Revisit Diablo 2, demo available at Big Download

by Ross Miller { Jul 1st 2008 at 8:55PM }

While we don't know when we'll get our hands on Diablo 3 (our guess is sometime between Starcraft 2 and a Lost Vikings MMO), now is as good of a time as any to look back on the previous Diablo game. While you could download the full version at the Blizzard Store for $20 (and the Lord of Destruction expansion pack for $20 more), the try-before-you-buy enthusiasts at Big Download have tracked down the demo version for you to try out. We know there are a few Joystiq readers who never experienced Diablo 2. Folks, feel ashamed no longer, download here.

Tags: blizzard, dialbo-2

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 1st 2008 9:04PM

Thought the demo was pretty meh. The art style of diablo 2 made it really hard for me to keep going past the first dungeon/cave. I'm glad they changed it the way they did for 3.

Stevo @ Jul 1st 2008 9:22PM

Too bad...the art direction completely changes after the first Act and continues to get more impressive as the game goes on.

eldee @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:27AM

QFT. if you only played the first act you totally missed out on some of the most awesome looking environments (for it's time). Act II and Act V are my favorites, personally...

chispito @ Jul 2nd 2008 3:22AM

I disagree with Stevo and Eldee. The huge boring outdoor environments are the hardest thing to slog through each time I start a new game. The dungeons are pretty decent throughout, especially in Act II, but the monotonous outdoor stuff is just... lame.

Please, no more randomly generated fields in D3.

Link408 @ Jul 1st 2008 9:14PM

this game was cutting edge back when it came it, i still dont see any games being better than D2:LoD

Reuben @ Jul 1st 2008 9:20PM

I'd gladly play both Diablos if they'd update them to Universal Binary so I can properly play them on my intel Macbook.

Xoviet chiK @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:03AM

They (D II and D II: LoD) run perfectly on my 2nd-gen 15' MBP with ATI GPU. They finally patched the OpenGL issue, so you can play in "millions" of colors and out of software mode.

Neither is likely to ever get a UB update, and Blizzard won't provide an OS X native installer for anything pre-StarCraft.

What problems are you having, or haven't you tried them recently?

eldee @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:28AM

you want universal binaries? Damn dude, I would settle for being able to play it on a widescreen LCD in something other than 800x600 stretched out to my monitor's aspect ratio.

Joseph @ Jul 1st 2008 9:22PM

If ever there was a game that is a must own, it's Diablo II.

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 1st 2008 9:24PM

Warning to anyone running OS X 10.5.3 or later, it could bork your copy of Diablo II (or any game that runs on 256 colors, like StarCraft). Only solution is to either run it through Windows or downgrade to 10.5.2.

Xav de Matos @ Jul 1st 2008 9:56PM

Oddly enough StarCraft still works fine...

Ghen @ Jul 1st 2008 10:27PM

Can't play new games, can't play old games... I don't even know why maccers bother

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 1st 2008 10:59PM

Diablo 3 and Spore will be compatible out of the box, thank the lord. I hate downgrading for Diablo II, but it's worth it :)

GenBanks @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:25AM

That's some dedication... Although come to think of it, maybe it will run on my Eee PC...

Dirt @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:29AM

Diablo 2 works fine on my iMac, latest OSX, latest patch as of lastnight. I have had zero issues with it, and the OSX installer also worked great.

Not entirely sure what you OSX people are talking about, its 100% working fine and compatible.

Richard Mitchell @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:39AM

It doesn't happen on all Macs. I believe it's only with Macs that have certain Nvidia graphics cards. I'm just saying that if you have a Mac and it doesn't work, 10.5.3 is probably why.

shawn @ Jul 1st 2008 9:35PM

why not get that cheaper on ebay diablo 2 and the expansion combined isnt worth $40..you can probably get it for close to $20 for both

carg0 @ Jul 1st 2008 9:39PM

agreed, im a rabid Diablo fan myself but $40 for both is unacceptable. you should be able to find a much better deal virtually anywhere else.

Jakka @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:57AM

What about Mr.BitTorrent and his five-year-plan?

If it's older than five years, it is absolutely positively acceptable to download it.

It's pretty huge though - 3GB.

CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jul 1st 2008 9:44PM

I just started playing Diablo 2 and I can't say I like it much...maybe I'll give it a couple hours and see what happens.

GenBanks @ Jul 2nd 2008 4:29AM

Yeah, it's pretty old... I find it hard to play old games no matter how good they were.
I would suggest playing Titan Quest or the expansion (Immortal Throne) instead if you haven't already, to satisfy that Diablo itch. You can get it on steam.

Dirt @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:31AM

Titan Quest is really terrible compared to Diablo 2. You want to at least make it through the first Act before you give up. It looks fine today, the artwork still stands up.

FSK405K @ Jul 1st 2008 9:45PM

Diablo Battle Chest for far les than $40 at any major retailer with a decent PC game selection.

AZN Goddess of War @ Jul 1st 2008 9:49PM

the dude with axe looks like kratos.

norp @ Jul 1st 2008 9:50PM

If that is a demo from the early days then it will be unimpressive.

The expansion pack added some major graphics updates and a LOT of gear/gameplay upgrades that are hard to imagine playing without.

