Diablo II with Lord of Destruction Expansion Set Single Player Mode
Review by The SirenJuly 2002
I have always lived a solitary, reclusive existence as a Sorceress. Content to move amongst the shadows, I call the wilderness and darkened wood my home. At first glance, I, The Siren, might appear frail; fragile … Lest you pass me by, know this: I not only brave elemental nature, but harness it with my own body and use it! Wielding the fearsome powers of lightning, fire, and ice as weapons in my hands, I both further the causes of good on this earth and attain my own ends.
As I wander my vast homeland, I am perplexed and repulsed by the evil spirits beginning to spawn upon it. Where have they come from, and what do they want with my world? The beauty of the richly detailed countryside becomes quickly marred by the bodies of dead Roguesmy compatriotswho attempt to battle these evil spirits as they appear. I hear rumors of other existing warriors against evil, each with their own strengths and attributes, Barbarian, Paladin, Necromancer, Amazon, Assassin, and Druid. Yet, I encounter none of them and travel this vividly colorful landscape alone.
Approaching a Rogue encampment (at this moment a darkened, rain-soaked haven), I seek solace for the night at a blazing campfire. Here, I find friends who not only impart wisdom but trade goods. They also detail for me the sordid history of Diablo, the larger devil behind this spiritual blight against mankind that we now face. As daylight approaches, my spell-casting skills as a Sorceress are met with both skepticism and rekindled hope by these entrenched Rogues, who cannot overtake this evil uprising on their own. I am challenged by them to take on varied and ever-changing quests with my magic, to support the causes of right.
I strike out on my own to prove my worth and might! Songs of both victory and terror perpetually hang in the air. Each enemy has unique war cries and utterances, and each locale its own distinct audible nuances to aid me in my battles.
As I spar with ever-increasing numbers of zombies and all manner of demons and wraiths, my experiences only serve to strengthen both my character and reserve. Mysterious shrines of renewal and magical power dot the landscape, recharging my elemental weapons in time of need. I traverse lush green and golden hills, muted, stony valleys, and bloodied, rotting caves. Light passes into darkness; sun into storm. Cold, fire and poison threaten me, spewed from vile enemies, but I fear not. I meld lightning bolts right in my hands, first throwing them as static to weaken aggressors, then sending out chained lightning to finish them off … I annihilate rushing herds of mad demons by forming fire bolts into rows of vicious fire hydras that fight for me. I sculpt moving blazes and set them down to protect me and follow in my wake, burning down all evil spirits that might follow … My survival is assured by fashioning ice bolts into frost novas that, spiraling outwardly in rings all around me, slow and shatter the undead servants of Diablo … All the while, raiding passed-on souls both righteous and foul, I gather gold, gems, magic items, weapons and armor to strengthen and aid me in my quests or to trade away. I recoup lost items for the Rogues as well, in return for even more rewards!
These Rogue compatriots of mine at the encampment finally help to prepare me for their worst local foe: Demon Queen Andariel. It is a long and arduous journey filled with hordes of murderous, otherworldly fiends who attempt to strike me down. Alas, I have hired a mercenary-archer named Gaile from the encampment, and she follows and guards me willingly and fiercely. Going into battle with Gaile by my side, her experience, defense and power growing even as mine do, we fight this poisonous Queen and her onslaught of new terrors together, emerging victorious once again!
This outland cleared, a caravan leader from the encampment offers to take us to Lut Gholein, a nearby town also overrun with Diablo’s treachery. We go, by now craving the very things that may be our end! The owner of a public house seeks vengeance for the deaths of both her son and husband, and so the first of our new quests begins … Locked treasure chests and abandoned barrels and jugs pepper the landscape, providing new jewel-encrusted magical weapons, health potions, gold, and magic portals for our emergency transference back to the safety of the town center. Their presence is mixed with the tortured corpses of past Rogues, unrelenting swarms of unique monsters and their masters, and dens and underground dungeons of evil that must be cleared for new treasures, experiences and defenses to be gained.
