Dungeon Siege 3.

[Zoop]

http://i52.tinypic.com/2ufevxe.jpg

Release date: 17 June 2011

Official Dungeon Siege 3 Homepage (www.dungeonsiege.com)

So, seeing as the release date is coming closer, I reckon making a thread is in order, especially seeing as I'm sure there are a number of people anticipating this game together with me.


Square Enix Ltd., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX? interactive entertainment products in Europe and other PAL territories, announced today that DUNGEON SIEGE™ III will be available from 27th May, 2011, in Europe and other PAL territories, with an exclusive Limited Edition available for pre-orders. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the all-new incarnation of the classic action-RPG franchise will make its debut on high-def home video game consoles. This May, players will experience the much-awaited next chapter in the DUNGEON SIEGE lore on PlayStation?3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360? video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

In DUNGEON SIEGE III, players assume the role of one of four legionnaires in the crumbling kingdom of Ehb, fighting for the sake of their fallen comrades. Conflict is constant and decisions have lasting consequences, allowing players to dictate the outcome of the tale. Do battle as a lone hero or fight alongside up to three friends and, thanks to robust AI, DUNGEON SIEGE III's co-op multiplayer mode allows players to seamlessly drop in and out of battle without interrupting the action or impacting the campaign.

Available exclusively for pre-orders, a limited edition Dungeon Siege III pack will be available in PAL territories featuring four unique in-game items available to activate on day of launch, enhancing and increasing your characters' abilities as they venture forth through the Kingdom of Ehb.

Official News Article (http://eu.dungeonsiege.com/news-article.php?release)


Torn asunder, the delicate balance of power between the kingdom of Ehb's powerful factions has fallen apart. As one of the few remaining members of the disgraced protectors of the land, the 10th Legion, it is up to you to rebuild the once great Legion and stop Ehb from falling into darkness. Joined by a group of unique companions, you will travel through the striking land of Ehb defeating all manner of villains and beasts through a combination of heroic abilities, screen shaking magic and fearsome weapons.

DUNGEON SIEGE 3 seamlessly blends intuitive action gameplay, a robust RPG system featuring a large selection of abilities, an extensive multiplayer component and the depth of story Square Enix and Obsidian Entertainment are known for creating.

* For the first time, play DUNGEON SIEGE on high-def consoles

* Players will be able to adventure by themselves or with friends in co-op multiplayer

* Uncover a deep story that only Square Enix and Obsidian Entertainment can deliver

* Pick from unique and highly customizable character classes with a wide range of abilities to choose from

* Recruit companions with unique personalities, abilities and views on the world around them

* Players will have weighty decisions to make that will impact their alliances, enemies and the culmination of the story

BTGames Information page. (http://btgames.co.za/bt/infopage.asp?A07030)


It also has different rewards for pre-ordering at various retailers. No news yet on what BTGames will give us. Steam seems to offer the best deal, though.


Obsidian Entertainment and Square Enix have announced the official release date of Dungeon Siege 3, the action packed role play game.

The game is set to be released on May 31st 2011, and a large variety of retailer are adding in extras to offer in return for a customers pre order.

The majority of these pre order bonuses have been in appearing in the form of in-game bonuses, aimed at the big gamers and fans of the first two Dungeon Siege games.

Below are a few examples of these bonuses.

Amazon: Bite of Arakun – Grants the player the ability to poison enemies with lingering injury or soften their defences, leaving them vulnerable for follow-up attacks.

Best Buy: Sacred Heart of the Legion – Increases a player’s health and pushes close combat assailants back each time the bearer is struck in battle.

GameStop: Burning Band of Scorch – This exclusive pre order in-game ring increases the raw damage of a player’s attacks and sets all foes ablaze with any weapon.
Talisman of the Grand Mage – This exclusive pre order in-game necklace reduces incoming damage on the player and grants the ability to lash out with a mystical attack that injures enemies in close-range combat.

However, retailer Steam have gone for something completely different, and the best value for the pre order deal.

With Steam, you get both ‘Dungeon Siege’, and ‘Dungeon Siege 2′ for free. That’s two absolutely free digital game copies.

This deal only seems to be worth the money however, if you do not already own the first two games.

Walmart also offer a mini strategy guide for the game, as well as a Dark Horse comic with their offer.

Dungeon Siege 3 will be released for the PC, Xbox360, and the PlayStation 3, for an average price of ?40.

Pre-order perks (http://www.techwatch.co.uk/2011/02/09/dungeon-siege-3s-release-offers-tons-of-pre-order-perks/)

System Requirements according to BTGames.


Intel Processor - Core 2 Duo E4400 2.0GHz AMD Processor - Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4200+Nvidia Graphics Card - GeForce GTS 240 ATI Graphics Card - Radeon HD 3870RAM (Memory) - 2 GB Hard Disk Space - 4 GBDirect X - 9

http://i53.tinypic.com/2s60i7n.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/2ppbfqq.jpg

[Nferno]

I'm going to get on this as soon as it's out, it looks great.

Hopefully they still have tier-sets and the like. I absolutely loved finding a hidden place in Dungeon Siege and getting me a nice purple in a chest.

[echo]

As much as I liked the first 2 I fear for this one, just because Obsidian is in charge. With Gas Powered Games you knew you were getting an awesome, most bug free experience with lots of detail. With Obsidians track record... not so much.

And if I do buy it, it will be only for the theme song.

[Squirly]

If anything, the fact that Obsidian is making this and not GPG is what's got me interested. Dungeon Siege isn't a very complex game, though the second one improved a bit on the abysmal handling of stats and skills in the first game. Obsidian make interesting and complex games first, worrying about shiny and smooth after that. Yes, their games can be a bit more polished, but I'd still rather take a rough diamond than a polished turd.

[James Donaldson]

Well I dozed off a few times trying to get through Dungeon Siege 2, it bored me so much, never did finish Act 3. I would have carried on, but what got me was every time the characters started talking, it was cancelled because an enemy was almost always too close.

[spjt07]

I am super stoked for this game. Both Witcher 2 and Dungeon Siege 3 come out shortly after my birthday so it will be an interesting decision deciding between the 2.

[Zoop]

I just hope the locations will be as interesting and varied as those in the first game. The first really amazed me with how much detail had been put into creating all the loacations.

[Zoop]

I just changed my Brink Pre-order to this, and I'm absolutely exited. BTGames has a first 500 pre-orders gets a free comic book thing going on, so here's hoping I get that.

[Spindleshanks]

yap. I'm really amped for this.

I never played any of the previous titles, but i know a great rpg when I see one...

[Garson007]

Loved the second more than the first. Brilliant mixture between hack and slash and story driven RPG. If it had the Titan Quest revelation of actually dropping what the enemies were holding (something I haven't seen since. :<), it would have easily been the most fun isometric RPG I've ever played.

[Nekuro]

Loved Dungeon Siege 2, totally amped for this! :D

This reminds me that I actually need to finish the second one, I think school got in the way and I forgot about it... Need to find it again!

[James Donaldson]

The vid on the NAG disk with the girl with the duel pistols won me over, >_<

[Zoop]

Well, it's about two weeks away and I just can't wait! I find it interesting that they opted to create 4 characters for the player to choose from, instead of letting us build up our own character. I hope they pull it off well. I just wonder what it means for party building, seeing as you're probably going to be in a party with the other 3 characters. Being able to assemble a party suited to your needs was one of the things I loved most from the previous games.

[echo]

I don't want to ruin this thread with negativity but I see this turning up mediocre at best. I've stated how I felt about Obsidian, but all I've seen about this game looks more DMC/God of War then Dungeon Siege. I hope I'm wrong.

[CaViE]

Isn't there supposed to be a demo out this weekend?

