Path of Exile

[Taem]

D2 was one of the best and definately most addicting games ever.

Here, we are in complete agreement. This is not in dispute.

And if you're talking story, it had more story that D1, although that does not say much.

Total disagreement. Most of the NPC's had very interesting dialog propelling the story of Sanctuary in D1. The book D1 came with had ideas. D2... nothing. You kill kill kill, grind grind grind... the NPC's are hallow and their dialog is mostly crap and does not add to the fable of a deep story. The NPC's in D2 are mostly, "monster in here, crappy back-story, go kill it for me to advance story." Seriously, one of the worst stories of any self-proclaimed "action RPG" I think I've ever played, period! You'd be lying to me if you claimed otherwise.

As far as Sacred. I thought it blew chunks.

Again, we are not in disagreement. The mechanic Sacred used for scaling player level vs monster level sucks. I hated it! But it was everything D2 should have been - large spread-out towns and overworld, some randomized dungeons, fantastic sound and graphics for its time, an improved loot-system... Sacred was pretty much just a better version of D2, however with a super premise. I think I only played Sacred for a few months then gave it up... but it's practically an upgraded D2 clone in terms of interface, hence why its the technical predecessor of D2 (2.5), but not the spiritual successor. On that merit, I'd say D2 is not the spiritual successor of D1, but perhaps Path of Exile is?

Oh and lastly, D3 looks real good, but if you want to skip it, that's just one less person clogging up the servvers, so be must guest

You mad? No need to be sarcastic. D3 does look very nice. And they have "hardcore", a must or I won't even bother to pick the game up. But if D3 turns out to be more like a WoW/Gauntlet Legends hybrid in atmosphere as it's looking now, instead of the dark, eerie feeling that was D1, that it's hard for me to say what I'll do ATM. So many great games coming out, Torchlight 2 with MP and Hardcore, Path of Exile... I don't have a lot of time to play video games, so once I pick one... well that's it! So if D3 doesn't come right out and grab me, then there are other fish in the sea, that's all I'm saying.