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From a game design standpoint, D2 had a lot of quirky mechanics that were always pushed to the point of almost breaking the game, but simultaneously added unique areas of depth and player choice. The meta-game within D2 always felt so much bigger than the game itself, and Blizzard was never afraid to "go there" with these mechanics, worrying less about accessibility and balance, and more about depth. This appealed to the hardcore audience and really defined the longevity of the game. Playing through the D2 story and base game is one thing, but staying for the theorycrafting, economy, pvp, and ladder seasons was what kept the game popular for so long. It didn't have as much to do with "addicting item grind" and much more to do with how all of these complex systems meshed with each other in peculiar ways.
These days, D3 is a pretty good game, but it will never really play the same as D2 did because it's pretty clear from the get-go that the developers went for a decidedly focused game, going for tighter, simpler mechanics and a clearer sense of what to do and how to get there. I think a lot of modern gamers (including many Diablo fans) really did appreciate a lot of the fat trimming that D3 brought, and it's a much sharper and "better feeling" game for it. And of course, Blizzard being the masters of polish were able to take a bumpy D3 release and turn it into an awesomely fun game. But it will never reach those weird, emergent meta-game heights that we cherish from our D2 days.
I agree with this