Diablo 1 was my introduction to the genre, I still remember the feeling when the first sword dropped, equiping it and feeling stronger. The rest is history and I've been hooked for 25+ years since.
Same. There was really nothing like it at the time. I first experienced Diablo 1 on my PS1 - which prompted me to get my parents to purchase our first PC so I could play the better version there. Core memories of me and my cousins co-op'ing the story via dial-up connection...I've been hooked ever since and I've loved them all.
Seeing the Butcher for the first time scared the absolute crap out of me. I ran for the stairs just so I could calm down and then proceeded to die cause I was completely unprepared.
Sure, but let's not forget that they bought the bones of D1 from another developer, Condor, then polished & finished it off under the Blizzard North label. Vivendi was the beginning of the end of course.
@@TinariKao Yes & no: "The company was purchased and renamed as Blizzard North by Blizzard Entertainment's former owner Davidson & Associates about nine months before the release of their hit PC game Diablo in 1997". So even though they supposedly had complete autonomy, the final product & say was still influenced by the new owner no doubt. Just saying that they had already changed from a passionate 3-man indy dev team to a corporate owned big business effectively.
D2 really had a chokehold on me when I was a young. The memories of getting ur first Shako Enigma IK set War travelers Oculous Windforce etc The music of Tristram is just soo nostalgic.
Remember Uber farming the skeletons :D Quickly lvling several chars up to 85 in a few hours. Ahh... I used to be a Hdin for those runs, payment was usually a torch, but I really didn't mind payment as long as the hosts were kind. I often invited a few noobs as my payment, then had them level up and try their 2nd or 3rd character quickly. They eventually patched it out though, they now no longer offer experience, so that "exploit" was removed.
1000% agree, that's what I listened to in D3/D4 to make them more bearable. D4 was a huge improvement musically over D3 but still doesn't hit like 2/1 IMO.
I regularly play through act 1 after putting the toddler to bed just for the amazing 12 string guitar. Something about it is both relaxing and nostalgic.
D2 was amazing and what got me into playing video games. I had so much fun trying different builds, doing ladder, cow level and magic find runs, etc., that my friends had to nag me into trying World of Warcraft with them when it first came out (and played WoW for a long time as well). I spent enough hours on D2 while I was pregnant I joke with my son that he was a gamer before he was even born. The fact that people still play D2R and WoW Classic shows the impact they had on the gaming industry, IMO.
D1 has always been my GOAT because it was the only one where I genuinely felt dread and the looming anxiety as you travel down through the levels. The Cathedral was particularly haunting. And then there is the Butcher. That is the scariest experience in the whole series.
The butcher is super iconic. D1 was scary b/c you really feel like a level 1 newb getting in way over his head. i love D2, but the tension is different because your character seems so much more competent. Diablo was the only horror game in the series. Maybe I watched too many horror movies as a kid, but the Butcher always made me think of Leatherface brutally hanging a woman on a meat hook.
Diablo II taught me now to network PCs together. We actually set up a three PC LAN in my small apartment so friends could come over and we would play together. I am not on the hardware IT support side today, but I am a computer programmer
The dopest memory I have of D2 was when my brother and I first played online with my dad and he had the most powerful weapons on his barbarian. He came to help us with Andariel because we were afraid of her. He legit came in, bulldozed through all of the levels and then HULK JUMPED over all the enemies and one shot her! Ever since then, I fell in love with the game
That's an awesome memory to have of your dad, and something you might see in an anime or something. Two kids are afraid of a demon terrorizing everyone, then badass dad shows up and just one-shots the demon like it's nothing.
My deepest memory from D2 was when playing with Sorceress, level generator placed a boss right next to entry to a level and it blocked me completely. I was raging and eventually quit D2 in favor of D1:Hellfire. In D2 if your build was bad, you could only restart the game and start from lvl 1, in D1 you could restart the game, get different layout of dungeon, read more spell books, eventually buy elixirs to boost and repair your character. This was a huge issue in D2, that focus on power gaming.
buy it on PS4, was never able to finish it once, you grind 45min for another attempt, die in two shots in about 0.03seconds and respawn naked like a worm with all your stuff at the feet of what killed you 🤣🤣I love it so much but no matter what class i tried i always failed. I never finish POE too btw. And still i come back and play those games again and again.
As someone who was there to play them both in the moment, Diablo 1 is still my favorite. From the town music to the difficulty making you question every step you make the deeper you go, the game is just perfect to me.
Yeah, it's a tough choice, but everyone talks about D2, and few give D1 the credit it deserves. I'm glad he points out the small things, like the helmet coming off in town. The dungeon music, while unpleasant, is so atmospheric and unique. The monsters survived long enough to have memorable animations and sounds. The game has some big flaws, but nothing comes close to the atmosphere.
I remember farming the first 3 levels of the Shareware version as a kid because my parents didn't buy the full version. I played those first 3 levels so many times it was unreal. Lol.
I too LOVE diablo 1. And the music in Tristram is soooo good. The atmosphere in that game is just amazing. I never played single player though. I was on the edge of my seat in every dungeon. I remember that if you died you lost all of your stuff in the dungeon. I actually thought that was a pretty cool idea.
For me, Diablo 2 is the best. It is just the overall best package of all Diablo games. Diablo 1 had too many balance issues with certain classes and was pretty forgettable in terms of replayability. I played through it once and forgot it. But I invested thousands of hours in Diablo 2. Making multiple characters and finding interesting builds and possibilities with unique items.
@@uUuWolf16uUu I agree. I definitely put more hours into Diablo 2. I enjoyed playing it over and over and over. I also replayed diablo 1 a lot. But i guess it was because i never really played single player. I played LAN all the time. I was always leveling my character and looking for good stuff. I remember "Obsidian Ring of Zodiac" that gave + to all skills was almost impossible to find. I even played the beta version of diablo 1 over and over and I know much of the dialog by heart. Such good memories. I know people don't really like the expansion - but I enjoyed that too. That said - I played Diablo 2 way too much also. Man if I could have all those hours back I might have been rich today.
My friends and i had lan partys every time we where allowed and Diablo 1 - 2 was some of the games we would play. Miss the old day when gaming was really social.
My Diablo memory (as a 37yo): Other kids in my school bus are talking about Diablo. I am around 12-13yo. I get a cloned copy of the game from the sketchy kid on the bus. My friend got the actual legit game. We both install it that weekend, at our separate houses. It's Dial-Up Modem internet, so we call each other instead of trying the online thing. We're talking and separately playing for 2-4 hours, but then... he goes silent. The next morning, I walk 2 blocks away, over to his house. I don't remember how or why, but I walk into his living room, and he's half asleep on the ground and he goes "oh, yeah, I fell asleep while playing on the floor, sorry". Fond memory.
@@Switzerlandboy420 ironic that the only reason the game almost sucks is because of people like yourself who dont actually play the game. Thankfully we have ladder resets to restart the trading economy you guys continuously ruin.
agreed, but minus the sometimes horrible range of certain random outcomes, like crafting Caster Amulettes or building expensive Runewords and not get what you want or some really bad rolls. That could get really frustrating. But in general it was amazing!
When Diablo came out, I was 21. I had been PC gaming since 82, and “Ahhhhh, FRESH MEAT!” was the first time I had seen a PC game be that immersive. It made me feel it. It may be the top gaming moment of my life. Plenty of games are good (I think my all-time is Star Control 2 which came out when I was in high school) but before Diablo, they were just games. Diablo raised that bar.
That was the first time I really got my heart racing in a video game. Like getting hacked up on level 2 by a boss so clearly above you when you first find him... Man, it's the feeling you chase the rest of your life.
D1 town music is the most nostalgic feeling I've ever felt in my life. When I hear that music, words do not exist to explain that feeling. Been hooked since D1.
As someone who, as a 16 year old, went 50km by train, to buy the 2 level demo cd for D1 only to get absorbed by the Diablo - world up until now, it's awesome, to hear, how much your enjoy the 2 old ones. :)
Damn that’s crazy dedication. Where did you live you had to travel that far just for a demo? Mongolia? Did you have to take a boat to purchase the actual game 😂
@@TheAoalec14 😄 Germany. But my parents had no interest in getting internet connection. So, i had to get it done that way. But yeah, rereading it, i see how it must sound like living in the outer rim. 😄
I also had the demo. I will never forget it. Now DM understands why D3 and D4 are such a disappointment. Those people that designed the games never even played the first two.
