Nomination: Diablo II

[MephistoZX]

Developer(s) Blizzard North
Publisher(s) Blizzard Entertainment
Systems PC, Mac
Genre(s) Action role-playing, Hack and slash
Release date(s) June 29, 2000

Diablo 2 followed up it's predecessor with an improved interface, graphics, and sound. At its heart, it's a hack and slash dungeon crawler. But it's so much more. It's a grinding loot filled adventure that you can bring your friends in with. There were local co-op games you can host, or you could use Blizzard's Battle.Net to join in with others.

The game is mission based to progress; you can take on missions with others or go it alone. You choose from one of 5 (7 with the expansion) characters with totally unique abilites. Each character would be different because of the loot you acquire and equip and the trajectory of your skill tree. As you progress you level up and add to the skill tree in whatever way you wanted.

Diablo 2 was phenomenon when I was in college. We would all band together to grind for better loot. Mephisto runs, Baal runs, experience runs through Act 5...all in the quest to make our characters better. It was that joy of making that character YOURS that held us. That time invested into them made unique to us and gave identity to the them, despite them having personalities of their own (outside of basic sound quips).

I submit to thee, not the first, nor the prettiest game of its type.

I instead submit to thee Diablo 2, the definitive hack and slash dungeon crawler.

Guinness Book of World Records- Fastest Selling Computer Game Ever Sold (2000) (as of 2007, likely broken at this point)
Interactive Achievement Awards- Computer Game of the Year (2001)
Interactive Achievement Awards- Computer Role Playing Game of the Year (2001)
Interactive Achievement Awards - Game of the Year (2001)