I love Torchlight and it is one of my favorite games of 2009 and probably the best action RPG since Diablo 2. Just feels like the only game since that captured what Blizzard did so well but improving upon on. The only reasons why I can't give the game five stars is because theres no Coop and theres no compelling story. I do however think the foundations are in place to create the lore and universe to draw you in to the next game Runic make. I've told my Diablo fans about Torchlight, they all played the game and loved it, which just speaks volumes at the amazing job Runic has done.
The graphics are very Blizzard like and will probably get you into the mood of Diablo 3's style. They're polished and just look really good with great spell effects and you can even zoom in and the game still looks great. Thanx to the art style over technical the game will run on any machine so it's the perfect Laptop game. The animations are also very good with the idle breathing movements just reminding you of your Warcraft character.
The Sound is all very great but the shining part of Torchlight is the Music which again feels very Blizzard like. A developer who worked on Diablo's Music made the Music for Torchlight and it shows. It's just so great to listen to and I found myself just playing the game for the Music and leaving it on in the background. When you're in the town it'll make you feel like you're in Tristram.
The gameplay is obviously Diablo like but it makes improvements in all the right ways. The UI is much better, movement and combat feels better and you can send your pet back to sell all you items so you don't have to leave the dungeon. It has the same one town one dungeon setup with a few extra side quest dungeons thrown in. Theres lots of great loot and while there are only three classes, you can have a lot more freedom which how you customize your class than with Diablo.
I love Torchlight and I can't wait for the upcoming MMO version, just wish there was some sort of online to keep me playing with friends while we wait. Hopefully someone will make a mod for the game in the meantime.
