Why do people like Diablo?

Lycanthrope

Lycanthrope

New member
Hot topic, I know but I've never really gotten the appeal. Finished the first one as a kid, the second was much of the same but I could be a Necro (YAY!) annnd really, it was just a big grind (being hack-and-slash, after all).

I've read a thousand comments by people obsessing over loot, but zero about story (not that story was ever a significant part of any hack-and-slash).

Anyone who's read my rants over the years knows that I'm about as "into" the hack-and-slash genre of RPGs as I am to having a tooth pulled. To me, it's a much more rewarding experience seeing the culmination of your actions and choices throughout a game than I am in grinding monsters for loot to grind more monsters.

So, yes, what do people like about Diablo? What's the big fuss about? Each time I read or hear anything about "Diablo" my brain slips into idle and the first thing I think about is its utter monotony.

Disclaimer: I'm genuinely interested in knowing more. This is not a troll thread :p
 
Diablo, is awesome?
Well what really was awesome about it, is that you can play it with a friend, and back then there were seldom games with cooperative playability :p

That and the story may not be much, but the grind is fun cause of the unique spells you can cast and how powerful you could make these spells, it doesn't sound awesome now but to really understand what I'm saying you should've played it 11-12 years ago

That and the loot system was epicly random and plentiful
 
demons, devils, angels... need I say more ? Besides diablo imho is lank cool. Definitely too cool for school :)
 
iOverflow said:
Diablo, is awesome?
Well what really was awesome about it, is that you can play it with a friend, and back then there were seldom games with cooperative playability :p

That and the story may not be much, but the grind is fun cause of the unique spells you can cast and how powerful you could make these spells, it doesn't sound awesome now but to really understand what I'm saying you should've played it 11-12 years ago

That and the loot system was epicly random and plentiful
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*nod* I agree with you, 11-12 years ago it was enjoyable. I guess I'm just trying to see where a game that's basically a glorified MMO fits in 2011/12. There is still a market for hack-and-slash games but it's a market I honestly don't understand :p
 
Childhood memories?

All your friends jamming it and coming to school the next day to compare how many levels you leveled up what you did etc...
 
Pr⊕phet said:
demons, devils, angels... need I say more ? Besides diablo imho is lank cool. Definitely too cool for school :)
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Oooh! That's another thing. Diablo 1/2 were all spooky and gory (well, as far as pixellated isometric goes). You don't feel that the WoW-esque graphics (at least that I've seen in screenshots) will kill that atmosphere?
 
The Appeal of Diablo/Diablo II is exactly what you pointed out as possible flaws.
You can enjoy Diablo even if you are NOT into customizing and developing a character or 400 Hours of Turn Based Gameplay
Diablo is a pick up and play Dungeon Crawler, making it accessible, that and you can finish both Diablo II and LOD in less than 24 hours :)
 
Lycanthrope said:
Oooh! That's another thing. Diablo 1/2 were all spooky and gory (well, as far as pixellated isometric goes). You don't feel that the WoW-esque graphics (at least that I've seen in screenshots) will kill that atmosphere?
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Not really, though I might have preferred the "gothic colors". Colourful isn't always that bad if done properly. Lighting however in a game is very important to set the mood as well as a good painted scene/room/map. Dead space 2 had a dedicated Lighting team and it shows.
 
Lycanthrope said:
/eyeballs his Duke Nukem: Forever pre-order :o

I can understand that :p



And now?
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And now there are other games. I don't know, you remember you had a great time so it seems like a sure bet. Sort of like people who go to KFC or McDonalds because they know what they'll get.
 
I think I have to agree with Xero, I'm literally all about the fast paced action that you can just pick up and play in. It's also the fact that just like any RPG you play, you get to customize your character and their specialities. But the main reason why I love Diablo so much is because I think of Angels vs Demons and kicking some hell bound ass!!! :D
 
Xero said:
The Appeal of Diablo/Diablo II is exactly what you pointed out as possible flaws.
You can enjoy Diablo even if you are NOT into customizing and developing a character or 400 Hours of Turn Based Gameplay
Diablo is a pick up and play Dungeon Crawler, making it accessible, that and you can finish both Diablo II and LOD in less than 24 hours :)
Click to expand...

Understandable and good points :)

Pr⊕phet said:
Not really, though I might have preferred the "gothic colors". Colourful isn't always that bad if done properly. Lighting however in a game is very important to set the mood as well as a good painted scene/room/map. Dead space 2 had a dedicated Lighting team and it shows.
Click to expand...

Also good points, I would also have preferred the darker tones.
 
czc said:
And now there are other games. I don't know, you remember you had a great time so it seems like a sure bet. Sort of like people who go to KFC or McDonalds because they know what they'll get.
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When last did you play Diablo? I remember picking up StarCraft every so often over the years and enjoying it each time so StarCraft 2 was an easy decision. I've played Diablo 2 about a year ago and nearly fell asleep with the repetition :o I can see how it was fun as a kid but now? It's lost on me :/

sycogrim said:
I think I have to agree with Xero, I'm literally all about the fast paced action that you can just pick up and play in. It's also the fact that just like any RPG you play, you get to customize your character and their specialities. But the main reason why I love Diablo so much is because I think of Angels vs Demons and kicking some hell bound ass!!! :D
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Understandable :)
 
I know that Diablo as well as other RPG's arent everyone's cup of tea. I used to hate RPG's until a mate of mine introduced me to Diablo II and LOD and then I was hooked!!

