Title: Diablo 3: The Eternal Collection
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Cost: $59.99
Rating: Mature for blood and gore, violence
Score: 8 out of 10
It's been six years since the game came out for PC, but Nintendo Switch owners can finally tackle the eponymous Lord of Terror himself in the dark fantasy Diablo 3: The Eternal Collection.
The Eternal Collection includes the base Diablo 3 game, plus the "Reaper of Souls" and "Rise of the Necromancer" expansions, giving access to all available content, including the seven playable hero classes: Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Wizard, Witch Doctor, Necromancer and Monk.
If you've played the game on other platforms, the gameplay on Switch is generally the same — in a bid to save the world from destruction, the player fights overwhelming hordes of evil creatures in an epic battle between heaven and hell.
But beating the game and reaching the maximum level of 70 are just the beginnings. After that, it's time for replaying sections of the game repeatedly, increasing Paragon levels and grinding for the rarest, randomized loot that will incrementally grow a character's power.
It's this addictive, replayable grind that has helped the Diablo franchise be so successful. It offers limitless ways to build heroes and 17 difficulty levels to choose among.
The portage to Switch does come with some unique changes, though, such as a reworked user interface and the ability to use Nintendo Amiibos once per day for a special reward.
Another key feature is the multiplayer options. The Switch can be connected to a television for four-player couch co-op play on a single screen. Additionally, a Switch in close proximity to another Switch can play together wirelessly, without needing Wi-Fi.
And of course, online play is still possible, although that will require access to the Nintendo Online service (modestly priced at $20 per year).
A few other Switch-only goodies include some Legend of Zelda-themed items: a transmogrification for Ganondorf's armor, an equippable pair of purple wings and a pet chicken.
All told, Diablo 3: The Eternal Collection is a mature, top-class title that looks and plays well on Nintendo's most advanced console and offers many hours of entertainment — at least until we get more news on Blizzard Entertainment's long-awaited Diablo 4.
HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL
Another game recently reviewed here, Red Dead Redemption 2, has launched a beta version of its promised Online mode. This new mode lets players create their own customized avatars and play with (or against) dozens of others from around the Internet.
The Online mode features its own campaign (independent of the single-player campaign) with missions that can be completed by one to four players. There are also myriad multiplayer options in the world at large, with the ability to form a posse with up to six other friends and challenge other teams for dominance in sanctioned player-versus-player matches or in unscripted violence while you wander the wilderness.
Some of the modes include Battle Royale with knives and arrows, Team Deathmatches and Horse Racing.
It remains to be seen whether player-versus-player combat is balanced or enjoyable, as there seems to be little downside to repeatedly attacking other players. Characters will earn experience and gain levels for killing enemies and completing missions, along with earning a premium currency used to make purchases or unlock features early.
The online mode carries the beta disclaimer, meaning that it's still in a testing phase and there might be some bugs and connectivity issues for a while. But it's already showing a lot more polish than Fallout 76 did upon its full release.
URANIUM FEVER
And speaking of Fallout, Bethesda, creator of Fallout 76, has announced that it's working on major bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements that will take effect Tuesday and Dec. 11. With dozens of serious bugs, including a number of game-breaking ones that could cause players to lose their characters entirely or not even be able to play, Bethesda was under a lot of pressure from the playing community, and it looks like the company is committed to correcting the flaws.
Some of the promised improvements include an increase in storage space and better player-created building areas. It's a good, and much needed, start.
That said, despite all its flaws, I have enjoyed playing the game quite a bit.
Style on 12/03/2018