Diablo II - Page Two

Ok, so now I have pointed out all that is good about the game, even the things that other people say are bad... would you like to hear about the things that maybe aren’t so good? If not, too bad. You’ve read this far, so you might as well read to the end, although I’ll tell you right now that this is where I get very picky. So, on to the section that I will fondly entitle “Pet Peeves”

*This section lists from bad to worse to worst*

Pet Peeve #1: Lack of monster-variety in hell. - I just think there should have been a wider variety of monsters in hell. After you eliminate all of the monsters that you have already seen from earlier acts, or even Diablo I itself, you are left with a very limited number of new monsters.

Pet Peeve #2: Unique equipment graphics. - I was so excited to hear that every single character would look differently depending their equipment; unfortunately I may have become too excited and too optimistic. Unique graphics granted from equipping an entire set of items was an excellent idea, but Blizzard made the mistake of making most set items useless when compared to other rare, or even unique items. Because of this, I have yet to see a single character on battle net or elsewhere that has an entire set equipped. I had also hoped unique items would stand out when your character equipped them, but the most that can be hoped for is a palette shift which is barely noticeable anyway. Finally, it is very rare to see a barbarian who is not equipped with a great helm, or a paladin without a gothic shield, or an amazon without a gold bra. You get the idea.

Pet Peeve #3: Unique and set items are obsolete when compared to rares. - Of course there are several uniques that are sought after and even used by higher level characters, but for the most part, people are looking for rare items. This is a problem that carried from Diablo I to Diablo II. It is not a big problem, but when I read about how Diablo II was supposed to have certain unique items that maybe 1 person in 100 000 would have, I got excited. Finally, uniques had the value and power that I, for one, thought they should. Well, this feature never made it past the final cut, much to my chagrin.

Pet Peeve #4: No more fear of losing equipment upon death. - I think once again this is a personal preference, so don’t hurt me if you disagree. My take on this issue is that I don’t crave the extreme adrenaline rush of playing hardcore regularly, but I find that playing normally is a little too relaxed. Big deal if I die. I lose some money, and I get my body back when I make a new game. I’m an old school Diablo player I guess, since I prefer the way it was back in the day with Diablo I.

Pet Peeve #5: New PK system - Like many of you out there, I cried out in dismay upon the announcement that player killing was being toned down. With the way it works in Diablo II, I find it too easy, and thus less exciting, to avoid PK’s. Personally, I would prefer an environment where Pking was encouraged. It’s so cliché to always play the Dudley-Do-Right type.

Pet Peeve #6: Lack of Story - Even I’m not quite sure what to say about this one. With Diablo I, the story was fresh and new, and you never really knew what was going to happen. In Diablo II, I think I just expected more. As it turned out, the story was still quite well done, and it made sense that there was a sequel, but there were no big surprises, or strange twists in the story. Blizzard could have done better.

Pet Peeve #7: The Manual - I MUST make a comment on the manual. While the game itself is a serious step up from Diablo I, the manual took a few leaps and bounds in the opposite direction. The artwork from the Diablo I manual was far better than the artwork from the Diablo II manual. How could you not love that rogue?!!?!? Sorry girls, but I’m a guy... and like ALL guys, I have raging hormones. Despite my hormones though, my complaint is not limited to the character portraits. I found that the artwork in general had a cartoonish look. Not something you’d hope for with a game like Diablo. My biggest problem with the manual, however, was story near the end. The first manual had a long background on events, and it brought together how man was influenced by heaven and hell. It helped give the world of Diablo a history and in doing so, made it more real. What I was expecting from the second manual was another gripping tale of the ongoing struggle between heaven and hell. Instead I get excerpts from some boring mortals. I mean really, how exciting could their lives be?

Pet Peeve #8: Diablo 1.5 - Diablo II really doesn’t feel like a new game. This goes all the way down from the gameplay mechanics to the monsters to the graphics. Diablo II is still a great game, but as always, I expected more.

Pet Peeve #9: Missing Cinematics - If you followed Diablo II half as avidly as I did, then you probably would have been given a glimpse of some of the amazing cinematic that were released long before the game came out. Now I have no complaints about the cinematics that were IN the game, but I know that there are some scenes that didn’t make it into the game, and from what I saw, they were AWESOME!! In case you need something to help your memory (or if you just have no idea what I’m talking about) the missing cinematics go something like this: In one scene we see the Wanderer in a broken-down carriage riding up the side of a hill. The camera moves in and we get a glimpse of the Wanderer’s face, but as if he knew that someone was watching him, the Wanderer draws his cloak over his face. From what I saw of this scene, it was going to be an intro scene where we were introduced to the Wanderer, and were given the first glimpse of the Soulstone scar in his forehead. Now, if you think that sounds good (and how could you not from my AMAZING descriptive abilities) then the second scene (if you had seen it) would have knocked your socks off. In this short scene, all hell broke loose, and bat-winged demons swooped through the night air, blocking out the stars. Unfortunately, that’s all I saw, but that left me craving more.

Pet Peeve #10: Act 3 - I HATE THOSE FETISH FREAKS!!!!!!

So here’s the deal: Diablo II had more than its share of expectations to live up to, and many it failed to realize. However, just because it wasn’t the game that we were quite expecting, you can’t go wrong with taking Diablo I and adding more of everything. It worked with WarCraft II, and will probably work with StarCraft II, and just as long as Diablo II can suck up the hours of your life, and make you forget who you are for a day, then you can’t really complain. Besides, Blizzard seems to have a trend going: hopefully with Diablo III (because there will be one... let’s all pray) we will see the kinds of innovative changes that WarCraft III has us all salivating for. So go out and buy Diablo II if you haven’t already. And if you have, then cherish the time that you spend with your baby. I’m sure your girlfriend, or parents, or boss will eventually realize the role they play in your life... always second to Diablo II.

Suetekh