I just don't like strategy at all, I guess im like those that hate/dislike RPG's I just can't stand and I zone out when I see anything strategy related...
 
sycogrim said:
I know that Diablo as well as other RPG's arent everyone's cup of tea. I used to hate RPG's until a mate of mine introduced me to Diablo II and LOD and then I was hooked!!

I just don't like strategy at all, I guess im like those that hate/dislike RPG's I just can't stand and I zone out when I see anything strategy related...
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Also understandable. See, the thing is, I like to think that I can find the "good" or the appeal in pretty much every game. Sports games are totally wasted on me but while I consider myself a hardcore RPG gamer, I also enjoy the odd FPS, I love good strategy games (Total War, StarCraft, Civilization, etc) and Hell, I even enjoy JRPGs (known for grinding but also for good and occasionally unique story-telling).

However, Diablo is just one of those games I can't wrap my head around. Graphically, it's stuck in Blizzard's cartoony WoW phase that they seem unable to work their way out of; so the original dark, gritty atmosphere is basically lost, as far as I can tell. Story-wise, I can hope that they've made the story more engaging like they did with SC2 but I can't know that until I play it. And gameplay... the repetitive grind in what I can only believe is a linear experience puts me off.

I can understand the ease-of-access for the more er... "casual" (and I use the term purely to describe the "I just want to sit down and get straight into it" kind of gamer in this sense) gamer but what do the heavier (not fatter :p) gamers think? What are your expectations for Diablo 3?

This might sound corny or crude but to me, Diablo is like that favourite show everyone had as a kid, that you totally forget about and then, one day, when you're older, you watch it again and you realise that it's basically Power Rangers and you can't believe you actually liked it :o
 
I love Diablo 1 and 2, back in their days, I remember sitting back in 1997 after having my appendix out and grinding it through as it was two weeks off school. Then Diablo 2 came out in 2000 and I actually flunked a SQL theory exam in college thanks to it, but I tried it not to long ago and couldn't understand why I loved it so much back then. Diablo II I think was cause of the ability to play with friends, but now I don't know, perhaps with me getting older I prefer something else in my games.
 
For me it has something to do with gaining new items, skills and leveling up. Something about that fills an odd cathartic need. Mindlessly clicking and looting endlessly. Strange, I know. I am almost convinced thar be subliminal messaging in them thar games!

I love obsessing over which builds to use and the items I will need. Executing it is also pretty fun :p. For these games, I spend inordinate amounts of time looking and fussing over builds. All of that I enjoy.

Sadly, there has not been a good RPG in this line since Titan Quest (which I am currently playing). Everything else has been "streamlined", and lacks variety and depth of choice. Seriously, a good Action / HacknSlash RPG should be HARD. Getting through Diablo II on its hardest difficulty can be rough, especially if you solo.

Anyways, I won't lie, Diablo III has me worried with its lack of control of things such as your stats. Never mind how it visually looks. All of it is pointing at something I almost do not want to consider...
 
Maybe I'm wierd, but I actually really like the story in Diablo. The back pages of the Diablo 1 manual is quite easily my favorite "book" of all time! Not quite, but I still enjoyed it.

Diablo definitely brings on these feelings of Nostalgia. It was my first real online game that worked and didn't require a direct connection or dialing into someone else's modem. It was all just so amazing to me back then, fighting your way down to hell with 3 other people and interacting with them (item trading, chat, the community). The music/ambience/environments and of course the iconic Tristram song, everything came together really well, it was actually quite revolutionary.

I still LAN Diablo ->1<- with mates every now and then since it only takes 5 hours +- to whack Diablo once you know the game. Enjoy it every time. The other modern hack & slack games just seem to lack that "magic" that Diablo has (for me) that I just can't quite put my finger on.
 
Lycanthrope said:
This might sound corny or crude but to me, Diablo is like that favourite show everyone had as a kid, that you totally forget about and then, one day, when you're older, you watch it again and you realise that it's basically Power Rangers and you can't believe you actually liked it :o
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looooooooooooooooooooooooool yeh I know that feeling hahahahaha... but ja to me I guess Diablo is like that... I would look at something like Pokemon or Digimon and all that crap hahahahaha...

I must say once I finished Diablo LOD I was on the web searching for the next series to come out but the trail went cold until I heard number 3 coming along, and then I thought how nice it would be to relive one of them old school days :D
 
I've got mixed feeling about diablo.
On the one hand, I like the story, and REALLY wanna see how it ends.
On the other hand, I've never been able to get past the 1st quest of act 4 purely because of tedium. I'm not big on grinding, but you can't progress if you dont. And with that I've never been able to find any cheats or trainers just so I can see how the game ends.
 
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