Titanquest

So I've finally played enough of Titanquest to feel that I can accurately review it. I haven't completed the game, so I may change my mind on some aspects of it.

Have you ever played Diablo II in all of its glory? Made in 2000, this game is still actively played online (though not as much since WoW came out). Why is this? It's a classic RPG with a decent plot, great class balance, great skill trees, good item progression, and long-lasting strategy. You can pick up the game in minutes, and take months to truly master it. The game is more about your character than it is about the storyline or the monsters that you fight. It's interesting to think about playing the game as a different character using a different set of skills.

Titanquest is truly a Diablo II ripoff. Perhaps Diablo II created the point-click RPG genre. If that's the case, then Titanquest has developed it into the new generation Diablo. We're still waiting for Diablo III, but Titanquest can be considered Diablo 2.5 I think.

Again, the storyline really is bland. It's based in ancient Greece, and all sorts of monsters have come out from mythology to fight mankind. Your job is to find them and kill them. Seems pretty straight forward? It is. The storyline is slow and not very deep. But the gameplay makes up for it.

In Diablo II, you had 7 classes to choose from, and each had three talent trees to put points into. In Titanquest, they increase that to 8 (9 with the expansion), but the difference is that you don't pick one. You pick two. My character is an Oracle (combination of Spirit and Storm trees). You choose your first tree at level 2, and your second tree at level 8. The trees are more complex than Diablo as well. Each level you get 3 skill points (as opposed to 1 for Diablo). You can put these skill points into new abilities, or you can use them to progress higher up the tree. This way, you don't need to hoard points or save them until you get to the abilities that you want.

Having 36 different combinations can make for unlimited character skill development, and has led to the same kind of online following that Diablo has enjoyed. Like Diablo, the game is based around gear and relics (gems). The interface is nicer too. Instead of having left and right click, there is a bar to use for casting. It works similarly in the end, but it's much easier to see all of your options in front of you.

Other advantages that it enjoys over Diablo is improved statistic tracking, better graphics and music, better transportation methods, redos on skill points, side quests, and better saved game placement.

I really enjoy these kinds of games because you can nitpick about what abilities will be best for your character to have. It places the focus on character development rather than the environment interaction. I wish the game had a more engaging storyline, but I do enjoy the sidequests (something that Diablo lacked as well).

Multiplayer is also available, but I don't know if I can recommend it. Multiplayer slows things down a little, and if there's one thing that this game doesn't need, it's slowing down. I tried playing this with friends multiplayer and couldn't get into it. Single players gives you more time to figure out what abilities work and which ones don't.

In summary, if you liked Diablo II, you will like this game - it is superior in a lot of ways. Though I can't wait until Diablo III - it will probably blow this game out of the water.