Product Description

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4269 in Video Games
• Brand: Blizzard Entertainment
• Model: 4313
• Released on: 2000-06-21
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platforms: Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 95
• Format: CD-ROM
• Original language: English

Amazon.com Review
Diablo is a fantasy role-playing game that captures the spirit of original face-to-face games like Dungeons and Dragons. With a straightforward story line based on fulfilling quests assigned by nonplayer characters, you equip yourself, venture into a dungeon, and slaughter legions of hideous foes. Along the way, you unearth magical treasure, discover mighty spells, and earn experience that can be used to increase your combat abilities.

Almost all of your time with Diablo is spent underground, exploring and conquering ever-deeper levels of the gloomy dungeon. Combat is fast, brutal, and constant. Whether your weapon of choice is a sword, axe, bow, or spell, all forms of combat employ a simple two-click system, which is elegant without being simplistic.

Replayability and customizability are Diablo's strong points; the incredible number of options and possibilities--and the fun that can be had experimenting with different strategies--keeps players coming back for more. All the dungeon levels are generated anew each time you draw up a new character, and are packed with an entirely different set of textures, features, items, traps, creatures, and quests. While one game may stock the fifth subterranean level with an army of skeleton warriors, the next game may pack that level with hordes of winged gargoyles. Multiplayer options exist for two to four players, so you don't have to take on the world by yourself unless you prefer solo play.

Released in 1997, this game is far simpler than newer titles that have expanded on its original concepts; there are only three character classes and a limited number of ways to truly distinguish your character from others. But sometimes there is no beating a classic. Three years old and with a sequel due in mid-2000, the original Diablo has aged remarkably well. Many of its features will seem familiar to seasoned fantasy gamers, just because so many of them have been incorporated into later RPGs.

Players who yearn for uncluttered adventuring and those with older computers will definitely want to check this one out. --Alyx Dellamonica

Pros:

• Endless replayability
• Fun, classic dungeon hack-and-slash game play
• Cool magic items
• Cooperative or competitive multiplay

• Magic items tend to define character
• Multiplay is lousy with cheaters

Amazon.com Product Description
As a Warrior, Rogue, or Sorcerer, you explore a dark, gothic world full of labyrinths, magical treasures, and horrific surprises. The stunning SVGA graphics, lifelike cinematic sequences, and advanced multiplayer capabilities distinguish this game from the rest. (Ages 17 and up)

GameSpot Review
Every now and then a game comes along that is so simple and addictive that it affects the way that video games are made forever. Games like SimCity, Populous, Dune II, and Doom all changed the face of computer gaming for years to come. Now Blizzard, the company that refined the real-time strategy game to near perfection, has unleashed Diablo, a title that combines the elegant simplicity of an action game and the addictive storyline of an adventure game with the personalization and exploratoration of an old-school RPG.

As with the golden RPG titles of yesteryear, Diablo's premise is very simple: Find evil things and smite them repeatedly. The tricky bit comes in deciding just how to smite them, and how to do it without getting seriously killed. Each of the game's three character classes - the warrior, the rogue, and the sorcerer - has a different approach to combat, and different specialties that make life easier overall. Super-strong and resilient, the warrior is able to use a great many weapons that his colleagues can't heft and can wade into battles without fear of being struck down in the first few seconds of the fight. Rogues are masters of the bow; their superior dexterity enables them to strike from afar with unerring accuracy. Sorcerers depend on a variety of powerful spells to destroy large numbers of enemies from a distance, keeping their frail frames far away from possible harm. Each different class of character suits a particular style of play: Action fans will most likely want to scrap up close with a warrior, while strategy fans will find the strike-and-move tactics of the sorcerer and rogue more to their liking. It doesn't really matter - it's all very, very cool.

Cooler still are the amazing variety of items, magic, and monsters encountered while tackling the game's many quests. Like Sword of Fargoal and The Wizard's Crown (old, old, OLD, RPGs), Diablo features magic items and weapons with random powers and properties. Names like the Jade Bow of the Moon denote more than just a valuable find; jade indicates an item that helps the player resist all forces (fire, electricity, etc.), and of the moon shows that the arm will increase all of a character's attributes. Since all of this is random, players are constantly given the promise of discovering the ultimate weapon or armor with each open chest or slain enemy. Similarly, although a set number of monsters is included, only a few will be seen during each full game. This means that players going back for their second or third shot at the game will very likely fight opponents they haven't seen before. Talk about replay value.

