- Release Date: July 26, 2000
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Style: Isometric Action RPG
- Similar Games: Diablo (IBM PC Compatible), Baldur's Gate (IBM PC Compatible), Planescape: Torment (IBM PC Compatible), Nox (IBM PC Compatible), Icewind Dale (IBM PC Compatible), Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (IBM PC Compatible)
Game Description
After the vile demon Diablo was apparently destroyed in Diablo, be prepared for the fight of your life as the hellspawn is back in Diablo II. The warrior who defeated Diablo, thinking he could contain the demon, thrust the crystal into his own skull. Yet the overwhelming fury of the arch-demon, combined with the warrior's fatigue, was more than enough to overpower the helpless hero. Diablo immediately twisted the once proud warrior's body into a walking nightmare--you must now stop this new threat.By some, the first game in the Diablo series was considered limited, containing only three character classes, one town, and a single set of dungeons, catacombs, and twisted crypts to explore. Well, even the most jaded gamers won't find the same problem in Diablo II. Featuring five unique classes, several towns, and dungeons enough to fill four compact discs, this game is huge. Containing the massive assortment of weapons and armor used to wage war upon the undead in the first game--and adding loads more--you won't run up against a shortage of ways to mutilate, massacre, and utterly destroy your competition.
Once again, this Blizzard release includes free internet play on the company's Battle.net internet gaming service. But, as cheating was most likely the worst problem with playing Diablo on Battle.net, the team working on the sequel has taken great pains in redesigning the entire game engine from the ground up to eliminate the frustration in fighting unbeatable opponents.
~ Chris Couper, All Game Guide
Roots & Influences
This is the sequel to the original Diablo released in 1996. Although packaged separately and released at different times, both the official IBM Compatible and Macintosh versions of Diablo II actually contain the same hybrid versions of the game and manual. One reason the games were released separately for the two platforms was to allow Blizzard to keep better track of how many copies were being purchased by users of each of the two different platforms.~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Diablo II by Blizzard North is an excellent sequel to an amazing game. This is probably one of the simplest and most compelling RPGs for the Macintosh system available to date. The port from PC to Macintosh is excellent aside from a few glitches that could ruin this otherwise addictive game.As for the premise, it appears that Diablo wasn't actually defeated in the first game. In fact, it's now believed that he possessed the body of the very hero who was said to have killed him. It is your job to stop him from destroying the world by using one of five different types of characters: Amazon, Barbarian, Necromancer, Paladin or Sorceress. Each has unique skills to learn as they increase in levels.
The story is very deep and, as you complete each part, new aspects are revealed that make you want to continue the adventure and learn more. The chapter cinemas are breathtaking and the opening cinemas for the game are stunning. Finding out who actually becomes Diablo will shock you and is worth the price of admittance alone!
Gameplay is easy to master and very user friendly. As such, it won't take you more than an hour to get into the game. You explore all sorts of areas from tombs and cemeteries to deserts and forests in an isometric view that actually doesn't hinder the action.
The drawback to this format occurs when you go underground. As you get closer to the walls, they fade out a bit so you can more clearly see your path. Unfortunately, depending on the dungeon set-up, you can become confused, as is the case when you're in the palace. Certain archways fade away so you can navigate but, because they aren't actual doors, you can lose track of them - a factor that may lead you to a corner and certain death.
The graphics are clean and there isn't any break up. At times when too many creatures are on screen, there is a bit of a slow down that can be somewhat frustrating. There are plenty of creatures for you to massacre - hence the mature rating. But there really isn't very much detail to the carnage. Sure, bodies are left strewn about the floor, but they eventually fade away.
Your character is really well portrayed. As you collect different types of weapons and armor, his or her appearance changes accordingly. Get a new helm and you get a new look. It's a small thing but a good example of how much detail went into the game. There are plenty of weapons to find and buy and the game resets itself each time you exit and save. This keeps the replay value high since you can go back to an area you already traversed and gain new and better magical items and lots of experience.
