The Forgotten PC Games 7.24.08: Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery

Posted by Chris Vicari on 07.24.2008

This week the Forgotten PC Games column explores Diablo clones that’ll hold your interest for the time being.

Off Topic

Just recently I had the urge to play a few strategy games such as Supreme Commander, Warhammer 40K and Company of Heroes online against other players. Enjoying and usually winning against the computer in Skirmish games, I often avoid playing against other players since your odds of winning when you're just starting out are slim. Unlike playing FPS games where you jump right back into action upon getting fragged, you have to watch in great disappoint and frustration while your base, your units and your sanity gets ripped apart in real time and there's nothing you can do about it. I will say though, from remembering my glory days of playing Myth: The Fallen Lords online for hours on end, that winning and becoming adept at playing an RTS game online is extremely rewarding. It's well worth the frustration of being noob fodder in my opinion.



Ever since Everquest hit the scene all those years ago, it seems practically every game afterwards is exactly the same. You do quests, kill monsters and get loot for the rest of your natural born life. Treadmills became the word of choice for these games and to be perfectly honest, I have trouble understanding how players get any enjoyment out of them. It doesn't seem to matter what game you play as they are all quite similar.

I'll admit, most of my MMO experience IS from EQ clones like Anarchy Online, Asheron's Call and Dark Age of Camelot, but having played the only two sandbox MMOs in existence, Ultima Online and EVE: Online, I often wonder why more games like these aren't being produced. Just because your subscription base is 240K doesn't mean you can't consider yourself a success. Success should not be measured on how well you stand toe-to-toe with the WoW juggernaut, but on the quality of your product. Why be like everyone else when the MMO genre as a whole has so much unrealized potential? The newer games coming out and the ones just over the horizon are just rehashes of the same ideas and that's really a shame.

For those unfamiliar with sandbox MMOs, most of the content is generated by the players. The game will give you the tools you need to survive, but it's completely up to you on what to do with them. In these games there were no harsh restrictions on what you can and cannot do as all options were available to you. All you needed was a goal and some determination, not gear and boatloads of free time. I don't damn games like WoW or think less of those who play them. Everybody can play whatever they damn well please and who am I to tell them different? All I'm asking is a little more selection for those of us who are looking for a different kind of MMO.

That is all.

Onward!

In preparation for the Diablo III release which probably won't happen for another decade, I'll be showcasing some games that can help whet your appetite in the meantime. These games may not be able to replace Diablo in one form or another, but they are more than worthy of being considered substitutes. Despite their age, they all deliver an excellent experience and should not be passed up. Diablo isn't the only dungeon crawler on the block.

Look! We're Twins!


To kickstart this whole thing let's start with Titan Quest, Diablo's biggest fan. To be frank, Titan Quest is almost the exact same as Diablo. The only differences here are the name, the setting and the monsters. That's the game's biggest criticism as it doesn't bring anything new to the table. Like MMOs and that whole spiel I went on previously, it's just a rehash of an already established product. Not necessarily saying that it's a bad thing since if you're already sick of Diablo the change in scenery is quite nice, but some alterations to the core certainly couldn't hurt. If I had the choice of grape juice and artificially flavored grape juice, which would I pick?

Released in 2006, Titan Quest looks superb as it sports then-cutting edge graphics which are still good even by today's standards along with advanced bloom and lighting effects and of course my all-time favorite mechanic, ragdoll physics. Monsters go flying and guts litter the landscape as your hero cuts and explodes his way through the extensive campaign. Since the game is based in an ancient mythological setting, the monsters also follow suit. You'll face the tried and true undead hordes, but then go against more memorable foes like dragons, titans, Minotaur and golems. With the game's excellent graphics, these guys look great. The game does have a tendency to lag a bit though even on slightly more advanced systems. Poor optimization if you ask me.

Since Titan Quest takes after Diablo so well, the game's skill and level system will feel very familiar to you, but there are no set classes and you can invest in any skills you want. Upon reaching level two, you get to choose your first school of mastery and every time you level you'll get a few stat points as well. There are eight mastery schools in all and they range from elemental casting abilities like earth and nature to warrior masteries in damage and defense. What I particularly liked about the skill system is that it isn't as harsh as Diablo since at several points in the game you have the opportunity to reset your skills

A decent video brought to you by Gamespot that also shows off the game's map editor.

