Diablo still worth a go? (Diablo (PC))

Member Name: lemontiger

Product:	Diablo (PC)
Date:	07/04/09 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic hero-style RPG

Disadvantages: Old, poor graffics

Released in the 90s by Blizzard (still now synonymous with great role play games) there is no doubt that Diablo has been brilliant game. However, is it still comparable to other games now available? I've played Diablo on and off for 10 years, most recently this week. The game centres around a single person or the 'hero' of the story and at the beginning you have a choice of 3 characters which vary in items they are best to use and skills you can develop in them.

I always choose and would suggest you start with the Warrior who best suits axes, swords, club etc and sturdy armour- gives you something to work towards. Your hero can wear hat, boots, gloves and armour to help them be stronger. They can also wear 2 rings and an amulet which are imbued with magical properties that assist the hero. Finally choice of weapon is essential- never send your hero out without one! Just be aware that most of these items will degrade so remember to get them fixed regularly or be prepared to lose them.

Starting out in the village of Tristran where they will meet healer, blacksmith and others to help along the way, your hero must travel from the defiled church down 15 levels. Through these levels your character will meet thousands of creatures of various different types to battle. These are relatively straight forward and OK to fight so long as there aren't too many at once. If there are, find a doorway asap, then you'll only have to fight one at a time. When you kill a creature they will sometimes leave behind coins or a weapon- these are worth varying amounts to the blacksmith in town. For each new type of creature you will at some point come across a kind of 'king/queen' who will be significantly tougher to beat than the others. Once you do kill them however, they will leave behind a magical item which can be identified by Cain in town- sometimes magical items can be found in chests or left by other creatures you kill. It is always worth taking these back to town.

Your character will get various missions along the way which are mostly random, the earliest being the Poisoned Water Supply and The Butcher. You always seem to get one of these two and then at least 3 or 4 others along the way. However you don't have to do any of these to complete the game, although you should- you often get a reasonable reward.

There are some things I'll mention very briefly
1. There are books of magic which you can learn to cast as well as scrolls
2. Your character starts with basic abilities which you will develop as your hero passes levels
3. There are shrines you can access which will slightly alter your character's abilities
4. You can save at any point in the game which is very helpful
5. There is a brilliant add-on to the game called Hellfire which is well worth investing in

So it is still as good as when I first played? Well no because I know what to expect and therefore like any game it has become a bit easy. However it is still good to play and the last 4 levels can be quite difficult, especially the last one. I must say that major improvements were made to graffics, storyline and content with Diablo 2 but I still think it is a really enjoyable game despite these things even at so old an age. Many may not be able to look past some of the negatives, but I still enjoy it every time due the pace which can be fast, but nor exhaustingly so like many modern games. I also appreciate the quality of the game which is coherent from beginning to end.

If you can find it, and you like RPGs it is still worth a try.

Summary: Diablo? Give it a go.