Diablo the greatest game of all time?
by Steve Parsons 
{ Jul 13th 2005 at 10:25AM }
Diablo, released in the heady days of 1996, is Gamespot's latest choice for Greatest Game Ever.
While it's fair to say that Diablo jump started the action RPG genre,
the fact is, it took the basic gameplay elements of something like Nethack, and
shoved a shiny graphics engine on it. This is no bad thing, but Nethack was busily creating random dungeons long before
Diablo was a twinkle in it's developers eye, so some folk may want to check out what was arguably the precursor, so
long as they don't go in expecting all sorts of eye candy.
Diablo is definitely a classic game. The first of it's kind really, and still one of the best. There's a reason it's
still Gamespot's highest ever rated PC title.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
lil jimmy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Diablo was never that good, it played out like goddamn share ware compared to the sequel. The cheating ruined it too. And talk about a lack of variety... ugh
Lost_Canadian @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
NetHack is for super hardcore nerds. ;)
That being said, I quickly got bored with Diablo. To each his own, I suppose. "Action RPG" must not be my style. Bring back Chrono Trigger!
Kirtan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Diablo the greatest game of all time? bah!
That title belongs to Civilization 2!
Brian Rose @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I much rather prefer Starcraft over Diablo when it comes to Blizzard titles alone. My all-time favorite game, though, is definitely The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I'm glad to see both made their list way back in 2003:
http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/index.html
SurfMurph @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I never "got" Diablo. I found it repetitive and boring. It's not even in my top 50.
Also, the blogger is mistaken. Gamespot didn't say this is the greatest game of all time. Quote: "And it also makes it very easy for us to name it one of the Greatest Games of All Time."
Subtle difference.
Jason @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I loved Diablo, but felt from the beginning that it was far too limited. One single dungeon, people! Diablo desperately needed a large world, closer to what Baldur's gate had (bigger still would be better still). Diablo 2 was an improvement but was still pretty on-rails.
jc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I would definately vote for Civ2 over Diablo... I think Neverwinter Nights was better than Diablo also.
strider_mt2k @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I played D2 for a while.
The graphics and gameplay were cool, but it just got boring after a while.
DarkMavis @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Finally... a review/rating I agree with. Diablo is the first game to introduce me to the thrills of online gaming. I would have to agree that it is indeed the greatest game of all time. In fact, I prefer the more primitive gameplay offered in Diablo to Diablo 2. I still remember late nights with my friends as we tried to get into Hell and defeat Diablo.
Some of the best times I've ever experienced while playing video games came from Diablo. I remember being woken up at 2:00 am by a friend who had died in the dungeons and needed me to log in and protect him so that he could get his stuff (gear, weapons, and money) back. I never really experienced the cheating the others have mentioned because I only played closed online games between me and some friends.
Really.... Diablo, in my opinion, is one of the greatest games ever created if not the greatest.
DM
Alkaiser @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Eh.
Diablo doesn't even make my Top 20, much less "Best All Time as of 2005".
Not a slam on Diablo, but seriously, if you can't find 20-25 games throughout video game history that you thought were better than a game that offered 1 town, and randomly generated dungeons...especially since games like Temple of Apshai and Gateway to Apshai had been doing this long enough to have compilations released before Diablo came out, well, that just makes me think that perhaps you haven't been gaming long enough.
Don't think about calling up the "importance" or "innovation" card, because Pong and Lunar Lander and dnd are holding royal flushes to Diablo's full house.
PvpMan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I Think Starcraft is awesome!!! My Friend and I played it endlessly online. I don't know how long I Played it though, probably atleast twenty or more hours a week. Starcraft showed me the path to online gaming.
O yeah Diablo. That was also a great game though i wasn't into it as much as starcraft.
larryh @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
seeing as diablo2 was better than diablo in almost every aspect, wouldn't that make diablo2 the greatest game of all time?
of course, i can think of several better games than diablo anyway.
Christopher7xii @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
wow, simply amazing that so many people are slamming Diablo. The game was a blast to play, REGARDLESS of being a one town dungeon. I prefer the honest one town to the "one town, many faces" approach other games take. Sure, final fantasy series always offers different towns, but it's never anything suprising. There's always the weapon / armor shop with slightly better weapons than the last, a potion shop, an Inn, and the point of interest for the town. Whooppeee. Every other game follows that suit.
Only downside to Diablo is when people destroyed online game with hacks and shit. I absolutely LOVED ear collecting though.
OtakuCODE @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Who at Joystiq is reading my damn mind? I just posted on the "is this a good game idea" thread about a true 3D roguelike. Diablo is definitely NOT one. Action RPG, sure. But it is severely limited when compared to real roguelikes. First off, it's not turn based. Second, when you die, you can just come back to life, your game isn't over like it is in roguelikes. Third, a hundred enemies is not the same as THOUSANDS. Fourth, a hundred items is not the same as THOUSANDS. Fifth, carpal tunnel syndrome. CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK.