The original Diablo kept me up literally until dawn on many occasions when I was in graduate school - it probably added months to my getting my doctorate. It is still my favorite.
There's one hugely important strength that Diablo 2 has which you didn't talk about. The creature variety is simply incredible, I think it's the best creature variety in any game, period. Maybe it didn't occur to you all that much because you played Holy Fire paladin, but your gameplay changes significantly depending on which part of the game you're at. Every new act's monsters are masterfully crafted to make you feel like you've truly gone somewhere new. It's not just the same creatures with different skins, whose only features are their small/medium/large health pools depending on how large they are like in newer ARPGS. Every mob's attack patterns and abilities feel unique to play against, from Fallen shamans in act 1 to the tiny skeletons in act 3 to the invisible souls that shoot lightning in act 4... it cannot be accused of being repetitive at all. It's in stark contrast to Diablo 4 where every dungeon has the same gameplay.
IKR When I got to Zakarum, I GOT TO ZAKARUM it felt so different, it felt like a sweaty jungle inhabited by wee mad men wielding blades as big as themselves. Everywhere I have gone in D4 feels the same, especially the dungeons=boring NOT at all like D2 dungeons.
@@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299 The atmosphere in many of these places is actually oppressive. It's uncomfortable and dangerous. I don't feel anything smashing my way through diablo 4.
Diablo2 is the gold standard when it comes to loot in any video game, period. Which conveniently enough, it’s a game about the loot. But it has never been replicated since that or anything lateral to that. The execution, hierarchy and reward is just right.
Titan Quest did a great job. Sacred was pretty neat too. But yeah, after the abomination that was "Diablo" 3 the isometric ARPG genre is completely dead. It's kinda like after the iPhone introduction all the phones turned into bland copy-pasted glass shovels.
@@Christian_Bagger Also Dungeon Siege-1/2, btw. But that one kinda did its own thing, greatly developing the formula with stuff like scrolls, shargeable untimates, multiple character controls, combat pets and literal loot mules (lol), active pause and stuff like that.
When you start hiding behind corners to slowly clear out a huge pack and a rare monster, sweating because you know how easy it is to mess it all up. You start to understand the masterpiece that was Diablo 1 at the time
I'm just watching this because I love hearing someone new to this game speak so positively about it. I literally feel proud even though I did not make the game, i just played it since 2000 hehe.
Diablo 1 and 2 were my childhood - local Gaming shop had PC's linked together to play D1, there was a battle for the first one to call and book up the PC's for the day on a Saturday as people didnt have networked PC's at that point. By the time D2 came out this is where it changed, friends coming round with their PC's and playing multiplayer locally
Basically grew up playing games like Doom, D1, Blood, Heroes of Might and Magic, Gothic etc. Nothing can beat the 90's, nowadays games are drowned in all kinds of shit, from microtransactions, early access, preorder bonuses etc. etc. I can't seem to be able to enjoy a game and whenever I go back to replay one of the classics -- I instantly get reminded why.
@@Berigan725 Well said. D3 & D4 on the other hand... I wish I could say the same. Patiently waiting for POE2, but that too is full of overpriced microtransactions. At least the excuse there is that it's a F2P game.
@@swampsect D3 and d4 are totaly different games and should belong to a different franchise imo. Yea, I'm also patiently waiting for poe2. Hoping that it can somewhat scratch my ever itching longing for a d2 successor. Hope the microtransactions and live service aspects of the game don't play to big of a role.
Played both of these games on release with my dad when I was 6 and 10, respectively. What can I say? There is no replacement for the feeling of stepping out into the Blood Moor for the first time, or opening the Butcher's door for the first time. These games were with me as I grew up, and I can't imagine my childhood without them. The term GOAT doesn't do it justice.
@@Azarath26 POE's complexity is a double-edged sword^^ Yes you can do nearly anything, but the knowledge required to do any of it is immense, along with the grind required for it. I'm personally waiting for POE2, I've put a few hundred hours in POE, yet I barely understand some of the core mechanics, I definitely can't make a character able to clear any endgame content. - I can of course copy another build, but that takes 90% of the enjoyment away from me... I have done in the past, but it really gets boring just following a basic recipe. What makes D1 and D2 different, is the relative lack of grind for a fairly strong character, even without much understanding, most people can build a fairly successful character to finish the game. The real grind happens at Ubers in D2, but that was never meant to be for everyone, nor does the game even tell you it exists or how to get there.
@@Fiirow1 but poe is easy. Just cap res and build one archetype at a time and you're good. You can imagine I wanna play minions and search for minion nodes go there and put rest points in life and defences.
@@Azarath26 I know you are trying to be nice and all, but POE really isn't that great. I'll give it the respect it deserves by calling it the second best ARPG ever made and the spiritual successor to D2. However, the game really turns off a lot of people due to its terrible story and insane complexity. They nailed the gameplay and RPG elements, but everything else is lacking.
I was 19 when Diablo was released and easily lost half of my summer break to it. Stayed in slaying away when I could have been playing outside and I loved it.
If you never played WC3 I highly suggest it. If you think the cinematics for D2 were great (which they were), you will be absolutely dumbfounded at how top tier they are in WC3. They might be slightly pixelated now, but they still hold up EXTREMELY well. The thing people miss about games from back in the day is the actual passion that went into the games being made. People can call it nostalgia, but it really isn't. In Today's age where everything is mostly playing it safe, or being cookie cutter, we LONG for the days when game after game was an absolute banger because of the passion being put into the games. Even if some games are your cup of tea, you see it when one of these passion projects comes along on how many people are loving it. Witcher 3, BG3 (I loved their divinity series, but BG3 REALLY put Larian on the map), Elden Ring (not my cup of tea, but I can still see the passion in the game I don't see in many), and a few others, but you get the picture. All of these investors who flooded the market need to take a step back and let the Devs cook. I know it's risky for them, but it would also show you which studios are being held back by Investors who don't know shit about what gamers actually want, and which are being held back by devs with seemingly no passion, on top of Investors.
I remember when D1 came out, and what I liked a lot about it was its mood, yes it was yet another fantasy setting but with a dark (very cliché) and baroque (not so cliché) tone to it. it was technologically advanced too, although the pseudo-procedural levels needed a lot of time to load, more than five minutes depending on the PC. And the butcher room was specially memorable because they managed to generate a very gruesome and unsettling scene with a bunch of pixels tailored for a tiny resolution, it's a level of maturity in art design that the recent games are lacking.
I played the original Diablo countless times when it was still considered a contemporary game, but never got past the Butcher. 2-3 years ago I discovered Belzebub. It’s the original game with some additional content (like gear sets and QoL improvements) + all the deleted content restored. It was a blast even though fighting Diablo itself was very tough as a Rogue. Really enjoyed the experience of playing this old gem.
Diablo 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm still playing it all these years later with over 2k hours in the remastered version.. that said, you explained exactly why it's my favorite better than I could have. I also wasn't allowed to play it growing up due to "Diablo" being the title in a religious household. So I'd have to stay up in the middle of the night and sneak onto the computer to play. I love that you finally got into it for all it's glory. Its kinda crazy as much as I love you DM that you're finally getting into it and I'm happy you get to show everyone what's so good about D2
Grim Dawn is an above-S-tier masterpiece. Enjoy dude, what I would give to play it for the first time. The GOAT for me, and I remember thinking a true successor to D2. What D3 should have been.
One of my favorite elements of D1 is when you would switch areas. You had no idea when it would happen but the excitement of going deeper and deeper into the monastery built so much anticipation.
I was a straight arrow highschool nerd who never missed a class until Diablo. I missed so many classes because I would stay up so late playing that game. It's one of my fondest gaming memories as a teenager.
I still remember the absolute MAGIC of playing the D1 demo (up to the Butcher), then immediately going to the store to buy the installation CDs for the full game!! And bringing my computer to a friend's house for LAN parties. I consider myself lucky for having experienced that kind of wonder. Windforce was my first GOOD item in any Diablo game...
I think the most interesting difference from D1&2 compared to D3&4 is how hitting things feels very light or floaty. When I smack something in the earlier games it felt heavy, meaty. Did anyone else notice this? :p
I still have a brand new disc version of the original diablo with pamplet on PS1. Will never forget hearing "FRESH MEAT" for the first time, duplicating stat elixirs or hunting the Bloodstar skill books.