There are a few new features in the game that really enhance gameplay. First, there are five classes of characters from which to choose - an aspect that offers nice variety. Second is the inclusion of a chest you can use to stash items and gold. While it could stand to be a bit bigger, at least you don't have to sell off everything.
You can really experiment with different weapons and armor combos, too. Yet another feature is the addition of portals in just about every area, a factor that proves to be a tremendous help and saves you a great deal of running time when you need to get back to town. Finding these portals can be fairly tough at times but they are always worth the hunt.
There is one aspect that can drive you to the brink: dying. Should you meet an untimely end (and you will), you lose your body and return back to the city from where you came. You must then return to the spot where you died and collect your body. Easy, right? No. Usually, all the beasts that killed you are still hanging around the area and, since you have no armor or weapons, getting to your body can be aggravating to say the least. This is a feature that carries over from the first game, so veteran Diablo players won't bat an eye while new players may find it annoying but will learn to get past it very quickly.
Despite all the good qualities of the game, there are a few disappointing glitches that are more sources of aggravation than anything else. Though the game is released as the Macintosh version, the majority of the instruction booklet is worded for PC users. There are several references to "right clicking" which, unless you have a special mouse, is not a possibility per se with the standard Macintosh equipment. While a small note in the tutorial section explains that Mac users need to hold down the command key while clicking to perform the "right-click," it could be easy to miss this important information in the decidedly PC-oriented manual.
In all, the sequel offers new and improved versions of all that made the original Diablo a classic. Even if the designers didn't seem too concerned about Macintosh user control issues, it shouldn't put you off from picking up a copy. Diablo II is a keeper.
~ Jason White, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
This is a great way to relieve stress. The only frustration is trying to figure out how to do a functional right click on a Macintosh.~ Jason White, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
The graphics are clean and crisp. You can make out almost every detail of armor and weapons on your character.~ Jason White, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
The music is fairly decent and is different for each setting. The hacking and slashing sounds are generic but each creature makes a really nice short sound.~ Jason White, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
With five different classes and tons of weapons and armor to find, the game never gets old. In addition, the rooms reset and change layout each time you restart.~ Jason White, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
