Except to the extent that you make your character as badass a barbarian/sorcerer/monk/... as possible, anyway. In terms of atmosphere and challenging fights, Diablo II was a superb game, but the story is limited, quests are highly straightforward, and just to make clear where the focus lies, you get to replay the exact same plot and the (more or less - they're randomly generated based on fixed patterns) exact same locations three times in a row with every character, each time significantly harder than the last (even taking into account that your character is many levels more powerful).

Also, you don't need to have played the other games I suppose, but you'd be wise to read at least some strategy advice on how to build your character. If it's anything like Diablo II, you may get away with randomly developing stats and abilities as you please during the first playthrough, but you won't stand a chance in hell (pun intended) on the second, nevermind the third. Every class should have a good number of possible ways to play, but having a viable character on the higher levels requires planning ahead and focusing on a handful of abilities, rather than trying to do a little of everything.