Game Examiner's Daniel Nations tosses out his reasons why Diablo II kicked butt, and what some of the other RPGs which tried to emulate Diablo II should have done to improve those game's gameplay experience. Ranging from items to support, see what he has to say about what made Diablo II one of the greats.

- Great classes and class strategies

No, Diablo II didn't have that mindblowing never-seen-before class, though the Druid and Assassin classes added with the Lord of Destruction expansion offered a few things rarely seen in RPGs like combo moves and shapeshifting. What Diablo II did have was strong classes with their own unique feel. But what really put them apart was the ability to specialize in different areas, which meant each class might have a half dozen or more strategies that could be exploited through clever class builds.

- Class Synergy

Beyond just class balance, class synergy can be a key ingredient to a great RPG. Class synergy is how well the different classes work in concert, and the synergy between the different classes in Diablo II even beat what we see in most MMORPGs. This can be seen in some great combos like the Paladin's auras being added to the Necromancer's undead horde.

Mishtram via examiner.com »