Our journeys, not for the faint of heart or mind, span in all five expansive locales. Gaile and I gather carnage from murdered heroes, forging new and incredibly powerful weapons from them. We ultimately open the sinister gates of hell to confront the most heinous beings behind this demonic plague of our world; both Diablo in his infamy and the unforeseen Baal, the Lord of Destruction. Many traps and deceptions of the eye await us, but for the bravest of brave, true light shall reign once again as we vanquish these horrendous foes and restore peace to our once-wondrous land …
Story
A demonically medieval tale woven through perpetual quests involving innumerable battles that carry through straight to the end. Diablo II itself consists of four acts that culminate in a final confrontation with Diablo; the Lord of Destruction expansion set adds a fifth act of gameplay and introduces yet another major boss to defeat in the form of Baal, the Lord of Destruction.
Game Mechanics
A point-and-click interface allows for strategic targeting of the unrelenting droves of enemies, along with easy manipulation of icon-driven weapons, inventory, and character skill tree systems.
Possibly overwhelming for a novice are the intricacies of the specific character classes and their detailed skill trees, where various types of experience points are earned for victorious battles that can be applied to numerous character traits, such as strength, vitality and energy, and used to broaden and reinforce character specialties such as spell-casting. Once specific experience points are applied, for better or worse, they can never be removed or reused; that said, the neverending battles do allow for constant earning of additional experience points. Each numbered level of character experience requires more and more game play in between to reach, though, and most locations must be played through multiple times (with enemies spawning again and again), or else a character’s experience level will not build up adequately enough to win boss fights with.
The game manual does little to direct the player towards the better experience point choices or to detail many specifics, so too much experimentation yielding poorly placed points often lends itself to beginning the game again on a better footing. The game automatically saves all progress over itself in the same save slot.
Once a quest area is started, if the game is exited before completion of that area, reentering the game will start at the closest safe town and the desired area will have to be accessed via Waypoint portals for transport and then conquered from scratch again. If a playable character dies, that same character spawns again back at the nearest safe town bereft of most inventory previously carried (except that which has been stored remotely in personal chests) and also sans acquired armor and jewelry previously worn.
One must only save and exit the game, then reenter it at said town and raid one’s old corpse, however, to recover everything intact, except for items carried in personal sashes and any gold the character had on his or her person. If a particularly difficult fight has been won or a large amount of experience points just earned, it is a good idea to exit the game and back up the sole save onto a disk, where it can be reinstalled back into the game over the current save if there is a major mistake made. A saved character from a previous Diablo II game may be converted to an expansion character for use with the LOD, but once converted that character cannot be changed back. Maps randomly change with each new character and game started, and a nice red overlay map showing all entrances, exits, shrines, caves and the like can be toggled on and off.
Inventory System
The ability to upgrade “socketed” weapons and armor by inserting acquired gems and jewels into those sockets, thereby adding magical attributes, certainly personalizes and enhances the gaming experience. However, there are so many magic items added with the LOD expansion set in addition to the already overwhelming amount of existing magic items, armor and weapons available in Diablo II itself that even the doubling of the storage area in LOD and the inclusion of large, wearable sashes for extra goods can’t keep inventory from spiraling out of control. The perpetual required trading and manipulation of inventory can be cumbersome and overly time-consuming.
The Horadric Cube, an acquired inventory device used for combining inventory items and morphing them into better items, has vague connotations and can be difficult to use to its maximum potential.
Rewards of battle are immediate, and health and mana (fuel for spell casting) refills are abundant. Keyboard shortcuts can be programmed for quick fortifying of characters, as well as for fast access to inventory and character attributes, etc. Constant upgrades for armor and weapons are in almost infinite supply; however, when selling items to vendors, their worth is cut in half compared to what a game character will pay to purchase them, making poor purchasing choices or lack of inventory storage space more costly.
Learning Curve
To the uninitiated, the amount of character stats, class-specific weaponry, beneficial shrines, and magic items may seem inhibiting at first. With patience it becomes easier to comprehend, and the thrilling battles will quickly draw the player in and render the less-clear points as secondary to some degree. The game can still be completed even if its finer details are not understood and the Horadric Cube’s use is not maximized.
