The year is 2021 and I'm currently playing Diablo II on my PlayStation 5.


Well, technically it's Diablo II: Resurrected, but it could be the same.


Diablo 2: Resurrected is one of Blizzard's most recent attempts to add some new features to its hugely popular classic RPG. However, since its announcement in February last year, the remake has also been used as the first major release by Activision Blizzard after numerous lawsuits and investigations against his workplace. Among other things, the company will accused of creating a hostile, sexually harassing and abusive environment for its employees, one of whom ultimately committed suicide.


Any article about Diablo II: Resurrected must, at least in my opinion, also address the demonic elephant in the room. Some media have even decided to stop positive coverage of Activision Blizzard altogether. When someone at Kotaku brought up the issue of Resurrected, our boss thankfully gave us the opportunity not to participate in this "Hey, look, this terrible company brought out a new game" reporting - a luxury few of us enjoy the work is granted.


In my own opinion, Diablo 2: Resurrected is not the work of a slimy CEO or the man who made Activision Blizzard's life hell. Hundreds of developers across multiple studios worked hard to get this game over the finish line. After all that has happened, they are still proud of what they have achieved. Even when Blizzard employees left and asked for better things from their executives, they never asked people to stop playing and enjoying the games they made.


Change RPG Triangle Strategy March and stay a spectator
Looking at it in a special light and ignoring the actual quality of the game itself for a moment, I think Diablo II: Resurrection is a triumph. Developing a game is an extremely difficult task at best, and I can't imagine how Resurrected would go out the door with irresponsible thieves lurking around every corner.


Diablo II: Resurrected is a modern port of the 2000 classic dungeon exploration game of the same name. It updates the experience with several dazzling paint jobs and some welcome changes to the quality of life, but for better or for worse, this is the Diablo II that you are drawn to remember from the early days. Anyone who has only had a brief history of the original game will likely find their way into Resurrected effortlessly.


Unlike the games before and after, Diablo II never appeared on home consoles, so Resurrected was the first time you could stomp through a swamp of blood and use a controller for an endless hardcore barr run - without a module, of course use. While this isn't necessarily a better way to play the game, like Diablo III (I miss my dodge button), there are a number of benefits to doing away with the traditional mouse and keyboard configuration.


In particular, playing Diablo II: Resurrected with a controller expands your character's toolset by adding six skill assignments and the ability to switch between six skills by holding down a button (the left trigger by default). This is a big difference from the original game's two mouse buttons, and makes Diablo II even more appealing. However, precise positioning with the mouse and the loss of menu navigation are usually an obstacle. Switching between the two types of controls was both fun and frustrating to me. You just have to decide what inconvenience you are willing to accept.


What I like most about Diablo II: Resurrected is the ability to instantly switch between the gorgeous new graphics and the old school graphics. I spent at least half of the hours playing the game switching back and forth to see how the developers recreated the original environments for this new game. It's crazy how they managed to match the Diablo II aesthetic, at least for a complete Luddite like me. Some might think how similar it is to Diablo III, but I really appreciate the added visual clarity that this modern reinterpretation brings.


Interestingly, my memory of the original Diablo II is much closer to resurrection, so returning to those lo-fi graphics could be great food for thought. You can follow SSEGold to know more D2R news and guide.