Review: Dungeon Siege 3

Developer(s)     Obsidian Entertainment

Publisher(s)       Square Enix  

Platform             Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date     June 2011

Genre(s)            Action role-playing game        

Mode(s)            Single, multiplayer

Rating(s)          ESRB: T, PEGI: 16
                                 
I only had a day before its official release, so I took the advantage on buying this game with free previous two titles via STEAM. So I bought 3 of them for me to understand what’s the fuss about this long awaited franchise and took liberty on trying the previous titles.
A lot of changes have been made to the franchise though the story did not differ from the original.

Presentation:

Overall it’s a beauty, well crafted on the graphics, voice acting, character details and sound tracks.
At first you’ll have a short brief on the backstory and then choose a class of four main characters with different backgrounds. The conversational system looks pretty much like a Mass Effect/ Dragon Age which is cool and some choices you make will also affects the character’s morale and their companion’s reactions as well; combine that with a compelling storyline and you’ll be asking to know more of what’s going on.

Graphics:

Surprisingly the game dose not ask too much hardware demands in order to make a lush environmental and character details (not to mention good and sexy looking female characters with their sexy Russian accent). Overall, I can’t complain much on the graphics, a job well done here.

                                          Four Heroes with their own class and style

Gameplay:

Similar to Diablo, it’s a loot game; you’ll also spend a bit more time on collecting money just to get the good stuffs out of your character’s gears. The bad side though is, it does not control anything similar like Diablo or Torchlight; you control the movement with a combination of mouse and keyboard although if you have a gampad (so that's a downer just to know that you have to spend extra for better controls), it runs smooth as butter. Battle system controls are tough and needs to get used to at first, among of my main major complains are the blocking/dodging system that can get frustrating and confusing sometimes because both of them are activated with the same key. Another downside is the lack of using Potions which can be a bothering factor at first (it cost me to replay the game and choose a knight over my personal choice as the male wizard) but as you progress and learn the ropes of healing and combating you’ll find the game rewarding after every battle. Online co-op is personally one of my dislikes, as I set to multiplayer for the first time; my partner was playing impatiently as he moves on too fast to the next end without me and not picking up the dropped items! That time I realize that it’s essential to play this game with someone who’s patiently cooperative and communicates with you throughout the game.

Audio:

I can’t complain on this category; the music is perfectly done based on the game and also has believable voice acting.

Overall:

It can't be well appreciated unless if you open to understand where it's trying to take you. It’s not a game for the fans of the franchise, it fell short on the co-op and online gameplay (best to play solo), linear and it is a very short knowing that i finished the game with all the side quests for almost ten hours. Aside from its imperfections, it shines as a one player campaign, runs excellently well on gamepads/console controls, even though battle system can be tough it’s rewarding at the end. This is a good collection for the collectors, loot/dungeon crawling gamers out there. But for those who expect, multiplayer, online gaming, or a diehard fan of the franchise, you might get a bit disappointed. For a new comers out there, it’s a 50/50 you should check it out first by renting it and see. Personally the price tag did not justifies it's worth in terms of depth in gaming and gaeplay hours for an action RPG game.



Score                         7.5/10

Pro(s)
Great Graphics
Compelling storyline which relates a bit from the past two games
Challenging battle system though rewarding at the end
Lot of loots and grinding
Convincing voice acting
A “Mass Effect” like conversation system that also effect morale of your companions
Aside from its imperfections, it’s a pretty good game


Con(s)
Tough with no potion use
Liner plot as you go far
Camera angle only gives you limited views to see
Too short for an RPG game
Co-op and online multiplayer is a joke