Dungeon Siege 3 - Preview Roundup # 3

aries100

SasqWatch
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More reviews for this game have surfaced. I'll quote from two of them and list the others.
First up is Gamespot, 6/10 for the pc version and 6.5/10 for the console version.
Here's a snip from the review about the story in the game:
These chronicles are recounted with great gravitas by a throaty narrator, as if this were a tale for the ages to be passed down from one generation to the next. If only the tale were worth such solemnity. You play as one of four different characters, each of which has a different relationship to the Legion and different ties to Ehb's past. Dialogue and other story elements differ based on these elements as well as on your dialogue choices, and it's easy to appreciate how the story machine flips all the right switches as you move along. But mechanical intricacies don't necessarily make for an engaging story.
Then we have IGN, equally harsh, 6.5/10 - a snip from the conclusion.
But the rest of the game mostly falters, unfortunately, to a degree that overshadows its achievements. Dungeon Siege III is a dungeon crawler with a boring loot table, poorly implemented multiplayer, and little lasting incentive to continue running around the world once the tedious story ends.
The Gamers Hub 3/5
Kit Guru Games 4/5
Metro 7/10
Gamespy 6/10
Inc Gamers 6/10
More information.
 
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Well I finished it (PC, single player) playing as Anjali with Lucas as Sidekick.

As background DS1, and DS1:LoA are some of the few games I've finished multiple times. DS2 I mostly bounced straight off, tho' I got further with on a replay several years after release.

  • Technically it's the most rock solid ARPG or RPG I've ever played unpatched on release, bar none. A total of exactly one quest glitch (solved by reloading and picking the option to do it now rather than do it later) and absolutely no sign of any sort of crashes or graphical weirdness.
  • As I said about the demo, the controls are just plain weird on PC, but they can be gotten used to. Alas it took me a couple of hours to be come fully acclimatised, I think that's going to put most people off right there.
  • It's a Console port with a relentlessly console UI, that's going to put a lot of the rest off.
  • Given it's a console port and therefore we have to have save points, they are all very well placed and there are plenty off them.
  • Read the Manual. There are some controls that otherwise aren't mentioned as far as I could see. Important controls, like 'pick up everything that isn't gear including those tasty health and power recharge orbs'.
  • Read the Help. It's hidden away on the ESC menu, but does give a short explanation of what all those stats like 'doom' and 'warding' are supposed to do.
  • Mechanically it's nothing at all like any of the previous Dungeon Sieges, so your liking or disliking of their mechanics isn't going to predict what you think of this one.
  • Mechanically I think it's most simlar to a third person over the shoulder action game, only with what order you get the powers picked by you, and their power and bonus effects determined by your skill build, stat build, and whether you've used them enough times to unlock the overpowered version.
  • Lore-wise its completely soaking up to the gills in DS1 Lore, which is kind of bizarre given how the lore was barely mentioned in DS1 itself.
  • In level design, it's less linear than DS1 or DS1: LOA single-player (which were infamously linear), or Titan Quest, more linear than DS2, and way more linear than the DS1 multi-player map or Sacred I or II.
  • However areas are generally too narrow compared to every other ARPG I've played, this makes it *feel* llike the level design is even more than linear than it actually is. Gah.
  • Thief style mission debriefing cutscenes for main quest sections.
  • Well I liked the story quite a lot. Yes, it's extruded fantasy product, but 'restore the legion' works a lot better as motivation than 'save the world' even if you do end up doing that too, and nobody seems to be doing anything 'for the evulz!'.
  • The 'moral' choices didn't make me want to insta-quit or bang my head against my desk, which is quite something. Outside what debriefing cutscenes you get, and what Deeds (and therefore stat bonus) you are awarded, I don't think they have a whole lot of effect tho'. There were only two quests where I didn't feel I had something close to the decision I wanted to make (What to do with the Heart of Nagog, and the property dispute in Stonebridge).
  • Annoying final puzzle boss is Annoying. I guess it's a change from Annoying final bag of hitpoints boss is Annoying.
  • The 18 hours people are quoting sounds about right. My save was much longer than that, but that's down to me leaving the game running in a cleared area, whilst I was busy doing other real life things.

Since I liked the story (when I usually hate plot especially plot with 'moral' choices), actually finished it (which I often don't), didn't mind the 3rd person action game combat, enjoyed all the Dungeon Siege lore, and got used to the funky controls and consolitis, and am probably going to replay it with a different character build, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give it 8/10 and consider my money well spent despite the obvious flaws.

However, you're mileage not only may vary, I'm pretty sure it will vary, and vary strongly, I wouldn't blame anybody for really hating it.
 
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Harsh reviews from the mainstream GameSpot and IGN sites. Interesting impressions from SKapusniak. I still like it for what it is and enjoy the mindless hack/slash and story scenes. It's a good distraction.
 
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