Dungeon Siege III is not what this series was all about...

User Rating: 6 | Dungeon Siege III X360
By EvilSelf | Review Date:
Long, long time ago I stumbled upon this one particular game that was broad, engaging and very entertaining. It was the one of Diablo's clones, but nevertheless it was accepted as a positive start of what promised to be an exciting series. Time has passed and I never got the chance to try the second title in the series and I did not have any intentions of picking up the third. Why? Because of the disastrous reception it got and the fact it was way off the standard that the first Dungeon Siege game set.

The reason I purchased Dungeon Siege 3 (besides the relatively low price I paid) is because of its same-screen local co-op mode. I don't hear people talk about it much,so I am guessing I am one the few "preachers" of this co-op mode and I strongly consider any title that supports it, despite of review scores.

Story
The story of Dungeon Siege 3 is very incoherent and it feels like it falls all over the place. It revolves around Jayne Cassynder, who is on a rampage against everybody that supports the current rulers of Ehb and more specifically – the Legion. Your character happens to be a member of this Legion. The reason behind all of this is later revealed in the plot, but just like my story summary sounds (incoherent and generic), the story itself feels quickly gathered and presented. The characters are weak and you never get to know them in depth – a vital aspect for a successful RPG. 6/10

Graphics
For a dungeon crawler RPG the graphics are rendered in a good fashion. Some of the character models and movements could have been animated better, but overall graphics is one thing we can overlook while playing Dungeon Siege III. The cutscenes are presented in the form of "slideshows" of static screens and a narrating voice. 7/10

Sound/Voice Acting
DS 3's soundtrack is nothing spectacular. The voice acting is very average with a lot of the NPCs sharing the same voice-over. 7/10

Gameplay
Generic. For an RPG that started as a very successful clone of the great Diablo games, Dungeon Siege III is a huge step downwards. Make that three steps. Attack, dodge and magic buttons are going to be your primary controls. The RPG elements include inventory system similar to Dragon Age's one, where you have limited inventory space and you can easily get rid of items your don't want on the cheap right there on the spot, for a minimal amount of gold. The leveling is tree-based where after you earn skill points you can distribute however you like, with more advanced and powerful moves/magic being available later on. Regular attack can be done in two fashions or two stances. For example, once stance could be a one-handed weapon and a shield and the other stance could be a two-handed weapon. Each stance has its pros and cons. There is nothing innovative about this game, that we haven't already seen elsewhere. 6/10

Overall
Dungeon Siege III is a title that I can only recommend If you are interested in the local co-op feature. It is a blast if you are playing with a friend next to you and we don't get many local co-op RPGs (so that's definitely a plus). I would not recommend it if you are looking for a solid RPG with a decent story and characters. Not to mention that the game is a measly 20 hours long. That's way too short and I am sorry to say this, but Obsidian really failed here. 6/10

EvilSelf...

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