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Diablo II: Resurrected Deep Dive

by - 3 years ago

It doesn’t matter if you have been a die hard fan or brand new to the series. The remastered version of Diablo II is sure to have something to satisfy you dungeon diving desire.

What can we expect from this updated version?

From the very first time you loaded Diablo II you new it was going to be a dark and gritty ride full of mystery. The use of lighting to really hide the characters made you lean in and want to know more.

I can still remember agonizing over what class to be when I first started Diablo 2. The group of heroes stood dimly lit around a campfire. Each class seemed so full of potential. The raw power of the Barbarian, The overwhelming magic of the Sorceress, the battle prowess of the Amazon, The monstrous armies of the Necromancer, and the holy power of the Paladin. A year later we were gifted with the stealthy Assasin, and the wild fury of the Druid. Thankfully you will have all these heroes to choose from when Diablo II: Resurrected releases.

They made it clear that this is a HD remastered version. They wanted to stay true and really capture the feel and pacing of the original game.

When they said they wanted to bring this game to a modern audience they meant everything. Every axe, piece of armor and potion has been included. They have given an HD remaster to make them all come to life in a way that just wasn’t possible 20 years ago.

Locations we knew and loved have been painstakingly recreated. Things we didn’t even know where there in the original are suddenly clear and alive. Little things as simple as garlic hanging in the tavern have been given a new life.

If you are looking for a more authentic experience, they have included a toggle feature. It will allow you flip back and forth between the new HD version and the original art assets. It is truly the same game playing underneath.

Even when playing in legacy mode you will still see more stability and smooth running you would expect from a newer game. The pacing of the game will still be what it was when it was running at 25 fps. The same logic is used but now you can enjoy at a full 60fps. The world unseen is still based on the grid idea that was taken from tabletop games.

Every piece of cinematics, visuals and audio has gotten the remastered and upgraded touch up, without losing that iconic feel. They also added more ambience to bring to life the different environments.

They were very careful to only bring new features to the game that didn’t detract from the feel. They explained one feature they added being the shared stash. We no longer have to create “Mule” characters to hold onto and redistribute items.

Another new feature they added was the advanced stat window for the UI. Gone are the days of complicated tables and formulas to predict what your gear will do.

Other features have been added that you have to opt into. These stray from the feel of the original game yet can be a huge quality of life change and sometimes necessary for those using controllers. One such feature is auto gold pickup. Allowing such options allows those who want a more pure experience to get it without burdening those who want a clean fresh feel.

Another quality of life feature they added was comparison tabs. Gone are the days of memorizing what you currently have or notebooks of gear stats. By simply holding the shift key you can compare items easily like modern games.

The Character Select screen has also been given some love.

You can now clearly see your character and gear. You also know what act you are currently playing based on your background.

It looks like we are going to be able to experience and enjoy Diablo II: Resurrected on PC and all the modern consoles. Not only that you are going to be able to freely switch between version and take your progression with you.

We can expect to get our hands on this remastered version sometime later this year.

Diablo II: Resurrected at it’s core will feel like a Nostalgia trip. The pacing, monsters spawn rates, and combat pacing will all be the same. However with fewer machine restrictions you will get to see all those rough edges smoothed and polished. You can say goodbye to compatibility and frame skip issues. It is finally time to bring everything fully into this new era of gaming.


Aaron "BLU3" Thomson

Blu3 the head of Overwatch Oversight, the infamous relic hunter, and occasional Crusader.


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