Review For Diablo
by Jason Starnes

Score: 8/10

Let me start by saying Diablo is a top-notch RPG and one of the best I've seen on the PC. Why only an 8, then? Well, there's a lot to like about Diablo, but it's missing a few key features that could have made it one of the greatest games of all time.

WHAT I LIKED:
1) Someone finally dragged PC RPGs out of that pseudo 3D perspective! Diablo offers a 3/4 overhead perspective that eliminates pixelization and allows the game's designers to add better artwork to the game. It also cuts down on the claustrophobia.

2) Huge number of items to be found! During the quest you'll constantly be finding unidentified equipment and you just can't wait to get back to town to find out what you've got! It's great! But it's more than that... When you start out you'll think your character is pretty tuff, and you'll continue to think so throughout most of the game. Because you are constantly improving your skills and finding new stuff, you'll always think your character is decked out and ready to go. I love it!

3) Great graphics, great sounds. Love 'em both. Control's not bad either.

4) Random games. Every time you start the game you get a randomized dungeon with random quests, random items, and random monsters.

5) Internet play. I haven't really explored this yet, but I hear you can battle with or against other players.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
1) ONE dungeon, ONE town! Ok, I appreciate the random element of the game, but I really wish that it didn't mean limiting the scope of the game! You're stuck in one silly little town with the same NPCs and the same dreary dungeon! This is the game's biggest stumbling block.

2) Why another dungeon crawl??? Why did Diablo have to take place entirely within this drab dungeon? I hate that! It seems like every RPG nowadays takes place entirely underground, and Diablo is no exception. I'd love to see the sky, people!!! Or maybe the ocean, even!

3) Me Diablo. Me need BIIIGGG computer! WarCraft II ran great on a 486. What happened here??? Both games are SVGA with multiple objects on screen with a few relatively large characters. It sounds like the fluid animations and "spectacular" lighting effects have taken their tole. I own an AMD 5x86 that theoretically runs like a P60 or P75. Playing Diablo was like wading knee deep in molassas! Talk about slow. Playable, though.

4) Slow gameplay. Basically, you are constantly meandering, and there's an awful lot of meandering to do. A jog or run feature would be nice. Anything, really. (Especially on my machine!)

BOTTOM LINE:
This game is great, but if it actually included a game world, it could have been epic!!! My big beef is that you've got a really cool character who's been stuffed in a bland dungeon with an occasional visit to a really boring town. Give me some fresh air! Put me on a boat and send me away to some other continent! Give me a map of the world! Let me explore mysterious places! Anything! The other problems are just minor annoyances to me. I can deal with slow play if it's a really great game. I think random games and Battle.net forced Blizzard to scale down the game world. Blizzard really should have made this game bigger. Despite all this, Diablo remains a very addictive game. Expect to spend hours upon hours trying to make your way to the end. Just don't expect it to be a long, fulfilling journey.
P.S. And no, I'm not a big fan of Ultima for the PC (that's a whole other story).