BigD145 @ Jul 1st 2008 9:52PM

Note to Blizzard: release the original, non-expansioned, versions of both Starcraft and Diablo 2 for free. Consumers will get a taste for the genre and story. This will make them more apt to buy expansions and/or shoot straight to the new games. It's good PR and breeds brand loyalty without reaming the consumer on games that are freaking old.

Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Jul 1st 2008 9:59PM

That's sort of a good idea, except...

Those who got the original for free would expect the sequel for free.

Ghen @ Jul 1st 2008 10:28PM

it is free, on the piratebay.

AwesomeTown @ Jul 1st 2008 10:14PM

Damn, I haven't played it in a long time. I'd get into it again, but there is just too much stuff to play.

Zertoss @ Jul 1st 2008 10:50PM

FYI the Diablo Battle Chest includes Diablo 1, Diablo 2 and Diablo 2: LoD, so you can have all 3 for $40 from online retailers (though I'm pretty sure you can find it in local shops for $30 or less).

Zertoss @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:46PM

OK, it's $30 at Gamestop (was $40 just the other day when I looked), AND for the next 24 hours, you can get free overnight shipping on it. If you haven't played these games yet, now would be a good time to start.

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/stopwatch/stopwatch.aspx

DrHockey @ Jul 1st 2008 11:09PM

I loaded D2 and the expansion (which I never played) onto my PC this weekend. I figured the nostalgia would wear off after about 10 minutes. Currently in my 4th hour of play time - just rescued Deckard Cain from his cage!

Robert @ Jul 1st 2008 11:41PM

I just loaded it up again too. My only gripe is the screen resolution. Can't they update that? It would probably look WAY better, and be much more fun to play. Otherwise, it's still ridiculously fun.

zombienutz @ Jul 1st 2008 11:22PM

Diablo 1 and 2 are great games. Diablo 2 being the better, of course. I would recommend going for the battle chest if someone has not played the games before. I know GameStop is running a $10 off sale on all the Blizzard Battle Chests at the moment.

SilentBob251 @ Jul 1st 2008 11:34PM

Diablo battle chest is $30 at Gamestop.com. I just picked it up and after tax and shipping it still only cost me $35. I did pick the cheapest shipping[5-10 days] but I can wait.

Auxilla @ Jul 1st 2008 11:40PM

D2 doesnt work on Vista...I hope there is a fix though I have a unopened Diablo Battle Chest taunting me...

Kn1ves @ Jul 1st 2008 11:56PM

works fine with me

make sure you
disable visual themes
disable desktop composition
disable display scaling on high DPI settings

and you should be good to go

B @ Jul 2nd 2008 12:45AM

Why couldn't you guys do this yesterday =(. Had to sort threw countless broken links and sit in a 30 minute queue to download it.

Vexorg @ Jul 2nd 2008 1:04AM

I only recently picked up Diablo 2, and if I recall at the time I found a new copy of D2 and the expansion for #15 each, although I think that was on sale.

eldee @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:26AM

QFT. if you only played the first act you totally missed out on some of the most awesome looking environments (for it's time). Act II and Act V are my favorites, personally...

eldee @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:27AM

goddamn broken ass reply system..

Lurker28 @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:35AM

My friends and I went back to Diablo II over the past couple days so far I have put about 15 hours in to this old gem of a game. Why has there never been a worthy diablo clone? Not Dungeon Siege I or II, Sacred, Divine Divinity, and a slew of others I am not even going to go into have all been either absolutely horrible or "meh."

No game besides Diablo has been able to successfully capture the true hack and slash RPG like Blizzard can.

Ghen @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:45AM

Don't forget Hellgate london. That game was so close yet so far.

GoldenS1104 @ Jul 2nd 2008 2:43AM

I was a little young when this came out so I didn't get it then but as soon as I started hearing stuff about Diablo III I knew I had to try Diablo II. I tryed the demo and I have already ordered it online. It's sooooooo good. I even got two of my friends to buy it too so we can play online. I am just floored with how great this game is I can't even describe it... and all I've played so far is the demo.

Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jul 2nd 2008 7:23AM

I played Diablo I/II only shortly in its times. Few month ago I have borrowed CDs from my friend to finish it completely.

End of joy after fast install came pretty abruptly: the 800x600 didn't really looked any good on my 1680x1050 TFT panel. In fact it looked really really bad. (On my friend's 20" CRT it looks much better, playable in other words)

We urgently need Diablo III to fix the DII resolution problem!!! ;)

Dirt @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:34AM

Diablo 2 looks just fine on a 1680x1050 LCD. Make sure you have your system black bar the sides so it's not stretched.

Toji @ Jul 2nd 2008 9:01AM

Thanks for posting this link! I was hunting around for the Diablo Battle Chest the last few days wanting to get my nostalgia on :) This gave me a chance to see that, while still fun, the game hasn't exactly aged well. There's a lot of little niceties in newer games of the genre that I've come to depend on, and it somewhat dampens the experience for me when they're missing.

On the upside, if anyone is looking to get a point-click-bash fix while waiting "Titan's Quest" is an awesome substitute. (And on Steam too! Yay!) It'll hold me over till big red comes back, anyway!