Diablo

When people heard that Blizzard was going to make a Role Playing Game (RPG) for the PC, many people fell over laughing. How can Blizzard, who makes Real Time Strategy games, make a RPG? This question is answered in the much delayed Diablo, for the PC. Not only is this Blizzard's first venture into RPG's, but it is also one of the best RPG's made in recent time. So what makes Diablo so great? There are four main reasons that place Diablo as a classic!

With the improvement of technology, graphics have improved greatly in games. Blizzard went the extra mile to make sure their first RPG had wonderful visuals. Diablo, set in a medieval world, displays excellent graphics with lots of detail. When fighting monsters, you even notice the spikes on their backs! Equally impressive are the many levels you fight and explore in. Throughout the game your character will travel in dungeons, catacombs, caves, and finally hell. Each level has its own unique look and feel. The player will never experience the same level twice! This is because Blizzard has incorporated a random level generator. That means as a level in the game loads, all the rooms, treasures, monsters, and placement of exits are placed randomly. Although it is sometimes slow to load up levels, it is great for replay value!

While it is nice to have good graphics in a game, other factors are needed to make a title great. Diablo also includes wonderful sound that helps draw you into the game world. From the opening music at the game menus to the game music itself, you will never grow tired of the beautifully orchestrated music. The sound effects are also equally good. Every swing of your weapon you will hear. Also, monsters will make noises when they draw close to you or when they get hit.

Although this is a great solo player game, the multiplaying part over the Internet is incredible! Blizzard decided to make Diablo free to play over the internet by using their own server called battle.net. Included in battle.net is a wonderful chat room. This is probably the best chat room I have ever been in. In this room you are able to meet people, brag about yourself, talk about anything, and set up or join games. This is probably the biggest asset Diablo has.

Even if this game was perfect in all the above categories, it would not be a enjoyable experience without good controls. Blizzard worked hard to perfect and simplify the controls found in Diablo. Potions can be kept on your belt for easy access. You can either hit numbers one through nine on the keyboard or right click on the potion you want to use. Potions along with all the other items can be kept for storage in you inventory backpack. In the inventory, you can customize your items many different ways. There is a silhouette of your character shown in the menu box. Here you can move weapons, armor, rings, and a amulet on the character. In the spaces below the silhouette, the extra stuff is stored. When the time comes to start actually exploring the levels, you are just a left mouse click away from attacking the many dreadful enemies. If every game had such wonderful controls as found in Diablo, game players around the world would always be in for a treat.

After playing and testing this game for many hours, there is one thing left to say. This is a must buy for all RPG fans and all Internet gamers everywhere. If you let this one slip by, you will be missing out on one of the greatest RPG computer games and Internet games ever.