, published in 2000, and Diablo II: To Hell and Back, published in 2001, in addition to which a Diablo II set for the Dungeons & Dragons boardgame was released by Wizards of the Coast in 2000.
Promotion
Blizzard itself produced an action figure line, with figures depicting the Barbarian, the Unraveler, and of course, Diablo. They also released a whole stack of merchandise, including Zippo lighters, wristwatches and mouse pads, all in limited edition.
References to the original Diablo
The much rumored and non-existent secret "Cow Level" from the original game was actually added to Diablo II. It is just a flat plain, populated by bipedal cows, which go "Moo! Moo!" in deadpan human voices. The level also features a boss, "The Cow King", who looks just like all the other cows.
In Act I, the player can enter a portal to the town of Tristram, now destroyed by demons. Some characters from Diablo can be seen there. Decard Cain and Griswold the Blacksmith are alive; the former will help the player with his quests while the latter is possessed by evil powers. The remains of Wirt the Peg-Legged Boy can also be spotted; his leg allows the player to enter the cow level.
References
Once in a great while, one of the zombies can be heard uttering "brainsss". This is a reference to the numerous Living Dead movies, in which zombies hunger for human brains.
Awards
- Computer and Video Games
- 2005 - #25 "101 Best PC Games Ever"
- Destructoid
- 2009 - #7 "Top Video Games of the Decade"
- GamePro
- 2008 - #11 "The 32 Best PC Games"
- GameSpy
- 2000 – Special Award for Cut-Scenes
- 2011 – #7 Top PC Game of the 2000s
- GameStar (Germany)
- Issue 02/2001 - Best Game in 2000
- Issue 02/2001 - Best Multiplayer Game in 2000
- Issue 03/2001 - Best Game in 2000 (Readers' Choice)
- Issue 12/2008 - Special mention in the "10 Coolest Levels" list (for the secret level "The Moo Moo Farm")
- IGN
- 2009 - Issue 12/2008 - One of "Gaming's Top 10 Easter Eggs" (for the secret level "The Moo Moo Farm")
- PC Gamer
- April 2005 - #16 "50 Best Games of All Time"
- 2007 - #82 "Top 100 Games"* PC Player (Germany)
- Issue 01/2001 - Best Online Game in 2000
- VideoGamer.com
- 2009 - #49 "Top 100 Games of the Noughties"
Information also contributed by Ajan, Kasey Chang, Patrick Bregger, PCGamer77, phlux, Tibes80, and Scott Monster.
Analytics
Related Sites +
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Diablo Universe
Blizzard's Complete Support Page for the Diablo Series -
DiabloII.net - The Unofficial Diablo Site
One of the most detailed and comprehensive unofficial Diablo II websites on the internet. -
Karczma Diablo 2 (archived)
Official Polish Diablo 2 website. -
PlanetDiablo
A great news site for everything Diablo. -
Postmortem: Blizzard's Diablo II (October 25, 2000)
Gamasutra article by Erich Schaefer
Identifiers +
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by MAT.
Macintosh added by Xoleras.
Additional contributors: Blackhandjr, Zovni, Unicorn Lynx, Indra was here, Brian Jordan, Vaelor, Ajan, Pseudo_Intellectual, SharkD, Paulus18950, Cantillon, Patrick Bregger, Plok, FatherJack.
Game added July 4, 2000. Last modified March 10, 2025.