Diablo II is still shockingly good after all these decades
It’s hard to image that Diablo II, is 20 years old.
While setting up CrossOver and VMWare Fusion, I decided the ultimate game to go back and play was Diablo II. That would be the perfect nostalgia game, and there is so much information on getting it running.
Turns out I didn’t need CrossOver at all. Instead of using the install discs, there is a Mac downloader on the Battle.net site. All I needed to do was convert my old 16 digit CD key to the new format. That can be done on the Battle.net site itself. From there, it just took time to download the entire game, including Lord of Destruction.
And it was absolutely worth it. Even though the screen resolution is only 800×600, the game still looks and sounds great. Within a few minutes, the intro was playing, and I was immediately drawn back into the story. Going to the Rogue Encampment and hearing those first few musical chords felt so good.
Playing as the Amazon, I went out and tentatively hit my first few enemies. The sound of loot popping out was so familiar. Checking stats on everything that dropped was so fun. Before I knew it, I had gotten through the first series of quests, leveled up a little bit, and tried to remember how to distribute my stat points. I’m sure I did it all wrong.
But it doesn’t matter. Diablo is still so good. It is one of the rare perfect games. Not because it doesn’t have bugs. Because it has the right combination that makes you want to keep playing.
It has multiple playable characters, infinite loot, fun quests, great NPC characters, a randomized world that is big enough to explore, but small enough to make progress in, and sound effects that are still amazing to listen to.
I love the sound of dripping water. The scurry of rats and bats. The growl of some creature just off screen. The sound of loot hitting the floor.
I won’t lie, when I opened the cairn stones and made my way to Tristram, I got chills as the music changed. Not to mention great satisfaction in getting all the loot from Wirt. That little scoundrel has been ripping people off for decades!
Not only are people still playing Diablo 20 years later, but there’s a remastered edition scheduled to come out this year. It’s been requested and rumored for years, but now seems to be a real thing. I will absolutely grab a copy when it gets released.
If you have your old CD keys, you can download your fully patched copy and start playing. If not, you can buy digital copies for $10 each.
