The large majority of reviews Diablo received were very positive

The large majority of reviews Diablo 2 Items received were very positive. It received an average rating of 94 on Metacritic,[3] with many awarding the game near-perfect or perfect scores on their respective grading systems. Most praised the game's addictive gameplay, immense replayability, dark atmosphere, superior graphics (for the time), moody musical score, and its great variety of possible magic items, enemies, levels, and quests. This last aspect was praised by GameSpot editor Trent Ward in his review of Diablo 2 Items, which he gave a "9.6": "Similarly, although a set number of monsters is included, only a few will be seen during each full game. This means that players going back for their second or third shot at the game will very likely fight opponents they haven't seen before. Talk about replay value."[4]

Diablo 2 Items was awarded GameSpot's Game of the Year Award for 1996.

Diablo's online multiplayer aspect was also cited as one of the strongest points of the game, with it described as greatly extending its replay value.

The most common complaint about the game was the length of its single-player aspect, which many felt was too short. Others criticized what was seen as the simplicity of the story, with RPGFan stating: "It's been said already, but I'll say it again - if you consider plot to be a highly important part of your RPGs, and can't play any RPGs without a solid plot, stay away."[5]

As of August 29, 2001, Diablo 2 Items has sold 2.5 million copies worldwide.[6]

[edit] Influence
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Diablo 2 Items has been credited with creating a sub-genre of point-and-click action RPGs. Since 1999 many games have used the concepts introduced in Diablo and some have imitated the game. These games include Dungeon Siege, Mu Online, Sacred, Nox, RF Online, Titan Quest, Mythos, Spellforce, Champions of Norrath, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Drakengard, Dungeon Lords, Fate, Divine Divinity, Conquer Online, Darkstone, Throne of Darkness, and Dungeon Runners.

References to Diablo 2 Items are scattered throughout the various Blizzard products that followed; see the 'References in other Blizzard games' section for examples.