>>2049989
4 has the best intrigue. 2 is more of like a short story. It works as a prelude to some other game that will eventually come, which probably was the intention at the time.

The story really is chasing the ghost of Marius, and the cutscenes were a spectacle to the end of the act, a reward to work toward.

If there’s some missing story element in d2 though, I didn’t see it.