For a game sold as the {!Macintosh} edition, the entire manual is written for the {!PC} user.~ Jason White, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Game Design: Blizzard North; Project and Design Leads: Dave Brevik, Erich Schaefer, Max Schaefer; Executive Producer: Mike Morhaime; Senior Producer: Matt Householder; Producer: Kenneth Williams; Technical Producer: Michael Huang; Design: Stieg Hedlund; Lead Programmer: Rick Seis; Programmers: Pete Brevik, Jon Morin, Tyler Thompson, Steven Woo, Ted Bisson, Mike Scandizzo, Doug McCreary, Peter Kemmer, Jonathan Stone, Peter Hu, Jason Regier, Divo Palinkas, Jesse McReynolds, Doron Gartner; Lead Character Artist: Phil Shenk; Character Artists: Michio Okamura, Kelly Johnson, Chris Root, Michael Dashow, Bob Steele, Cheeming Boey, Evan Carroll, Eric Sexton, Anthony Rivero, John Kubasco, Kris Renkewitz, Patrick Tougas, Ben Haas; Background Artists: Ben Boos, David Glenn, Alex Munn, Alan Ackerman, Fredrick Vaught, Marc Tattersall, Mark Sutherland; Music: Matt Uelmen; Sound Design: Scott Petersen, Jonathan Stone, Matt Uelmen; Additional Sound Effects: Joseph Lawrence; Level Design: Grant Wilson, Stefan Scandizzo, Derek McAuley; Additional Game Design: Eric Sexton; Story and Dialog: Stieg Hedlund, Matt Householder, Phil Shenk, Kurt Beaver, Bob Vieira; Story Concept and Script Editor: Chris Metzen; Production Manager: Karin Colenzo; Network Administration and Technical Services: Joe Morrissey; Production Assistant: Charlotte Grant; BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT Senior Producer: Bill Roper; Producer: Mark Kern; Battle.net & Realm Programming: Carl Chimes, Mike Scandizzo, Peter Hu, Pat Wyatt, Mike O'Brien; Programming: Brian Fitzgerald; Macintosh Programming: Brian Fitzgerald, Dave Lawrence, John Stiles, Tony Tribelli, Brett Wood; Macintosh Graphic Design: Ted Park, Peter Underwood; Strike Team: Mike Morhaime, Mark Kern, Bill Roper, Eric Dodds, Chris Sigaty, Ian Welke, Rob Pardo, Geoff Fraizer, Ted Park, Allen Adham; Technical Strike Team: Mike Morhaime, Mark Kern, Mike O'Brien, Pat Wyatt, Isaac Matarasso, Adrian Luff, Rob Bridenbecher, Carl Chimes; President's Special Strike Team: Bill Roper, Frank Gilson, Brian Fitzgerald, Carl Chimes; Irvine Play-Balance Team: Kevin Beardslee, Shane Dabiri, Eric Dodds, Geoff Fraizer, Dave Hale, Mike Heiberg, Scott Mercer, Chris Millar, Ted Park, Dean Shipley, Jeremy Smith; Battle.net and Realm Network Engineer: Adrian Luff; Manual Design & Layout: Peter Underwood, Mark Kern, Chris Sigaty, Chris Metzen; Manual Artwork: Ben Boos, Evan Carroll, Samwise Didier, Chris Metzen, Alex Munn, rk post, Phil Shenk; Cinematic Director: Matt Samia; Cinematic Producer: Scott Abeyta; Cinematic Editor: Joeyray Hall; Cinematic Animation Supervisor: Harley Huggins; Cinematic Script Writers: Matt Samia, Chris Metzen, Harley Huggins, Joeyray Hall, Paul Limon; Cinematic Design Lead: Nick Carpenter; Cinematic Artists/Animators: Scott Abeyta, John Burnett, Nick Carpenter, John Chalfant, Jeff Chamberlain, Jay Hathaway, Paul Hormis, Harley Huggins, Paul Limon, Matthew Mead, Matt Samia, Mark Skelton, Patrick Thomas, Tharyn Valavanis; Cinematic Technical Artists: John Burnett, Paul Hormis, Tharyn Valavanis; Cinematic Music: Jason Hayes, Glenn Stafford; Additional Orchestration: Andrea Pessino; Cinematic Sound Design: Glenn Stafford, Jason Hayes, Tracy Bush, Tami Donner, Victor Crews; Cinematic Voice Acting: Frank Gorshin (Marius), Milton James (Baal), James Harper (The Wanderer and Tal Rasha), Ed Trotta (Tyreal), Paul Eiding (Mephisto); Cinematic Strike Team: Stieg Hedlund, Phil Shenk, Matt Householder, Scott Petersen; Voice Casting Agents: Donald Paul Pemrick, Dean E. Fronk, Rick Briar; Voice Direction: Jason