Evgeniy Obedkov

Accurate recreation of classics and technical problems: what players and the press write about Diablo II: Resurrected

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Diablo II: Resurrected, a remaster of the classic Blizzard game, was released yesterday. In general, critics positively assessed the project. However, it was not without interference in the operation of servers and other technical problems at the start. Because of this, some players have even started requesting refunds.

Briefly about the game

Diablo II: Resurrected is a remaster of Diablo II, which was released in June 2000. In addition to the original game, the kit also includes a large addition Lord of Destruction.

The main development of the remaster was handled by the studio Vicarious Visions, which in January became part of Blizzard. Previously, she specialized in remakes and remasters of classic titles. Among them are Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.

The gameplay of Diablo II remained virtually untouched. At the same time, the studio noticeably updated the graphics and added the ability to switch between the appearance of the remaster and the original game.

Technical problems

At the release, users faced a lot of technical problems. The main one is server failures. Many simply could not play the purchased game.

Some players recalled Blizzard’s infamous “bug 37”, which appeared on the release of Diablo III. It was also associated with server congestion, which caused thousands of users to be unable to launch the game for a long time.

One of the most unpleasant mistakes was the removal of characters. Many users discovered the loss of already created and upgraded heroes when they re-entered Diablo II: Resurrected.

Due to the problems that arose, some of the players began to try to issue a refund, remaining disappointed with various errors.

Opinions of critics

Now the average score of the PC version on Metacritic is 82/100. Critics warmly received the remaster and rated it significantly higher than the failed Warcraft III: Reforged.

Game Informer gave the remaster Diablo II 8.75 points. The publication noted that Blizzard managed to preserve all the features for which players fell in love with the original. The company has also added a number of simplifications to the project, including automatic selection of gold, and improved the system of transferring items between characters. However, a number of outdated elements and “diseases” of the original remained in the remaster — for example, death as a result of misklics.

Diablo II: Resurrected shows why the original game is still the standard by which all other ARPGs are judged. There is no endless content and other “hooks” to retain users, which became the basis for the genre when it adopted the model of game services. But not all titles need to be played forever. Diablo II: Resurrected proves that Blizzard classics are capable of making noise even today.

— Game Informer

NME rated Diablo II: Resurrected four out of five stars. The remaster will surely appeal to fans of classics. At the same time, the author of the review noted that due to a number of outdated mechanics, it will be interesting to see how the project will be perceived by a new generation of players.

Diablo II: Resurrected reproduces the original game exactly. This is good, but it is unlikely to surprise at least someone. The project will be important for gamers of a certain age. But players unfamiliar with the original will probably treat the game as a time capsule that has preserved the game design from the past. Therefore, Diablo II: Resurrected is unlikely to be able to compete with server games that are currently fighting for the attention of users.

— NME

The Destructoid portal gave Diablo II: Resurrected 8.5 points. The publication praised the game, but noted a number of technical shortcomings (problems with servers, bugs, etc.). Otherwise, it is still the same Diablo II, while adapted for consoles.

Various technical flaws may persist on release, so keep this in mind if you are going to launch the game on the first day. Otherwise, Diablo II: Resurrected did what it was supposed to do — recreate and preserve the spirit of the original game. It is a pity that the talented studios behind this have to deal with the leadership of Activision, whose actions can overshadow their work.

— Destructoid

God is a Geek gave the remaster Diablo II 8 points. At the same time, the publication noted that the developer had to modernize a number of elements and mechanics — for example, inventory and a system of movement using scrolls.

If you’ve never played the original, Diablo II: Resurrected is a great entry point. Some people think that the second part is better than the third, and it’s easy to explain why. It is less congested, with a huge set of classes and a wide variety of biomes. The age of the game is hard to hide even under all the layers of improvements, but Diablo II: Reussrected is still a damn good game.

— God is a Geek

So far, the lowest rating of Diablo II: Resurrected was given by the Dexerto portal — 7 points. The disadvantages of the project were mainly bugs, a number of which break the game and can “make you do devilish things with your computer.”

The developers of Diablo II: Resurrected did the main thing — they gave us a remaster of Diablo II. Thanks to the improved graphics and impressive cinematics, the game is perceived in a completely new way and creates the feeling that this is your first playthrough. Despite all the problems, I’m glad to be back in the game. Why? Because evil has returned, and this is the Diablo II that I know and love.

— Dexerto

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