Think Icewind Dale, or perhaps just the combat from DAO 1 and you've got an idea of what to expect here. You control 4 fighters (from a larger pool) whom all posses individual strengths and weakness. There are some interesting skillsets for characters here too, not just your standard Cleric Rogue figher etc. Each fighter only posses 4 abilities, but what makes it interesting is that early into leveling up each ability you can make a drastic change to how it operates. And since you can rewrite your skillpoints after each battle you've essentially got 8 abilities per character, with these abilities often complimenting other char's abilities. What's kind of a letdown is the equipment. Instead of armour/weapons your char's equip jewelry which affects stats. There is no merchants, and you just destroy unwanted equipment which fills up a bar which when full will give you a piece of epic equipment. The graphics are good, the storyline is decent, the characters are all pretty interesting (you early tank is a genetically engineered human/raptor with the mindset of a child) and the tactical battles are fantastic. But make no mistake this isn't a classic rpg. There is no going back to areas, no sidequests and no interaction outside cutscenes. Great game, but make sure you know what you're buying.
I first played this missed gem in 2010 and it quickly became one of my favorite games ever. Although gameplay is reminiscent of Diablo II hack and slash, world interaction, atmosphere and story brings to mind more traditional CRPGs. Graphics here are generally beautiful and I imagine with the higher resolutions they look fantastic. The huge array of quests and things to generally do in the open world of rivellon is at times amazing and if you tire of the main quest you'll have plenty to sidetrack you, most of well written and fun (rather than collect or fetch quests). The main quest is nothing new, but executed well and takes you on a fun journey. There is a lot of genuinely funny humour here, but it never feels forced or minimises the seriousness of the main quest. In terms of sound, the relatively sparse voice acting is inconsistent but overall serviceable. The music however is the best in any game I have ever played. period. The music really helps bring the game together and the atmosphere is just perfect in DD. This game is completely playable by the modern gamer and I would recommend to anyone. Just don't judge the game on its horrible title and play beyond the first dungeon (which is probably the reason it gets a bad rap as a crappy Diablo II clone) Enjoy!