Hayes, Chris Metzen; Voice Casting: Jason Hayes, Matt Householder, Chris Metzen, Bill Roper, Stieg Hedlund, Tom Keegan; Voice Editing: Tami Donner, Jason Hayes, Scott Petersen; Voice Recording Engineer: Rich Seitz; Voice Acting: Larry B. Scott (Paladin), Liana Young (Sorceress), Michael McConnohie (Necromancer and Warriv), Jessica Straus (Amazon), David Jean Thomas (Barbarian), Eve Brent (Akara), Glynnis Talken (Kashya), Tiffany Hayes (Charsi), Brian George (Gheed, Drognan and Alkor), Michael Gough (Cain), Lani Minella (Andariel and Blood Raven), Nina Minton (Flavie), Martitia Palmer (Fara), Roz Witt (Atma), Tony Pope (Elzix and Guard), James Harper (Griez), Frank Gorshin (Lysander), Deam Bristow (Meshif), Jim Killeen (Jerhyn), Castulo Guerra (Geglash), Ed Trotta (Tyrael and Izual), Jennifer Smithee (Asheara), Fredrick Bloggs (Ormus), Bernie Wilkens (Hratli), Carrie Gordon (Natalya), Paul Eiding (Narrator and Mephisto), Bill Roper (Diablo and Hadriel); The Blizzard North Players: Cheeming Boey, Evan Carroll, Michael Dashow, Derek McAuley, Doug McCreary, Scott Petersen, Michael Scandizzo, Stefan Scandizzo, Max Schaefer, Eric Sexton, Sheriff Jon Stone, Matt Uelmen; Quality Assurance Manager: John Lagrave; QA Project Lead Tester: Ian Welke; QA Assistant Lead Tester: Joe Frayne; QA Technical Engineer: Frank Gilson; QA Team Leads: Christian Arretche, Roger Eberhart, David K Fried, Carlos Guerrero, Jason Hutchins, Brian Love, Matthew Morris, Mike Murphy, Justin Parker, Derek Simmons; Game Testers: Bo Bell, Connor James Franklin Brandt, James Chadwick, Ryan Creasey, Les Douglas, Michelle Elbert, Ron Frybarger, Gary Gibson, Katt Jean, Ed Kang, Damon Kilcoin, Josh Kurtz, Jeff Ockerman, Matt Sanders, Michael Smith, Omari Valentine; Additional Testers: Zach Allen, Todd Allison, Magid Ahmadi Kashani, Dave Fleischmann, Shawn Ingram, Joe Kim, Yong Kim, Joe Lee, Kelly Stover; Compatibility Testers: Victor Larson, Mark Moser, Brandon Riseling; Network Security Consultants, Redline Games, Inc.: James E. Anhalt III, Carl Chimes; Macintosh Project Lead Tester: Dave K. Fried; Macintosh Assistant Lead Testers: Edward Kang, Brian Love; Macintosh Help: Collin Smith; Director of Support Services: Robert Bridenbecker; Assistant Technical Support Manager: John Schwartz; Online Support: Pat Nagle, Kevin Jordan, Mick Yanko, Alen Lapidis, Mark Downie, David Nguyen, Collin Smith; Technical Support: Michael Barken, Thor Biafore, John Hsieh, Jason Schmit, Daniel Choe; Localization Producers: Flavie Gufflet, Louis Mutter, Matt Householder, Chris Sigaty, Paul Cooke, Ken Williams; Globalization Manager: Louis Mutter; Localization Project Lead: Mike Loftain; Localization Engineers: Jason Chiu, Chris Yoshimura, Damien Monaghan, Steve Woo, Anthony Fitzgerald, David Doheny, Kevin Boyle; Localization QA: Fiachra Synnot, David Hickey, Andy Clark, Charles Shepherd, Steve Thompson, Jan Wagner, Thorsten Kiefer, Markus Rafflenbeul, Aurelien Mehdi, David Picco, Fabrice Lochon, Jose R. Pascual; Localization Support: Nabil Debira, Veronica Pajuyo; Localization Graphics and Design: Bill Sweeney, Caroline Peelo, Joeyray Hall; Information Technologies: Jeremy Smith, Hung Nguyen, Kirk Mahony, Mike Hale; Office Administration: Christina Cade, Karin Colenzo, Jamie Neveaux, Linda Bailey; Public Relations: Susan Wooley-Sams, Lisa Pearce, Tony Gervase; Web Team: Geoff Fraizer, Mike Huang, Ted Park, John Schwartz; Business