Preview Diablo 2 Resurrected Pregandering Video

[KeighnMcDeath]

Supposedly it will suport all mods... right?

 

[Kruno]

Supposedly it will suport all mods... right?

Don't worry, I am modding in a "Game Journalist" mode for us non-geniuses.

 

[ShaggyMoose]

So I never played D2... I imagine playing the remaster would still stand up against other options like D3, PoE, Grim Dawn, Wolcen etc?

 

[OctavianRomulus]

Yeah, basically everything "good" about the D2 remaster is because they used old source assets to upgrade everything. Slavishly copying the old ends up with some pretty good results. That's why in the original remaster reveal thread I said I think D2 remastered actually looks better, aesthetically, than D4, even though D4 is nominally trying to recreate the D2 look, them organically starting from scratch is just informed by too many modern aesthetic choices to look as good as intentionally copying D2.

That they do have a lot of the old source assets seems to help a lot though, if they were doing this from scratch, even slavishly copying I bet it would turn out a lot worse.

They also added new stuff, but the new stuff is added in a way that you don't notice, like it's always been there. For example, in the Monastery level there is a wall inset with barrels in it but Llama said that wasn't in the original. In Lut Gholein there are a bunch of new doodads like a few rugs. They look like they've always been there. All of the new stuff is added very tastefully.

Regarding Diablo 4. It does indeed look darker BUT the proportions of modular assets and the sense of scale is still very much Diablo 3. Just look at how huge the doors, pillars, walls are and how they are laid out. It feels like Diablo 3 with a darker, more realistic paint. Is that bad? Not necessarily, but I was hoping for a different feel.

I think the remaster looks better than D4.

 

[bloodlover]

Unpopular opinion, but the evolution of Diablo-style ARPGs into screen-filled firework efficiency simulators is highly disappointing. Nothing against people who like that sort of thing, but it's not my cup of tea.

I think that's a far less unpopular opinion than you think. Which is why we are still talking about D2 with awe in 2021, and not fireworks efficiency sims like D3 and its ilk.

I would like to see more new games in the genre with the D1 approach. Grimdark, atmospheric hack and slash games. However, given the player counts of POE and others, it's clear that that's where the real money is being made.

Player counts are not not the best indicator though. PoE is free and it has a new league every few months in order to keep the game fresh. However, the casual player base (which is more than half) quits after 1 month or so. If you remove those two aspects, PoE dpes not sit that well. They know this so I assume that they will release PoE 2 close to D2 Re as a direct competitor.

 

[Gargaune]

Will it be possible to get this on GOG or Steam? I don't want any CombatWeb accounts or whatever.

 

[Kruno]

 

[Stavrophore]

Stash change is huge and i cant wait to play it. Its also good that zoomers will finally get to play this.

Kruno you are promoting one of your tribesmen i see.

 

[Zeriel]

Unpopular opinion, but the evolution of Diablo-style ARPGs into screen-filled firework efficiency simulators is highly disappointing. Nothing against people who like that sort of thing, but it's not my cup of tea.

I think that's a far less unpopular opinion than you think. Which is why we are still talking about D2 with awe in 2021, and not fireworks efficiency sims like D3 and its ilk.

I would like to see more new games in the genre with the D1 approach. Grimdark, atmospheric hack and slash games. However, given the player counts of POE and others, it's clear that that's where the real money is being made.

Player counts are not not the best indicator though. PoE is free and it has a new league every few months in order to keep the game fresh. However, the casual player base (which is more than half) quits after 1 month or so. If you remove those two aspects, PoE dpes not sit that well. They know this so I assume that they will release PoE 2 close to D2 Re as a direct competitor.

PoE 2, is in their own words, meant as a competitor for D4. Not sure how much they actually think they target the same market, but that was their plan, and then Blizzard announced D4 wouldn't come out for years. PoE 2 is now set for a 2022 closed beta, and D2R is coming out this year.

 

[OctavianRomulus]

I love D2 but one thing that D3 definitely did better was give each class a unique resource. Going back to chugging mana potions as a Barbarian is gonna take some time to get used to.

 

[Tyranicon]

So I never played D2... I imagine playing the remaster would still stand up against other options like D3, PoE, Grim Dawn, Wolcen etc?

Honestly, if the D2 remaster is faithful to the original, it's a pretty unique thing in its own right. Since basically all Diablo-esque ARPGs trace their roots back to D2, it would be like playing the granddaddy of those games you listed.

Also D2 is considerably slower in it's combat, especially when it comes to movement skills and one-hit kills. Early-mid game, most players won't be move spamming (or whatever it's called) through maps like POE.

 

[MicoSelva]

ARS Technica's similarly positive preview is here:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/04/diablo-ii-resurrected-impressions-unholy-cow-man/

And here is the link to their twitch stream from the alpha version:

 

[Lord of Riva]

Honestly, if the D2 remaster is faithful to the original, it's a pretty unique thing in its own right. Since basically all Diablo-esque ARPGs trace their roots back to D2

D1 was better in most aspects over 2 and it's the root for D2. It is kind of sad to see that the original game, is again, ignored even though it is the foundation of a whole genre and showed great potential in areas that were completely abandoned with the second one. A shame.

 

[SerratedBiz]

Other than atmosphere/setting, D2 improved the formula in every single possible aspect over D1. Gameplay-wise, D2 continues to be the best game in the genre.

 

[Lord of Riva]

Other than atmosphere/setting, D2 improved the formula in every single possible aspect over D1. Gameplay-wise, D2 continues to be the best game in the genre.

I do not think that this is the case at all.

