Diablo II - Pulling the Plug

I’m pulling the plug on Diablo II. I haven’t played it in four weeks and I don’t feel drawn to return to it. It is unfortunate because I was very near the end of the game. I was ready to face Diablo and his minions to achieve final victory. After that, I planned to play the expansion pack, Lord of Destruction. I think it would have been very difficult to achieve with a Paladin of less than 30th level, however. I tried to add a level or two before the final combat. Unfortunately, that was extremely tedious. The sheer repetitive nature of grinding for levels sucked the joy out of the game. Making things even worse, Haldrim died a couple of times near the end, which meant he lost almost all of his equipment. I purchased replacement equipment, albeit of lesser quality compared to Haldrim’s usual gear. Then he died again. When I realized I was experiencing all aggravation and no fun, I knew it was time to call it quits.

My final verdict is that it was fun while it lasted but not exactly my cup of tea. The game mechanics were very similar to Fate, which I played previously. Fate was newer and had better graphics. However, Diablo II probably had the better story and production values. In my opinion, I far prefer a more story driven RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate.