Baldur's Gate vs. Diablo II

So here, in the hallowed halls of the ShadowSpiral, do we hope to lay to rest the age old argument of the RPG's, namely Baldur's Gate and Diablo II.  Herein is merely an opinion, but an informed one, as I have bought and played the game and, as a Diablo II WebMaster, I have a great deal of knowledge about Diablo II.  The choice of which game you think is best, if such a comparison appeals to you, is yours.  But I have gathered the facts, and here I present them for your approval, correction, or rebuttal.  It all starts off at a handicap for Diablo II, as it is only half done at this point.  But, from what we have seen and know, I think we can make a comparison.

Single Player Mode

Baldur's Gate - Baldur's Gate is a very group-oriented game, which more or less sticks you in an adventuring party of up to six.  If this is to your liking, then Baldur's Gate scores a point in the Single Player department.  Its use of quests branching off from the main goal of the game is well-done and implemented.  Each quest serves to draw you further into the rich tapestry of the story.  However, I personally found managing a group of four or more impossible to do in real-time, and I had to revert to the turn-based mode which comes with Baldur's Gate.  This in itself is not bad, but it does serve to further differentiate Diablo II from Baldur's Gate.

Diablo II - Diablo II's Single Player mode is more character oriented, focusing on the character you've chosen to play the game with.  Though we know that you will be able to hire other NPC characters in the game, the focus will still be on your chosen hero.  Diablo II also has the expanded story, based on a story that has already been a little fleshed out.  Still, if you haven't played Diablo yet, the story may be a little confusing, this is a problem Diablo II does not share with Baldur's Gate.  Diablo II will also make use of quests, but details on these are sketchy at the moment.

Replayability

Baldur's Gate - Unfortunately, Baldur's Gate doesn't really have much in the way of replayability.  It is a long game that is very, very involved... few people will really have the initiative to begin the game again once they've beaten it.  But there are options for replayability in the game, many things can be done differently and one can always take another character through it.

Diablo II - Now here is where Blizzard makes their game shine.  Diablo II creates randomly seeded maps and quests, making each and every game different no matter what character you take.  Simply put, no one, whether they want to or not, can play the same game of Diablo II twice.

Multiplayer Mode

Baldur's Gate - The multiplayer mode of Baldur's Gate is very fun.  But I did find some definite problems inherent in it.  First off, there is no dedicated servers for the game, meaning that getting into a game can be difficult.  Making matters worse is that you really have to have a set party of friends, as most games on the Gamespy program that comes with it are passworded.  This means that if you don't have friends with the game, then as far as a multiplayer game goes, you're out of luck.

Diablo II - Using Battle.net, Blizzard has a dedicated system of letting players participate in the multiplayer aspect of their games.  But, in and of itself, Battle.net has more than few flaws.  However, we're here to focus on Diablo II, and so we shall.  As long as Diablo II remains relatively hack-free (as Blizzard maintains), then I believe it beats Baldur's Gate hands down. 

Characters

Baldur's Gate - There is one area of Baldur's Gate that Diablo II simply does not hold a candle to, and that is character generation and implementation.  Baldur's Gate relies on the time-honored character system from AD&D, which can generate some of the most unique characters ever known.  With many races, classes, coloring, even gender selection, Baldur's Gate sheer number of possible combinations boggles the mind.

Diablo II - In this department, it doesn't measure up.  Although this time about, Blizzard has set down specific rules to make the heroes unique of themselves (in Diablo the characters weren't that dissimilar), Diablo II simply does not offer up the pure diversity of Baldur's Gate.

Playing the Games

Baldur's Gate - Baldur's Gate is a very involved, drawn out quest in the true AD&D style.  Gameplay can be anywhere from fast paced to unbearably slow.  Strategy really comes into play when facing the monsters, as one most make tactical decisions and measure up chances with the skill of a general.  This was a delight to me, because I really love seeing a good strategy work, and watching my characters grow from the experience.  But, even in the gameplay department, Baldur's Gate is cursed with a horrendous thing: long, multiple load times! 

Diablo II - One thing Diablo II shares with its predecessor is fast-paced action, and lots of it.  This is one game that won't leave you hanging for gameplay, but it detracts from the feeling of strategy that Baldur's Gate has.  But, Blizzard has stated that they've taken out load times inside the acts, meaning that the only load times Diablo II will have are at the end of each long act.  This is a godsend, as it speeds up play and really adds an immersive sense to the game. 

An Interjection from the Author

Hi, it's me, Darkk.  I did not write this article to bash Baldur's Gate or Diablo II, but merely to state the facts as they are.  Coming from a Diablo II site, some might think there is a little personal bias in this article, and to spite myself that may be true.  But it is merely an opinion, and at that it is an opinion in a vast field of opinions.  I have held, and always will hold, the same personal opinion when it comes to comparisons to Diablo II and Baldur's Gate...

Comparisons are immaterial, the two games are so different that, in my eyes, such things are useless.  Comparing Baldur's Gate to Diablo II is like comparing Pepsi-cola to a Dogwood tree, beyond the obvious physical differences there isn't really a basis for comparison.  They are different games in almost all senses of the word, one is a true RPG will the other is an RPG-Action hybrid.  So why have I compared them here, you ask?  Because I want to settle the debate, at least for myself.

Send any corrections, rebuttals, or general statements to d2site@hotmail.com.  Remember that this is only an opinion.    

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