Tag Archives: Remaster

Diablo II: Risen

RRP $ 40.00

"Diablo II: Resurrected preserves the original game while showing why it was considered a legendary game in the first place."

advantages

• Faithful remaster

• Necessary changes in quality of life

• Smoother graphics

• Works for both casual and hardcore gamers

• Still the king

disadvantage

• Sometimes shows its age

• Original editions are still available

When we talk about game remasters, Diablo II: Resurrected should be considered the gold standard. It achieves what many other remasters fail; It really captures what it felt like playing the original game all those years ago. While the game is certainly showing its age, it has the basic framework that so many action RPGs have revived for their own needs.

Since Diablo II: Resurrected is as strong as it is, it's a little tricky to verify. To get to the point, this is pretty much just the original Diablo II with a paint job. There are really few major – and I use the term loosely – changes that affect gameplay. In the remastered version of Diablo II, the stash size has been increased and it is now easier to share loot with other characters. Additionally, characters can now automatically pick up gold when they encounter it. The improved audio, graphics, and Battle.net implementation enriches the game, but it doesn't radically change it in any way. Anyone who played the original knows exactly what to expect from the remaster. And that's a very good thing.

Welcome to hell

For those who never played Diablo II in the early 2000s, Diablo II: Resurrected is the remaster of the ARPG that each subsequent ARPG, like Torchlight and Path of Exile, used as the basis for their gameplay. Picking a character, jumping into dungeons, collecting a wealth of loot, and unleashing a barrage of spells and guts, it all started here. Well, it probably started with the original game, but Diablo crawled in so that Diablo II could run. This reworked version focuses on small quality of life changes and keeps most of the original game intact.

This can be a problem for gamers who are used to more modern ARPGs. Fans of the Torchlight franchise might find Diablo II: Resurrected daunting and complex, while Path of Exile fans might find it, ironically, superficial. Diablo II: Resurrected exists somewhere near the center of this game series and can please both of its fans.

Diablo II: Resurrected exists at the same time as a relic of old-school gaming and yet offers everything a modern game needs to be inviting and addicting.

Diablo II mastered the amalgamation of casual and hardcore gameplay years before these games were even conceived. A player can easily create a character and just go with the flow and still see everything the game has to offer. When I was 10 years old, I did Baal runs and immersed myself in the Secret Cow level in the original game. Or, you can really buckle your character down to min / max and routinely take out the final boss of the game in under three minutes.

ARPG game fans should definitely check out this game for no other reason than to see where this genre really took off. Even though the game is technically 20 years old, it still has an incredible loop for players to bite into. It's still incredibly fun to dive deep into dungeons and collect tons of loot, especially when you want to play with other players. Up to eight players can join in together to experience the entirety of this game, two more than the multiplayer modes Torchlight 2 and Paths of Exile. Diablo II: Resurrected exists at the same time as a relic of old-school gaming and yet offers everything a modern game needs to be inviting and addicting.

Welcome back (to hell)

I will turn my attention to the players who are returning to Tristram after such a long absence. Hello hope you are well. This game? This game here? It is exactly as you remembered it. Many gamers are cautious when they hear that their favorite game is getting a modern update. Sometimes this guttes the game and turns it into something unrecognizable. Sometimes it doesn't deliver what it says on the tin and you end up with a half-baked game full of rigid animations and broken dreams, like Blizzard's very own Warcraft III: Reforged.

In my head I thought the original Diablo II looked like the remastered version.

Diablo II: Resurrected is one of those remasters that manages to capture lightning in a bottle by simply following a simple mantra: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Aside from the graphics and audio tweaks, the game is largely unaffected by the original. It plays exactly how you remember it, and it looks exactly how you thought it would all those years ago. During the game, you can tap a button and restore the graphics of the original game. The original graphics are definitely out of date and incredibly pixelated on a 4K monitor. It almost feels like a mind game. In my head I thought the original Diablo II looked like the remastered version. It's just further proof of how nostalgia can mess up your head.

