# Diablo 2 - Who thought up this con job? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395 "2003-08-20T08:03:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/21 "2003-08-20T15:33:19Z")
The only game I have ever played for longer than 2 minutes was Diablo and Diablo II. I have always marvelled at that, asking myself “Why? What is the fucking appeal of this insanity?” and I have never been able to clearly identify it. But now let me ask you a question…what happens in other games? My beloved is a hardcore gamer, and I watch him spending endless days, months and weeks doing first person shooting, over and over and over again, and I really don’t get the appeal of that. So tell me about other games, and what they offer that is so absorbing? (One thing I know I appreciated about Diablo is that it wasn’t mind-numbingly complex, which I liked. I play a game to relax, not get headaches.) ---
**Author:** ![joemama24\_98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/22 "2003-08-20T16:18:41Z")
Can I have your CDs? I’ve been meaning to play… ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/23 "2003-08-20T16:20:33Z")
Yeah, you don’t really need to think to play Diablo. We liked it because there are few games where hubby and I can play cooperatively. I never played public games, but we’d often hack together. He has been playing a lot of Morrowind again, which I find mindnumbingly dull. Too much to keep track of for casual play (the nice thing about Diablo was the ability to play for twenty minutes and stop). ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/24 "2003-08-20T16:24:28Z")
Yeah, you don’t really need to think to play Diablo. We liked it because there are few games where hubby and I can play cooperatively. I never played public games, but we’d often hack together. He has been playing a lot of Morrowind again, which I find mindnumbingly dull. Too much to keep track of for casual play (the nice thing about Diablo was the ability to play for twenty minutes and stop). There are plenty of games I play for twenty minutes and don’t ever play again. ---
**Author:** ![tanookie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@tanookie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanookie)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/25 "2003-08-20T16:39:49Z")
That is a huge problem with gaming, Dangerosa… I prefer to play with hubby than against him. When it comes to PC games a lot of our decision rests on if there is LAN play. Oh and I had lots o fun on those overgrown turkeys Kinthalis 🙂 Thanks for the list. I didn’t like Baldur’s gate much and NWN was ok… will have to look at the others. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/26 "2003-08-20T16:46:21Z")
Lan-Love. Is that a band name? ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/27 "2003-08-20T17:57:18Z")
I’ll be the voice in the wilderness extoling (sp?) the virtues of Arcanum. Fun game play, nice genre, cool sub-plots. The magic system could have used a ton more balancing (all my mages get one level of necromancy, then stock up on force and translocate. Why get anything else?), but it’s a fun game, and the ending really -does- depend on choices you’ve made and subplots you’ve taken. (Not to mention it’s the only game where, if you build a certain way, you can convince the final bad guy that his plan really -isn’t- a good idea!) ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/28 "2003-08-20T19:28:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tamerlane \* > That, and for the even more jaded, taking novel approaches to character design ( i.e. oddball, intentionally underpowered character ). What an apt description for an elemental druid! I should warn y’all that **fizzy** is a self-described Diablo Widow, so anything I say about this game is going to be ever-so-thinly biased. The challenge for me, owner of nearly every set/unique game piece there is (not to mention a good collection of rares), is to put together a character that could go up against anything else (PvMonster, not PvP … PvP is so saturated with cheaters that it’s not even worth it unless you have Ith and 40 hexes, and even THEN) and win. I’ve been building characters since my first high-level paladin and I have yet to find that one combination that will just work for everything. I’ve come close (frenzybarb, burizon), but not quite good enough. Part of the challenge of the game is to be able to tank. Such that there are specific items geared toward finding those items. **lno** will no doubt commiserate with me on the subject of doing meph runs until one is almost asleep, or doing cow runs hoping for a green war hat (or, better, a gold shako), etc. That is, assuming he remembers those days. It’s been a while since I saw him online. There is a storyline, in fact. View the cinematics. If D2 had anything like the storyline of Final Fantasy (the game where you sit and click OK for an hour to get to a part where you can actually do anything), I wouldn’t play it. The appeal of D2 doesn’t rest in the storyline … as others have said, if you’re looking for a storyline there are better games, and those more suited to people who want more than what is really a glorified toy store. The enjoyment these days for me comes with finding fun toys, helping other people make their chars stronger, and making my own for fun. Get onto Closed Bnet sometime, **Ogre** , and I’ll show you some toys that might actually convince you to stay with D2:) (Just ask **Fenris** what kinda toys I got:D) ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/29 "2003-08-20T19:34:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dryga\_Yes \* > word. the only thing that kept me playing the game for as long as I did was the reactions I’d get when I busted out my dual-dagger barbarian in public games. Lemme guess … shoutbarb? Dual wizardspike? Other gear, ideally, is either dmg-redux stuff, +mana stuff or +skill/FCR stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/30 "2003-08-20T20:28:19Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by tanookie_ > RPG’s for the PC really haven’t taken off… that’s what I keep a playstation2 around for BWA-Ha-hahahahaha! \ Hey, give me a call when someone finally invents an actual RPG for a console, and not just an adventure game with character building. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here playing Fallout 2. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/31 "2003-08-20T21:14:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tamerlane \* > **The backstory is actually rather good, but it really hardly impacts gameplay at all and the first Diablo was vastly more atmospheric ( and tougher ).