Development & Operations: Paul Sams, Isaac Matarasso, Kenneth Williams, Melissa Edwards; Legal Counsel: Eric Roeder, Kevin Crook, Rod Rigole, Will Glenn; Marketing & Creative Services: Neal Hubbard, Stewart Weiss, Kathy Carter, Jessica Monson, Steve Parker, Mike Bannon, Neal Johnson; U.S. Sales: Randy Brown, Mark Iverson; International Sales: Christophe Romboz, Jean-Daniel Pages, Hubert Larenandie; Direct Sales: Rob Beatie, Kim Chaudhry; Manufacturing: Bob Wharton, Tom Bryan, Jaime Chavez; Recruiting: Bernie Wilkens, Fred Wallace; Battle.net Hosting Partners: AT&T, DACOM, Exodus, Telia; Supplemental Play Balance Team: John Cash, Jeff Chow, Kyle Harrison, Scott Hartin, Brian Hsu, Brandon Idol, Tom Jung, Twain Martin, Dan Moore, Bill Petras, Gary Platner, Duane Stinnet, Justin Thavirat, Peter Underwood; Directors of Dunsel Development: Frank Pearce, Alan Dabiri; Thanks to: Wendy Brevik, Jennie Brevik, Katie Brevik, Johanna Carroll, Richard & Sandra Schaefer, Megan Williams, Candi Strecker, Nicola Householder, Karin Colenzo, Anna-Marcelle Okamura, Amber Okamura, Megan Okamura, Rick Seis, Dad & Mom Colenzo, Andrea Thelen, Shelley Cooper, Paige Nittler, Karen Weiss, Bernadete Sexton, Stephen Hu, Alan Hu, Johnathon Root, Caralee Schaefer, Kris Brevik, Denise Hernandez, Talia Ehrlich, Kyle Matthews, Christina Shenk, Liz Scandizzo, Kelly Regier, John Tavish & Natalie Fay, the Idaho Crew, Grace and Christina Huang, Erica Juhn, Residential Computing at Berkeley, Professor Allan Cruse, Brother John Keck, Myra Rivero, Shannon Kelly, Mike McBrine, Lynn & Ernest Brown, Zeno Dickson, Rosemary Morrissey, Rebecca Owen, Tim Hunter, Flying Hands Massage, Hyla Lacefield, Diane Kodama, Brad Mason, Betty Morin, Tom Ricket, Yun-Fong Loh, Nezumi, the Boey Family & Nok, Chan Kuan Chean, Cheeming's Homies, Friends of Bill W., Miles Inada, Kira England-Carroll, Fil DeAngelis, Big Idea Girl, Everquest, The Office Park Gym, Naps, Jerry Garcia, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Scott Kurtz, Tom at EBX, Mad Mixers, Napster, Chris Rock, Noam Chomsky, The Sunday Night Game, Chevrolet, LMCTF & Loki's Minions. Sluggy Freelance, The Poxy Boggards, Mind Control Software, Mego Micronauts Toys, McFarlane Toys, TO GO, Pancho Villa, Piazza's, the Sex-Ball, Arthur Guinness, Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz, Bongo & Clyde, Scarlet & Apollo, Littles & Baby, Leroy & Tyson, Ring of a Thousand, The Discreet Guys-Shawn Stiener, Kevin Blaker, Scott Ryan, Dave Campbell, Eric Pinkle, Edwin Braun at Cebas, Beau Perschall at Digimation, Ivan Kolev, Shag Hair, Stephanie Samia, Melissa Huggins, Jo Anne Carpenter, Greg Dale, Laura Clifton, Elizabeth Skelton, Tara Thomas, John and Gai Burnett, Sheryl Narahara, Shelly Tasher, Lori Limon, Fred and Josephine Hormis, David Fincher, Mike and Anne Chamberlain, Jeremy Appelbaum; Special Cinematic Thanks to: The Ramones, Suzanne Di Piazza, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Nuclear Rabbit, Ray the Soda Guy, Jean-Marie Messier, Eric Licoys, Agnes Touraine, Luc Vanhal, Andy Bond, Cameron Buschardt, James Anhalt, Jeff Strain, Paula Duffy, Todd Coyle, Danny Kearns, Ralph Becker, Marie-Cecile Pineau, Fabrice Gibelan, Frederic Tibout, Michael Fuller, Karine Augoyat, Treff Laplante; Special Thanks to: Hubert Joly, Bob & Jan Davidson
~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide
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