[Zoop]

I don't want to ruin this thread with negativity but I see this turning up mediocre at best. I've stated how I felt about Obsidian, but all I've seen about this game looks more DMC/God of War then Dungeon Siege. I hope I'm wrong.

I have to admit, Square Enix being the publisher worries me greatly. But I'm just going to close my eyes and hope for the best. Dungeon Siege 1 was the first game I got when I got my very own PC all those years ago, so here's hoping this game doesn't ruin what Dungeon Siege is all about for me.

[The_Furry_Cat]

I hope this game will not end up being as crappy as DA2.

[spjt07]

Isn't there supposed to be a demo out this weekend?

Yeah the demo was released for xbox in usa. South africa etc is sometime in the week, i think the 12th.
Pc demo i think is only going to be available on steam though. Might be mistaken

[CaViE]

I hope this game will not end up being as crappy as DA2.

WUT.

Why do people keep doing that. Really.

I mean sure you can call a game crap for X and Y reasons, but MUST you say that in the thread of every related game in the genre?

I for one adored (http://egamer.co.za/2011/03/review-dragon-age-2/) Dragon Age 2.

And for those comparing it to Dungeon Siege 2 also, THAT GAME is the reason I got into RPG. So please...

(Perhaps that's a sign of my bad taste in gaming? :P )

[The_Furry_Cat]

Ouch, you feel offended by my previous comment on DA2.

Everyone has a different taste, accept it and move on.

[Zoop]

Yeah the demo was released for xbox in usa. South africa etc is sometime in the week, i think the 12th.
Pc demo i think is only going to be available on steam though. Might be mistaken

Probably, because the retail game also uses Steam.


Ouch, you feel offended by my previous comment on DA2.

Everyone has a different taste, accept it and move on.

No, if he's anything like me, not offended, irritated. Irritated because for the last two or three months people have been comparing every single RPG to come out to DA2, saying how they hope it's going to be better than DA2.

If DA2 is really worse than all other RPGs to you, make a thread titled 'DA2 is worse than...' and post every new RPG's name in there. Stop spamming up other threads with that crap. We get it, you don't like DA2.

[The_Furry_Cat]

Wow.

OT:

Can't wait to play the demo. I used to play DS1 demo a lot :P That's how I fell in love with DS series.

[-Bouncer-]

So it's only a few more days until it gets released. I already pre-ordered mine for the 360 although I'm thinking of changing to the PS3 since I only have one 360 controller and two PS3 controllers. I'm keen to try multiplayer in this. The only down side is that there will only be four characters. Maybe over time they will release more in DLC or an expansion.

So who pre-ordered theres already?

[Zoop]

I'm waiting for mine to arrive as well. I've also gone compeltely dark on it. I haven't entered a single thread where people were discussing the demo. I'm not going to read any opinions before I play the game myself. :P

[Garson007]

Anyone play the demo yet?

Imho, I'm not fond of the idea of Square Enix publishing a bunch of western-centric games franchises. DS III, Hitman, Deus Ex III, etc. Not fond at all. I don't need more Jap in my games, thanks.

[Zoop]

Well, I've been avoiding reading anything at all about the game ever since the demo came out, but the one thing I have heard is that someone was bitching because it was even less complex than Dragon Age 2.

I "lolwat'd" at that. It's a top-down, hack 'n slash game. Dungeon Siege has always been about clicking on enemies and watching them die while chugging the occasional health or mana potion. I don't see what's supposed to be more complex about that than a fully fledged RPG. :|

[FoX]

I downloaded the demo and it was meh, the only thing this game has in common with Dungeon Siege is the name. totally different game from what you remember(if you played DS1,2).

[Obi Two Kenobi]

I downloaded the demo and it was meh, the only thing this game has in common with Dungeon Siege is the name. totally different game from what you remember(if you played DS1,2).

That does not sound good. I had hopes it would not turn to this.

[Garson007]

Well, I've been avoiding reading anything at all about the game ever since the demo came out, but the one thing I have heard is that someone was bitching because it was even less complex than Dragon Age 2.

I "lolwat'd" at that. It's a top-down, hack 'n slash game. Dungeon Siege has always been about clicking on enemies and watching them die while chugging the occasional health or mana potion. I don't see what's supposed to be more complex about that than a fully fledged RPG. :|
What Dungeon Siege did, especially the second one, is combining good RPG and a story based setting with the H&S roots. It's what made it special. It's what made it different to other H&S games. Much like how Titan Quest was different by having the enemies actually dropping what they were wearing. Without that, Dungeon Siege is not Dungeon Siege - it's a Diablo clone.

[FoX]

Its more of a TorchLight clone.

[Garson007]

Well, that was... interesting. Very very VERY console friendly. It's basically a button bashing action RPG more than a H&S.

[-Bouncer-]

I downloaded the demo and it was meh, the only thing this game has in common with Dungeon Siege is the name. totally different game from what you remember(if you played DS1,2).

Where did you download the demo? It's not on XBL yet, I just checked. Haven't checked the PSN though.

[FoX]

steam

[-Bouncer-]

So after trying out the game, watching some in depth interviews, I am starting to like this game....less. It's coming out Friday and I pre-ordered it on Xbox. Not sure if I still want it though. :/

[Zoop]

I've been hearing bad things about it here and there as well, even though I was trying to stay out of threads discussing the game. I was thinking of cancelling mine, but Take2 has already shipped it.

[Nferno]

I honestly can't wait to get my hands on it tomorrow. I've been craving some mindless RPGing since I've played Fallout.

[-Bouncer-]

That is exactly why I want to get this game. It just seems like a fun hack n slash RPG. The demo did put me off a bit but maybe, just maybe, I will still buy it. What are your guys thoughts on the demo?

[Zoop]

Heh, well mine is coming whether I like it or not, so I'm just going to have to make the best of it. Looking over the complaints so far, most people seem to dislike it because it plays like a console game. That's something I don't really mind much about, as long as it runs alright.

It's a Dungeon Siege game after all, how bad can it be?

Edit: Is it only my PC, or is the Dungeon Siege 3 banner on the site really ugly? Like it has a bad resolution or something.

[-Bouncer-]

Well from what I know, it's NOTHING like the previous Dungeon Siege games.

[Nferno]

Edit: Is it only my PC, or is the Dungeon Siege 3 banner on the site really ugly? Like it has a bad resolution or something.

It looks like Duke Nukem Forever on mine too.

[CaViE]

Well from what I know, it's NOTHING like the previous Dungeon Siege games.

This is what turned me off about the third game. I want MORE Dungeon Siege 2. Not less.

That said, I might still be getting a review copy, so I'll at least be able to see for myself just how much of a different game it is...

Also, if it interests anyone, Jim Sterling aka the coolest guy to ever wear sunglasses indoors, just tweeted the following:



**** it, I'll never get Dungeon Siege III both beaten and reviewed by this morning. Wish publishers would send RPGs a little earlier.




Fortunately, I don't think Dungeon Siege III is too long. It's something of a "casual" RPG. Hoping to review it later today/early tomorrow.


A "casual" RPG, he says...

[Nferno]

A "casual" RPG, he says...

What defines a "Casual" RPG? Because I see Torchlight as a casual RPG and if Dungeon Siege turns out the be like that, I won't be that disappointed.

[Slither]

I think a casual RPG is when they don't use the standard D&D rules, but their own set of rules, which doesn't involve complicated dice rolling and stats and ****, but you can still build up your character or team. This is going to be an easy to play, FUN game, with lots of exploring and brilliant spell FX!

[Angemon]

After playing the demo I agree that it is nothing like the previous Dungeon Sieges. I loved having the ability to change any of my characters into any combinations of fighter, ranger, nature and combat mage. That way I could play in any way and style I chose. I miss that freedom in DS3. The demo grew on me and I liked it. I am just going pretend that this is a different game set in the land of Ehb.

[-Bouncer-]

So far all the reviews that I have read, gave it an average of about 8/10 which is surprisingly good. Most say that it is a solid RPG and stays true to the hack n slash genre. The only thing is, that you should basically forget about the previous Dungeon Siege games. If I can get past that, then I will enjoy this game. A lot. Especially co-op.

[Zoop]

8 isn't a bad score at all. It sure restores a bit of hope in me.

[-Bouncer-]

The only downer for people buying it on PC is that they say it is aimed for consoles. Which, judging by the demo, is true. But I'm getting it for the 360 anyway so it doesn't bother me.

[Nferno]

Can't wait to get my hands on a copy. From what I've been reading online, it's solid enough to hold me over until Deus-Ex and Skyrim launch. Hopefully it's got tons of replayability value, so I can reroll to my heart's content like I did with Dragon Age.

Can somebody confirm that the release date is today? BT Games indicated that it's coming out today, but online search says the 21st of June?

[Zoop]

I'm just waiting for the post office to open up, then I'm fetching mine. :D

[brazed]

I'm still pretty unsure. I'd love to hear back from some of you once you got it.

[Zoop]

I'm not sure how much time I'll have to play it today, but I'll post impressions as soon as I can.

[Turkish]

I've spent about 3 hours on the game so far and find myself rather enjoying it, although it's certainly not the same game as DS2 (other than the lore). It's pretty similar to the two BG: Dark Alliance games. A few things that stick out right away are that the characters and character skill trees are fairly simple. I'd have liked to see a little more options and complexity on that front, but the current system suffices. Game play is fun but nothing earth-shattering - it's your run-of-the-mill action rpg verging on button-smasher. Graphics and art direction are rather enchanting if somewhat generic.

If you enjoyed the two Dark Alliance games I'd give this a go. DS3 doesn't bring anything new to the table, but its still a fun game.

[Nferno]

That's great to hear. I'll be picking up my copy during my lunch break then :D

[Zoop]

I'm installing it now. I'm actually all giddy with excitement. Might be able to get in an hour or two before I have to set off again.

Edit: **** dat ****. I can't install it yet. It hasn't been released yet.

Edit Edit: Even though it states it's been released on the Steam Store page. I can only preload. I hope this isn't a new bug that's going to prevent me from playing for the next 3 days. :/

[Nferno]

Edit: **** dat ****. I can't install it yet. It hasn't been released yet.

Wait...what? Am I missing something here? I thought it was being released today?

[Zoop]

Yeah, that's what I thought as well, and from the Steam forums it seems people are playing it as well. But when I try and install it from the disk, it gives me an error stating that I can't because the game hasn't been released yet. :/

Maybe it's locked according to timezone, but I've never heard of Steam doing that before.

[-Bouncer-]

Zoop did you get that comic with yours? If so, how is it? I have yet to pick mine up.

[Nferno]

Maybe it's locked according to timezone, but I've never heard of Steam doing that before.

Hopefully this isn't the case with the console versions, since that's what I'm aiming for. BT Games have taken it off their release schedule, so I hope I can walk in and grab a copy.

I should have preordered it.

[-Bouncer-]

Well Kalahari shows that it is in stock (consoles) and they still give the pre-order comic with the game if you buy it and its only R519.

[Zoop]

Zoop did you get that comic with yours? If so, how is it? I have yet to pick mine up.

Heh, I haven't read it yet, but it's tiny. I think it's not even half an A5 page.

My game's still locked, though. I hate Steam again. :|

[Zoop]

According to the Steam news page, it has been unlocked in South Africa, so it's a bug. Yai for having to wait until 7pm tonight when the Steam staff wake up.

[Nferno]

I got my copy! Stoked!

Now to just make my way through this work day so I can get home and disregard console ports and acquire loots.

[Zoop]

I just installed it by tunneling a European VPN. It seems to be downloading a 50 mb patch. Now to just see if I can get it to play.

[Zoop]

Sorry for the double post, but here's my impressions so far, even though I've only just started the game.

The game and story looks pretty good so far. The control scheme and combat sucks for me.

You can either control your character by holding right mouse button or using wasd. The fighting is click to hit, so you click for every hit you want to make, as opposed to clicking on NPC once in the previous games. There is also attacks mapped to the 1,2 and 3 buttons on the keyboard, and you block by holding spacebar. You can also more or less click anywhere and your character will automatically swing around to attack any nearby NPC, sort of like auto-aim. I would say that automatically places it in a different category than games like Titan Quest or the original DS series, where you could play the entire game using just the mouse. It's not done shabbily, but I preferred the old control scheme.

To me, the best way to describe the controls would be Dragon Age 2 meets Gothic.

So far, it's not a bad game. but it doesn't fit in with the Dungeon Siege series. You can almost taste the Square Enix dripping off this game.

Edit: Let me put it this way, if you can, get it on console. I bet it plays a lot better there.

[Nferno]

And now, I leave work all giddy and excited with my copy of Dungeon Siege III in hand. Got cold ones in the fridge, pizza on the way and fat session of Transkei's finest waiting for me back in my apartment.

http://i.imgur.com/D5EzR.gif

Dungeon Siege III better not disappoint.

[Repline]

http://i.imgur.com/D5EzR.gif

LOL.

Please post a msg to let us know your "first" impression, im still considering to buy or not.

[Turkish]

Sorry for the double post, but here's my impressions so far, even though I've only just started the game.

The game and story looks pretty good so far. The control scheme and combat sucks for me.

You can either control your character by holding right mouse button or using wasd. The fighting is click to hit, so you click for every hit you want to make, as opposed to clicking on NPC once in the previous games. There is also attacks mapped to the 1,2 and 3 buttons on the keyboard, and you block by holding spacebar. You can also more or less click anywhere and your character will automatically swing around to attack any nearby NPC, sort of like auto-aim. I would say that automatically places it in a different category than games like Titan Quest or the original DS series, where you could play the entire game using just the mouse. It's not done shabbily, but I preferred the old control scheme.

To me, the best way to describe the controls would be Dragon Age 2 meets Gothic.

So far, it's not a bad game. but it doesn't fit in with the Dungeon Siege series. You can almost taste the Square Enix dripping off this game.

Edit: Let me put it this way, if you can, get it on console. I bet it plays a lot better there.

It doesn't play better on a console. It plays better with a game pad. I quickly switched from mouse and keyboard to my 360 controller.

[Zoop]

I have to admit, this game is pretty well optimized on PC. My rig can abrely handle Witcher 2 on low, but I'm blasting through this on highest settings. And it doesn't look half bad either.

[Nferno]

If you're looking for a sequel to Dungeon Siege II, forget it. It's vastly different and yes, it is very console-friendly. There are no health or mana potions, not many options to set in terms of customization and most importantly - NO QUICKSAVES. I don't know how I missed that tooltip in the very short, very uninformative tutorial, but I got 3 hours into the game only to die and start again from the beginning. I was most unimpressed.

However, if you take the game as a standalone RPG and not a sequel to Dungeon Siege II, it's quite entertaining. Loooooot! So much loot that it falls out the sky, blocks out the sun and by God, we will loot in the shade. The environment visuals are very impressive and it sure has some Dungeon Siege resemblance, but I think that's only as far as aesthetics go. It's pretty dumbed down in terms of customizing your character's stats and they've included a perk-like feature that allows you to focus on spell specifics, making you more proficient at your abilities.

I'm really enjoying it. It's actually quite a good addition to the Dungeon Siege series if you can look past it's re-design. The story is pretty entertaining as well, but from what I've noticed all 4 characters share the same storyline, so don't expect a different experience when rolling a new class other than new spells and the odd dialogue option.

[spjt07]

I am glad that it is not so much a sequal, as I actually never finished Dungeon Siege 2. I really want to pick this one up. Just gotta save up the cash now

[Nferno]

Yeah, you don't need to have played the previous game. Just make sure to get yourself a controller if you're going to get it on PC, as other's have suggested.

