Six years ago, RPG fanatics were enjoying the well-received Dungeon Siege 2 on PC. Fast forward to present day and now fans of the series are ready to get their hands on the next installment of the franchise which has found its way on to consoles. The past several years have changed the game and this may be due to the fact that expectations for RPGs have changed significantly or that Obsidian Entertainment is now in charge of Dungeon Siege instead of Gas Powered Games. Either way, long-time fans will notice a departure from earlier iterations.
Dungeon Siege 3 returns to the Kingdom of Ehb, a familiar setting for most. Taking place over a century after the first game, this entry focuses on the story revolving around the 10th Legion and how they were completely eradicated by Jeyne Kassynder three decades before Dungeon Siege 3 opens. The Legion fell in the Rukkenvahl Forest, but fortunately a handful of legionnares still lived on and grew up over the thirty years following the 10th Legion’s demise. All grown up, these legionnares must find and defeat Kassynder before she finds them and finishes off the remnants of the once strong Legion.
HOT
Combat
While the combat in Dungeon Siege 3 is nothing revolutionary, it’s mostly simplistic design provides substantial entertainment throughout most of the story. Overall, it has the usual characteristics of your typical hack ‘n slash RPGs, but adds a little bit of variety and flair. Depending on which one of the four characters you choose from the beginning, you’ll have access to different weapon (also armor) and stance options. Lucas Montbarron is the swordsman of the group. He is capable of taking a one-handed weapon stance where he wields a sword and shield or he may change to a two-handed stance where he holds a devastating claymore. The sword and shield combo is best for one-on-one encounters since it has exceptional speed, but minimal range. The two-handed option is usually the best bet for large groups since it can do considerable damage over several enemies at once, but suffers from lack of speed in the execution of these attacks. Lucas is an example of switching fighting styles between single and group encounters. The other type of character can be seen through Katarina. This deadly damsel eliminates her targets with rifles and dual shotguns. Instead of changing stances depending on the number of enemies, Katarina’s most efficient stance is usually dictated by the range of the enemies.
As you level up, your character will be able to specialize in certain areas. These are known as abilities, proficiencies, and talents. There are 9 abilities – three for each type of stance. For example, Lucas’ three stances are one-handed, two-handed, and defensive. Every character has the defensive stance. The other two change depending on the character however. Proficiencies are the most interesting of the bunch. As abilities are unlocked, they are able to be customized to a certain extent to fit your play style. Anjali’s Aura of Immolation (pretty much a ring of fire) can either be increased in damage or have healing properties added to it. There are five upgrade slots per ability, so you are able to mix and match between the perks or just max one out if you wish. Lastly, there are talents. These are easily the most dull of the bunch (but still somewhat important). Critical hit damage can be increased, Focus regeneration can be upgraded, bartering skills can be improved, and so on.
As for the combat itself, it maintains most of its entertainment value by the end of the game. Changing your attack strategy depending on enemy types and their numbers is enjoyable. Also, plowing through a small army of men and watching them fly in every direction never gets old. The enemies are varied enough to keep the player wanting to slash, shoot, burn, etc. whatever enemy they come across next. Large spiders, razor-toothed swamp monsters, bandits, witches, and some hulking bosses round out the experience.
Loot
Loot is an essential component to RPGs and Dungeon Siege 3 brings more of it than you’ll know what to do with. Through quests and exploration, you’ll undoubtedly amass greater riches than anyone could possibly imagine by game’s end. Every other turn reveals a chest or body to loot. There’s so much of it in fact, that I must say I’m surprised no other characters have laid claim to this never-ending wealth already since it isn’t exactly hidden well. It seemed that every ten or fifteen minutes I was swapping out what I was wearing and wielding. To some, that may not be a good thing as better items should be the result of hard work and not simply strolling through an abandoned forest. However, it is better to look at it in the terms of loot in Borderlands. Loot is abundant and the excitement of finding out if the next chest is holding the god-like weapon you’re dying for is enough to keep you going as you slowly create an addiction to treasure hunting that would rival that of Pirates of the Caribbean cast.
Choices
Previous Dungeon Siege titles haven’t put a heavy emphasis on NPC interaction, but Obsidian decided that needed to change. Throughout the game, the player will interact with various characters, some crucial to the story and others simply there to provide side quests. To converse with these people, Obsidian adopted a more modern dialogue system. If you’ve ever played Mass Effect or Dragon Age, then you’ll know how this works. Your character is given certain responses to choose from. From here, you can gain extra knowledge on your quest, gain favor with companions, or make important decisions such as killing a fallen enemy or letting them live. As previously stated, this mechanic isn’t new by any means, but incorporating it into the Dungeon Siege series was still a smart move.