What really sets the two games apart though is Titan Quest's easy to use map editor allowing you to create any encounter you want. There is the Immortal Throne expansion which adds new monsters, classes and loot. Titan Quest Gold is available on Steam for $19.99. Can't beat that.

Good But Not Great


Next up on the list is Sacred, a decent Diablo clone released in 2004 by Ascaron Entertainment. The company is also working on the game's sequel, Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. Despite the game being a Diablo clone, the few extra features it brings helps keep it from being a full-blown rehash. The game world is far more open-ended allowing the player to practically go anywhere they want right from the start, the skill system is handled distinctly different from the game's counterparts and some character classes are fairly unique to the genre. You can even ride and purchase mounts in this game. That's pretty cool if you ask me.

At the start, players get a choice of six different classes, along with two more from the expansion, and each are unique in their own way. Some are similar to Diablo 2 classes while others stand out on their own. You've got your typical melee and magic classes, but you can also be a demon or a vampire. As noted before, Sacred's skill advancement system is far different from other games of its type.

Instead of gaining levels to learn new abilities, you have to find skill runes while slaying monsters. Each rune will correspond to a certain skill and additional runes are required to boost the skill's power. Harder to find runes can also be traded with other players when playing online. The available skillsets aren't anything new, but they are interesting and fun to use. Some allow you to summon animals or monsters to help you, sadly not like the army of skeletons from Diablo 2 though, others allow you to harness the elements or enhance your combat abilities as well. Pretty standard stuff here. Monsters are of your typical medieval fantasy flair, but the game makes them look good. Even though the graphics are merely 3D models on a two-dimensional environment, it gets the job done adamantly.

A short video showing off the game's combat

Other than that, everything else holds true to its Diablo clone namesake. My biggest criticism of the game is its combat since it has a tendency to get slow and dull after a while. It's a slow moving game and not nearly as fast as Diablo, something I'm not a fan of, but it's still a good game to play. If you're the patient type you can wait for the sequel, but what's the point with Diablo 3 on the way anyway?

Quite Divine



I'd say the best Diablo clone on the market is none other than Divine Divinity. A successful blend of RPG and hack n' slash elements, this game is of top notch quality and well worth the purchase price. Divine Divinity is the earliest of the three coming out in 2002, but where it lacks in the graphics department it more than makes up for it in gameplay. Even though most consider it to be a Diablo clone, Divine Divinity brings so many new features and does everything else so well, it stands on its own merits and not what preceded it.

The world of Rivellon is a very large open-ended realm filled with monsters, towns and full of beautiful detail. Players can visit a large range of locales ranging from forests, sewers and towns to demon-infested lands and tombs. The graphics show their age these days, but the 2D sprites and backgrounds are still pleasing on the eyes. With over 150 NPCs, many of which have their own distinct back stories, the game plays its RPG cards very well as it really does feel like a living, breathing world. You can even play the role of the bad guy and destroy entire towns for their loot or just for the sheer joy of the slaughter. There are plenty of quests to hold your attention and they are not your typical Fedex or kill quests either.

Don't blame me, I didn't put the WoW music in there! Good video showing off Divine Divinity's great gameplay regardless.

When first creating your character, you have the pick of three classes: a rogue, warrior and wizard. Each starts with their own unique special attacks, but that's really where the similarities end as every class can learn the skills of the other. This may pose a problem for those seeking the right build since so many choices are available, but nearly every skill in the game is useful so mistakes are rare. Unlike Sacred, combat is fun, challenging and rewarding. It's fast-paced like Diablo 2 and you'll face massive hordes of enemies. If you become overwhelmed, you can pause the game on the fly and micromanage your character for better survivability.

Divine Divinity is an A+ game and is an absolute blast to play. I recommend this game the most out of the three and I am also pleased to mention that there is also a sequel called Beyond Divinity, but it didn't review as well as its original.

What I'm playing now
For those wondering what I'm playing this week, I'm currently enjoying the following games:

- EVE: Online
- Spellforce
- Dawn of War
- Company of Heroes
- Battlefield 2
- The Witcher (just started, it's not bad)

The Hype-machine

Games on the horizon that I want to play now damnit!:

- Majesty 2
- Alan Wake (I think it's vaporware though)
- Diablo III of course
- Dawn of War 2

Thanks for reading guys and stay tuned next week for more games you may never heard of.