[Zoop]

The only thing I can really moan about is that exploration has more or less been removed. All the areas I've been through so far have been an integral part of the storyline. Nothing is extra just for you to explore for the fun of it.

[spjt07]

Yeah, you don't need to have played the previous game. Just make sure to get yourself a controller if you're going to get it on PC, as other's have suggested.

I have the Isonic controller. Not a very good one, hopefully that will work though. As far as I know you can play co op on one pc, so I am hoping to play it with the gf, or am I wrong?

[Zoop]

The one thing I don't like very much is that once you turn your back, enemies respawn. Sometimes I'd fight through an area, then quickly run back to a previous save point to save my game, just to return to the same area and find it repopulated. That said, though, I haven't found many of the battles on Normal that difficult.

[Zoop]

Okay, so now that I've sunk a lot of time into this, I can give a better impression of the game.

It's meh.

I'm not finding it too bad, I'm just finding it a terrible Dungeon Siege game. I knew things weren't going to be the same after Square Enix took over development, but I wasn't expecting the game to more or less hop genres. It's a button masher, whereas 1 and 2 required a lot less button mashing and a bit more party management to overcome certain situations.

It's also a weekend game, unlike the first two games. What I mean by this is, buy it, play it over the weekend, have it finished and forgotten by Sunday evening. It doesn't have nearly the same level of epicness in the first two games. It's very forgettable and I can't find myself really caring about the story, which is a pity because the game focuses more on the story than the hack 'n slashing, like the first games. Did I mention it's short? The first Dungeon Siege game was loooong! If you entered a new area, say a snowy area, and you didn't like it, tough ****ing luck because you're going to be looking at it for at least the next 6 hours. And it had a ****ton of areas. I don't think it was even possible to finish the game in a weekend playing 24/7. Dungeon Siege 2 was half the length of the first, and that took me more than a week to finish.

The looting system, one of the integral parts of the first games, is gone. Gone are the days of rearranging your items in your inventory so that you can just squeeeeeze that last item in. The inventory has no limit and it uses a shared inventory for all the characters in your party. At least loot is dropped aplenty, but I can't really say I'm ever excited when something drops, because you're not constantly getting slightly better loot every few minutes like the first games. I bought myself some equipment from the shop, and nothing really gets dropped that can trump what I'm wearing.

The game tunnels you. Sure, the first games did that as well, but it at least let you deviate from the path here and there. There are a few turn-offs and caves and things to explore, but most are tied to sidequests, so you don't have those random little places you can explore simply for the sake of getting new loot.

The combat has been explained to death by now, but it consists of you clicking or pressing numbers 1 to 3 to do special attacks. And you can use spacebar to roll to evade attacks. What irks me most is the game seems to decide for me what I want to attack. I'd be facing an enemy, click in his direction, and my character will swing around to attack someone behind him. This often proves fatal if you were aiming to take down a more powerful enemy first.

Also, there is no such thing as health potions. Typical of JRPGs, if you kill enemies they drop green and blue orbs which restore health and power(basically mana) respectively. This is another of the micromanagement features that made the previous games the cookiecutter hack 'n slashes they were. It makes the game feel cheap. It's especially annoying if you die just before killing a boss because you ran out of health and you don't have enough charge for your passive healing stance to be activated.

So, yeah, that's what I can think of right now. I'll post more impressions as I play further, though I suspect I'll be done in the next hour or two. It's really not a bad game, but if I had to buy it again, I wouldn't pay more than R50 for it. Torchlight was a more fulfilling Hack 'n Slash, in my opinion.

[Slither]

Oops, I traded L.A. Noire for this, and I'm beginning to think I made a mistake. Only three hours in, and already I can confirm everything Zoop said. There's just nothing that urges you to keep on playing. Currently I'm just going through the motions, forcing myself to play, because I bought the bloody thing. The voice acting is the worst part. It's mind numbingly pathetic. After having finished Dragon Age 2 twice, this really feels VERY lame...about as lame as Two Worlds II.

[Nferno]

Also, there is no such thing as health potions. Typical of JRPGs, if you kill enemies they drop green and blue orbs which restore health and power(basically mana) respectively. This is another of the micromanagement features that made the previous games the cookiecutter hack 'n slashes they were. It makes the game feel cheap. It's especially annoying if you die just before killing a boss because you ran out of health and you don't have enough charge for your passive healing stance to be activated.


I found it funny that one of my friends came over, saw me playing and said "It's as if God of War was an RPG" and hell, you can't argue with that. He ****ing nailed it.

I'm still thoroughly enjoying it. I like the story , even though it feels a bit cliche' (Thy must gather thine kinsmen and head onwards to ally thyselves to [PEOPLE X] so as to empower thine forces be great enough to destroy [PEOPLE Y]). It's fun and there are some great little nuggets contained within that make the story worthwhile (like the robot guards which bitch about having simple and repetitive jobs).

Maybe I'll have a different opinion towards the end of the game, but so far it's an A+, would play again.

[Zoop]

That's actually a pretty good way of describing it (God of War RPG). It's not a bad game, though, just very forgettable. I don't see myself replaying it after I'm done with it.

Another annoyance I have, and I don't know if it's limited to the PC version, is that some of the buttons are unresponsive during combat. If I'm fighting, I have to stop and do absolutely nothing before I can press the button to activate my regenerative ability, otherwise nothing happens. It becomes a problem if you're in the middle of a group of enemies and low on health.

[Nferno]

Hm. Tried playing it with a controller? I haven't encountered an issue like that on 360. It plays very much like an action-adventure game over a Hack 'n Slash (Every character having some form of evade), so maybe it was optimized for controller?

I'm not particularly fond of the evade mechanic. It focuses too much on tactics and shadows what make a hack 'n slash in the first place - lots of situational abilities.

[Grimnebulin]

Since Nferno seems to be in the minority where positive vibes toward this game are concerned, I'd like to add to that with a few thoughts gleaned from around 10 hours worth of play this weekend.

Firstly, can we all please, for the love of Nagog, dispense with all the 'it's not DS1 or DSII' nonsense. I've been following the development of DS3 closely, and at a very earlier stage, Square and Obsidian were transparently clear about how the game would play. I could understand complaints if they had tried to conceal this fact, but that is simply not the case. The game is not an RPG in the vein of its forebears, and it cannot be marked down for not adhering to such. I don't see any problem with keeping the Dungeon Siege name, the game makes plenty of references to events or characters from the previous games, and I certainly can't see why 'rebooting' the franchise should make for a new name.

Also, on the co-op side Obsidian were again very clear about how it would work. It might be a mark in the black book for those who hope to build a character that they can run in someone else's campaign, but why would you want to? The characters are for the most part predefined, this is not a scenario where you have spent hours perfecting your multiplayer character and want to give him a run online. Complaints abound about not being able to take your XP and gold if you are not the host, but again my question is why would you? You're not spending it on stats levelling, there aren't any 'ultimate' type weapons costing tons of gold that you are desperately saving for. The multiplayer aspect is purely, jump in and have fun. If they had taken this approach, they would have needed to ensure that overpowered characters would be allocated to the appropriate game and the other balancing niggles that would have brought about. I can completely understand that they decided not to waste resources to this end.

The key to whether or not you should look at buying/renting DS3 is really about expectation. Personally, I expected an enjoyable action RPG with a decent co-op component that would scratch an itch that's been growing since Torchlight. I was not expecting something to rival either of the first two games, nor a better DA2/Two Worlds 2 timesink. And this is precisely what I got, making me a happy camper. Currently, I'm six hours into my singleplayer session, and slightly less than that in co-op with my wife. That's already over 10 hours, with probably slightly more than that to go before the curtain falls. Each to his own, but that more than justifies purchase price for me. Zoop would have you believe it's not worth more than R50....his(or her) opinion, sure, but I think that's a little misleading.

