Rating of
4.5/5
An Ultimate Edition that Delivers
Chris Kavan - wrote on 02/28/15
Having already wrote my review for both the single-player experience (on PC) and multiplayer experience (on PS3 as well) I can finally say this is truly the last Diablo III review I write. I'm not going to rehash what I've said before, but I will say why this version lives up the the "Ulitmate" title.
Presentation: Has been tweaked all around - besides a new character class (none of us tested - so I have no info on if it's any good) - the game just looks a little better (I'm sure it's even more of an improvement on the next-gen and PC versions). Certain moves have new looks, and it has added better gems, an enchantment option and a whole new story line. Overall, it just looks more polished, as an Ultimate Edition should.
Story: After defeating Diablo (again) it's not demons you have to be worried about, but the angels. Malthael, once the Angiris Council's Angel of Wisdom, has fallen and become the Angel of Death - and he wants nothing more than to put the human race out of its misery. Along with another angel, Urzael, as well as a host of maidens (and some Templar manipulations) he put his plan into action and, as the expansion "Reaper of Souls" attest to - his plan is to wipe out humanity and harness the power of their souls to fuel his mechanations. Good thing the nephalem (that would be you - an any of your friends who tag along) are there to set things right. You'll fight though the dead streets of Westmarch and march to Pandemonium itself to take down the rogue angel and finally usher in peace the world so deserves.
Gameplay: Pretty much the same - though it has one major change for the better. Loot drops seem much better this time around - almost no useless white gear litters the battlefield. Magic is the name of the day - Blue becomes pretty much the new White - as the yellow and Legendary Orange gear are what you want. Loot is also now divided up - so even if one person collects it all (cough hoarder cough) it is still spread around to all the characters. You also get class-specific gear - if you use dexterity as your main stat, the gear will most likely have that stat (along with certain class-specific additions to go along with them - usually involving cooldown or attack power of certain abilities). The downfall is that it's no longer easy to trade gear among people. You also have gifts that can drop if you play local mutiplayer (leading to some pretty good results). The crafting system now seems antiquated - in the original game some of the best gear came from crafting - now, that is almost never the case and loot drops are the hero of the day. I love the addition of better gems and the enchanter - you can now customize gear even more. It also expands the stories for the various characters and followers - leading to some "final" missions to close out their respective stories (and getting even more loot).
The other big addition is the additional mode. After beating the new chapter, you open up Adventure Mode - bounties appear in each chapter. These usually involve going to certain areas to kill a specific mini-boss (sometimes the main boss) or killing a certain amount of enemies. You collect Blood Shards, which can be used with a new in-town character (a Gambler) who is a merchant that only takes these shard for payment. You can get weapons, armor and accessories (rings) from her for shards - but it's a mystery (or gamble) of whether you'll get regular, legendary or even set items from these ventures. It also incorporates a new Nephalem Rift system. These mini-dungeons are filled with some pretty tough enemies (I actually died... twice) and require you to complete a specific mission to unlock the final boss - but the loot is glorious. Finally, for those hardcore gamers, you have additional difficulties and a new level cap (70).
Replayability: Was already high - now it just gets better - especially if you love loot drops (and who doesn't). Yes, it's a grind, but it's a very fun grind if you ask me - and nowhere near as bad as other games of this ilk.
Overall: This is truly the Ultimate edition - I highly recommend it if you haven't got the chance to play it yet - especially if you get some friends together to enjoy it with.
Presentation: 4.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Replayability: 5/5
Overall (not an average): 4.5/5