I played D1 on my friends PC in -97-98 or something. Didn't really get that far before my first death but I already enjoyed the game a lot. When D2 was launched I already had my own PC that could handle the game and it was amazing. In high school PC class we installed a pirate copy of the game on the PC's and played it on LAN that was one of my first multiplayer experiences along with Quake 1 and 2, Starcraft and Counter Strike beta in the same PC class :) (quake 1 was already in junior high) Later on in late 2000 I got more stable internet connection and started my battlenet multiplay in stlll original D2 pre-expansion. That was a blast, one of the best experiences I've ever had in online games (second maybe to WoW launch and the first 2 years). The community especially later on in the hardcore was just amazing and over the years it seemed to get worse as the game got more popular especially after the Expansion launch and a few years after that. After Expansion I did play it some few months but eventually me and a few friends went back to Classic and there we had again that small HC community which felt great again. Recently I've been playing the old pre-expansion version of the game and been recording it to my ytube channel for others to see how the game is.
So glad you voiced this opinion here! I absolutely concur! I played Diablo 1 when it came out and it was mind-blowing. The sense of slow but steady progression, the succinct gameplay loop that both never gets boring and also never becomes overwhelming. I recently played Diablo 4 (skipped 3) and it never gave me that same sense of satisfaction and fun. It feels like a random string of boring side missions and the endgame reminded me why I hate MMOs. The grinding, the screen full of gaudy effects, descriptions and explosions of items every couple of seconds. It gave me nothing, so I stopped and am forever done with the game. Diablo 1, on the other hand, I will return to every couple of years.
Spot on. D1 and D2 are both masterpieces. D3 and D4 can't compete, they just don't have the right balance in the loot, and I don't think D4 ever will.. set items and runes need to come back, for a start.
Wonderful to see a streamer of D4 play the originals. Would you say that, hypothetically, that this is what gamers wanted for D4? Like every mob is basically AOE and done for example or how 0-100 took 130+ hours vs a couple hours to get to 100 in D4. Definitely interested in your progression here.
I have 16 level 89-92 characters on d2r. You are 100% correct that there are so many build options with each class, that’s exactly why it’s so fun. Once you pick a build you want to try it’s all about leveling quickly by doing trist runs, tomb runs and Baal runs to wear the godly gear you found, crafted, made or traded for. The grind for levels and gear is a great experience. Best game ever imo, I still play it today from time to time.
this is what i've been saying. I dont mind grinding runs from D2 versus the chores i have to do in D4. It's almost no point grinding in D3 and D4 as it's essentially, the items just arent as good as d2. Anything that drops in D2 is important especially after runewords were introduced. ie: Whites, blue, yellow, etc
I had such a great time playing Diablo 2 back in the day. It was a really big challenge playing on Hell when you had to gear yourself up with no help. I liked Diablo 1 also but there wasn't as much to it.
@exitoz1396 3 & 4 were different teams. Those teams lost the soul of Diablo. They are overcomplicated and boring. I still play D2 probably twice a year.
@@exitoz1396 exactly. I didn't get my hands on D3 until it launched on PS3, which by then was in a fantastic state. D4, despite criticism, has one of the best stories in the series and gets better with every update.
Diablo 1's music and atmosphere are masterclass. It was truly medieval gothic horror. I played the hell out of it. Multiple runs with each class, expansion, and mods that add additional classes and provide QoL improvements. I have never beat 2. It's just too long and boring IMO. It gets old so fast. Go out, fight for 5-10 minutes, fill inventory, hit town, sell, repeat. I understand the original has this problem as well, but to a much lesser extent. Diablo 3 was short and sweet, I beat that. 4 is an absolute bore, I'll probably never play it again. To me Diablo 1 is the best in the series.
D2 on Hell difficulty is a real challenge - especially for a first play through. Haven’t felt a similar challenge since Pillars of Eternity triple crown settings
Lmao DM ..."simple graphics" it was Jan 1997 these were top notch highest tier designs back then. FF7 the best of all time was back then too. Yes, compared to 2024, they are simple looking.
The itemization in D2 LOD is a blast. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve ever had in a game. Finally getting an enigma ora COA or a griffons or a sexy pair of rare boots with FRW and tri res… damn it was fun
d2's campaign is highly replayable because it is gameplay focused, unlike d4 which is story focused. a linear game that focuses on gameplay can be highly replayable. an open world game that focuses on story is not.
The main theme of Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction is probably my favorite symphonic piece ever. Perfect Gothic Horror that could easily be the theme of a vampire movie.
Diablo 1 has also an expansion called Hellfire made by Siera, they add monk as a playable class. D1 is unique game for me it had a horror feeling something that you cant find in this genre
One more important aspect of D2LoD's success was the modability. There are some insanely amazing mods like Median that turn it pretty much into a whole different game that you can experience on top of all the fun the base game already brought. Simply amazing And it sucks that they took that away from us with D2R
I recently just played through D2 having become pretty obsessed with ARPGs this year. I’m 29 so was sort of too young to have caught it at the time, but I’m so glad I did. It’s honestly so much fun seeing your character change as you advance with the different gear and abilities, more so than the more modern ones I have played.
Diablo 1 is in fact my fav even now. I love the pace, the sense of danger, the oppressive nature of it. None of the sequels really captured the feeling of descending into hell like og diablo.
Diablo 2 is probably one of the most important experiences in gaming for it's time ever. It was just so revolutionary and the fact that people still play it over 20 years later really speaks multitudes to its quality.
Great video, a point you (and many others) glance over however is the sounddesign of diablo 2. And by that I don't mean the music (although its part of it) but all the sounds of monsters, effects, animations, skills, etc. Now that you played the game, think about it, you could probably identify what you kill, where you kill it, with what you kill it and what drops from the monster - without ever looking at the screen. The sound design is a masterclass and gives such great feedback
It's a shame you didn't go further in Diablo 1. That's where you can actually see builds within the classes fill out. Rogues are fairly good melee and decent casters. Warrior remains best 1h + shield but access to certain spells drastically changes how you play them. Sorc is obvious with their plethora of spells. There's a decent amount of side quests that are somewhat randomized. I always found it impressive the different things you can do despite limitations of the day and no skill tree.
Diablo1 is still fun cause it has it's own system. Elixir and spellbook are fun mechanics, sure you wouldn't want that in another game, but it's different than any other ARPG. The game isn't balanced at all but we don't care, it's still fun.
So many memories of Diablo 2 but my biggest was how I obtained it. Asian mother against violence and blood so she wasn't going to let me buy it. Halo was about all she accepted because the blood wasn't red and we were shooting aliens. BUT there was this one employee at Tower Records who I was pretty familiar with as I went there often and chatted. Asked him if it was possible to buy it for me or come as my brother/guardian. He was just about to go to lunch so he said he was down for it since he was also a gamer.
I only really started playing D2 intensively when the remaster was out, but for graphical reasons it was totally uninteresting to me, and it shouldn't be forgotten that with many patches and many years afterwards D2 became as good as it is today.
The build you went for is to fast level up to the point where you can then go towards end game. There’s a bunch of ways just to skill a paladin. And once you’ve mastered the skilling, then there’s new content like Uber Tristram - or playing hardcore, which I hate to love and love to hate 😂
Diablo 2 is the favorite for depth and investment, but Diablo 1 is properly atmospheric, it's an actual HORROR ARPG. They're BOTH great for different reasons and MOST of the minds behind those two games had nothing to do with Diablo 3 and 4. Chris Wilson and his team from PoE kind of carried on the actual spirit of D2 with PoE but nothing has ever had that horror element. I LOVE Diablo 2, it was literally my first online game, is my favorite and gets installed on any PC I build BUT it did lose some of that horror feel. The darkness and only being able to walk and getting BODIED by the Butcher the first time you see him are experiences everyone should get at least once from Diablo 1. I'm so happy that DM finally got to experience them even if he doesn't grind Diablo 2 on Battlenet which is almost like a different game compared to clearing it once on Normal in SP, truly awesome he got to finally see it! Gotta say, positive vibes are my favorite thing about his streams/channel.