As for gameplay, let me also counter a few points previously made that I feel are unsubstantiated. Thus far, the loot system has been great. The difficulty with a game based on copious amounts of loot is to find that balance between ensuring there is the call of something better just around the next corner, but not to the point of every proceeding barrel/chest guaranteeing that fact. DS3 gets this right. The health system (which also seems to be getting flack) was also explained quite clearly pre-release. Whilst there is a regeneration system in place, the mechanics of the game are designed to encourage consistent attacking. Whether or not Square is to be held responsible for the orb system in the game, this does not make it an inferior system to potions. I actually found it quite a refreshing approach, as there is no room for grinding for gold just to stock ridiculous quantities so one can just wail on the enemy and spam potions.

Tactis are not on the level of DA:O, but there is still a tactical approach required, especially in co-op and when playing Reinhart. The voice-acting is far from 'pathetic'. Far from Bioware standards yes, but nowhere near as bad as Two Worlds II. It's serviceable for the most part, and fairly good in others. I don't get the criticism of the cutscene graphics either; the game is fetching where it counts, with good levels of detail and variety in the environments. And the humour is also more hit than miss, which was pleasantly surprising.

DA3 is more accurately compared with the Torchlights and Titan Quests of the gaming universe, only with a stronger story and more memorable characters, although it does sacrifice the level of customisation those games possess. If you've played the aforementioned, but wanted a chunkier storyline, a bit more brevity in length (though Torchlight wasn't exactly lengthy) and a decent variety of abilities without devolving into manic stat-tracking or DPS calculations, Dungeon Siege 3 could be what you are looking for.

B+

Besides, I'm not sure whether I would trust the opinion of someone who subjected themselves to a 2nd, voluntary playthrough of DAII! (apologies Slither, couldn't resist taking a swipe as DAII was a sorry excuse. Only meant in jest!)

[MonGooS]

Can any of you comment on the Local Multiplayer? How exactly does the Co-Op work, and is it any good?

[Zoop]

hold on..


Can any of you comment on the Local Multiplayer? How exactly does the Co-Op work, and is it any good?

There's some complaints about the camera, but I haven't played multiplayer myself so I'm not sure. From the sounds of it, though, it seems the players share a single screen, meaning they can't move around freely unless the rest of the group moves with them.

[Nferno]

Well written breakdown.

That was very well put. I'm still yet to dive into the co-op mode, but I'm hoping to dig into that sucker this coming weekend with my brother.

The only serious gripe I have with the game is that there are no quicksaves and it being too reliant on the escape mechanics (Almost to the point where it feels like you're playing Bloodline Champions). Other than that, I think the game is quite fun and entertaining. I can see why it would be dissappointing to Dungeon Siege fans, since it doesn't follow the same formula as the previous titles (I'd be ****ed if Max Payne 3 plays like Bayonnetta), but that doesn't make the game bad.

Besides. Deep down inside, we all know that we're playing this game as a placeholder until Skyrim comes out ;)

[Grimnebulin]

Can any of you comment on the Local Multiplayer? How exactly does the Co-Op work, and is it any good?

You can begin a game with a 2nd player (2nd player presses 'Start' after the opening cinematic), and they can choose between the three characters available (aside from the host's choice). If they choose to leave at any point, the AI takes over, and they can rejoin at a later stage. You cannot create a character to be used in either local or online sessions, and any session you are involved in as the 2nd player will not allow you to take gold, xp or items to your main character's campaign.

If you do join a hosted session, you character will level up instantly to match the host's level. Can't comment how well this works online, but I have been playing local co-op with my wife on the 360, and thus far have had a blast. You share gold and any loot picked up is allocated to the matching character, so there is no need to fight over who picks up what, or spend time in inventory menus exchanging items, which is a great touch.

The only issue I have thus far, is with the camera. Sometimes it can zoom in awkwardly, or if one of you die, the other cannot move further than the limits imposed by your companions corpse, something which is not a problem in SP. Oh yes, multiplayer allows for ressurection, which works to keep the flow of combat, and makes the lack of potions even less of an issue.

Hope that is enough info.

[Zoop]

u mad bro?




Firstly, can we all please, for the love of Nagog, dispense with all the 'it's not DS1 or DSII' nonsense. I've been following the development of DS3 closely, and at a very earlier stage, Square and Obsidian were transparently clear about how the game would play. I could understand complaints if they had tried to conceal this fact, but that is simply not the case. The game is not an RPG in the vein of its forebears, and it cannot be marked down for not adhering to such.

Yes it can, and no I won't stop saying it's not like the DS or DS2, because it isn't. I read just about no articles, previews or anything on the game, because I wanted it to be a surprise the day I ran it the first time. I didn't expect it to be exactly like DS1 or 2, I just didn't expect it to be nothing like it. I see no problem with me being disappointed because the game is absolutely nothing like those that preceded it.


Also, on the co-op side Obsidian were again very clear about how it would work. It might be a mark in the black book for those who hope to build a character that they can run in someone else's campaign, but why would you want to? The characters are for the most part predefined, this is not a scenario where you have spent hours perfecting your multiplayer character and want to give him a run online. Complaints abound about not being able to take your XP and gold if you are not the host, but again my question is why would you? You're not spending it on stats levelling, there aren't any 'ultimate' type weapons costing tons of gold that you are desperately saving for. The multiplayer aspect is purely, jump in and have fun. If they had taken this approach, they would have needed to ensure that overpowered characters would be allocated to the appropriate game and the other balancing niggles that would have brought about. I can completely understand that they decided not to waste resources to this end.

Nobody on this forum even mentioned co-op before you, so maybe you should go put this argument on the forum where people were actually complaining about the coop.


The key to whether or not you should look at buying/renting DS3 is really about expectation. Personally, I expected an enjoyable action RPG with a decent co-op component that would scratch an itch that's been growing since Torchlight. I was not expecting something to rival either of the first two games, nor a better DA2/Two Worlds 2 timesink. And this is precisely what I got, making me a happy camper.

Oh I'm sorry for expecting something different than you did. Next time I'll call you to find out what I'm supposed to be expecting. I totally forgot that if a game is a sequel to two epic games I shouldn't expect it to be epic either.

If I expected it was merely going to scratch my itch for RPGs, I wouldn't have spent R350 on it. My choice. *shrug*


Currently, I'm six hours into my singleplayer session, and slightly less than that in co-op with my wife. That's already over 10 hours, with probably slightly more than that to go before the curtain falls. Each to his own, but that more than justifies purchase price for me. Zoop would have you believe it's not worth more than R50....his(or her) opinion, sure, but I think that's a little misleading.

Precisely. My opinion. I said I wouldn't pay more than R50 for it, not that nobody should. Never mind that I didn't say that's what I thought it was worth, but only that that was what I'm willing to pay for it. Once it's on special somewhere. Or hits the budget range. If you find it a fulfilling RPG, why should you worry what I'm willing to pay for it?


As for gameplay, let me also counter a few points previously made that I feel are unsubstantiated. Thus far, the loot system has been great. The difficulty with a game based on copious amounts of loot is to find that balance between ensuring there is the call of something better just around the next corner, but not to the point of every proceeding barrel/chest guaranteeing that fact. DS3 gets this right.

DS1 and 2 also got it right. There was a constant flow of loot, even more so than in DS3. In DS3, I often don't even look at a new item I just picked up, because I recognise the name as one I used much, much earlier in the game. There's not a giant variety in loot to be had. I don't see how playing the game and seeing it for myself makes my opinion on this unsubstantiated. A rather...odd idea.