** Recovered closed bnet junkie here: There’s a back story? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/32 "2003-08-20T21:43:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > \*\*But now let me ask you a question…what happens in other games? My beloved is a hardcore gamer, and I watch him spending endless days, months and weeks doing first person shooting, over and over and over again, and I really don’t get the appeal of that. \*\* I can understand, because he is probably playing games that don’t interest or appeal to you. Would you really want to spend your free time crouched in dark, smelly hallways if you _were_ a super-secret-spy-guy? _I_ would be traveling around in my secret-spy-car trying to get my tiny listening device to work on random street conversations. That is why I personally couldn’t get into my s.o.'s first person shooter games. They were dark, scary looking and the plot seemed depressing. Then he brought ‘No One Lives Forever’ home. You get to be a girl spy, during the 60’s. Dealing with rather sexist superiors, odd ‘missions’ and even odder opponents. 😃 Come on, who wouldn’t want their lipstick to double as a bomb? Plus, sneaking around had me in stichest due to the funny conversations. 😃 Lady of the Lake (who still waits impatiently for a rpg with as much character and plot goodness as BG.) ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/33 "2003-08-20T21:44:54Z")
Yeah, I think it’s the stuff inbetween the frantic clicking, waiting to kill the next enemy 🙂 A few months ago, I actually sat down and listen to all the dialogue of D2. It’s actually well thought out and fits in nicely with the detailed back story in the manual. It’s a bit of a shame that no one pays attention to it. If I’m this rabid about D2, I hate to think about what it’s like to play Everquest :shudders: ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@Lady\_of\_the\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_of_the_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/34 "2003-08-20T21:47:18Z")
Er…‘stitches’ and a few other misspellings that I’m probably missing. As to Diablo…it is fun to be able to kill of EVERYTHING around you. Kind of a confidence booster, but also something that gets old a little too fast. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/35 "2003-08-20T21:53:00Z")
Aaah, D2. How I miss it. Once upon a time, all of my friends ( **Maeglin, Nen, lno, FunkDaddy, Pucette** to name a few) abandoned chat and the Boards for this game they called Diablo 2. Then they’d come out of the game long enough to do nothing but talk about it. They got so sick of me whining about “You fucking D2 motherfuckers” that they bought me the Battlechest (D2+expansion) for my birthday. Ooo was I hooked. We’d play on open bnet and make games called “straightdope” or some variation of, so we could all play together. I got into it late so I had no concept of the layout or storyline of the game and was more or less told “Don’t worry about it. Stand over there and don’t get hit!” I lost my CD’s somewhere along the way and haven’t played in over a year. I later became addicted to Dark Age of Camelot. DAoC I found made more “sense” to me, game-play wise. D2 was my first MMORPG experience and a lot of it was tough for a first timer. But DAoC… mmm. I still play all the time with a great crew there. I miss my D2 motherfuckers. Hopefully my CD’s will turn up soon and maybe we can all play again for old times sake. HORK HORK! MOO MOO MOO. MOO? MOO MOO. ---
**Author:** ![Dryga\_Yes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@Dryga\_Yes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dryga_Yes)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/36 "2003-08-20T22:15:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by iampunha \* > \*\*Lemme guess … shoutbarb? Dual wizardspike? Other gear, ideally, is either dmg-redux stuff, +mana stuff or +skill/FCR stuff. \*\* vanilla d2, actually… I didn’t have the luxury of damage redux or wizzyspikes. I quit soon after the expansion came out. yeah, he was (primarily) a singer barb, with two spectral shards. depending on who I played with I could tank as well (iron skin + that def-boosting war cry), then I could still do ok damage with goblin toe on and relatively low-level frenzy/stun. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/37 "2003-08-20T22:56:48Z")
When Diablo first came out, I remember one reviewer commenting that it was one of the only games which successfully combined stat-building andd shopping into one effectively addictive package. Yeah, that pretty much describes it well for me too. It’s a pretty mindless game, but when I’m in the mood for something mindless, it’s either that or Unreal Tournament.😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/38 "2003-08-20T22:57:00Z")
The point of Diablo, and DII, isn’t killing. It isn’t plot, or gore, or NPCs, or dialog. Diablo is all about _shopping_. You go out, you kill a few beasties, you come back with treasure. You sell the treasure, and then with the gold, you wander through multiple menus full of stuff you can buy. Buy the right stuff, and your character can waltz through the next few levels, killing a busload of monsters… So you can go shopping again. I think it’s a women’s conspiracy to initiate straight men into the joys of shopping. Just listen to a couple of players talking about the game. “I got this kickass belt, it adds knockback and poison, with resistances out the ass!” “That’s nothing dude, check out these _boots_!” It’s all about the shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/39 "2003-08-20T23:01:42Z")
Heh… nice simulpost **MrVisible**. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395/40 "2003-08-20T23:37:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lno \* > The allegedly-soon-to-be-released Crusader Kings gives us 1066 to 1453 with the promise that games can be imported into EU2, allowing one to play continuously from 1066 to 1819. See, I hadn’t even heard this one. Now I’m all excited :D. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dissonance \* > Recovered closed bnet junkie here: There’s a back story? 😃 The original Diablo manual was actually surprisingly well done in this respect - for a mere hack 'n slash computer game it did a good job of setting up an interesting “gaming universe”. Really ;). - Tamerlane [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diablo-2-who-thought-up-this-con-job/196395.md?page=3)