Those who do get tired of Diablo will find a whole new realm of excitement in network and Battle.net play. In both modes (all it takes to play Battle.net is an open Internet connection and a copy of the game) players can work with (or against) three other players while solving quests and fighting evil. Although facing off against large numbers of enemies can get pretty tricky - as a sorcerer I had a horrible problem with shooting my warrior companions in the back with some particularly nasty spells - this group play adds hours of play life to the title. On Battle.net be prepared to run across the dregs of virtual society, from player killers who slay others for their gold, to more clever sham artists who lure players into dangerous areas and then collect their items after they're killed by the local beasties. Watch your back.

There's plenty more that's great about Diablo - it features a fantastic soundtrack reminiscent of early Bauhaus albums as well as randomly determined quests and subquests - but there's no reason to write about it here. Diablo is the best game to come out in the past year, and you should own a copy. Period. If you like PC games, you should go out right now and experience what is likely to be the clone maker for the next two years. --Trent C. Ward
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Another great Blizzard Game
I loved StarCraft, so i decided to try another Blizzard game. Diablo was it. Ever since I popped it in 2 nights ago, I've been addicted. I'm at the beggining to the 7th dungeon and I have a Lv.13 Warrior that kicks.... I love searching for new weapons, armor, and new monsters to kill. Some people critisized the small town in which you are based, but I think it serves it's purpose well. The town was not the reason i gave the game a 4 instead of 5.

The reason was that, so far, I have not been very challenged by the game. All the bosses were a piece of cake and the quests were not as hard as i thought they would be. Also, my uncle and friend both informed me that even the big guy, Diablo, was easy to defeat.

However! Don'r run away yet! This game is extremely addicting and is worth the 10 or 20 bucks you spend on it. Even with the problems I named, it is my favorite RPG. And, I'm not 1/2 way through yet so it could increase in difficulty.

In closing, buy this game. You won't be sorry. Just one warning: Once you get it, your grades will drop and you will lose hours of sleep... because you won't be able to leave the computer! It's time for me to go....

Its beauty is its simplicity
This game, I must say, is one of the most addictive, fun, frustrating, sleep-wasting, homework delaying, fun games ever. While Blizzard, in the manual, gives their usual in depth backstory and pictures and all, the plot of the game is very simple -- fight your way through Diablos minions and then kill the big guy himself.

During the course of all this, you can go back up through the depths into town to reprovision, get some advice from the townspeople, and go on quests for them, from which you get various rewards.

I literally do not think I've ever played a game as addictive as this one. The hours fly. You go through a few levels, and it seems to be fairly quick, and then you realize its 2 am. The first few levels may seem easy, especially if you're playing with a warrior, but once you get down to the depths, believe me, it will be a challenge for anyone.

The graphics, almost five years later, are still very good, as are the spells, weapons and enemies, and the animations of all of them. The worst thing about this game is that you will invariably want to carry more gear than can fit on you, and it's a be-itch trying to figure out what excellent item to sell, and what to keep, only to decide when it's too late you'd rather have done it the other way around.

I haven't played much multiplayer, but that's excellent too. I definitely recommend this game to anyone and everyone. Kudos to Blizzard for a game well done.

It's still fun after all these years
I've owned this game for about 2 years, and I still play it. Diablo uses a formula that is so simple, yet, complex. The game seems so simple and easy at first: Make trips down to the dungeon, fight, get items, return to town, heal, repeat cycle. However, the game is much deeper.

They're 3 characters to use: Warrior, Rogue, and Sorceror. The Warrior is the best to use for beginners becuase all you have to do is use hack n' slash tactics. The Rogue is well balanced, she uses physical fighting as well as magic, and you have to master both to use her effectively. The Sorceror is the hardest to master becuase he is only good at using spells, but near the end of the game, the Sorceror becomes the most powerful.

Diablo's plot is basic at first: You must go down into the dungeon and defeat the demon Diablo in order to save the town of Tristram. However, as you go through the game, you'll learn more about Diablo and about the town of Tristram. Despite what people say, this game DOES have a plot.

The game takes place in the town of Tristram and the dungeon nearby it. The town of Tristram has many people to talk to, each with their own voice actors. The music is top-notch, you'll never want to turn the sound off. Each monster has their own roar, and some even talk to you.

The gameplay is point-and-click. You click on the monster you want to vanquish. This sounds stupid at first but it gets more complex. You eventually learn spells and you must make strategies on how to use them. Also, they're countless items and armor to be found, which makes it all more interesting.

Playing multiplayer is HORRIBLE becuase of cheaters. Trust me, if you want to play multiplayer, just wait for Diablo II.

All in all, this game is a worthy purchase, and I still play it after all these years. Just be warned: It's addictive. VERY addictive. The formula of Diablo will make you sit on your chair and stare at the computer screen for days... weeks... months.