The health system (which also seems to be getting flack) was also explained quite clearly pre-release. Whilst there is a regeneration system in place, the mechanics of the game are designed to encourage consistent attacking.

Which is quite boring, because most of my fights go down like *click* *click* *click*, button 1, spacebar, win.


Whether or not Square is to be held responsible for the orb system in the game, this does not make it an inferior system to potions. I actually found it quite a refreshing approach, as there is no room for grinding for gold just to stock ridiculous quantities so one can just wail on the enemy and spam potions.

You totally missed my point there. I actually like grinding for gold to stock potions, because that's part of hack 'n slash games for me. I enjoy that, because I actually have to strike a balance between being able to stay alive during combat by buying enough potions, and having enough gold left to keep buying the occassional piece of excellent equipment. For me (in my opinion hur dur, seeing as that's the part you seem to miss), that's part of the what makes a hack 'n slash, a hack 'n slash. Nothing wrong if you don't enjoy it, just like there's nothing wrong with me not liking green floaty orbs to replenish my health.


Tactis are not on the level of DA:O, but there is still a tactical approach required, especially in co-op and when playing Reinhart.

Meh, I've employed no tactics so far, other than clicking and occasionally using a special ability and rolling around.


DA3 is more accurately compared with the Torchlights and Titan Quests of the gaming universe,

Lolwut? No offense, opinions and all dat ****, but this game is nothing like Titan Quest or Torchlight. It's much more like God of War and Darksiders.


devolving into manic stat-tracking or DPS calculations, Dungeon Siege 3 could be what you are looking for.

That's part of what makes hack 'n slash RPGs like the previous DS games fun for me. Character customization.


Besides, I'm not sure whether I would trust the opinion of someone who subjected themselves to a 2nd, voluntary playthrough of DAII! (apologies Slither, couldn't resist taking a swipe as DAII was a sorry excuse. Only meant in jest!)

No offense, but that's just stupid. DA2 had way more RPG elements than DS3, and not trusting someone's opinion on DS3 because he liked DA2 is pretty ironic. I also happened to like DA2.

Besides that, it seems you have a problem with people not liking the same game you do. I mean no offense by it, but that's the idea I get from your post. A pity, because I didn't say that I don't like the game, just that it didn't live up to my expectations. I don't see what's so bad about that, yet for some reason you act like I was downright bashing the game. I was merely giving an opinion on the aspects I don't like, not saying 'hurrr this game sucks leopard titties'. Nothing wrong with having different taste in games.

[Nferno]

I specifically like the part where you saw an informative post trying to be informative and saw it as an attack post, so you attacked in retaliation.

This is why we can't have nice things.

[Repline]

Coming back on topic, thanks to all you guys adding some information.

With all the information (External/internal) I gathered so far, I think it has peaked my interest enough to warrant a 'buy'.

[Grimnebulin]

u mad bro?

Er, did I miss the part where I specifically stated that my post was in response to yours? (quick read through)....nope, didn't think so. Not sure why you seem to think I was attacking your sentiments, I certainly don't recall using any loaded language, stating that you were outright incorrect in your opinion, or anything of the sort. I may have used a few items you picked up on as a starting point for why I disagreed, but all you did was echo sentiments I've seen in other reviews/forums, so my highlighting of them was not directed at you, but rather because they seem to be a general response. Since this is the case, your point per point response, though welcome, is way off the mark. I don't have a problem with anyone liking a game that I don't, I made it quite clear in the first line that I felt the game was getting too much negative feedback, and thought it deserved more support. I also made it quite clear that I took what others said as opinion, and treated them as such. I do not subscribe to the notion that everyone must agree with my outlook.

You seem to have read my thoughts through a predetermined filter...evident by your complete oversight of the fact that my last comment was made in jest, something I actually stated. I was not comparing DA2 to DS3, and of course I wasn't serious about trusting Slither based off what he likes. That would be stupid. I shall endeavour to be less subtle in future.

Let's just agree to disagree on the DS1 and DS2 issue. I don't begrudge your wanting to purchase DS3 without spoilers, but I would hesitate to say that you are in the minority on that one (though that may make an interesting side discussion). If I am spending the kind of money games cost these days, I want to be informed about what to expect.

Your comment about not picking items up because they have the same name indicates to me why you found this aspect disappointing, as there are items with the same name but different stats, making one inferior to the other. Yes, I have held on to a specific Greatsword for a while, but I have upgraded plenty of my other items, and I have held on to the sword not because nothing better has come along, but because the sword's stats fit with my build.

May I ask what difficulty you are playing on? On hardcore, and especially co-op (as I did state), communication with your partner certainly makes things easier. Just because you are not employing a particular strategy does not mean the benefits of employing one are not present. I could probably button mash and still complete the game, but I would not enjoy it as much.

As for comparing it to Torchlight and Titan Quest, I was merely stating that those games are a better indication as to what to expect than comparisons to DA2 or NWN for example. You may be taken with the notion that Darksiders and GOW are a more accurate comparison, perhaps the best one is somewhere in between.

Lastly, I certainly did not expect that no one would disagree with what I said, I enjoy debating the merits of a game as much as the next guy. It would be extremely boring if we all saw eye to eye on all gaming matters. But that said, I would think that were a game you enjoy being slated for reasons you feel are not entirely accurate, you would state your opinion, justify it and attempt to at least bring balance to the thread.

If anyone here is getting touchy about having their 'opinion' questioned, with all due respect, it is you. If you really did not think the game is all that bad, why not list the positives with the negatives? I was simply attempting to bring balance to the force, no disrespect intended.

[echo]

Rent at best for me. Although it sounds like you're having a blast there is something fundamentally wrong with changing a game into something totally different. Why not create your game as you wish, but call it something else, so that the fans who enjoyed the 1st and 2nd game can actually enjoy a proper sequel.

I don't want to sound like one of those Dragon Age 2 nay-sayers but why create something it was not? Make a God Of War RPG, but don't force that idea into an established franchise. It's getting good reviews overall, which I'm happy for Obsidian's sake but I don't know how this will sell. Because fans of the original games won't all be fans of this one. I'm still not sure why they used the Dungeon Siege name then.

But that is my rant done until I've played the game.

[Nferno]

I don't want to sound like one of those Dragon Age 2 nay-sayers but why create something it was not? Make a God Of War RPG, but don't force that idea into an established franchise.

This is the way I picture it (so please correct me if I'm wrong):

You want to go against the grain and try something new in an RPG, breaking away from the tried-and-tested hack 'n slash formula. You have some great ideas, but your publisher also wants you to make X number of sales and thinks it's risky going on a new franchise.

So what they do is tack the new IP on to an existing franchise and add in some relevant lore. The franchise will garnish the publicity which will ensure that you have some nice sales, making the publisher happy and the dev stoked that his idea for an RPG is out on the market.

[James Donaldson]

I love Hack&Slash games like Diablo, but am I the only one who thinks Dungeon Siege 3 being nothing like Dungeon Siege 2 is a good thing?
I can't comment on Dungeon Siege 3 yet, but I got bored to tears trying to get through Dungeon Siege 2, maybe it was the art direction or something, but everytime I play DS2, I literally start falling asleep -even with my guy exploding a dozen enemies with his double sword shockwave.
Any bit of character interaction in DS2 was ruined because NPC allies would only talk in set places -then break off the conversation to go fight the one imp that's right there and there was no way to get them to talk again. I may be the only one but I've never got past Act 3 -nevermind the expansion.
I also can't mention DS1 because I never played it besides the demo.

[echo]

And in the process possibly stopping the franchise you sacrificed to make the game. Yeah, could be, but it doesn't mean I like it.

And speaking of

try something new in an RPG

They already tried that with Alpha Protocol. And look how that turned out. OK, maybe a little harsh of me to blame Obsidian for this but why does Square Enix have the rights to Dungeon Siege anyway? Didn't it belong to Microsoft?

