DIABLO III ULTIMATE EVIL EDITION

It seems a bit unfair to start by talking about the PC version of Diablo III, really but listen, there’sa reason. See, when Diablo III’s first expansion pack was released on PC, it did so alongside a huge patch adding in otherwise incoherent terms like ‘Loot 2.0’, ‘Nephalem Glory’ and ‘Pools of Reflection’. It was generally well received, improved the vanilla game tenfold and seta foundation on which the Reaper Of Souls content was built. But the thing is, all those fancy new features and quality of life changes did nothing for the console version; it released with the original Diablo III core set of mechanics and, having not received the same level of patching, ended up inferior. Course you likely wouldn't have noticed and, as such, it probably doesn't matter. Until now.

This is because Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition comes with a whole host of improvements, from all those tasty mechanical and balance tweaks from the PC version, fancy new-gen graphics, improvements to the UI (specific to console) and, best of all, the Reaper Of Souls expansion content. In fact it’s probably that last one that will really be of any interest to many of you; if you’ve already completed Diablo III then there’s plenty of reason to get involved a second time. ActV provides up to ten extra hours of content to eviscerate your way through, and it’s really rather good. It doesn’t share the same sense of scale, of grandeur or of epicness than the first four acts of Diablo III , admittedly, but it is all the same thoroughly enjoyable to have a good chunk of extra content to contend with.A new selection of beasties,a handful of new areas (which all look lovely, by the way), and of course new levels and abilities to unlock will help you scratch that itch all over again.

Story-wise it ties in surprisingly well, and without spoiling it there’s even a good bit of closure for fans of Diablo III’s story. Add in the fact that you can transfer your save cross generation with only a smidgen of effort and there’s really no barrier stopping you from hopping right in, mop up the last of Diablo III’s campaign and leave it at that.

Except for the new Crusader, of course, or the addition of Adventure Mode. Providing you’ve completed Diablo III  already, then you’ll unlock the new campaign mode. It’s largely the same except for the fact that there is no strict, linear story to progress through. Zones aren’t locked off behind arbitrary milestones, and instead you’re free to explore as you wish, with enemies scaling alongside you.

The direction comes with Bounties, a neat way of having you hunt down certain goals without having to skip through dialogue at every step. And since you’ll need to start again if you want to experience the new Crusader class, it’s a great way of presenting the same world without making it feel too arduous.

Speaking of that Crusader, though, there’s no overlooking quite how powerful he is; with a wide range of abilities, the holy warrior can fulfil elements of ranged and melee combat through truthfully he is better suited to the latter. He ends up feeling fairly one-note (mostly thanks to how overpowered his abilities Falling Sword and Condemn are), but never stops feeling on top of his game.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with this guy.The key thing to remember with the Ultimate Evil Edition is how it takes Diablo III and revives it, encapsulating all that makes the series a success. Paragonlevels mean you can over level in a sense, anyway after reaching that level 70 cap, while the addition of completely randomised Nephalem Rifts means you’re never stuck for anything to do. These Nephalem Rifts, in fact, are unlocked as you progress through different bounties, and piece together the entire game’s various dungeon tilesets with any possible monsters and beasts
you might have encountered. It does  just enough to stop the feeling of repetition setting in, but also gives you another means of grinding for loot. And, really, isn’t that why anyone plays Diablo III?

All these randomised elements help retain the core of what the series has always been about. While the underlying mechanical rules have been tweaked and improved, it still remains very much  Diablo. To its detriment it does, obviously, share a lot with the original release on Diablo III and for the price that might put some of you off. If you’ve yet to play it, however, then this truly is the ‘ultimate’ version to get. It’s chock full of content to play through whether you’re new to the game or not while the enhanced visuals make it a valuable upgrade over the previous generation’s equivalent. It may not look it, but everything about the graphics of this version are smoother, more detailed and much, much crisper. It’s a hard sell for any but the most diehard of Diablo III fans, but if that’s you or you’re brand new to the game then you really need this in your Xbox One.