If you still long for those days when you're frantically opening city portals to recover your body from an especially tough fight, or challenging your friends in player-versus-player battle for bragging rights and dismembered ears, then this remaster is meant for you. It's like no time has passed.

Those old bones hurt

For a game over 20 years old, it's still shocking how seamless the gameplay can be. All those years ago, Blizzard figured out what makes ARPGs so much fun: violence and treasure. There are plenty of times that Diablo II can be punch after punch with a lot of modern games, and the remaster just adds a shiny coat of paint to make it look more up-to-date.

However, video games didn't just sit in a dark room and do nothing for the past 20 years. Many developers used the original Diablo II to learn from its mistakes. Diablo II can often feel monotonous when there is only room for room to fight enemies and nothing else. Loot management can also be a sore point, as the inexperienced is often completely overwhelmed with loot and is unsure what to do with it. There is no way to remove equipment from your inventory without taking a break from the dungeon and returning to town. This can be tiring and disrupt the momentum players are building.

It can sometimes feel like taking a tour of old school gaming and seeing what upset gamers decades ago.

Enemies can be pretty stupid too. The Army of Hell is technically terrifying, but you will see these horrific creatures standing there waiting to be hit without taking revenge or not understanding how to walk around a pile of urns. The remastered version does not fix these problems. All of that past pain is still there.

These problems are certainly not groundbreaking. After playing the game for a while, you will be able to bypass them. It can sometimes feel like taking a tour of old school gaming and seeing what upset gamers decades ago.

Lost in failure

With the perspective of where Blizzard is now – the publisher is currently embroiled in a company-wide scandal that sparked an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission – and what Diablo means to the gaming world, I can't help but think about the ongoing issue this series: failure.

These games are about failing despite the best efforts of the characters. The events of Diablo II's history are the aftermath of the mistakes made by the player characters in the first game, Diablo. Throughout the entire Diablo II campaign, you will see that the world and the people who live in it are not getting what they set out to do. Even Diablo III is full of the mistakes of the past and characters doing their best. All of this makes you, the gamer, fail again and again as you march through Sanctuary. If you fail to kill the Prime Evils, you will have to go through tons of funeral runs to get back what is yours. If you can't get exactly the equipment you need to make your class building worthwhile. Failure to get all of your friends together for a full night of Baal runs.

To be perfectly clear, I'm not saying Diablo II: Resurrected is a failure. It's definitely a huge hit for a remaster. But the modern context that the game is releasing cannot be overlooked. Blizzard and its workplace culture failed because it was born and left a black mark on its legacy.

A lot of things have changed since the original game came out all those years ago. Blizzard was just a sloppy little developer with lots of ideas and ambition. Now part of Activision, one of the largest game development companies in the world, Blizzard is barely recognizable. With the recent lawsuits against Activision Blizzard, one cannot avoid wondering what this means for Diablo and its community. What place does it have in our world after we learn more about allegations of harassment and ill-treatment in the workplace?

Celebrating the original game along with its remaster can understandably make some feel uncomfortable. How can we praise a game when it is embedded in a system that continues abuse by its employees? Will condemning the game help us move into a world where game developers are treated fairly? There are no easy answers. I want to support the developers who had nothing to do with the pain that surrounds this company. I want the passion of these people, which comes into its own in this loving remaster, shine through this thick cloud and let them pave the way for a better future.

Our opinion

Diablo II: Resurrected is a great achievement for a remastered game. It preserves the original game in amber while showing why it was considered a legendary game in the first place. It's perfect for veterans to get back in and play like you've been playing for 20 years. It's also still open to new players who can finally see what all the hype is about.

Is there a better alternative?

Games like the Torchlight franchise and Path of Exile have learned a lot from the original Diablo II and have made efforts to modernize the ARPG genre, but Diablo II: Resurrected is still king.

How long it will take?

From start to finish, the story takes about 10 to 12 hours to complete, although the game doesn't end when the credits roll in. You can spend countless hours rushing bosses and perfecting your character builds until you're blue in the face.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. It's a must-see for fans of the genre and those interested in the game's history. However, we recommend researching the Activision Blizzard workplace scandal first as it can influence your purchase decision here.

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