Maybe I think that Gas Powered Games could maybe have made a better (proper) DS sequel. It 's stupid to compare the 3 games' Metacritic scores but while DS1 & 2 were solid 8/10 this looks like a 7. Progress? No.

[Zoop]

Okay, I'll admit, my response was somewhat over-aggressive. I apologize for being so rude. Your arguments just felt like copypasta arguments that I've been bombarded with on the Steam forums whenever I admitted to the game not living up to my expectations. I was more angry because the tone of your post implied that you misunderstood why I posted the nagative aspects of the game. I think I should rather elaborate on why the game is so disappointing to me so far. :P

See, the first game was very dear to me, because I got it when I was very young, back in a time where I got a new game maybe once or twice a year. I was very impressionable, and liked any game that was put down in front of me. Dungeon Siege, however, was the best. For me, there was no equal at the time. I played it for at least an hour or two every weekend for three or four years straight. Singleplayer, single player through the multiplayer map, coop through both the normal campaign and the multiplayer map with my brother. I loved that game. Other people grew up with pacman, space invaders or tetris. I grew up with Dungeon Siege, because it was one of the few games I had (I think at the time of getting DS the only other games I had was the Age of Empires Collector's Edition, Red Alert 2, Gunman Chronicles and some kind of air warfare game that is long since lost. :P) and mostly because I started gaming later in my life. That's why DS has always had a special place in my heart. Most top-down, H'nS RPGs I get are compared to that. :P DS1 was designed by a team who clearly loved what they were doing, and it showed. It had numerous problems, but what it did, it mostly did right. It was your basic cookie-cutter H'nS RPG.

You could also see the developers love for their game spilling over into the multiplayer aspect. I mean, how many games has a fully fledged multiplayer campaign, which isn't even advertised anywhere, that has a full storyline, a cleverly laid out world and has most of it's NPCs voice acted? The Utraean Peninsula was basically an MMO in its own right. Hell, I'd say it was even better than the single player campaign. :P I loved that game.

Dungeon Siege 2 changed the formula slightly, but it was still rooted in the original formula.

Now comes Dungeon Siege 3, possibly my most anticipated game aside from Skyrim, and I get a game that is absolutely nothing like the previous games. Sure, I had it coming by not really reading up on it, but I am still disappointed. I wasn't really expecting it to be like the first games, but I expected it to at least bring over a few aspects. When I think Dungeon Siege I think a game that takes weeks to complete, doesn't emphasise the storyline and places most of its focus on the hacking and slashing bits. :P Dungeon Siege 3 is nothing like the game I grew to love.

Maybe if it wasn't called Dungeon Siege, I might have had a better impression of it by not being as biased as I am, because it's honestly not a bad game to me, it's just not a Dungeon Siege game the way I wanted. I'll finish it, but I'll probably not remembering much of it in a month's time, the way I remember little things from the first and second game. It's not going to make the list for my top ten games for 2011. :P

I'm playing it on Normal difficulty, and so far I could get away with just button mashing. From time to time I'll encounter an enemy (usually a boss character) that requires a slight bit of thought, but the normal enemies have all been easily dispatched with my two hander.

PS, I see you mention resurrection in co-op. Not sure if you mean the same thing, but your NPC companions can also resurrect you in singleplayer.

Edit: I do, however, agree with Echo's point, they've pretty much killed Dungeon Siege for the fans of the original by estranging them. It's not bound to sell nearly as well as the first two games. Unless they bring out another one in line with the old formula, I think this might be the end for the Dungeon Siege series.

[Grimnebulin]

Okay, I'll admit, my response was somewhat over-aggressive. I apologize for being so rude. Your arguments just felt like copypasta arguments that I've been bombarded with on the Steam forums whenever I admitted to the game not living up to my expectations. I was more angry because the tone of your post implied that you misunderstood why I posted the nagative aspects of the game. I think I should rather elaborate on why the game is so disappointing to me so far. :P

No worries. I can completely relate with wanting to express disappointment when a vested personal interest is let down. It's happened to me with other games, and I'll admit to wanting to post on forums in response to others praising the game when all I want to do is find a vehicle to express how much I've been let down. Quite frankly, any thread discussing a new release needs both versions of our posts. Maybe there is a perfect game out there, but I for one enjoy seeing the pros and cons and the resulting debates. Any thread with wholesale praise makes me immediately suspicious, but that's just the pessimist in me.

I appreciate the apology, but I'm sure I could have been clearer in what I wrote as well.

And yes, I was aware that NPC's could resurrect. Been very helpful in more instances than I would like to admit!

[Slither]

Please dear God, give me the strength to carry on playing this game, at least until something better comes along. Strengthen my ears, so that I may withstand the urge to smash something when I hear my fiery character's lame, brain damaged voice, grating against my whole being. Give me the wisdom to overcome my perplexity at the fact that these are the same people who made Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout New Vegas, games that sucked away so many hours of my life. Give me the patience to accept that, from time to time, I will run into totally uninspiring game fluff like this, something that I had such high hopes for. Or at least give me the courage to push through until I unlock my first achievement, which has still not happened after 6 grueling, boring hours of gameplay.... Thank you God. Amen.

[James Donaldson]

Please dear God, give me the strength to carry on playing this game, at least until something better comes along. Strengthen my ears, so that I may withstand the urge to smash something when I hear my fiery character's lame, brain damaged voice, grating against my whole being. Give me the wisdom to overcome my perplexity at the fact that these are the same people who made Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout New Vegas, games that sucked away so many hours of my life. Give me the patience to accept that, from time to time, I will run into totally uninspiring game fluff like this, something that I had such high hopes for. Or at least give me the courage to push through until I unlock my first achievement, which has still not happened after 6 grueling, boring hours of gameplay.... Thank you God. Amen.

Oops -my mistake, turns out this was made of Obsidian, the guys that ruined KOTOR2, Neverwinter Nights 2 and New Vegas (yeah I said it -I may have wasted hours on them, but they all could have been done far better)

[CaViE]

TL;DR warning.


I specifically like the part where you saw an informative post trying to be informative and saw it as an attack post, so you attacked in retaliation.

This is why we can't have nice things.

Hmm, I don't know, hey.

I don't have a side to take here, but I sure as hell read that post like it was an attack on, not specifically Zoop, but anyone who had anything bad to say about the game.

A retaliatory defence, if you will.

And then I got off my high horse and let live. :P



Firstly, can we all please, for the love of Nagog, dispense with all the 'it's not DS1 or DSII' nonsense. I've been following the development of DS3 closely, and at a very earlier stage, Square and Obsidian were transparently clear about how the game would play. I could understand complaints if they had tried to conceal this fact, but that is simply not the case. The game is not an RPG in the vein of its forebears, and it cannot be marked down for not adhering to such. I don't see any problem with keeping the Dungeon Siege name, the game makes plenty of references to events or characters from the previous games, and I certainly can't see why 'rebooting' the franchise should make for a new name.


The latter point is especially true for the amount of reboots that are coming, but whereas they do things with a bit more explicitness -- DmC and Tomb Raider for example drop any sort of suffixes and numbers -- Dungeon Siege 3 has the keyword 3 so it's fair to those who've not been keeping track of the game much -- like Zoop, and with good reason -- to expect a fully fledged sequel and not a pear, to the previous apples.

I for one did know that DS3 will not be DS2 or DS1, having kept relatively up to date over progress with the game, but only because I've been doing articles on it, news mostly, so I was sort of forced into knowing.

I never quite understand the criticisms that developers have for their games, though. Chris Taylor, in a dev diary for DS2 remarked quite a few times that people found the first Dungeon Siege "boring" as though they could go and "pick up a book and the game would attack for itself" which is why powers and skills were added into DS2's combat, to keep gamers' attention. I just sat there going "lolwut?".

