With Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition now available on new-gen consoles, gamers who skipped out on Diablo III during the last console generation have more than just prettied up visuals awaiting them in the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game.
Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition brings with it the Reaper of Souls downloadable content and support for local co-op, which allows up to four players to embark on an epic quest for loot and ability upgrades -- yes, loot swapping is available. The Reaper of Souls expansion adds to the game the crusader class, a new act, a raised level cap and it tweaks the loot system to make drops less frequent and more valuable.
"[The] Ultimate Evil Edition adds more ways for players to share their adventures: Apprentice Mode makes it easier than ever to group up with friends," states Blizzard. "The Nemesis System sends hero-slaying monsters into friends' games until vengeance is won; and new Player Mail and Player Gift features give players new options for sharing their treasures with allies -- because nothing says 'friendship' like unwrapping a piece of awesome loot."
For players new to the series, there's enough content and enjoyable gameplay mechanics available in the core game to satiate any thirst for a solid RPG. Diablo III delivers high adventure colored with a grim coat of paint and a progression system that helps players feel like their characters have evolved from local heroes to acclaimed legends.
While Diablo III represents another last-gen game prettied up for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, it delivers on the 1080p, 60 frames-per-second performance of new gen consoles and there's said to be only minor differences between the ports on Sony and Microsoft's latest consoles.
When compared with the fully dressed PC version, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of Diablo III don't compromise on the graphical fidelity, according to a reviewer that tested all three versions of the game. Most of the discernible differences between the three versions were a result of randomization from the game's custom engine.
"We spot spider-webs in the Skeleton King's crypts that seem dialed down in sharpness on Xbox One -- but curiously, fineries elsewhere are unaffected," the reviewer states. "The PS4 also adds a blue tone around the Highlands area, making it stand at odds when placed side-by-side with PC and Xbox One. In other words, comparing the two editions of Diablo 3 typically highlights elements that are randomized by the engine, rather than significant per-platform advantages."
Future expansion for Diablo III has remained in question. But with Activision Blizzard attributing its healthy second-quarter earnings in part to Diablo III, healthy sales on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 could breath life into the game and push out a new DLC pack.
