Diablo 3 Ultimate Evil Edition teems with content. You're getting everything from original game and its expansion, Reaper of Souls, including the incredible endless Adventure mode, the raised level cap, reworked skills, and that handy fourth passive slot. The next-gen version of the game is the definitive one; and it feels as though its been waiting for these new consoles to be released with its easier to navigate menu’s and the use of the online capabilities.
The only real issue with Diablo 3 is the story; it’s a mess of cheesiness and just plain boring. At times I found myself listening to a podcast while skipping the story scenes. Though don’t let that hold you back in the slightest, everything else is almost perfect within the gameplay.
If you have already played the game on a previous gen console or PC not to worry as you can import your character and set off in search of that pesky legendary that has been eluding you. The regular streams of loot means that now even casual players who put in a few hours a week will get the same chances as those who pile in hundreds of hours.
The well-tuned cycle of violence, to profit, to growth really shines more than ever here to. Previous-gen consoles had to make visual sacrifices to run Diablo 3’s more heated battles at a respectable frame rate. This to is no longer an issue for the PS4 and Xbox One versions. No concessions necessary at 1080p and 60 frames per second, the action looks sharp and plays smooth and is almost on par with a mid-high gaming PC.
Players who have already piled in hours in previous versions of the game can now pile some more time into the Reaper of Souls expansion pack which adds a new job class the Paladin and adding in new story and side quest content. This gives more than enough to keep anyone occupied for a long while. The Trophy/Achievement conscious players have no need to worry as the Ultimate Evil Edition of the game also holds a brand new list to unlock, and the good news is that if you play on the newer version you can go back and take your character to unlock the Trophies/Achievements on the PS3 and Xbox 360 counterparts. Blizzard has really given something for all players to work towards be it in the game itself or for the virtual trophy shelf.
The most interesting new feature that has been added to the game is the nemesis AI system, wherein if you have a friend playing the game that die from a demon; the demon will proceed to enter your game to try to kill you. If it succeeds he grows in strength and will continue joining games and slaying until someone brings him down; in doing so players can happen upon some pretty powerful weapons and armour.
While it’s a new trick that changes the game up, it’s not quite enough to keep it a really big presence within the gameplay. The real star of the game is the ability to play on couch with up to three friends, tearing through angry hordes of demons that wait in the randomised dungeons that create the real backbone of the endgame of Diablo 3.
While the game was good on the previous-gen consoles this new iteration is the complete package. Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition gives console players the whole deal while adding the updated graphics and sleeker frame-rate. Though the story is very lackluster the amount of content and going into the randomized adventure mode more than makes up for it. The social features are a nice addition to the consoles that are taking the social gaming to a new level and at least here Blizzard is trying to do something that implements them. This is the uncompromised version of Diablo 3 and is a must for fans of the dungeon crawling loot collectors out there.
