wildjinn said:
that was so sweet. i think there's an atmospheric feeling to D1 that's missing from D2. D2 is more epic, IMO, but there were definitely points where you didn't want to play D1 alone in the dark at night...or maybe that was just me.
I think this eerie feeling we feel when we play D1 in some areas is due to the sounds effects. This feeling is compounded by the fact that in D1 you explored dimly-lit dungeons, turning around corners to check if anyone was there etc. D1's Tristram had the ambience of a tragic ghost town. This was probably due to the music, and the mystery of what actually transpired in Tristram, coupled with the dark, grey forbidding colours of that town.
D2 is different. The different NPCs you meet sound gung-ho most of the time, and though they range from being cryptically wise to downright foolish or naive (Farnham?), you don't really hear about any tragic incidents that occur or even the occasional ancient history. Cain still dispenses his "wisdom" in D2, but D2 is more global. Being able to travel to Hell (Hell is more brightly lit in D2 than D1), the Deserts, Tropical Rainforests and even snow-covered territories simply gave the appearance of being a carefree adventurer, rather than a prodigal son who returns to his home village only to find it nearly devoid of inhabitants. Which is more of a hero?
Furthermore, some areas of D2 really are scary, probably because they resemble D1. The Harem Palace (Act 2) is one of them(not the cellars). Turn a wrong corner and be prepared to be shot by Skeleton Archers.