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Diablo II Initial Impressions
Page 1 - I've got a hold of a Diablo II Beta, here's my thoughts:
All you Diablo fans know that Diablo II is getting closer and closer to its
imminent release date. You just want to know if it's going to be worth picking
up over your current Diablo title. Even you people who did not catch the Diablo
fever when it first came out years ago might be considering this release. Well,
I have the beta release in my possesion, here is what I have to say...
Well, first off, let me say that what I have seen is only the beta copy and currently
only allows me to play on Battle.net (Internet multiplayer). Not only that, the copy
is BETA. This is not the final release, it might be close but they might also change
something before it's release. Heck, if they don't, we're going to have one unstable
game. All I'm saying is that all these opinions should be pretty valid but are not certain
as of yet. All screen shots, logo, etc. are under Copyright of Blizzard Entertainment
and if you jack them you'll probably get nailed. These are my own personal screen shots
from out of the game but they still are under their copyright and stuff.
Let me start with installation, though it probably will not apply to the full version.
Installation was a breeze, plain and simple. It gives you options on where to install
it and what not. It also has a video testing program to make sure Direct 3D is supported
by your video card. The game, is not 3D but I believe some of the spells are in 3D. It
also determines your video settings. Wether it be, DirectDraw (2D), Direct3D, or 3Dfx
Glide API. I have a Vooodoo3 3000 AGP so I went with the recommend Glide API. The program
is almost 350 MB. On to the good stuff.
The Infamous Title Screen |
A Shot From the Intro Movie |
As you can see, there are five different character classes to choose from in Diablo II as
opposed to only three in the first Diablo. You can choose to be a Necromancer,
Barbarian, Paladin, Amazon, or Sorceress. From watching and playing I have picked up the
following:
Barbarian: Basically replaces the warrior, just bigger/uglier
Paladin: Weaker than Barbarian, but has spells/auras
Sorceress: Lots of spells, with out them she'd be worthless
Amazon: Pretty much replaces the Rogue
Necromancer: He can control people to fight for him, enough said!
I Choose You Pikachu |
The Necromancer Selection |
As I stated earlier, the demo is only playable over battle.net. Getting started was a
breeze and works very nicely. You create an account. In that account you can
create multiple characters which all must have different names. So, when you log onto
your account you have a list of your characters on the screen. You select one and you're
on your merry way. One cool feature I would like to point out is that your character is
shown in his current game state. He has his weapon(s), his shield (if he/she has one), and
his current armor. Ok, now that you know all about how to get started and how nice the
layout is, let us move on to te game play.
WebMasterP the Paladin |
WidowMaker the Barbarian |
I was slightly disappointed when I found that Diablo II was not in 3D. I was not surprised
by this, as it was a fairly well know fact. However, what Diablo II lacks in the third
dimension, its artists made up for. The art and detail in this game is astounding and the
development team is not even complete yet! As a side note, the game is still locked at
640x480 resolution. It shouldn't make a difference unless you have a large (21"+) monitor.
Every Character has his individual spells and skills. It's not a bunch of shared spells
as it was in Diablo I. No, they weren't completely shared in the first Diablo but in
Diablo II a Barbarian can't learn Holy Bolt (Well, as far as I know).
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