Review
Diablo II was one of those games that any editors who didn't like it didn't really say anything out loud, for fear they would be dreadfully out of step with the other editors and the legion of readers who adored the game. Those hypothetical editors would simply smile and say something like "man, those cutscenes sure did kick ass."
Early next year, Blizzard will be giving readers more of the good stuff with an expansion for Diablo II that features two new characters, a new act and a quiver full of new items and sets. For a more in-depth look at the thinking behind the game, be sure to check out our recent interview, but the guys at Blizzard recently stopped by to show us how the new pack will actually play.
The fifth act will be a natural extension of the previous four from Diablo II. As players found out from the final cinematic in the game, Diablo's brother Baal has gotten his hands on his own Soulstone again and crept off to the barbarian highlands. It's up to the player, therefore, to follow Baal and prevent him from getting his claws on the Worldstone, the gem that controls the portal between Heaven and Hell.
The section of the barbarian highlands that we saw made it look similar to some of the forest lands from Act I in Diablo, but with six subquests in the chapter, there is room for more visual variety. Some of the screenshots we've seen reveal icy areas and frozen waterfalls. But by far the most remarkable thing about the highlands is the epic war raging throughout. The highlands will feel a lot more dangerous and active thanks to the raging battles, and players will have some interesting new monsters like the Overlord, Dragon Razor or reanimated hordes. There are also siege weapons like catapults that pin down your player with death from above -- but fortunately those weapons can be destroyed with a few hearty blows.
Obviously, players will need to be pretty high level if they are going to follow Baal into the fifth act. DII veterans can use their characters from the single-player campaign, or they can restart and play through the whole of DII again as one of the two new characters -- the assassin or the druid. Both characters are still being tweaked and balanced right now, but both have interesting attacks that distinguish them from the five DII regulars.
The druid is a shapeshifter and master of the elements that combines magic and brute strength. In addition to transforming into a bear or a wolf, the druid can summon the elements, like ice blasts or even a volcano. We haven't had a chance to play through the expansion yet, so we are not sure what the benefits are of being a bear over, say, casting spells or using the old +1 shillelagh to crack some skulls.
The assassin can also cast some spells, but she has greater hand-to-hand combat than any other character. When DII was originally being designed, the team wanted more close combat, and even include animations such as kicking. However, that idea didn't make it into the final version, even though the kick animation remains when players take a whack at a chest or tomb. The assassin, though, marks a return to that thinking for the team, as she is replete with all sorts of dangerous martial arts moves with exotic names. But her most interesting technique is the ability to set traps and kill from a distance. We've seen some of them in action, such as fire spikes and shock field, but we are unsure how the assassin will play. Kicking people in the jaw is always a cool thing, but trying to cover the gap to a spellcaster can be long and dangerous, and if too many of her skills are indirect and passive, she may be a tough character to play.
However, there will be plenty of items to help the assassin (and others) on their quest to muzzle Baal once and for all. There will be some new versions of the old items, such as gloves for the amazon or helms for the barbarian, as well as sets and unique stuff for the new characters. There are even new Horadric Cube recipes for the adventurous, although Blizzard is naturally tight-lipped about what they are.
Part of the silence is due to the way Blizzard traditionally develops its games. Rarely do the developers put together a 400-page game doc and work from that. Instead, they rely upon their instincts as gamers to shape and balance a game as they go along. Undoubtedly there will be last-minute changes to the expansion pack, but we can expect the same manic attention to detail, as well as two cool new cinematics from the Blizzard experts. Look for the expansion pack to be residing on top of the PC sales charts some time in spring. -- DailyRadar Review
