Don't get me started on Diablo II flaws, please, both post-v1.10 and pre-v1.10.
diablo2: 5 classes (original) each with 3 class specific skill trees and rougly 30 skills for each class.
At lvl-up, points go into ability scores and stats.
Diablo II's five classes have different quirks for each iteration of the patch. The most common thing is despite the various branches of skills, you only get to see some of the skills because most are just filler. Will you see anyone using Frost Nova on a frequent basis? Firebolt? Inferno? No, sorceress just go with Static Field, Hydra, Fireball, Meteor and nothing else because nothing else is needed.
That's the same for the nercomancer - Teeth? Don't make me laugh. Bone Lance is only good enough for mid-game. And who in his right mind will learn Bone Wall and Bone Cage?
Likewise, Barbarian just pumps Whirlwind, Paladin either Fanctisim (sp), Zeal, Vegenace, Concentration + Holy Hammer. Amazon goes with Multiple Shot, or the incredible one-hit-wonder, level 1 Jab! Or exploits the Piercing + Guided Arrow trick.
Post 1.10 patch we have skills adding syngeries to each other. Great. But what haven't changed is still the same amount of skills that are actually used. Oh, things are slightly different now. Amazon don't use mutliple shot + pierce anymore. Sorceress are nerfed, due to the new system. The skills which were fillers then are now boosters. You still don't use them, but at least they boost the skills which you use.
Point is - Diablo II has only the illusion of depth. Beside fighting and slaying, there's really nothing else you can do. And oh, please don't mention Diablo II's quests. Before D2 comes out, there was talk of a dynamic quest system - depending on how you solve the quest, or what quests you solve, the NPC will have different attitlude towards you. It wasn't in the final game. All quests are linear or optional. Not doing one will not have an impact.
OTH, Divine Divinity has it, and BD
may has it too. Already, in the second room you get a moral decision to make - to kill the imp or to let him go? Do you help the Skull to get his revenge on Fergus, or simply sneak pass the torture-master?
BD demo: 3 classes each with 1 tree and 3 skills per tree on average, but you can make custom hybrids of those 3 classes.
At lvl-up, you can put points in skills and you can upgrade magical and weapon skills. You can also put points in the ability scores on the inventory screen(! ?) but you get no message to do so. 10 skills total.
At the bottom of the skill panel there is an option for you to show all the avaliable, unlocked skill paths. See for yourself.
Of all the skills, the Wizard's one are the most interesting. You can have an sol, dual, tri or quad elemnetal bolt, instant attack or a radius attack. That already account for 12 skills! We have compressed and abstracted most of Diablo II's sorceress skill trees!
It's not just 10 skills total. I haven't go on to the radius skills, summoning, deflection/protection...Think of BD's skill system as a skill
creation system. You get to define your own skills and abilities.
And, not to forget that there's no classes per se in BD. You can choose to learn skills from another classes, too. So techically speaking you can learn all the 300+ skills in BD, unlike 60 from D2 (with most of them worthless).
BD plays like diablo2, but with little action, fewer options, fewer choices, less tactics, but with a hint at RPing through a few rare dialogue sequences you cannot influence at all.
.
I have rebuffed this conclusion point by point. Action is not the main focus of BD, it's not a pure hack and slash game. Fewer options? BD give you a boatload of options that could sink the Starship Enterprise right at the beginning of character creation. You can choose to reassign the stats anyway you want. Or have the stats of a warrior but the skills of a survivor. Not to mention that the skills suggest you can enchant items, craft potions, lock-picks, create traps.
I have already pointed out that the skill-system in D2 is only an illusion of depth. Most skills in BD seems to be useful by their own merits, ESPECIALLy since you get to customise to the degree which you want. Don't see the need for a water-based elemental attack? Fine, don't learn it then. Unlike D2, you are not forced to tranverse a skill tree and get skills you don't want because they happened to be in the way.
And
less tactics? Diablo II is not the pinnacle of a tactical game. Actually, BD has more tactics than Diablo II. Diablo II involves getting the right gear, the right build and just go down there and kill. Remember whirlwind barbarians?
In BD, you get to decide who to tank. Decide when to use spells, as they are some powerful but such a mana drain. Decide which weapons to use for the particular enemy. When to use whirlwind attack. And etc. And that's just for the demo.
"A hint at RPing" - a hint? Yep, a pretty good damn hint for a half an hour demo. There's already much more role-playing moments concentrated within the demo than some complete games. Diablo II don't even have any rare dialogue sequences - and don't get me started on NWN, especially the first core campagin. Curse in anyway you like, but Fenwick will still insist you are the best choice for the job. Illusion of a choice.
And this is just the demo. And by gosh, if the demo itself has shown how much way better it is than
an entire game, I am going to stake my money on it!
So I argee with the OP! The demo is but a pale reflection of a the sun, but it is still a light in the dark.