Playing original diablo without the hellfire expansion used to be like eating an egg without the yolk. It was insanely good you could never play without it. A complete package indeed. You had more classes with the expansion, extra quests, extra content in new biomes and more. You usually replayed the game in nightmare difficulty afterwards and in hell multiple times to level up and get stronger. This could last you easily for a 40 or more hours with one class. Now add all the other characters and you could easily play more than 200 hours total if not more. And there are incredible mods out there too for both first two games. So even more content and replayability. Crazy. For 90s? this was the real GOAT I liked to play after school lol. And the atmosphere was never surpassed since then. Diablo 2 was very good, but even so, it never reached the hardcore dark atmosphere style that the first game accomplished, making you truly fear the dark corridors. The limited movement in fact made for a more realistic and brutal experience. Loved that. Its hard to put into words. Pure fun too. It was DOPE.
Diablo 1 really is the best of the series IMO. It PERFECTLY balances the action and horror elements and the combat feels so satisfying. D2 is a great game of course, but for me the genre has gotten consistently "quicker" and more hack-n-slash. D1 dungeon crawling feels so deliberately paced in a way that really nails it.
Loot in Diablo 2 was so good. There are like 30 unique and set items I can name off the top of my head that I would get an adrenaline rush when i saw them drop. There's only 1 item (andariel's visage) in d4 that's like that. Skill tree is too linear, in d2 you paid a heavy cost for mixing elements on sorc because you had to get the prereqs and synergies, in d4 you can choose a frost basic, fire core, lightning shit, etc. There's no cost for hybridization, no synergies. Its pretty obvious no one left at blizzard actually played d1 or 2.
Good takes. I grew up with D2 and later D2 LoD. Played it on 56k dial up modem, lol. If the phone rang at home, i screamed ”DONT PICK UP!!!!!” Because if someone did, i got disconnected from the internet lol. Good times. Awesome games.
The difference between designing a game with the sole purpose of creating an experience for the love of gaming. Versus creating a game for the sole purpose of extracting the most amount of money possible in several different ways is what the difference between D2 to D4 was. Just look at the itemization on how there are 6+ affixes on items with so many options vs what D4 has. The thought that went into D2 is not even close to comparison to D4. This is why new gamers have to experience D2 and really dive deep into it to finally see why D4 gets so many complaints, and hopefully start raising their standards because we have become numb to what games are these days. Aside from a select few games that still are made for the love of the gaming. DM said going through the campaign 3 times doing the same thing is still enjoyable with every hour that passes being better then the last is the sum of why it’s an iconic gem to this day. D4 people wanted to never see the campaign again right off the bat of release. It’s got to tell you something right there. So much more to say but who’s going to read it all anyways lol. “Hello my friend, stay awhile and listen”
Diablo 1 was my first video game my dad bought it for me when I was 11. We use to play it together when he would come home from work, he never played he would just watch the screen and point at the monsters for me to kill lol. LOVED this game, played it for years and have fond memories of it became a full video game addict from this game alone and I'm sure that's not what my Dad wanted but hey that's how it goes xD
I grew up playing D1. I still play D2. Crazy thing about D2 is I still haven't found every item in the game and haven't played every character build, never mind there's still theory craft builds on top of that. I bet if blizzard added more content or more end game, D2 would blow up again. I would pay for another expansion for D2. Only if they kept it to the original game though.
Diablo 2 is still the only ARPG that I can just run all the difficulties back to back and not get tired of it. The item hunt and difficulty of leveling up is perfectly balanced and it doesn't get old until you have best in slot items (which if you're playing self found can take a very long time).
One of the things I liked least about Diablo 3 and 4 is that the campaign is seen as this thing you get to play through once and then it gets tossed aside. It's almost treated as a tutorial, and instead of finding ways to make it fun, they expect people to play it once and never touch it again. I prefer Diablo 2 (and PoE) where the campaign itself is meant to be enjoyed each time you start a new character. And don't get me started on dynamic level scaling on loot and enemies - it kills any sense of progression.
Its almost obscene how well this game holds up today. I played it in anticipation of D4 release. And a couple months into D4, I actually went back and played D1 again. Probably says a lot about D4 too. But the point still stands - the mood, the ambience, the slow and more deliberate pace...modern arpgs havent got the balls to replicate that, because sweatlords will complain that they cant speedrun it
I played Diablo1 years on bnet, i tried D2 I didn't even finished it, you can feel immediately with the running that it's such a style downgrade, the difference is that in d1 you are the character, in 2d you are playing a game.
I have like 30k hours into D2 (my favorite game of all time) and only like 3 hours in Diablo 1 lol. I could never kill the Butcher but this makes me want to finally play it through.
agreed only thing id say is musical award goes to Might and Magic 6-8 +Heroes of Might and Magic 2 - and you can have a warrior that does magic in dab 1 or a wizard that can swing a battle axe...love that
Yes! Diablo II is objectively the best of the series, but Diablo I will always hold an extra-special place in my heart. The atmosphere is incomparable.
Diablo 1 is the best for me. It just did the atmosphere so simply and so perfectly... The gameplay is clunky, but the experience is superb. I've never played any other game that managed to deliver such a sensation... Recently replayed it too, and it's still as good as I remembered it. Someone does need to take the unexplored horror and atmospheric side of D1, and make a game centered around that. D2 is a gameplay game, the atmosphere got put aside for a better loop, better enemies and more engaging character development. However, it abandoned the feel of it... And so far, I've yet to find a game that serves as a spiritual successor to the experience D1 gave.
Diablo 1 is also how the cow level idea was born since people including me the 3 cows had some secret and the developers were so intrigued by it that well… come Diablo 2….
The original Tristram theme from Diablo 1 is such a masterpiece.
Chills every time I hear it.
I have heard it too many times at this point. To me it feels like a sore spot you've been scratching at for too long and feels raw.
Diablo 1 was my introduction to the genre, I still remember the feeling when the first sword dropped, equiping it and feeling stronger. The rest is history and I've been hooked for 25+ years since.
Same. There was really nothing like it at the time. I first experienced Diablo 1 on my PS1 - which prompted me to get my parents to purchase our first PC so I could play the better version there. Core memories of me and my cousins co-op'ing the story via dial-up connection...I've been hooked ever since and I've loved them all.
I still remember the "King's sword of Haste"😄
D1 was how the genre was created, it was everyone's introduction :)
@@sirgorasheckley clearly didn't watch the video
Seeing the Butcher for the first time scared the absolute crap out of me. I ran for the stairs just so I could calm down and then proceeded to die cause I was completely unprepared.
R.I.P. Blizzard North.
Arise moonbeast studios!
Sure, but let's not forget that they bought the bones of D1 from another developer, Condor, then polished & finished it off under the Blizzard North label. Vivendi was the beginning of the end of course.
@@Nostromo2144 Blizzard North WAS Condor.
😥
@@TinariKao Yes & no:
"The company was purchased and renamed as Blizzard North by Blizzard Entertainment's former owner Davidson & Associates about nine months before the release of their hit PC game Diablo in 1997".
So even though they supposedly had complete autonomy, the final product & say was still influenced by the new owner no doubt. Just saying that they had already changed from a passionate 3-man indy dev team to a corporate owned big business effectively.
D2 really had a chokehold on me when I was a young. The memories of getting ur first Shako Enigma IK set War travelers Oculous Windforce etc The music of Tristram is just soo nostalgic.
Remember Uber farming the skeletons :D Quickly lvling several chars up to 85 in a few hours.
Ahh... I used to be a Hdin for those runs, payment was usually a torch, but I really didn't mind payment as long as the hosts were kind.
I often invited a few noobs as my payment, then had them level up and try their 2nd or 3rd character quickly.
They eventually patched it out though, they now no longer offer experience, so that "exploit" was removed.
Humm those are all expansion items. Did you play original pre-expansion at all?
D2 music still the GOAT
1000% agree, that's what I listened to in D3/D4 to make them more bearable. D4 was a huge improvement musically over D3 but still doesn't hit like 2/1 IMO.
I regularly play through act 1 after putting the toddler to bed just for the amazing 12 string guitar. Something about it is both relaxing and nostalgic.
Id argue D1 music is just as good
@@Archaeologist89 True :)
💯% the soundtrack!!! Best ever!!
The harem in Act 2 of D2 is one of my favorite pieces of video game music. Incredible track.
D2 was amazing and what got me into playing video games. I had so much fun trying different builds, doing ladder, cow level and magic find runs, etc., that my friends had to nag me into trying World of Warcraft with them when it first came out (and played WoW for a long time as well). I spent enough hours on D2 while I was pregnant I joke with my son that he was a gamer before he was even born. The fact that people still play D2R and WoW Classic shows the impact they had on the gaming industry, IMO.
