Torchlight - Five Things Better Than Diablo 2

Yeah, another list. MTV has Five Things Torchlight Does Better Than Diablo 2. Despite the silly list and title, the intent is to argue this budget-priced game that might fly under the radar does have something to offer:

1) Pets and Loot
You start off your "Torchlight" adventure by choosing your class and your pet, a cat or a dog. Your pet isn't merely cosmetic, though. They'll fight for you, they'll hold loot for you and, best of all, they'll sell stuff for you. One of the most tedious aspects of "Diablo 2" has always been the need to constantly head back into town to sell unneeded loot. Now you can load up your pet with crap, click a button, and they're gone for around a minute. When they come back they'll give you the profits, no questions asked. It's a little dubious (as evidenced in this Penny Arcade comic), but in terms of convenience and cutting down on the tedium, it's genius.

More information.

Why does every reviewer praise this feature so much? I thought Dungeon Siege 2 had this years ago with the mule.

Pretty much every reviewer is praising Torchlight as if it were the second coming. It's a Diablo 2 clone with certain improvements. You could say it's pretty much flawless in it's execution but that's not saying much for a game of this small scope, with no multiplayer whatsoever, and using mechanics that were done very nicely 8 years ago.

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Why does every reviewer praise this feature so much? I thought Dungeon Siege 2 had this years ago with the mule.

While I, too, do think that's a sweet but probably overrated feature, Dungeon Siege's Mule, in its time, was praised by more than a few reviewer as one of the game little gem. But in the meantime what other game took inspiration from it ?

As for Torchlight, I think its… relaxing, let's say, but I'd say that Avencast was still a better "renewal of the genre" exemple, as unpolished as it was - andyet, there was far less hype about it.

Don't get me wrong: I like Torchlight for some light gaming and having your pet make the round-trip allows you to go on without breaking the flow. It's just that this feature is not exactly new.

No, No, and No. Torchlight boasts no improvements over Diablo II except the shared stash (which is common sense, and has been seen before (Titan Quest)) and MAYBE the graphics, if you're not put off by the adorable art direction.

Diablo II is a 9 year-old game that people are STILL playing today. Torchlight is a cute little thing worth every bit of $20, but that many, many of us got bored of after a few days or maybe weeks.

Torchlight is a veritable clinic in how many features Diablo got right, and how they are far more difficult to emulate than they might seem.