Review: Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition

Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition is the long-awaited title which brings Blizzard’s acclaimed franchise to the PS4 and Xbox One. There is much to say about the benefits of the console versions, as well as what is included in the “Ultimate Evil Edition”, but let us begin by explaining Diablo III for those who are unfamiliar with the franchise. Diablo III takes place in a world incorrectly named Sanctuary. In this place, heaven and hell do battle against each other, and many times, human beings are caught between the two. In the previous iteration in this franchise, “Diablo” was destroyed and the world felt peace, but obviously, the demons of hell are back seeking revenge, and players are cast as the heroes attempting to stop them.

Aside from that, the plot of Diablo III is pretty much nonsensical and almost pointless to follow. What players need to know is that there are bad guys and you have to kill them. Killing bad guys gives you better weapons and armor which you can use to kill even more bad guys, and the game continues as such. Needless to say, if plot is what drives you to play a game, you might want to look elsewhere. Despite the lacking plot, and most importantly, Diablo III is fun to play. Players can choose between six character classes: Wizard, Witch Doctor, Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Monk, and the Ultimate Evil Edition’s additional class, Crusader.

Each of the character classes, also called Nephalem – offspring of the Sons of God and the Daughters of men – have a multitude of attacks mapped to the face buttons, as well as a resource unique to their class, which manages the amount of power they have available to do special attacks. For instance, the Crusader uses Wraith and the Monk uses Spirit. In combat, attacking enemies with normal attacks powers up the resource. This makes combat in Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition straight forward but not overly simplistic. While you can stick to your basic attacks and defeat most of the enemies, changing the attacks your character uses can really make his or her attacks different and better suited to your playing-style. Resources and attacks are augmented by weapons and armor, which can make your Nephalem a powerful, demon-killing warrior. The combat in Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition is improved over the PC version through the inclusion of a dodge maneuver which is linked to the right thumbstick. Having the dodge allows players to jump out of difficult situations or avoid enemies long enough to replenish resources.

Overall, using the PS4 or Xbox One controller is an improvement over playing the game with a mouse and keyboard. Whether it is the attacks, the dodge, or pulling up the map, playing Diablo III with these comfortable “next-gen” controllers is one of the major selling points for Ultimate Evil Edition. The other two major selling points represent significant improvements over the original PC release; these are Loot 2.0 and Nemesis System. Loot 2.0 is a modification to how loot is dropped in Diablo III. In the original PC release, you could play though the entire game without finding a legendary weapon or piece of armor. The Loot 2.0 system makes these drops more frequent and gets players access to rare loot. The Nemesis System affects game play in a unique way. When players die in the game, the monster that kills them levels up and leaves that player’s game. At some point over the next few days, the monster can appear in one of that player’s Xbox Live or PSN friends’ game, identified by the name of the player it killed. If the monster kills the friend, it will continue the process, but if the friend kills the monster, the original player receives some new loot via the game’s mail system. It is an interesting dynamic which makes the game both single player and co-op at the same time.

Speaking of co-op, whether playing on the same couch or online, Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition is best enjoyed while playing with others and is playable for up to 4 players. Going through dungeons and crypts battling demons is fun, but it is far more fun with the help of your friends. It’s also easy to pick up and play; whether you are playing for a half-hour or for a longer session, you will find rewards for your character and have the opportunity to upgrade his or her skills and abilities. Furthermore, Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition includes the endless “Adventure mode” which will allow gamers to play through randomly generated dungeons.

Conclusively, for those gamers who are longtime fans of the Diablo series or who have played Diablo III previously, this is the best version of the game. Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition features all of the upgrades, patches, and expansions from the PC as well as the benefit of being mapped to the Xbox One or PS4 controllers. If you have never played Diablo III, I advise you to jump in and enjoy the infectious gameplay, and bring a few friends with you.

Pros:

+ Fun Combat
+ Nemesis System
+ Adventure Mode

Cons:

- Boring Story