There was a time when action-RPG fans had the perfect video game to play over and over again, and that game wasDiablo 2. Back when it launched,Diablo 2quickly became one of the most beloved ARPG titles ever, and its character-building options were ahead of its time. 2021 will be the year when the legend ofDiablo 2is born again in the form of a remastered version calledDiablo 2: Resurrected.
Diablo 2was the spark that ignited the flame of many other games similar to it, including titles of the caliber ofPath ofExile,GrimDawn,Torchlight 2,Wolcen, and the most recent addition to the lot,Hades. Thanks to its complexity in terms of the potential to build unique characters and thanks to the details and peculiar interactions of its gameplay,Diablo 2was considered one of the most niche-breaking titles within its genre.Diablo 2was not a simple, forgiving game, and that stuck. Despite all the big projects that Blizzard is working on, includingDiablo 4andOverwatch 2,Diablo 2: Resurrectedis the one title that is likely to entertain many players for years to come.
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What Makes The Release Of Diablo 2: Resurrected So Highly Anticipated
The original was a game with lots of replayability thanks toallDiablo 2’s classes and builds to try, and it somehow managed to feel like a breath of fresh air during each playthrough. Its remastered version,Diablo 2: Resurrected, is set to be a faithful remake of the original. As such, it is very plausible that the two will look a lot like one another, if not for the fact thatDiablo 2: Resurrectedwill be a much smoother experience, with better graphics. Considering how the remasteredDiablo 2is probably one of the most anticipated games of the year, the hype for its release is huge.
Everything bodes well forDiablo 2: Resurrected’s launch, and it will be more than a valid alternative to other ARPGs that may have started to feel stagnant over time for dedicated players. According to polls and hard data,Diablo 2took anywhere from 20 to 60 hours to finish, and that’s just the main story. Completionists are likely looking at a title they can easily play for over 200 hours for the base game, and another 100 hours or more for itsLord of Destructionexpansion.Diablo 2: Resurrectedis going to be a game that will have quite a long life.
As it stands,Diablo 2: Resurrectedoffers great value to all players interested in it, be it long-timeDiablo 2fans returning for a blaze of glory, players coming from titles likeDiablo 3andPath ofExile,or new players altogether.Diablo 2: Resurrectedis an important stepping stone for the gaming community, and the game could remain alive in the future, especiallyif Blizzard retains the possibility of adding mods. An example of this isSkyrim, which came out a decade ago, give or take, and it managed to remain one of the most played games each year thanks to the fantastic support from its modding community. Not thatDiablo 2: Resurrectednecessarily needs something of the sort or sophisticated modding technology for it to be one of the biggest hits of the year, but it wouldn’t hurt to have built-in support for content creators and modders.
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Diablo 2: Resurrected - How Will It Fare When Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, And Path Of Exile 2 Release
With this in mind, it is easy to see howDiablo 2: Resurrectedis going to be a game with plenty of contentto chew away while other prominent IPs come out over both 2021 and 2022, at the very least. This is not something all games successfully achieve, as it is hard to find a title where progression is not only remarkable but also rewarding, and that’s one of the reasons whyDiablo 2was so great. Simply put,Diablo 2is one of those classics that never age, or, if they do, they age like fine wine.
Even with the so-called new era of ARPGs on the horizon, with games likeDiablo 4andPath of Exile 2being in the works,Diablo 2: Resurrectedis much more than a filler for them. On the contrary,Diablo 2: Resurrectedis not a brand-new game that has to eventually build upon its own foundations in time, but it is fully fleshed out and it is remastered to look much more like a modern game despite its years.Diablo 4andPath of Exile 2are games that are built on the successes and failures of their predecessors, and as such, they are something else entirely.
Blizzard has recently confirmed that neitherOverwatch 2norDiablo 4will actually be part of its financial activities for 2021. This means that fans are likely looking at waiting times that may end up exceeding one year or two from now, unfortunately. EspeciallyOverwatch 2feels like forever in the making because of how scarce details on it are, and to complicate things further,Jeff Kaplan unexpectedly left Blizzard Entertainmentafter 19 years. Some fans think that this is not favorable forOverwatch 2, but Kaplan reassured that the team is in good and capable hands, and he even asked players to support the developers hard at work to make this project come true.
Blizzard’sDiablo 4shares a similar fate to that ofOverwatch 2in terms of how little is currently known about the game. Some footage was shown, some classes confirmed, and still,Diablo 4seems light-years away from launching. It’s not unlikely that this next-gen action RPG will launch in a time window that isnear toPath of Exile 2’s own release date, as the games will likely be each other’s fiercest competitor. While this may be an overstatement, it remains a believable possibility thatDiablo 2: Resurrectedwill still be played even long after all these games launch, and that’s because of the immense amount of content the game has to offer combined with how loved the original was. Whether this will be the case remains to be seen, but here’s hoping thatDiablo 2: Resurrectedcelebrates and surpasses its predecessor’s fame.
Diablo 2: Resurrectedlaunches 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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