D1 has always been my GOAT because it was the only one where I genuinely felt dread and the looming anxiety as you travel down through the levels. The Cathedral was particularly haunting.
And then there is the Butcher. That is the scariest experience in the whole series.
The butcher is super iconic. D1 was scary b/c you really feel like a level 1 newb getting in way over his head.
i love D2, but the tension is different because your character seems so much more competent.
Diablo was the only horror game in the series.
Maybe I watched too many horror movies as a kid, but the Butcher always made me think of Leatherface brutally hanging a woman on a meat hook.
@@efg-smcagive props to an age of static and linear gameplay. Go figure that was immensely fun, a game with soul. Hmmm?
@@efg-smca the butcher still makes me jump when he says "Ahh , fresh meat". I know its coming but...
And not only the butcher but the drunk guy in tristram when you ask him about the butcher. The horror and dread in his voice
The feel of dread and despair was so good in d1, d2 good too. The others are to cartoony
Diablo II taught me now to network PCs together. We actually set up a three PC LAN in my small apartment so friends could come over and we would play together. I am not on the hardware IT support side today, but I am a computer programmer
The dopest memory I have of D2 was when my brother and I first played online with my dad and he had the most powerful weapons on his barbarian. He came to help us with Andariel because we were afraid of her. He legit came in, bulldozed through all of the levels and then HULK JUMPED over all the enemies and one shot her! Ever since then, I fell in love with the game
That's an awesome memory to have of your dad, and something you might see in an anime or something. Two kids are afraid of a demon terrorizing everyone, then badass dad shows up and just one-shots the demon like it's nothing.
Its crazy but I also asked my dad to kill Andariel... catacombs were scary for 8 year old kid 😄
@@koveras7167 lmaooooo damn were you really that scared lol
@@ladistar yes 😅 good times, urge to kill that bitch and push for another bosses was too strong 😅
My deepest memory from D2 was when playing with Sorceress, level generator placed a boss right next to entry to a level and it blocked me completely. I was raging and eventually quit D2 in favor of D1:Hellfire. In D2 if your build was bad, you could only restart the game and start from lvl 1, in D1 you could restart the game, get different layout of dungeon, read more spell books, eventually buy elixirs to boost and repair your character. This was a huge issue in D2, that focus on power gaming.
As someone who has played Diablo 2 for 24 years, you couldn’t have said it any better. Awesome video.
buy it on PS4, was never able to finish it once, you grind 45min for another attempt, die in two shots in about 0.03seconds and respawn naked like a worm with all your stuff at the feet of what killed you 🤣🤣I love it so much but no matter what class i tried i always failed. I never finish POE too btw. And still i come back and play those games again and again.
As someone who was there to play them both in the moment, Diablo 1 is still my favorite. From the town music to the difficulty making you question every step you make the deeper you go, the game is just perfect to me.
Yeah, it's a tough choice, but everyone talks about D2, and few give D1 the credit it deserves. I'm glad he points out the small things, like the helmet coming off in town. The dungeon music, while unpleasant, is so atmospheric and unique. The monsters survived long enough to have memorable animations and sounds. The game has some big flaws, but nothing comes close to the atmosphere.
I remember farming the first 3 levels of the Shareware version as a kid because my parents didn't buy the full version. I played those first 3 levels so many times it was unreal. Lol.
I too LOVE diablo 1. And the music in Tristram is soooo good. The atmosphere in that game is just amazing. I never played single player though. I was on the edge of my seat in every dungeon. I remember that if you died you lost all of your stuff in the dungeon. I actually thought that was a pretty cool idea.
For me, Diablo 2 is the best. It is just the overall best package of all Diablo games.
Diablo 1 had too many balance issues with certain classes and was pretty forgettable in terms of replayability. I played through it once and forgot it.
But I invested thousands of hours in Diablo 2. Making multiple characters and finding interesting builds and possibilities with unique items.
@@uUuWolf16uUu I agree. I definitely put more hours into Diablo 2. I enjoyed playing it over and over and over. I also replayed diablo 1 a lot. But i guess it was because i never really played single player. I played LAN all the time. I was always leveling my character and looking for good stuff. I remember "Obsidian Ring of Zodiac" that gave + to all skills was almost impossible to find. I even played the beta version of diablo 1 over and over and I know much of the dialog by heart. Such good memories. I know people don't really like the expansion - but I enjoyed that too. That said - I played Diablo 2 way too much also. Man if I could have all those hours back I might have been rich today.
My friends and i had lan partys every time we where allowed and Diablo 1 - 2 was some of the games we would play. Miss the old day when gaming was really social.
the irony that connecting the whole world together would make us feel more alone.
My Diablo memory (as a 37yo):
Other kids in my school bus are talking about Diablo. I am around 12-13yo. I get a cloned copy of the game from the sketchy kid on the bus. My friend got the actual legit game. We both install it that weekend, at our separate houses. It's Dial-Up Modem internet, so we call each other instead of trying the online thing. We're talking and separately playing for 2-4 hours, but then... he goes silent.
The next morning, I walk 2 blocks away, over to his house. I don't remember how or why, but I walk into his living room, and he's half asleep on the ground and he goes "oh, yeah, I fell asleep while playing on the floor, sorry". Fond memory.
you should + 5-7 years.
d2 has the best itemisation ever
i have over 2000 hours and i still have builds ive never done and items ive never found.
You never had your paladin hammerdin in bots mode running by himself like everybody else? I was able to gear up all my class pretty quick
@@Switzerlandboy420 ironic that the only reason the game almost sucks is because of people like yourself who dont actually play the game. Thankfully we have ladder resets to restart the trading economy you guys continuously ruin.
@@witheringhs7766”i have seen stuff i have never seen” if u didnt bot u would see them alot more ;)
agreed, but minus the sometimes horrible range of certain random outcomes, like crafting Caster Amulettes or building expensive Runewords and not get what you want or some really bad rolls. That could get really frustrating. But in general it was amazing!
When Diablo came out, I was 21. I had been PC gaming since 82, and “Ahhhhh, FRESH MEAT!” was the first time I had seen a PC game be that immersive. It made me feel it. It may be the top gaming moment of my life.
Plenty of games are good (I think my all-time is Star Control 2 which came out when I was in high school) but before Diablo, they were just games. Diablo raised that bar.
SC2 is amazing! I grew up playing ZX Spectrum games from '82 and still play to this day. Currently waiting for POE2 to arrive!
The butcher was nightmare inducing for real
That was the first time I really got my heart racing in a video game.
Like getting hacked up on level 2 by a boss so clearly above you when you first find him... Man, it's the feeling you chase the rest of your life.
@@lennon7978 Seriously, I was like 8 watching my older brother play the first time. Scared the bejesus out of me.
Yeah meeting the butcher made my blood run cold, I was vibing and did not expect that to happen
D1 town music is the most nostalgic feeling I've ever felt in my life. When I hear that music, words do not exist to explain that feeling. Been hooked since D1.
Same here!
As someone who, as a 16 year old, went 50km by train, to buy the 2 level demo cd for D1 only to get absorbed by the Diablo - world up until now, it's awesome, to hear, how much your enjoy the 2 old ones. :)
Damn that’s crazy dedication. Where did you live you had to travel that far just for a demo? Mongolia? Did you have to take a boat to purchase the actual game 😂
@@TheAoalec14 😄 Germany. But my parents had no interest in getting internet connection. So, i had to get it done that way. But yeah, rereading it, i see how it must sound like living in the outer rim. 😄
I also had the demo. I will never forget it. Now DM understands why D3 and D4 are such a disappointment. Those people that designed the games never even played the first two.
@@Siphr0diasPC Games Abo?😂
@@snyderson1828 Nope.
The original Diablo kept me up literally until dawn on many occasions when I was in graduate school - it probably added months to my getting my doctorate. It is still my favorite.
