Torchlight

Torchlight is the game architecture and mechanics of Diablo, plus some features and enhancements from Diablo II, with the art style of World of Warcraft - but without the multiplayer capability of any of these.

Calling Torchlight "derivative" would be an understatement. There is a dungeon with a few dozen levels, separated into several "sections" like mines and a crypt. Above it is a small town of quest-giving NPCs and merchants. Magical items are useless until you uncover their attributes with a Scroll of Identify, and you can get to town instantly with a Scroll of Town Portal. Even the fucking sound effects are pitch-perfectly identical.

That it so intimately imitates Diablo isn't really a bad thing; the formula is good, and Torchlight tunes the experience (e.g. through item drop rates) such that the stick holding the carrot is just in front of your face. But the game's scant additional features really don't make it feel different enough. I played this game ten years ago.

Which is startlingly like another game I recently bought - but while the 2010 version of Perfect Dark added online multiplayer, this 2010 2009 version of Diablo removed it. Huh? As what is apparently an engine proof for a real multiplayer game, Torchlight is pretty good - and you can do worse with $5 - but as an actual game I find it hard to recommend. Even if WoW is the closest you've ever come to Diablo II, you're really better off getting Blizzard's version, so that you can play it with friends.

Better than: Diablo
Not as good as: Diablo II
Not worth $20: good thing it's almost always on sale

Progress: Gave Up -- Level 10-ish