HF Retro Game of the Year - 2000 - Diablo II Wins!

[The Crypto Guy]

Lol D2. Talk about a boring and repetitive game

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Went for BG2.

Can someone please tell me why Diablo 2 is considered such a great game? I remember it as a simple, repetitive game with no discernible plot or story. The intro video was pretty epic, I still remember that. But the game was so meh.

For me, it was the first action RPG game of that nature that I can recall. What I mean is, the loot system, the different classes (barbarian, necromancer, etc.), online play, etc. were all new to me at the time. The only game that I can think of that was remotely similar that I played before it was Gauntlet. I really liked the darker art style as well, wasn't a fan of them making it a lot more colourful for Diablo 3.

 

[Ceremony]

I think I've tried to play Deus Ex three times and never managed to finish it.

 

[Osprey]

Can someone please tell me why Diablo 2 is considered such a great game? I remember it as a simple, repetitive game with no discernible plot or story. The intro video was pretty epic, I still remember that. But the game was so meh.

I'm pretty sure that it's held in such high regard because of its multiplayer. Blizzard did with Diablo II much of what they would later do with World of Warcraft, which is create a perfect, polished, highly addictive multiplayer experience. If you could play WoW in single player, it would seem simple and repetitive and have no discernible plot or story, as well, but none of that matters when you're playing in a community with others, since no encounter is the same and you create their own stories.

I've always been more partial to the original Diablo because I played both games for the single player, not the multiplayer, and the original was fresh and had a clearer story. It was repetitive, but it was 1996, when most games were repetitive and there hadn't been anything (certainly not RPGs) like it. By 2000, though, RPGs had made a big comeback with critically acclaimed ones like Fallout 1 & 2, Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment, which had non-repetitive gameplay and deep stories. Diablo II looked awfully simple and shallow in comparison, but was totally saved by its multiplayer, which all of the other RPGs didn't have.

I think I've tried to play Deus Ex three times and never managed to finish it.

It's the same for me. For some reason, it's just never grabbed me. It's strange because it's seemingly so similar to System Shock 2, which is one of my favorite games ever. Perhaps it's just because the story and setting are harder to understand. SS2 is simple: you wake up from cryo sleep on a space ship that's now infested with alien life forms and slowly learn what happened. Deus Ex is much more confusingly complex, with anti-terrorism, government conspiracies, global plague, urban decay, aliens, the illuminati and more all thrown into the blender. One of these days, I need to make a commitment to play through it.

 

[JesusPrice]

So many hours playing THPS 2, such an amazing game. I owned like 8 games back in the days of rentals, and this was always my go to. Top 10-15 game of all time for me!

Really makes me want to go back and play through it again.

 

[SniperHF]

There are apparently way more Sims fans on this board than I realized
I don't think I've seen it so much as mentioned here in 3-4 years until we started the retro threads.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Perfect Dark for me. Man did I play the crap out of it.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I think I've tried to play Deus Ex three times and never managed to finish it.

The second half of the game is much weaker. People tend to overlook it since the start of the game up to about the midway point is so great.

 

[Supermassive]

So many hours playing THPS 2, such an amazing game. I owned like 8 games back in the days of rentals, and this was always my go to. Top 10-15 game of all time for me!

Really makes me want to go back and play through it again.

Probably the greatest alt-sports game of all time. I was torn between this and MvC2, but I absolutely treasure THPS2 on the Dreamcast.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Voted Chrono Cross.

Obviously it has a few issues - the story is a hot mess and only 6 or 7 of the characters have any development, but hot damn if the artwork and the music isn't some of the best ever, and the battle system is a huge hit.

 

[Common Sense]

Sophie's Choice was made for me, thanks to apparently being the only person to ever play Grandia II, so Skies of Arcadia it is.

Yinz needed more Dreamcast in your lives. The candle that burns twice as brightly...gets ignored because of a DVD player.

All the hours spent burning Dreamcast .isos to CD-R, thank goodness for zero piracy control.

Anyway, voted Skies of Arcadia but might change it to something that can win later. Weak year for non PC gamers.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

All the hours spent burning Dreamcast .isos to CD-R, thank goodness for zero piracy control.

Anyway, voted Skies of Arcadia but might change it to something that can win later. Weak year for non PC gamers.

I was a "good boy" and only started doing that once Sega threw in the towel.

Of course by that I mean I absolutely abused Babbage's/GameStop's return program to the point where I owned at least half of all Dreamcast games at one point in time or another, despite probably never having more than a half dozen games at once.

 

[NyQuil]

With respect to Deus Ex, I remember having to break into a roof-top apartment, and it was simply inundated with guards.

The combat was always a bit clunky (in a good way I think - made it challenging) and facing that many opponents was daunting. I tried a few times and was unsuccessful.

Finally, fighting a rear-guard action, I was relatively low on health, right at the edge of the roof. Deciding, "f*** it", I leaped off only to land in a dumpster but still alive (barely). Making my way back up through the building, I took the guards from behind and ended the mission.

People talk about multiple ways to complete a mission and at that time, there weren't too many games that allowed it.

 

[Xelebes]

Went with Counter-Strike because it was the only game on the list that I actually got to play.

 

[SniperHF]

Seems Red Alert 2 is a more popular choice than I originally figured.
Pretty good game, underrated modding scene.

Using spies against other players was hilarious.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Red Alert 2 is among my 5-10 favorite PC games ever. The fact it barely makes my top 5 this year despite me having no affection for almost all of the top vote-getters this year is rather mind-blowing in retrospect.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Surprised no love for perfect dark considering how much of an improvement it is over goldeneye

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Still not sure how Counter-Strike isn't blowing this away. One of the most popular online game of it's time, I don't think I ever met someone in their late 20's, early 30's who wasn't addicted to this game. Guess the age of the board is showing...


Red Alert 2 was also a fantastic game. One of my favorite PC games as well. Making my first nuclear silo and using a nuke was so much fun.

 

[NyQuil]

Still not sure how Counter-Strike isn't blowing this away. One of the most popular online game of it's time, I don't think I ever met someone in their late 20's, early 30's who wasn't addicted to this game. Guess the age of the board is showing...

I've never really been addicted to shooters.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

I've never really been addicted to shooters.

Aside from that game I'm with you. Never came across a shooting game that held me longer than a couple weeks since CS.

 

[crowi]

CS was one of those games I never played and as such won't vote it. I was a Quake 1 player all the way.

Then Diablo 2 came out and I spent 5 years+ on that game (didn't give up on Quake either though). Classic or LoD, no matter. Always loved the fact you could play a hardcore character - never played softcore there. Last time I played was 2016 summer and got to around 95 before quitting again - hacks just got out of control there in multiplayer sadly. The game is still incredibly addicting.

Like someone else said, I could install it and be addicted yet again, but too many games to play.

Diablo 1 was a great game as well, just didn't like some exploits there, such as a Warrior spamming a level full of Firewall and it prevented you from casting as a Sorcerer, haha.

 

[syz]

Counter-strike and Unreal Tournament were the games people who weren't good enough to play Quake played.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

**** Counter-Strike and everything it stands for

 

[542365]

Always vote for the game that I had the most fun with. In this case I went with THPS2. Had an unbelievable amount of fun with each of the first three games.

 

[crowi]

Always vote for the game that I had the most fun with. In this case I went with THPS2. Had an unbelievable amount of fun with each of the first three games.

I do have to say THPS2 was a great game. Still remember trying to do all those crazy achievements for each map and handing over the controller to the next dude who wants to try. Good times.