Dave's Place The internet home of David Hinkle, a guy who plays way too many video games

Torchlight: Like Diablo II’s smarter, sexier baby

True story: I dropped out of college because of Diablo II -- seriously. The allure of doing Meph runs and Baal runs, of stacking loot and power-leveling MF (magic find, in D-speak) characters was too much for my weak-willed 19 year-old self to handle. I remember I wouldn't sleep for days on end, stopped showing up for my lucrative part-time position at Pep Boys and basically forgot what haircuts, shaves and -- more than I care to admit -- showers were. Enter: Torchlight, spiritual successor to Diablo II and Lord of Destruction, a title so finely crafted and adept at providing engaging dungeon crawling experiences and loot hoarding that I initially feared for my future. When I tried the demo, I kinda got worried that some of that old obsession might come crawling back, but the one thing that has kept it at bay has been the lack of multiplayer.

Continue Reading »