There's one hugely important strength that Diablo 2 has which you didn't talk about. The creature variety is simply incredible, I think it's the best creature variety in any game, period. Maybe it didn't occur to you all that much because you played Holy Fire paladin, but your gameplay changes significantly depending on which part of the game you're at. Every new act's monsters are masterfully crafted to make you feel like you've truly gone somewhere new. It's not just the same creatures with different skins, whose only features are their small/medium/large health pools depending on how large they are like in newer ARPGS. Every mob's attack patterns and abilities feel unique to play against, from Fallen shamans in act 1 to the tiny skeletons in act 3 to the invisible souls that shoot lightning in act 4... it cannot be accused of being repetitive at all. It's in stark contrast to Diablo 4 where every dungeon has the same gameplay.
IKR When I got to Zakarum, I GOT TO ZAKARUM it felt so different, it felt like a sweaty jungle inhabited by wee mad men wielding blades as big as themselves. Everywhere I have gone in D4 feels the same, especially the dungeons=boring NOT at all like D2 dungeons.
@@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299 The atmosphere in many of these places is actually oppressive. It's uncomfortable and dangerous. I don't feel anything smashing my way through diablo 4.
Diablo2 is the gold standard when it comes to loot in any video game, period.
Which conveniently enough, it’s a game about the loot.
But it has never been replicated since that or anything lateral to that. The execution, hierarchy and reward is just right.
Titan Quest did a great job. Sacred was pretty neat too. But yeah, after the abomination that was "Diablo" 3 the isometric ARPG genre is completely dead. It's kinda like after the iPhone introduction all the phones turned into bland copy-pasted glass shovels.
@@AikanaroSauron For sure!
@@Christian_Bagger Also Dungeon Siege-1/2, btw. But that one kinda did its own thing, greatly developing the formula with stuff like scrolls, shargeable untimates, multiple character controls, combat pets and literal loot mules (lol), active pause and stuff like that.
When you start hiding behind corners to slowly clear out a huge pack and a rare monster, sweating because you know how easy it is to mess it all up. You start to understand the masterpiece that was Diablo 1 at the time
I'm just watching this because I love hearing someone new to this game speak so positively about it. I literally feel proud even though I did not make the game, i just played it since 2000 hehe.
So many years have passed, still nothing beats thrill when i hear, "Ahhh, frsh meat....".
Best Feature at the trade side is, that you can activate this as sound for new messanges.
Diablo 1 and 2 were my childhood - local Gaming shop had PC's linked together to play D1, there was a battle for the first one to call and book up the PC's for the day on a Saturday as people didnt have networked PC's at that point. By the time D2 came out this is where it changed, friends coming round with their PC's and playing multiplayer locally
6:30 Skyrim Soundtrack is also insane.
Basically grew up playing games like Doom, D1, Blood, Heroes of Might and Magic, Gothic etc. Nothing can beat the 90's, nowadays games are drowned in all kinds of shit, from microtransactions, early access, preorder bonuses etc. etc. I can't seem to be able to enjoy a game and whenever I go back to replay one of the classics -- I instantly get reminded why.
Homm 2 true banger
@@fliw7114 HELL YEAH! It's my favorite, homm 3 & horns of the abyss a close second, 5 was also very good, rest was quite trash.
@@swampsect to me homm 3 is like d2 was to d1. A respectable and honorable improvement that did not loose its soul. Both golden!
@@Berigan725 Well said. D3 & D4 on the other hand... I wish I could say the same. Patiently waiting for POE2, but that too is full of overpriced microtransactions. At least the excuse there is that it's a F2P game.
@@swampsect D3 and d4 are totaly different games and should belong to a different franchise imo. Yea, I'm also patiently waiting for poe2. Hoping that it can somewhat scratch my ever itching longing for a d2 successor. Hope the microtransactions and live service aspects of the game don't play to big of a role.
Played both of these games on release with my dad when I was 6 and 10, respectively. What can I say? There is no replacement for the feeling of stepping out into the Blood Moor for the first time, or opening the Butcher's door for the first time. These games were with me as I grew up, and I can't imagine my childhood without them. The term GOAT doesn't do it justice.
I liked that you could be a warrior mage in Diablo. Or, maybe not mage, but you now, a sorcerer's apprentice warrior.
Come see whet the Path of Exile offers in this matter :)
@@Azarath26 We know dude
@@Azarath26 POE's complexity is a double-edged sword^^
Yes you can do nearly anything, but the knowledge required to do any of it is immense, along with the grind required for it.
I'm personally waiting for POE2, I've put a few hundred hours in POE, yet I barely understand some of the core mechanics, I definitely can't make a character able to clear any endgame content.
- I can of course copy another build, but that takes 90% of the enjoyment away from me... I have done in the past, but it really gets boring just following a basic recipe.
What makes D1 and D2 different, is the relative lack of grind for a fairly strong character, even without much understanding, most people can build a fairly successful character to finish the game.
The real grind happens at Ubers in D2, but that was never meant to be for everyone, nor does the game even tell you it exists or how to get there.
@@Fiirow1 but poe is easy. Just cap res and build one archetype at a time and you're good. You can imagine I wanna play minions and search for minion nodes go there and put rest points in life and defences.
@@Azarath26 I know you are trying to be nice and all, but POE really isn't that great. I'll give it the respect it deserves by calling it the second best ARPG ever made and the spiritual successor to D2. However, the game really turns off a lot of people due to its terrible story and insane complexity. They nailed the gameplay and RPG elements, but everything else is lacking.
I was 19 when Diablo was released and easily lost half of my summer break to it. Stayed in slaying away when I could have been playing outside and I loved it.
Sounds aweful
Blizzard really make good cinematics. It was mind blowing the jump between 1 and 2
Every time I see a new Bliz cinematic, I shake my head and say "Man, Blizzard knows how to tell a f0c4ing story!!"
@@Sure0Foot back then*.. just look at the bs they are shipping now, I’m looking at you anduin crybaby.
If you never played WC3 I highly suggest it. If you think the cinematics for D2 were great (which they were), you will be absolutely dumbfounded at how top tier they are in WC3. They might be slightly pixelated now, but they still hold up EXTREMELY well.
The thing people miss about games from back in the day is the actual passion that went into the games being made. People can call it nostalgia, but it really isn't. In Today's age where everything is mostly playing it safe, or being cookie cutter, we LONG for the days when game after game was an absolute banger because of the passion being put into the games.
Even if some games are your cup of tea, you see it when one of these passion projects comes along on how many people are loving it. Witcher 3, BG3 (I loved their divinity series, but BG3 REALLY put Larian on the map), Elden Ring (not my cup of tea, but I can still see the passion in the game I don't see in many), and a few others, but you get the picture.
All of these investors who flooded the market need to take a step back and let the Devs cook. I know it's risky for them, but it would also show you which studios are being held back by Investors who don't know shit about what gamers actually want, and which are being held back by devs with seemingly no passion, on top of Investors.
Atmosphere in D1 is just out of this world
Bless you for understanding
I remember when D1 came out, and what I liked a lot about it was its mood, yes it was yet another fantasy setting but with a dark (very cliché) and baroque (not so cliché) tone to it. it was technologically advanced too, although the pseudo-procedural levels needed a lot of time to load, more than five minutes depending on the PC. And the butcher room was specially memorable because they managed to generate a very gruesome and unsettling scene with a bunch of pixels tailored for a tiny resolution, it's a level of maturity in art design that the recent games are lacking.
I played the original Diablo countless times when it was still considered a contemporary game, but never got past the Butcher.
2-3 years ago I discovered Belzebub. It’s the original game with some additional content (like gear sets and QoL improvements) + all the deleted content restored. It was a blast even though fighting Diablo itself was very tough as a Rogue. Really enjoyed the experience of playing this old gem.
Both D1 and D2 are razor sharp in their design. A singular vision. And it wasn't unending consumerism.
Diablo 1&2 and Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance 1&2 are my favorite dungeon crawler soundtracks, and I haven't found anything that comes close.
Diablo 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm still playing it all these years later with over 2k hours in the remastered version.. that said, you explained exactly why it's my favorite better than I could have. I also wasn't allowed to play it growing up due to "Diablo" being the title in a religious household. So I'd have to stay up in the middle of the night and sneak onto the computer to play. I love that you finally got into it for all it's glory. Its kinda crazy as much as I love you DM that you're finally getting into it and I'm happy you get to show everyone what's so good about D2
Watching people react to our favorite content is us getting to experience them for the first time agsin by proxy. I love it.
I'm getting into Grim Dawn, I'm happy to replay on the various difficulty levels, because it is a great game. And each replay more opens up
Grim Dawn is an above-S-tier masterpiece. Enjoy dude, what I would give to play it for the first time. The GOAT for me, and I remember thinking a true successor to D2. What D3 should have been.
