Diablo - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Diablo

continued
no waiting in purgatory
Diablo takes up only about 5MB of disk space, which is amazing. But the labyrinth consists of only 16 levels, broken into 4 groups: Dungeon, Catacombs, Caves, and Hell. New groups are reached after progressing through 4 or 5 levels in the previous group. Each brings new background graphics, monster types, and, most importantly, a stairway back to town. This is convenient because once you reach level 13, you can go straight to Hell. While the 16 levels can easily take 40-plus hours to complete, Blizzard's intuitive interface and amenities--like automapping, Town Portal (a transporter from the dungeon to town), and user-definable hot keys--help you completely lose track of time. Playing Diablo is a true pleasure, forsaking drudgery and repetition, which are often staples in other RPGs. For those who think 16 levels just isn't enough, don't worry. The levels, monsters, and quests are all randomly generated, which means the game can be played several times, especially when using different characters. Add the variety offered from multiplayer gaming, and Diablo's replayablilty becomes infinite.
Diablo is such a visual and aural pleasure it's sinful. The isometric three-quarter view is rendered in a gorgeous gothic style. The perspective takes some getting used to, especially in the lower levels, but the gory attention to detail is effective and even chilling at times. Characters and creatures move realistically and die gruesomely, and the various spells are also wonderfully animated. As for sound, the voice acting is very convincing, and the music, although anachronistic at times, sets the mood perfectly.
beauty is in the eye...
A few technological gripes, which didn't hamper my gaming experience, will undoubtedly irk some. First, Blizzard's CD-spawning technique (made famous in Warcraft II) hasn't really been well implemented in Diablo. In order for two people to play the full version over a network, both must purchase the full version of the game. Diablo does spawn the shareware version of the game, but it limits the player to Warrior class, a few levels, and can be played only with other shareware versions.
Second, the only way to play over the Internet is with battle.net or other dedicated Internet gaming services. Since Blizzard went through the trouble of adding TCP/IP support, it would have been nice to have other options. Finally, only 4 players are allowed in a game at one time. Large, 16-player campaigns would be very interesting, and it would be nice to have an audience for grudge matches. Although it's easy to complain, none of these "drawbacks" lessen my opinion of Diablo. I like the game enough to buy two copies; managing a game of four people is hard enough as it is, and battle.net is awesome (and there is always Kali). Hopefully, these issues can be addressed in the sequel alluded to in the game's finale.

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