This is Diablo III with the Reaper of Souls expansion included
It's been a long road for Diablo 3 fans, following every twist and turn from pre-release to now, hoping that the Diablo game they truly wanted was right around the next corner. Don't get me wrong, Diablo 3 nailed the moment-to-moment combat experience from the get-go, but the reward loop was way off-kilter. With the release of the Reaper of Souls expansion on PC, the somewhat erratic rhythm of its reward and progression cycle steadied into constant thrum. Now, with the Ultimate Evil Edition on PS4 and Xbox One, Diablo 3 takes on its highest form, melding the successes of two years of patching with the positive side-effects of porting to current-gen consoles.
Among the biggest changes and additions in Reaper of Souls are the increased level cap (it's now 70), the Crusader class, Adventure mode (providing a much different way to play), and a fifth act (complete with new enemies, areas, and items). There's a huge amount of content here, and Blizzard has committed to releasing regular updates for the Xbox One and PS4 versions in the future. Those who have played the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions have the option of transferring their progress to their choice of the Xbox One and PS4 versions. Both current-gen versions run at 1080p, thanks to the release of a patch for the Xbox One version that brings its resolution up to par with its PS4 counterpart. The feeling of item ownership in Diablo III is an awfully fickle one, much thanks to the game's swift pacing. When new loot appears so often and in such great numbers, your ensemble of optimized gear can completely change over the course of 30 minutes of adventuring. Yet Blizzard has ensured there's no waste: outdated items can be salvaged by the blacksmith or sold to the merchant in order to play for the blacksmith's training. Memorable items can be stored and you can endear yourself to friends by mailing them useful gear. For Blizzard, giving items a life beyond the battle itself is an art form.
Spoilers: he killed me too. Then he warped back and killed Tom again, I gather, and then had a final go at me as I neared the boss at the end of the second act. That nemesis had grown in power each time, and although the whole thing's a pretty simple viral trick - a packet of monster, essentially, that pings around your friends list - it's a really good trick when you see it in action. A familiar face in amidst the procedural hordes Blizzard's so good at conjuring. A reminder that your hero, decked out in whatever armour you've found, dialled into whichever skills you've selected, is part of a wider community, and that we're all hacking and slashing through this together. A nemesis is also a reminder that, although you've very possibly played through Diablo 3 on multiple occasions by this point, the Ultimate Evil edition still has a few new tricks to show you. A few.
Beyond that, this is Diablo III with the Reaper of Souls expansion included. The story is a little boneheaded but largely stays out of the way, giving you hours and hours of satisfying action-RPG combat and interesting abilities to choose from as you devise numerous ways to blow up skeletons, demons, shambling tree men, evil goat men, devils, fallen angels, zombies, vomiting zombies, barrels, tables, and whatever the hell else happens to be around your character when things start jumping off. The destructible set dressing strewn across Diablo's dungeons ended up being one of my favorite visuals in the entire game--as you begin combat, anything that isn't bolted down just seems to get blown up during the ensuing fray. There's an easy way to resolve these dilemmas. If you're a friend, and you ask me whether you should get it, I'd ask if you have a fast and reliable connection. I'd make you aware of the problems beyond that, slander Blizzard a bit, then say this: God yes. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Edition is now available from Blizzard Entertainment for the PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
