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Diablo II
(based on v1.2 patch)
Page 3
The Interface
As far as the interface goes, it looks pretty similar to the one in "Diablo" except you now have a visual indication of your experience progress and the stamina of your character.
In Diablo II you can run so you can move faster, but running requires stamina. If this bar is empty you will have to walk while it recharges so be sure to save some stamina for the battles to be able to run away if things get to heavy.
In D2 you can also equip a secondary attack mode. These are learned in the skill tree and are activated by your right mouse button. They are usually more powerful, but a tad slower so use them wisely.
Should you die in a battle you will be transported to a nearby city WITHOUT your equipment and you will loose all the gold you had at the time you died. To get your equipment back you have 2 choices : run back to the place where you died or exit the game and restart. Running back has the advantage that every you have already killed, remains dead so you can just walk up to the point where you died.
If you decide to exit and restart you will get all your equipment back but all monsters and creatures are regenerated which means you have to play the area again.
Opposed to D1 there is no way you can save the game and play on. If you save you exit the game and the next time everything will be back in place. It's a good way to keep playing. :-)
Luckily it's not always necessary to walk large distances over and over again. The introduction of waypoints is very welcome. Waypoints are transporters scattered throughout the area that you can use for instant travel. Of course you have to discover them first to be able to use them.
Atmosphere!
Despite it's dated graphics engine, Diablo II keeps you playing for hours straight and this is definitely because of the gameplay (duh) but also because of the sound and music.
Just as in 'Diablo' the music sets the mood for every act and setting. Even the voice-acting is excellent and every major character has a distinctive voice just as every action in the game has it's own sound effect.
The music in the cinematics can be described as 'epic' !
I started playing D2 without even reading the manual and that's a testament to the game's playability.
It's only later on in the game when have a few skill points to distribute that is wise to see what all the skills in the skill tree do for your character, but most explains itself. To complete things the manual has a background story and some world settings but nothing very detailed as in a true RPG.
Conclusion
Manual and Documentation:
Good. Every aspect, skill and ability in the game is explained.
Background story gets you in the game, but is all optional. If you want to get playing right away there's a quick-start guide.
Graphics:
Minor improvements over the original, but all in all disappointing.
3D cards add some lighting and spell effects but not enough to justify a 4 year development period. Best looking cinematics in any game, ever !
Music and SoundFX:
Beautiful music throughout, especially in cinematics. Very good voice-acting.
Good sounds for every action in the game.
Gameplay:
Diablo II keeps you going and very addictive. Side quests add some variety and 5 character classes means you can play the game in 5 different ways.
Excellent !
-Jochen
Ratings
Manual:
80% |
Graphics:
79% |
Music & Sfx:
86% |
GamePlay:
95% |
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This game scores
on our 5-point Rating System
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