one big point I just have to make is that no game, and I mean NO game, ever came close to Diablo IIs item system... remember the exceptional and elite unique items and the thrill of getting any of them? remember the terrific rares and the incredible sets? (the ones that came with LoD, not the crappy standard ones...)
No game ever came close to that, even though many have tried, and apart from the atmosphere, I think those were what made DII so incredible...