Diablo II
PUBLISHER: Blizzard Entertainment
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: P233, 32MB RAM, 3D Graphical Accel. Req.
REVIEWER'S MACHINE: PIII 667, 256MB RAM, Xentor 32 Ultra, Win98
SIMILAR TO: Diablo
CATEGORY: Action / RPG
ESRB: Mature
Reviewed by: Nick Stewart
Published: July 14, 2000
There are certain events that mark a year, a decade, a century;
it is these happenings that help to define the period within our
own minds and within the pages of history. So momentous are they
that most people can remember every relevant detail, every thought
or emotion associated with the matter in question. So powerful are
they that they will forever reside within our hearts and minds,
in some form or another. This was the fate of such cultural phenomena
as the O.J. Simpson verdict, C.N.N's coverage of the Gulf War, the
tragic death of Princess Diana...and, of course, Diablo. Storming
violently and purposefully across the gaming landscape back in 1997,
this title forever redefined the concept of addiction as it claimed
the ceaseless attention of millions of fans across the globe with
its simple-as-Hell hack'n'slash antics. Part action, part RPG, Diablo
went on to become one of the top-selling games of all time, with
one of the most avid and dedicated fan bases ever seen. With the
added promise of eternally free online play, would-be demon-slayers
and player-killers alike have kept Diablo's spirit alive to this
day, and potentially beyond. With this in mind, it's not difficult
to understand how the long-awaited Diablo II has generated legendary
amounts of hype, lending itself as one of the most anticipated sequels
of all time. The question remains, however: Can a colossal beast
such as this live up to its own legacy?
In order to properly address this particularly potent question,
one must first consider Diablo II's various facets, the least of
which being its storyline. Fans of the initial outing will remember
its story well, as they look fondly upon the time spent and the
horrors witnessed deep below the surface of the small town of Tristram.
Though barely a speck on the world of Sanctuary, this once-quiet
populace played a key role in the saga of the Western Kingdom. As
the tale is told, the cataclysmic war between Good and Evil that
has raged for all time, temporarily took pause when humankind first
graced the land. Looking to seize control for themselves, Hell's
four Lesser Evils successfully ejected the three Prime Evils from
their fiery abode. This left Baal, the Lord of Destruction, Mephisto,
the Lord of Hatred, and Diablo, the Lord of Terror to ravage the
lands with unholy impunity. It was not long before a dedicated group
known as the Horadric Order took it upon themselves to put a stop
to the endless carnage, devising three Soulstones in which the Demonic
Three were then imprisoned. Although these shards were then buried
beneath the lands of Tristram, the sands of Aranoch and the jungles
of Kehjistan, it was not long before Diablo found a way to escape
his prison, infecting the soul of the nearby town. A mysterious
stranger, embodied by the player, eventually drove Diablo back into
the Soulstone, and then rammed it into his own forehead in order
to ensure that the Lord of Terror would never again be free.
 Unfortunately,
evil is not easily contained, and the stranger emerged into Tristram
a tortured soul, never informing anyone as to his actions. As he
recuperated amongst the jubilant townsfolk, a noticeable change
fell over him, his manner becoming dark, foreboding and aloof. Often
waking in the middle of the night, screaming or babbling in tongues,
the stranger began to draw a few curious glances from those who
had considered him their savior. It was not long before he announced
in a voice not his own that he was heading East, to find his brothers...even
though it was believed that the stranger had no family. Shortly
after his departure, Tristram and its surrounding lands were suddenly
and inexplicably assaulted by the forces of Evil; the local populace
was helpless to stop it, either dying terrible deaths or becoming
corrupt and joining the ranks of Hell's minions. Similar destruction
followed the Dark Wanderer wherever he went, brutal violence marking
his somber path across the land. Horrific beasts slaughter the innocent
with wild abandon as chaos reigns supreme; Diablo has returned.
With the country's defenders either dead or corrupted, the former
Hero possessed, and with Deckard Cain -- the last of the Horadrim
-- missing, the land is in desperate need for someone to reclaim
it from the horrific clutches of evil. This is where you come in,
once again set as a lone, inexperienced would-be hero with an axe
or staff, as the case may be, to grind. However, instead of simply
setting you loose in and underneath a single city, your quest to
bring down the Ultimate Evil will see you travelling across the
entire country in a playing field that is three to four times larger
than that of the original.
 To
ease the transition and to make the journey a little easier to handle,
the action is split into chapters, or Acts, with each one possessing
their own environment, characters, monsters, items and so on. For
instance, the first Act, created to slowly introduce fans to the
new title, begins in a rogue encampment not far from Tristram, near
a mountain pass that leads to the East. As such, you will initially
be exposed to randomly generated, sparsely forested grasslands,
with dungeons littered about in the appropriate places. Throwbacks
like skeletons, zombies and Fallen Ones will assault you at nearly
every turn, with a few variations thrown in for good measure. When
you defeat the Lesser Evil that has taken residence in the darkest
pits of the first area, you will be offered a cutscene to drive
the story forward, and will then be carried into the arid deserts
of Lut Gholein. In turn, this new location offers many new creatures
to fear and destroy, like the venom-spitting Sand Maggots, or undead-resurrecting
Mummies. The third and fourth acts work similarly, transporting
you to the thick, impenetrable jungles of Kurast, and finally to
the darkest, most vile pits of Hell. Regardless of where you go,
however, you'll be mercilessly slaughtering the vast armies of Hell
in order to complete NPC-assigned quests that are no longer randomized,
instead having a static order that facilitates its ongoing storyline.
Although it is not absolutely necessary to complete all the quests,
doing so will provide you with gold and other helpful items, the
least of which being the experience that you'll need to advance
your character.
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