Graphics
Diablo gets a boost with the Lord of Destruction expansion set, bringing its world into the long-overdue 800×600 resolution, with optional (and more enjoyable) 3D. Scenes are bright and richly detailed, if not still somewhat pixelated. The rare in-game movie sequences look stunning, however, and offer decent backstory information.
Sound
The voice acting of the NPCs is superb, as is the constantly evolving medieval musical score. Sound effects for everything from changing weather to enemies’ actions and vocalizations are top-notch as well.
Replay Value
The wide range of character classes to choose from, the forming and perpetual refining of each character, and the sheer breadth of customizing traits available all serve to solidify the replay value of this immense epic. The fact that maps differ when beginning a new game also adds to replay value.
Stability
Diablo II with the LOD installed and ran flawlessly under Windows 98 SE on my Athlon XP 1900+ PC with 512 megs of PC2100 DDR RAM and an Elsa Gladiac GeForce2 Ultra video card.
The Verdict
The Lowdown
Developer: Blizzard Publisher: Blizzard Release Date: 2000 (Diablo II); 2001 (Lord of Destruction expansion)
Available for:
Four Fat Chicks Links
Screenshots
System Requirements
PCSingle Player: Lord of Destruction expansion pack requires the full version of Diablo II to play Windows 2000, XP, ME, 98, 95, and NT 4.0 SP 5 or greater Pentium 233 64 MB RAM 800 MB available hard drive space (in addition to the original 900 MB Diablo II multiplayer install) 4X CD-ROM drive Direct X compatible video card
Additional requirements for Lord of Destruction multiplayer: Up to 8 players over TCP/IP network or Battle.net (Battle.net requires a low-latency 28.8 Kbps minimum internet connection) Multiplayer games played over a LAN require a TCP/IP network Enhanced graphics support: 8 MB 3D acceleration card that supports either OpenGL (v1.1.2 or higher), Rave, or 3dfx
MacSingle Player:G3 processor or equivalent Mac OS 8.1 or later 64 MB RAM plus virtual memory 650 MB free hard disk space 4X CD-ROM drive Video support for 256-color display at 800×600 resolution Mouse and keyboard Glide, OpenGL (1.1.2 or later), RAVE, or 3dfx compatible 3-D accelerators (optional)
Multiplayer:64 MB RAM plus virtual memory 950 MB free hard disk space 28.8 Kbps or faster modem Up to 8 players over TCP/IP network or Battle.net requires low-latency Internet connection with support for 32-bit applications
Where to Find It
Links provided for informational purposes only. FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).
Copyright © Electric Eye Productions. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.
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I’ve still not completed this yet so will keep this short but.. I’m absolutely loving Heavy Rain. Not unconditionally.. it’s not without it’s problems (some of the voice acting is literally laugh-out-laughable, and screen tearing has never been this distracting before) but I don’t think a game this flawed has ever had me so gripped before.
It’s abit emotionally draining though.. I keep coming away from it feeling cold and letting out big *sighs*. Absolutely a good thing though in the context of what the game is attempting (successfully) to do!
..although having said that, I have just realised none of that has any relevance to this actual story. Hmm, sorry!
Sales performance? I think it will do modestly. One thing I have noticed however is that alot of my close friends who aren’t “gamers” as such (and who literally buy games consoles for sports games – nothing else – if they even buy consoles at all) are VERY interested in this. As the resident geek in my circle of friends, I’ve been asked all sorts of questions about what this is, what it’s like and whether it’s any good.. by all sorts of different people.
I think it will be interesting to see Sony’s hardware figures around the launch of Heavy Rain, because I can see this being more popular amongst less-traditional gamers and non-gamers than amongst the existing base of Call of Duty, Gears of War loving “core” gamers.
Or something.. *shrugs*
Agreed, Mat. The story, the writing, a lot of the technology and scene blocking, all those things really keep you entranced. The actual gameplay is… I don’t know, I don’t want to say “nothing special,” but it’s certainly minimalist.
One thing I often wonder is how much my button presses are really influencing the game, or if they’re just in there to make me feel like a participant in what’d otherwise be a passively viewed story. A good one, to be sure, but no different from a movie.