Glad you tried it! Most played game for me ever. Play it sine 24 years now, with some breaks in between. It's a masterpiece.
One of my favorite elements of D1 is when you would switch areas. You had no idea when it would happen but the excitement of going deeper and deeper into the monastery built so much anticipation.
I was a straight arrow highschool nerd who never missed a class until Diablo. I missed so many classes because I would stay up so late playing that game. It's one of my fondest gaming memories as a teenager.
I still remember the absolute MAGIC of playing the D1 demo (up to the Butcher), then immediately going to the store to buy the installation CDs for the full game!! And bringing my computer to a friend's house for LAN parties. I consider myself lucky for having experienced that kind of wonder. Windforce was my first GOOD item in any Diablo game...
I think the most interesting difference from D1&2 compared to D3&4 is how hitting things feels very light or floaty. When I smack something in the earlier games it felt heavy, meaty. Did anyone else notice this? :p
I still have a brand new disc version of the original diablo with pamplet on PS1. Will never forget hearing "FRESH MEAT" for the first time, duplicating stat elixirs or hunting the Bloodstar skill books.
With the 15 blocks memory card saves 😂 (if i remember correctly)
Gotta click on your potion belt fast to dupe that item!
I played D1 on my friends PC in -97-98 or something. Didn't really get that far before my first death but I already enjoyed the game a lot. When D2 was launched I already had my own PC that could handle the game and it was amazing.
In high school PC class we installed a pirate copy of the game on the PC's and played it on LAN that was one of my first multiplayer experiences along with Quake 1 and 2, Starcraft and Counter Strike beta in the same PC class :) (quake 1 was already in junior high)
Later on in late 2000 I got more stable internet connection and started my battlenet multiplay in stlll original D2 pre-expansion. That was a blast, one of the best experiences I've ever had in online games (second maybe to WoW launch and the first 2 years).
The community especially later on in the hardcore was just amazing and over the years it seemed to get worse as the game got more popular especially after the Expansion launch and a few years after that.
After Expansion I did play it some few months but eventually me and a few friends went back to Classic and there we had again that small HC community which felt great again.
Recently I've been playing the old pre-expansion version of the game and been recording it to my ytube channel for others to see how the game is.
Since you've been branching out into other games like Elden Ring, D1, and D2, I'm curious if you've ever played a Monster Hunter game?
So glad you voiced this opinion here! I absolutely concur! I played Diablo 1 when it came out and it was mind-blowing. The sense of slow but steady progression, the succinct gameplay loop that both never gets boring and also never becomes overwhelming.
I recently played Diablo 4 (skipped 3) and it never gave me that same sense of satisfaction and fun. It feels like a random string of boring side missions and the endgame reminded me why I hate MMOs. The grinding, the screen full of gaudy effects, descriptions and explosions of items every couple of seconds. It gave me nothing, so I stopped and am forever done with the game. Diablo 1, on the other hand, I will return to every couple of years.
Spot on. D1 and D2 are both masterpieces. D3 and D4 can't compete, they just don't have the right balance in the loot, and I don't think D4 ever will.. set items and runes need to come back, for a start.
Wonderful to see a streamer of D4 play the originals. Would you say that, hypothetically, that this is what gamers wanted for D4? Like every mob is basically AOE and done for example or how 0-100 took 130+ hours vs a couple hours to get to 100 in D4.
Definitely interested in your progression here.
I have 16 level 89-92 characters on d2r. You are 100% correct that there are so many build options with each class, that’s exactly why it’s so fun.
Once you pick a build you want to try it’s all about leveling quickly by doing trist runs, tomb runs and Baal runs to wear the godly gear you found, crafted, made or traded for. The grind for levels and gear is a great experience.
Best game ever imo, I still play it today from time to time.
this is what i've been saying. I dont mind grinding runs from D2 versus the chores i have to do in D4. It's almost no point grinding in D3 and D4 as it's essentially, the items just arent as good as d2. Anything that drops in D2 is important especially after runewords were introduced. ie: Whites, blue, yellow, etc
I had such a great time playing Diablo 2 back in the day. It was a really big challenge playing on Hell when you had to gear yourself up with no help.
I liked Diablo 1 also but there wasn't as much to it.
D2 is easily the best Diablo game. 3 & 4 are just trash
3rd got better with time and so is Diablo 4. Calling it trash is just wrong.
@exitoz1396 3 & 4 were different teams. Those teams lost the soul of Diablo. They are overcomplicated and boring. I still play D2 probably twice a year.
Just dusted off my old cds with diablo 2 1.0 version. I can say it is a whole different game without all synergies and runes and i love it.
@erpeg amen dude
@@exitoz1396 exactly. I didn't get my hands on D3 until it launched on PS3, which by then was in a fantastic state. D4, despite criticism, has one of the best stories in the series and gets better with every update.
Diablo 1's music and atmosphere are masterclass. It was truly medieval gothic horror. I played the hell out of it. Multiple runs with each class, expansion, and mods that add additional classes and provide QoL improvements. I have never beat 2. It's just too long and boring IMO. It gets old so fast. Go out, fight for 5-10 minutes, fill inventory, hit town, sell, repeat. I understand the original has this problem as well, but to a much lesser extent. Diablo 3 was short and sweet, I beat that. 4 is an absolute bore, I'll probably never play it again. To me Diablo 1 is the best in the series.
I still remember the pure horror I had when the drunk described the butcher encounter when I was a child
th-cam.com/video/uhOmDSMSgTo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nxuXazDn7h6O4HdV
If you want the audio I guess it was removed at some point
D2 on Hell difficulty is a real challenge - especially for a first play through. Haven’t felt a similar challenge since Pillars of Eternity triple crown settings
Lmao DM ..."simple graphics" it was Jan 1997 these were top notch highest tier designs back then. FF7 the best of all time was back then too.
Yes, compared to 2024, they are simple looking.
The itemization in D2 LOD is a blast. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve ever had in a game. Finally getting an enigma ora COA or a griffons or a sexy pair of rare boots with FRW and tri res… damn it was fun
d2's campaign is highly replayable because it is gameplay focused, unlike d4 which is story focused. a linear game that focuses on gameplay can be highly replayable. an open world game that focuses on story is not.
The main theme of Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction is probably my favorite symphonic piece ever. Perfect Gothic Horror that could easily be the theme of a vampire movie.
great review! hope we get D2R private servers someday so the game can be further expanded.
Diablo 1 has also an expansion called Hellfire made by Siera, they add monk as a playable class. D1 is unique game for me it had a horror feeling something that you cant find in this genre
Diablo 1 multiplayer was incredible, such a high risk experience, with friendly fire and all items dropping to the floor when you die.
One more important aspect of D2LoD's success was the modability. There are some insanely amazing mods like Median that turn it pretty much into a whole different game that you can experience on top of all the fun the base game already brought.
Simply amazing
And it sucks that they took that away from us with D2R
I recently just played through D2 having become pretty obsessed with ARPGs this year. I’m 29 so was sort of too young to have caught it at the time, but I’m so glad I did. It’s honestly so much fun seeing your character change as you advance with the different gear and abilities, more so than the more modern ones I have played.
Diablo 1 is in fact my fav even now.
I love the pace, the sense of danger, the oppressive nature of it.
None of the sequels really captured the feeling of descending into hell like og diablo.
Diablo 2 is probably one of the most important experiences in gaming for it's time ever. It was just so revolutionary and the fact that people still play it over 20 years later really speaks multitudes to its quality.
Great video, a point you (and many others) glance over however is the sounddesign of diablo 2. And by that I don't mean the music (although its part of it) but all the sounds of monsters, effects, animations, skills, etc.
Now that you played the game, think about it, you could probably identify what you kill, where you kill it, with what you kill it and what drops from the monster - without ever looking at the screen. The sound design is a masterclass and gives such great feedback
It's a shame you didn't go further in Diablo 1. That's where you can actually see builds within the classes fill out.
Rogues are fairly good melee and decent casters. Warrior remains best 1h + shield but access to certain spells drastically changes how you play them. Sorc is obvious with their plethora of spells. There's a decent amount of side quests that are somewhat randomized. I always found it impressive the different things you can do despite limitations of the day and no skill tree.