The pacing was different, being more slow and methodical rather than action oriented.
The roguelike elements were greater which lead to greater tactical diversity.
The combat was similarly way more tactical (especially in MP due to friendly fire).

There is no real objective measurement of Diablo 2 being "better" apart from the technological progression, which would have happened anyways.
Diablo 1 is for me the better game, even though i can enjoy the second one as well.

Even if this is not directly related:
The same is true for Dungeon Keeper btw, sure you can argue that the second game plays better (and you would be correct) however a lot of great aspects were lost from the first to the second, due to stream-lining.

I am just mentioning that because I know this for a fact, I worked on War for the Overworld, and pride myself on knowledge on that topic. And as with diablo, the first has loads of aspects that it does better compared to the second one, which have been lost in the transition.

 

[Tacgnol]

I think the biggest area that D2 improved over D1 was character progression. The skill system of D2 is a big improvement over the fairly sterile progression in the first game.

D1 definitely wins for atmosphere though.

 

[OctavianRomulus]

Now all I want is an optional ACT VI big side quest where you descend into the ruins of Tristram Cathedral. They could take what you see in D3 and reimagine it in the Diablo 2 Resurrected art style, with a bit of Diablo 1 here and there. That way they would also satisfy the people who were disappointed in D3's Cathedral art. The quest could be about the Skeleton King and/or something else.

 

[Lord of Riva]

I think the biggest area that D2 improved over D1 was character progression. The skill system of D2 is a big improvement over the fairly sterile progression in the first game.

D1 definitely wins for atmosphere though.

It is one of the aspects i prefer 2 over 1 but not fully. In the earlier days of D2 when there were no skill synergies (prior to 1.10 LOD I believe) skill progression was equally stale, if not worse as investing in most early skills was, in the long run a really shit idea.

And while I would still prefer the roguelike aspect 1 provides on skill aquisition, the skill diversity and the latter addition of skill synergies make a great improvement. I *do* really like the way D3 handles skill diversity as well there is some great ideas behind this, even if D3 falls short on nearly any other level.

 

[Tyranicon]

I remember Diablo 1 came with a big honking physical lore book tacked onto the manual, which was fucking awesome.

 

[Mangoose]

Diablo 1 is to Diablo 2 as Fallout 1 is to Fallout 2.

And then you get Diablo 3 vs. Fallout 3.

There is a pattenr here.

 

[blessedCoffee]

Will it be possible to get this on GOG or Steam? I don't want any CombatWeb accounts or whatever.

D2R will come to Switch/PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X.
You could get it for one of these consoles. If you are never going to play online, that is.

You can't chat in-game, a headset with a built-in microphone is required to simply say "I'm looking for 'X' rune". Even if they added a virtual keyboard to send messages, that would still be

Unless you only like to play with a friend, it's probably better to join the bigger player base, in a multiplayer-focused game. That's not necessarily the best habit to have, depending on the game you'd be sacrificing performance, by playing on mobile, instead of PC, but there's a good reason N-Gage failed so badly. Mobile can't compete seriously with PC-Master-Race or Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft consoles - I could see that happening if mobile was against retro consoles, like Zeebo, though.
You play online FPS on mobile because you don't have a PC, or because its specs are not good enough to run it, but that's it. You'll have more lag, and playing close to a tiny screen is bad for your eyes. Why would you want to torture yourself, if you have the means to play elsewhere?

Will Diablo II Resurrected ever come to Steam, or Gog? I don't think so.
You can tell Gog you're interested in having that added to their library, by voting here.

 

[Gargaune]

D2R will come to Switch/PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X.
You could get it for one of these consoles. If you are never going to play online, that is.

The only console I have is a broken PS3 I'll get around to fixing eventually, so I can use it as a media hub in the livingroom. I have no interest in multiplayer, which is also why I just don't wanna put up with yet another pointless online account. This is the internet these days, you can't so much as sneeze without giving someone your e-mail, phone number and mandatory stool sample.

Will Diablo II Resurrected ever come to Steam, or Gog? I don't think so.
You can tell Gog you're interested in having that added to their library, by voting here.

I gave it a vote, for all the good it'll do. Which is probably none. Oh well.

 

[Murk]

I reinstalled the original d2+lod and have just been dicking around in it, trying to see if I still enjoy this style of game. While the necromancer horde army approach is still "fun" in an abstract sense, the core loop doesn't quite catch me.

I find myself just focusing on revealing the map while my horde kills everything. Maybe that was the point all along?

This is also the first time I have the expansion, so there's a bunch of stuff I don't remember (charms, jewels, specific gear and weapons) so it's even more jarring to the "memory" of the game I played 2 decades ago.

 

[Tyranicon]

I reinstalled the original d2+lod and have just been dicking around in it, trying to see if I still enjoy this style of game. While the necromancer horde army approach is still "fun" in an abstract sense, the core loop doesn't quite catch me.

I find myself just focusing on revealing the map while my horde kills everything. Maybe that was the point all along?

This is also the first time I have the expansion, so there's a bunch of stuff I don't remember (charms, jewels, specific gear and weapons) so it's even more jarring to the "memory" of the game I played 2 decades ago.

Casual necromancer play has always been drastically different than the other classes since it becomes more of a RTS than a hack and slash. However, eventually you get to the point where your skeletons are basically useless and it's all about abusing blood golems and other tricks.

 

[Darkforge]

So I never played D2... I imagine playing the remaster would still stand up against other options like D3, PoE, Grim Dawn, Wolcen etc?

It's better than all of those combined sans Poe which imo is the only good arpg successor to D2 that ever got made