Back in the day, circa 1997, the creative brains and brawn at Blizzard released Diablo 1. It rocked the gaming world with all of its hellish wizardry. To this day I prefer Diablo 1 compared to its sequels. I even prefer it to Doom, Dark Forces, Quake, and Unreal Tournament 2004.
There were so many clever aspects to the original gameplay that keeps me coming back for more melee madness even 26 years since its original release. Every Diablo 1 game is randomized and unique which fosters repeat gameplay for years to come. With an open mind and NVidia 3090 in hand I’m stoked to experience Diablo 4 on my PC this summer. It’s gonna be a helluva good time! But will Diablo 1 still remain my favorite?
I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll still hold the original Diablo above the latest incarnation. For me it’s all about the entire experience, not just another 4K graphics FPS. I had similar experiences with Battlefront and its sequel Battlefront II. I still prefer Dark Forces. There’s just no comparison playing Diablo 1 or Dark Forces on my Blueberry iMac in good old vintage OS9 with those retro graphics. :-)
ABOVE: MEET PALLADIUM, MY INVINCIBLE WARRIOR, FROM DIABLO 1, RESURRECTED ON MY 1999 BLUEBERRY IMAC I PAID $60 FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO. CAN’T WAIT FOR DIABLO 4 TO DROP! THUS FAR, DIABLO 1 REMAINS MY FAVORITE INCARNATION OF THE GAME SERIES.
ABOVE: MEET CLEVER CLEAVER, MY LATEST DIABLO 1 WARRIOR I’VE BEEN BUILDING UP IN ANTICIPATION OF DIABLO 4. HIS OPTIONAL OBSIDIAN SHIELD MAXES OUT HIS MAGIC, FIRE, AND LIGHTNING RESISTANCES FOR HELLACIOUS COMBAT SCENARIOS.