[REVIEW] Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition – PS4
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After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Diablo 3 for the ps4 is finally among us. Now if you are wondering why my elation is so great for a game that has already been out on the PC for months it’s because of two things. One, I don’t have a gaming PC. In fact I’d be lucky if my PC ran the ORIGINAL Diablo. The second (and much more important reason imo) is that my fiance loved playing D3 with me on my ps3 and we were both bummed when I traded it in and we lost that activity.
So how has it changed? The most obvious is that this is an expansion. Anyone that played the previous console version only got to play up to Act IV. With the new version you get an additional act which helps flesh out the story of Malthael, the Reaper of Souls, and how he plays into the picture after the demise of Diablo. Act V also helps you understand more about the Crusader, the 6th character class available to you that plays a lot like the Paladin from Diablo 2.
Several improvements have been made to the rest of the game. The vendors that you collect along your travels (Blacksmith, Jeweler, and the newly added Mystic) are far easier to train this time around. While in the previous version it took me several playthroughs to acquire the materials needed to train the Blacksmith up to max level, this time around I had everyone at level 10 by the time I finished my first playthrough and was only through the first act of the 2nd playthrough when all three were maxed, allowing me to fully utilize their skills.
As I mention multiple playthroughs it should be noted that once you finish all 5 acts you are able to play through Adventure Mode, which allows you to complete bounties which earn you blood shards. Once you’ve earned enough blood shards they can be redeemed at a special vendor for various pieces of equipment. The only problem with that is each piece is a mystery so it could be rare, legendary, or even a set piece that you are obtaining. Along with blood shards you will be collecting Rift Stones which can be used to open Nephalem Rifts. These areas further test your abilities and often reward you with several pieces of high class gear.
The biggest improvement for me though has been with local multiplayer. As I previously mentioned my fiance and I loved playing this together the first time around. However, I would often play without her so when we would play together her character was usually highly outclassed in comparison to mine. Blizzard fixed this problem by allowing the lower character’s stats to be scaled up to match the higher ranked character. This allows the lower class player to play in the same area as the higher class without getting their teeth kicked in.
Loot is now automatically assigned to a player in local multiplayer. So you don’t have to feel guilty about grabbing everything after a boss fight because the computer assigns it. However, sometimes the computer will assign everything to one player, but at least you no longer have to sit there and call your buddy a greedy douchebag.
Honestly my only complaint in this game is that occasionally in some of the underground dungeons the camera angle makes it so you can’t see where you are. This really just makes it a minor annoyance in a game that has been given a beautiful touch up. With multiple difficulties and modes of play, this game will be in my ps4 for a long time to come.
