Simply put, Torchlight II is a phenomenal game. It's incredibly polished, and everything just feels like it's in the right place when you're playing. It's tons of fun to play and never takes itself too seriously, and there are some great pop culture references sprinkled throughout. It's a great pickup for both action RPG fans and newcomers alike, at $20 it's the best bargain that there is in gaming, and something I would recommend to anyone without hesitation.

Torchlight II is one of those games that may not be innovative on the whole, but that just gets so many of the little things right. Sure, it's a point-and-click action-RPG in the traditional mode, but it knows how to tap into everything that makes these types of games fun to play.

Torchlight II succeeds in being a truly viable alternative to Diablo III. The action is faster and thicker and rewards are set to a quickened treadmill pace, resulting in an experience that is immediately rewarding and increasingly addictive. Its seamless co-op (which includes player trading) openly gives Blizzard the middle finger as it allows players to decide whether to play a solo game offline or open it up for drop-ins.

Torchlight II is great fun and it won't be long before you're playing the game late at night muttering the famous gamer mantra, "Just one more quest." This is a how a sequel should be: it reintroduces concepts and mechanics that made the game popular while making a few useful tweaks and changes to parts of the design. Although it doesn't stray too far outside the original game's shadow, it is no less wonderful for it. As the saying goes, "if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

Bandage up your index fingers and brace for an extensive click-fest. Torchlight II is a polished Diablo-like action, ideal for the upcoming long autumn evenings. [Nov 2012]

Especially in areas where Diablo III disappointed, this small gem from Runic Games displays its strengths: There is more than enough useful loot, thus motivating the hunt for the bigger better item, you need to make decisions when it comes to character development. Choice and balancing of the difficulty levels are also well-conceived.

Make no mistake, Torchlight 2 is nothing revolutionary. It favors a remix of genre conventions over any true evolution of the action RPG formula, but it is a pitch-perfect execution of those traditions that remains satisfying from start to finish and beyond