Environments
The environments do their best to differentiate themselves from previously visited areas. Rukkenvahl Forest is dreary and ominous, the Causeway is a magical portal that is composed of semi-transparent red walkways, and Raven’s Rill sports vibrant colors and various people in its small village. The world is yours to explore, although there isn’t too much to it in terms of how open it is. The game opens up new paths as you progress, so everything won’t be ready for you to explore from the beginning. Regardless, entering new areas is a visual treat most of the time as they tend to maintain their own unique characteristics. The best part about traveling between each environment is that there aren’t any load times… sorta. Every once in a while, your character will change his/her movement from running to walking slowly as the game loads the next area. It’s Obsidian’s sneaky way of trying to keep visible load times (although they happen occasionally) nonexistent
What Co-op Does Right
Dungeon Siege 3 allows for both online and offline cooperative play. Online players may get in groups of four, each person taking control of one of the playable characters. The split-screen option has the second player choosing from one of the characters that isn’t already taken by player one. Having someone to join you on your quest is always enjoyable as each new experience is shared. However, Dungeon Siege 3 is better played with a friend via split-screen. Here, you and your couch companion can coordinate attacks and boost the overall experience by working together seamlessly. There are some shortcomings contained within this mode (especially the online portion), but we’ll get to that later.
NOT
Story/Characters
Hacking and slashing your way through waves of enemies and obtaining mountains of loot is fun, but that may not mean much if you’re not truly invested in why you’re doing so in the first place. Unfortunately, Dungeon Siege 3’s four characters are as forgettable as the story. As I stated above, the story revolves around finding Jeyne Kassynder and stopping her from finishing off the job she started 30 years prior. It’s your basic, straight-forward tale with the only intriguing parts coming when you learn more about your companions pasts and how they ended up in the same position as you. Even then, that isn’t exactly enthralling material. As for the characters themselves, they won’t evoke much emotion from you. It felt as if I was playing this game more to decorate my character with the endless loot and kill the ever-present baddies than to actually see the outcome of my character. For Lucas specifically, I guess I should have been overwhelmed with revenge (especially after a scene in the Rukkenvahl Forest), but he portrayed little to no emotion that it made it near impossible to feel sympathy for a character who stone-faced his way through viewing the body of a lost loved one. The game is primarily composed of straight-forward dialogue that’s only purpose is to reveal information and make decisions. Just don’t expect too much of a reaction from these characters after you’ve made your choice.
Length
If you were playing Dungeon Siege 2 back in 2005, you’ll recall the many hours that were invested into the game with the completion time surpassing the 40 hour mark for some. That won’t be the case this time around. Dungeon Siege 3’s story can be seen from start to finish in around 12 hours (depending on how much time you invest in side missions). With the environment being one narrow corridor after another, it’s no surprise that the game doesn’t last that long. Everything is set up to get you from Point A to Point B with minimal need for exploration (since chests and bodies litter the sides of the road) except for the occasional branching path that ends abruptly. The length is disappointing in terms of what is expected (even though it’s not always given) from RPGs, but at the same time a longer game may have brought more of the game’s repetitiveness out into the light as you’d probably find yourself maxing everything out partway through.
What Co-op Does Wrong
As I said earlier, cooperative play is a great addition as it allows players to share the experience. Well what happens when the sharing portion is dropped? You’re left with mixed feelings on the feature. The online and offline components allow for more people to join in on this dungeon crawler, but they’ll be surprised at the limitations put on them. First of all, don’t expect to join a room with your character. You’ll be taking over one of the available AI characters in the host’s party. So hopefully they’ve been good to your character and you aren’t sitting there with abysmal equipment or upgrades. Even worse, all of your hard work will go unrewarded. Loot, experience, and skills obtained during this time will not transfer back to your game when you’re done. You’ll only be aiding the host in his/her quest for a while and that is all. The most you can hope for is a thank you. Even if you’re able to overlook these failures, chances are the camera will cause you more headaches. The camera forces everyone to stay in the same vicinity in order to stay close to the action. Also, with the environments being relatively narrow, it is hard to fit four people into them and still be able to figure out where your character is at times during large battles. Four player co-op has too many flaws to recommend it, especially since there isn’t too much of an incentive to partake in this mode. You’re better off sitting down with a friend and using them as free labor while you reap all the benefits of their work. At least they won’t mind right?
Verdict
Dungeon Siege 3 does little to stand out in the crowd of this year’s slew of big hitters, but that doesn’t make it a terrible game. The combat is entertaining enough and gets the job done even if it feels over-simplified at times. The environments are varied and a pleasure to look at. Not to mention their filled to the brim with loot (seriously, who’s leaving this all here?) for RPG fans to go crazy over. Unfortunately, that’s where most of the commendations end. Cooperative play was a good idea, but it was executed poorly, leaving online players feeling cheated. The short story and bland characters never go out of their way to make you feel anything for them, which is unfortunate because I wanted to like them. If you are dying to get your next dungeon crawl fix, then this isn’t a bad choice per se since there is some fun to be had. Just don’t expect to be blown away by innovation and individuality.
[Editor’s Note: Dungeon Siege 3 was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 hardware. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]