Diablo1 is still fun cause it has it's own system. Elixir and spellbook are fun mechanics, sure you wouldn't want that in another game, but it's different than any other ARPG. The game isn't balanced at all but we don't care, it's still fun.
So many memories of Diablo 2 but my biggest was how I obtained it. Asian mother against violence and blood so she wasn't going to let me buy it. Halo was about all she accepted because the blood wasn't red and we were shooting aliens.
BUT there was this one employee at Tower Records who I was pretty familiar with as I went there often and chatted. Asked him if it was possible to buy it for me or come as my brother/guardian. He was just about to go to lunch so he said he was down for it since he was also a gamer.
I only really started playing D2 intensively when the remaster was out, but for graphical reasons it was totally uninteresting to me, and it shouldn't be forgotten that with many patches and many years afterwards D2 became as good as it is today.
Hellfire is a must have for Diablo 1, also my best of 4.
The build you went for is to fast level up to the point where you can then go towards end game. There’s a bunch of ways just to skill a paladin. And once you’ve mastered the skilling, then there’s new content like Uber Tristram - or playing hardcore, which I hate to love and love to hate 😂
Diablo1 The Hell 3 Expansion is a Masterpeice. It is the hardest game you will ever play but it's super fun.
Diablo 2 is the favorite for depth and investment, but Diablo 1 is properly atmospheric, it's an actual HORROR ARPG. They're BOTH great for different reasons and MOST of the minds behind those two games had nothing to do with Diablo 3 and 4. Chris Wilson and his team from PoE kind of carried on the actual spirit of D2 with PoE but nothing has ever had that horror element. I LOVE Diablo 2, it was literally my first online game, is my favorite and gets installed on any PC I build BUT it did lose some of that horror feel. The darkness and only being able to walk and getting BODIED by the Butcher the first time you see him are experiences everyone should get at least once from Diablo 1.
I'm so happy that DM finally got to experience them even if he doesn't grind Diablo 2 on Battlenet which is almost like a different game compared to clearing it once on Normal in SP, truly awesome he got to finally see it! Gotta say, positive vibes are my favorite thing about his streams/channel.
Playing original diablo without the hellfire expansion used to be like eating an egg without the yolk. It was insanely good you could never play without it. A complete package indeed. You had more classes with the expansion, extra quests, extra content in new biomes and more.
You usually replayed the game in nightmare difficulty afterwards and in hell multiple times to level up and get stronger. This could last you easily for a 40 or more hours with one class. Now add all the other characters and you could easily play more than 200 hours total if not more. And there are incredible mods out there too for both first two games. So even more content and replayability. Crazy.
For 90s? this was the real GOAT I liked to play after school lol. And the atmosphere was never surpassed since then. Diablo 2 was very good, but even so, it never reached the hardcore dark atmosphere style that the first game accomplished, making you truly fear the dark corridors. The limited movement in fact made for a more realistic and brutal experience. Loved that. Its hard to put into words. Pure fun too. It was DOPE.
Diablo 1 really is the best of the series IMO. It PERFECTLY balances the action and horror elements and the combat feels so satisfying. D2 is a great game of course, but for me the genre has gotten consistently "quicker" and more hack-n-slash. D1 dungeon crawling feels so deliberately paced in a way that really nails it.
Loot in Diablo 2 was so good. There are like 30 unique and set items I can name off the top of my head that I would get an adrenaline rush when i saw them drop. There's only 1 item (andariel's visage) in d4 that's like that. Skill tree is too linear, in d2 you paid a heavy cost for mixing elements on sorc because you had to get the prereqs and synergies, in d4 you can choose a frost basic, fire core, lightning shit, etc. There's no cost for hybridization, no synergies. Its pretty obvious no one left at blizzard actually played d1 or 2.
Good takes. I grew up with D2 and later D2 LoD. Played it on 56k dial up modem, lol. If the phone rang at home, i screamed ”DONT PICK UP!!!!!” Because if someone did, i got disconnected from the internet lol. Good times. Awesome games.
The difference between designing a game with the sole purpose of creating an experience for the love of gaming. Versus creating a game for the sole purpose of extracting the most amount of money possible in several different ways is what the difference between D2 to D4 was.
Just look at the itemization on how there are 6+ affixes on items with so many options vs what D4 has. The thought that went into D2 is not even close to comparison to D4. This is why new gamers have to experience D2 and really dive deep into it to finally see why D4 gets so many complaints, and hopefully start raising their standards because we have become numb to what games are these days. Aside from a select few games that still are made for the love of the gaming.
DM said going through the campaign 3 times doing the same thing is still enjoyable with every hour that passes being better then the last is the sum of why it’s an iconic gem to this day. D4 people wanted to never see the campaign again right off the bat of release. It’s got to tell you something right there. So much more to say but who’s going to read it all anyways lol.
“Hello my friend, stay awhile and listen”
Diablo 1 was my first video game my dad bought it for me when I was 11. We use to play it together when he would come home from work, he never played he would just watch the screen and point at the monsters for me to kill lol.
LOVED this game, played it for years and have fond memories of it became a full video game addict from this game alone and I'm sure that's not what my Dad wanted but hey that's how it goes xD
I grew up playing D1. I still play D2. Crazy thing about D2 is I still haven't found every item in the game and haven't played every character build, never mind there's still theory craft builds on top of that. I bet if blizzard added more content or more end game, D2 would blow up again. I would pay for another expansion for D2. Only if they kept it to the original game though.
Diablo 2 is still the only ARPG that I can just run all the difficulties back to back and not get tired of it. The item hunt and difficulty of leveling up is perfectly balanced and it doesn't get old until you have best in slot items (which if you're playing self found can take a very long time).
One of the things I liked least about Diablo 3 and 4 is that the campaign is seen as this thing you get to play through once and then it gets tossed aside. It's almost treated as a tutorial, and instead of finding ways to make it fun, they expect people to play it once and never touch it again. I prefer Diablo 2 (and PoE) where the campaign itself is meant to be enjoyed each time you start a new character. And don't get me started on dynamic level scaling on loot and enemies - it kills any sense of progression.
Glad to hear you enjoyed Diablo 1!
Its almost obscene how well this game holds up today. I played it in anticipation of D4 release. And a couple months into D4, I actually went back and played D1 again. Probably says a lot about D4 too. But the point still stands - the mood, the ambience, the slow and more deliberate pace...modern arpgs havent got the balls to replicate that, because sweatlords will complain that they cant speedrun it
I played Diablo1 years on bnet, i tried D2 I didn't even finished it, you can feel immediately with the running that it's such a style downgrade, the difference is that in d1 you are the character, in 2d you are playing a game.
I have like 30k hours into D2 (my favorite game of all time) and only like 3 hours in Diablo 1 lol. I could never kill the Butcher but this makes me want to finally play it through.
agreed only thing id say is musical award goes to Might and Magic 6-8 +Heroes of Might and Magic 2 - and you can have a warrior that does magic in dab 1 or a wizard that can swing a battle axe...love that
Yes! Diablo II is objectively the best of the series, but Diablo I will always hold an extra-special place in my heart. The atmosphere is incomparable.
Diablo 1 is the best for me.
It just did the atmosphere so simply and so perfectly... The gameplay is clunky, but the experience is superb.
I've never played any other game that managed to deliver such a sensation... Recently replayed it too, and it's still as good as I remembered it.
Someone does need to take the unexplored horror and atmospheric side of D1, and make a game centered around that.
D2 is a gameplay game, the atmosphere got put aside for a better loop, better enemies and more engaging character development.
However, it abandoned the feel of it... And so far, I've yet to find a game that serves as a spiritual successor to the experience D1 gave.
I was genuinely disappointed by d2 when I bought it. It is kind of hilarious :).
Diablo 2 is the G.O.A.T. I played this shit on dial-up internet for years 😂😂 Only game I have play on new laptop is D2R 🎉
I remember playing Diablo II in 2002. There were so many scammers 😂 anyone else remember torch trading and the fake out around the wall?
Check out the GDC Diablo Postmortem with David Brevik, it's a really lovely look back at the development of the original game.
Diablo 1 is also how the cow level idea was born since people including me the 3 cows had some secret and the developers were so intrigued by it that well… come Diablo 2….
time for a lovely morning dm video while doing some paid media optimizations.
also, i never played d1, i might need to try it out.
i just started a year ago and im so hooked its ridiculous