Oh, and why do people always mention Nethack? Nethack is just freakin weird. It was designed by a group of psychopaths or something. Play Angband. It's actually a game, not some weird mish-mash of every crazy idea 5,000 people have had over 20 years.
Confusatron @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Diabo best game ever? Wow...they obviously haven't played X-Com enough.
Alex Rosenberg @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Diablo is indeed similar to NetHack, but more more closely resembles a similar text game called Larn. http://roguelikes.sauceforge.net/pub/larn/
Kent @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Alright, I got Diablo when it first came out and the first few months on Battle.net were heaven. Why? This was something completely new to me and MANY others (never heard of nethack until long afterwards). So this new experience was awesome, loaded with possibilities, and had a new kind of depth for the majority of gamers that bought it and played it online.
Also, in the first few months there were rumors of this "God mode" and it was not a bad thing yet. People would go out of their way to see this god mode because it was very rare. Duping was rare too. It didn't take long for it to spread like wildfire and that was the beginning of the end. At least for open games.
I can overlook it now with what happened with the hacking/duping but I forget too easily what it was like at first.
And pop cost a nickel and nothing beat a leveled up fireball spell.
Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
thinking of Diablo brings back probably the fondest gaming memories i've had to date.
sure Diablo II is a bigger, shinier version but it lacks that certain something that just made Diablo the greatest online experience of its time. for one thing, Diablo II lacks that ambiance that made you come blasting to town through your town portal after getting to the end of the catacombs and have to catch our breath. i also lacks coutesy from other players, but that's another story.
Blizzard hit the nail right on the head and pounded it straight don't into the wall with Diablo. it was a full on RPG and a it was easy for newcomers to pick up and play. the combat system in the Diablo series is far superior to any other RPG i've ever played, because you can strategize like you would in any action game but with all the thrills of hit points and magic to worry about as well.
i think Diablo is definately on the top of my list, at least for PC games.
Kent @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
FWIW I don't agree with the "Greatest Game of All Time" award but it certainly felt like it at the time.
I just had to defend Diablo. It's too bad hacking/duping got out of hand and ruined a gem.
Kent @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Rare Hare. I totally agree. You could be playing online in 30 minutes once you got it. Getting online and playing a high quality PC game (at the time =P) with other people was incredible. Very exciting. So many concepts that maybe weren't new but were launched into the mainstream (Clans/guilds, co-op/pking, trading with other people! etc)...
Don't forget this game introduced Battle.net
Seth @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Why in sam hell hasn't Blizzard updated Diablo and StarCraft? >:|
EA updates Madden every year :)
senzanom @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
Hmm...Alpha Centauri is on my latest laptop...no Diablo to be found...
Kate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I am the last to get caught up in the Rogue-like wars because I barely have time to spend with my favorite game ever, Nethack, let alone actually test all the others people claim to be better. But come on, OtakuCODE, Nethack is always mentioned because it stays true to Hack and Rogue at least more than Angband and the rest. I love me a good game of Angband, but Nethack has simpler design with more elegant emergent gameplay. And it's solid, too. 20 years of development isn't necessarily a bad thing. No hard feelings, though. I like Angband, but don't be putting down Nethack, because that's where I draw the line.
wrhawk @ Dec 18th 2005 9:47PM
I think i'm with DarkMavis and Rare Hare on this one.
To start, "thinking of Diablo brings back probably the fondest gaming memories i've had to date." This is, without a doubt, the truth. I can think of no other game where nearly every dramatic line (eg 'Please, listen to me...') and universe element (eg town characters, plot items) has been more fully ingrained in my memory. And, looking back, all of them bring a smile to my face.
Much like DM, i've been both caller and callee for those late-night gear retrievals, and yelled countless times throughout the house 'don't pick up the phone' as a glorous direct modem connection game initiated.
My friends and I played Diablo for at least a few years, and anxiously awaited the coming of Diablo II. Both were played extensively, to the point where you start expecting your left mouse button to fail at any given moment. However, whenever we make references to the series, or interject some diablo-sourced line, it's always from the original.
It started, as mentioned, battle.net, which has certainly become a standard for online connectivity within the gaming community. For my neighborhood, at least, the biggest game i can think of prior to Diablo, was Doom. I think both were among the most significant games of their genres at their time own times. And while i haven't played NetHack, I have played Wolfenstein, Blake Stone, Hexen and Heretic, and can earnestly say that, while perhaps not 'revolutionary,' Doom simply did it the best. This might very well hold true for Diablo, though, obviously i couldn't say.
Given that the 'greatest game' title would vary depending on each individuals past, i think it's hard to argue that Diablo doesn't belong among the ranks of the best pc games to date. Sure, it's repetitive, and yes, it's only got one town, but, c'mon, it's s 1.5sec, 3mb install, and somehow manages to last years on people's harddrives. And, oddly enough, i just installed it again yesterday before happening upon this article - my computer's been giving me shit and few games work appropriately after my 4th or 5th disk wipe of the summer, so i popped in a game i knew would be a shoe-in for reliability and a blast to play. Minions of hell, here i come.