I think Heavy Rain could mark the point at which AAA production values meet the sensibilities and tone of certain realistic and mature adventure games, that is, games which don’t emphasise fighting or action and concentrate more on storytelling, characters, dialogue and situational puzzles. I know Heavy Rain has its twitchy QTEs but the production values and mature themes are going to be hard to resist. The general non-gamer consensus with most mainstream ‘mature’ or ‘grown up’ titles at the moment will probably be something like:
Mass Effect is a fighting game for trekkies and sci-fi geeks.
Dragon Age is a fighting game for beardy weirdy fantasy geeks.
GTA IV is a fighting game for sociopaths.
Heavy Rain has the accessibility of something like GTA IV with its modern setting and believable characters but without the controversial Rockstar/GTA stigma attached and without the emphasis on fighting. It will not only appeal to the gamers who have been waiting ages for it or fancy something different, but also to the non-gamers who perhaps want to enjoy something a bit meatier but don’t care for outright fighting like in the above titles. Intriguing.
The things we love mature like HR games for?: http://borderhouseblog.com/?p=1691
The issue around the fighting sections of Heavy Rain is quite interesting in itself I think.
I’ve sunk several hours into this now and have pulled the trigger of a gun once.. and I tell you what, when the time came I actually felt like it meant something. The option to shoot also came with a string of alternative actions, and I went through afew of those before deciding to open fire. For someone who plays alot of FPS games, that Heavy Rain made me think twice about doing it once was quite intriguing..
I agree with you about the aspect of involvement too, Matt. I’m finding there are times when it feels like you’re genuinely playing a part, and others where it’s quite peripheral. Flicking the analogue stick to open a car door for example is nice and all but.. I would neither notice nor care if the AI did that for me. Alot of the more mundane actions do feel a little loose, although at the same time I do think they’re a nice way of building your relationship with the game and your characters personality. To open the fridge door or.. to not open the fridge door?
I haven’t actually played this game and probably won’t anytime soon. I don’t have a PS3, and, even though this is getting rave reviews, it really doesn’t seem like a killer app. Plus I’m terribly poor. Nevertheless I’m intrigued.
But here’s the thing, every time I see a game being lauded for a story, in spite of its lackluster gameplay, I feel very conflicted.
I think, is this a game then? Is this a story that could only be told in this medium? Why? What narratological elements of the game are unique to the medium? If the game was told as a movie, would it be considered anything more than average?
Then I think, does it matter? One thing a game does that no other medium can do is imbue its audience with a real sense of tension. You can fail in even the most simplistic game, which ups the ante. Additionally you can get stuck, which makes the story, even if its only told in cut scenes, more emotionally resonant because you overcame something to get to it.
So… well I don’t know. I feel like games can tell a story, and they can probably do so on the same artistic level as a masterful film… but the heart of the medium is its gameplay and games should be striving for innovation in that AND innovation in story AND integration of the two.
Does Heavy Rain do that?
@Igor: Hello Igor, the Border House is a great website that I’ve been visiting quite often since it was launched. I’ve got to say though, as a white, heterosexual male I feel out of my depth over there sometimes! There are some fantastic reads though. Thanks for the link. I’ll probably steer clear of it however, because of the spoilers!
@ Gregg
Absolutely. There are a couple of moments that remind me a little of GTA in terms of what’s actually going on, but they’re so far removed from that in the way that they’re handled and portrayed. Grand Theft Auto looks so childish in comparison.. and that’s coming from a GTA stallwart who still holds a candle for those games. Essentially of course they’re very different experiences and nobody will ever play one for the same experiences as the other but I still think it’s a fair comparison.
Did you buy the game or have you downloaded the demo, Gregg?
@ Lokimotive
I particularly agree with your point there about the ability to fail being so engrossing. One of the things that impressed me about Uncharted 2 was that Nathan Drake really does take a beating in that game. That’s another area where Heavy Rain does push it quite far. The characters go through some pretty testing times as it is, but if you’re that way inclined you can pile misery onto them even further by your own actions. Although it’s not happened to me yet, apparently they can also die prematurely and the game will continue without them.
Just as an aside too, I could sit and talk about Heavy Rain all day. I could write a list as long as my arm about things I don’t like about it from a technical/gameplay standpoint (but wont, because that would have to include spoilers) but the things it does do well make me so giddy.
For some reason my PSN connection is having none of it. Money’s too tight at the moment as well to buy any games so I’ll have to wait until PSN gets its act together so I can download the demo! I actually can’t wait to give it a whirl.
Is it just today you’re having PSN trouble? You are aware of the absolutely monumental crash/bug with the PS3’s today, right?
http://bangbangtech.com/archives/113267/60gb-ps3s-locked-out-of-psn-error-code-8001050f
Mat, I bet I know the one time you pulled a trigger of a gun, and you’re right, unlike any other game, it’s a very tough decision. I pulled the trigger and wound up regretting it almost immediately.
One interesting thing is that some of the prompts and conversational options are a bit misleading. There are times when I think I’m going to say one thing and wind up saying something else.
One of the impressive aspects of Heavy Rain is that it does a good job of making you realize how all the small decisions impact all the large ones. To open the fridge or not open the fridge… seems innocuous, but it may shape the fates of men one day.
@Gregg I should have explained why I’ve linked to that article. The reason is it makes me doubt if HR should be described as really that mature, or at least if it should be denied that sex and violence are its primary attractions for most buyers. The text discusses the main female character and how she is presented as a victim of male abuse type of character throughout the game above all other characteristics.
This and other things I hear about Heavy Rain make me think about shock value and putting the player in uncomfortable situations – both the subtler ones, as well as those straight from exploitative fiction.
Anyway, too bad Heavy Rain isn’t for the PC, so I could check it out myself. At least there’s the interactive youtube demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjNsqPxO2Ws
Makes you think if the full game would be actually much less of an experience if it was just an interactive movie on Youtube.
There’s a slight focus on violence against women, Igor, but at least so far it hasn’t been as bad as I feared. While Madison is victimized from time to time, she’s also presented as a tough lady who’s capable of taking care of herself (unless I’m the one directing her QTEs, in which case we’re both hosed).
If sex or violence are the primary attractors for most buyers – and I don’t disagree at all with the possibility – then most buyers are going to be disappointed. This game is about sadness, and loss, and not much else.
Of course I’m not far in yet, so my assessment could change.
Ahh, thanks for the clarification Igor. I’m keen to know what the feminists make of Heavy Rain considering what (little) I’ve read about it, so I can’t really comment but will be sure to when I’ve played it. Incidentally, I wonder if PSN has stopped acting the goat…
EDIT: @Mat – Yeah, I briefly heard something about it on the news this morning. Will check it out now.
For Sony’s sake I hope they fix this problem in about five more minutes, or they’ll be facing down one humongous lawsuit. Their official response (“we are looking into it”) is probably not going to cut the mustard.
It’s fixed now, Steerpike 🙂
By the way, after a monster late night session.. I’ve just finished Heavy Rain. All I can say is.. wow. Stunning game on so many levels. Also, now that I’ve finished, I’ve decided to open myself upto the many “what ending did you get” threads across the internet. I don’t think I’ve read any 2 that are the same yet. I have to go through this again to experiment with the differing avenues myself though, of course..
I think I’m about halfway through. It’s a good game.
It’s a great game.
It’s… complicated. We’ve never seen anything quite like this before, have we?
Go to bed!
@ Mat, and to think you’ve booked an entire week off work to play it! You only needed one day! (i’m so lonely at lunch 🙁 )
Must resist buying a PS3. Must….resist….Tap-Repeatedly effect…
Once the price dropped, I’d have picked one up but for the no backwards compatibility for PS2 games issue. That still annoys me as I have a substantial PS2 library left to play.
@Toger: I got my PS2 modded to play US games so in that sense it’s more valuable than a backwards compatible PS3 but in truth the whole thing pissed me off to. I don’t want 12 consoles under my TV. Just one please.
Finally got the demo of Heavy Rain downloaded and installed. Will probably play it tonight with my girlfriend. I’m looking forward to it.