And then they hated DS2 for the same reason.

Lolwut?



I was not expecting something to rival either of the first two games, nor a better DA2/Two Worlds 2 timesink. And this is precisely what I got, making me a happy camper. Currently, I'm six hours into my singleplayer session, and slightly less than that in co-op with my wife. That's already over 10 hours, with probably slightly more than that to go before the curtain falls. Each to his own, but that more than justifies purchase price for me.


I sometimes remark amongst friends that the four or so hours they've spent with an RPG game are not worth them forming any particular opinions about, such is the nature of an RPG.

Take for example Mass Effect, where the first few hours make you want to club seals, and then it gets so, so, so much better, later on.

RPGs take huge amounts of game time before an opinion over them can be properly formed, and sometimes even then that's not really enough (Multiple Playthrough Syndrome, as I call it).

To the point of quoting, though: It seems that, at least for the moment, the "disappointed with DS3" crowd will largely consist people who expected more DS1/2.



I actually found it quite a refreshing approach, as there is no room for grinding for gold just to stock ridiculous quantities so one can just wail on the enemy and spam potions.


I don't know.

I got around this in pretty much every RPG game I've played, EVAR by having a healer in my team.

Potions for mana, perhaps, and even then, blood magic sorts that out (where it applies). :P



Besides, I'm not sure whether I would trust the opinion of someone who subjected themselves to a 2nd, voluntary playthrough of DAII! (apologies Slither, couldn't resist taking a swipe as DAII was a sorry excuse. Only meant in jest!)


I'd actually -- honestly -- really care for your opinion on Dragon Age 2. :)

PM perhaps? Or you could use the Dragon Age 2 thread, wherever it is right now...

I seem to be the only person in existence who actually liked the game.



Nobody on this forum even mentioned co-op before you, so maybe you should go put this argument on the forum where people were actually complaining about the coop.


Admittedly I also noted that while reading Grimnebulin's post.



Which is quite boring, because most of my fights go down like *click* *click* *click*, button 1, spacebar, win.


And the developers would have you believe that clicking is what keeps the gamer engaged. I never quite understood their mentality over the choice of combat mechanics.



For me (in my opinion hur dur, seeing as that's the part you seem to miss), that's part of the what makes a hack 'n slash, a hack 'n slash. Nothing wrong if you don't enjoy it, just like there's nothing wrong with me not liking green floaty orbs to replenish my health.


Grinding, after all, is something you would expect from an RPG.

Action RPG is now the definitive RPG formula, it seems?



Nothing wrong with having different taste in games.


This. And a little lulz.


Rent at best for me. Although it sounds like you're having a blast there is something fundamentally wrong with changing a game into something totally different. Why not create your game as you wish, but call it something else, so that the fans who enjoyed the 1st and 2nd game can actually enjoy a proper sequel.


OR just add some other title suffix to the game, a la Fallout: New Vegas.

Dungeon Siege: Nothing Like The First Two, perhaps?



I don't want to sound like one of those Dragon Age 2 nay-sayers but why create something it was not?

I've actually been dying (which is to say the urge to do it has been tearing at the very recesses of my opinionated membrane, whatever that is) to do a sort of column or article or something that speaks about why Dragon Age 2 is not the blight upon gaming, no pun intended, that everyone makes it out to be.

Alas, I know it's just going to be taken as a fanboy's defence, even though I really just can't see how people hate it so much, even when I try to be critical of it. Sure it has fundamental flaws which I recognise and cannot look past, but even still.

But I digress.



Maybe I think that Gas Powered Games could maybe have made a better (proper) DS sequel. It 's stupid to compare the 3 games' Metacritic scores but while DS1 & 2 were solid 8/10 this looks like a 7. Progress? No.

Sales. That's the keyword.

Apparently while DS1 and DS2 were well received by fans -- I for one adored the latter to bits -- critics weren't so kind to either, and sales were terrible for both. Of course, with no actual sourcing or proof, I'm totally pulling this out of my ass as far as you know, but that's what I believe went wrong with those games. And why DS3 is what it is.

I did read quite a few reviews of DS2 long after I'd played it to completion multiple times, and the sentiments were usually the same, and not entirely kind to the game. Boring gameplay was the most prevalent criticism. I never got bored, personally.

Also, Finala. <3



Edit: I do, however, agree with Echo's point, they've pretty much killed Dungeon Siege for the fans of the original by estranging them. It's not bound to sell nearly as well as the first two games. Unless they bring out another one in line with the old formula, I think this might be the end for the Dungeon Siege series.

A bit extreme, don't you think?

Not that I don't agree, that feeling of alienation is strong within myself as well, but I don't think it is the end of the Dungeon Siege series, so much as a shift towards something different from what was previously thought of when someone said "Dungeon Siege series".

That pretty much breaks the series for the old fans, as you'd expect, and if they do ever go back to the old formula, obviously they can't call it Dungeon Siege 3 now, so it will be rather difficult to do so.

I guess sales will dictate, either way.

[hideinlight]

On the PC, can you play it cooperatively on the same PC with two controllers?

[Slither]

Luckily I haven't unlocked any achievements for this yet, so I could wipe the game's history off my X360 HDD. I just hate it when there's a game with no achievements sitting between your other games, just an empty box with locked icons. Will trade this for F.E.A.R 3 on Friday... good riddance to bad ****.

[James Donaldson]

First Impressions

Introduction is okay, but unlike DS2 which goes from the ink drawings to a CGI sequence, DS3 stays with it's pictorials

http://www.themousetrap.co.za/images/dungeonsiege3/001.jpg

The four characters are well designed, have tons of items and perfectly completement each other -too bad I play solo. I picked Katarina because the gun fighting seemed different.

http://www.themousetrap.co.za/images/dungeonsiege3/002.jpg

I've just started and I've already had 6 conversations with various NPC's -not really sure why you pick options, but I guess it's better than sitting for 5 minutes listening -or reading

http://www.themousetrap.co.za/images/dungeonsiege3/003.jpg

MADE FOR CONSOLES - this may be the PC version I'm playing, it may have mouse support, it may look good and I may be able to run it at max graphics - but it's obvious, when you have to press E to open a chest instead of being able to click it and end up using the keyboard to 'steer' the character almost in 3rd person -that the game was made with consoles in mind. I think this is why most people hate the difference.

http://www.themousetrap.co.za/images/dungeonsiege3/004.jpg

I like the inventory and level up screens AND how they have the items being a +- affair -but it becomes a bit of a pain as new items are constantly coming in (mostly from "Press (E) -Chests" -not enemies) and going through each section as your inventory starts fulling up.

http://www.themousetrap.co.za/images/dungeonsiege3/005.jpg

[ZoRPA]

Kevin Costner look alike?-

http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/DawieKabouter/Kevin.jpg >> http://www.openthefridge.net/storage/post-images/kevin-costner.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=13004718622 99

[FoX]

its just you.

[Zoop]

Yeah, I don't see it either.

[James Donaldson]

Zorpa you ruined my post I worked really hard on by making a new page about Kevin Costner *shakes fist* XD

[malmarius]

has anybody played this yet? mixed reviews make me wonder if i should get this.

[x-scon]

Are you sure?
Look again...

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6039/kevincostnereditsmall.jpg

The resemblance is uncanny!

[James Donaldson]

I was actually enjoying this game -was- being the operative word, because some genius released a patch today that inverted the X-Axis and there's no way to change it back and using the mouse to move is one hell-of-a-pain. :(

*Edit* ^The DS3 dude has bigger eyes and wrinkles in different areas of his face

[ZoRPA]

Zorpa you ruined my post I worked really hard on by making a new page about Kevin Costner *shakes fist* XD
http://chzgifs.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/noyournotdontliedogdudep1.gif

[Angemon]

Are you sure?
Look again...

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6039/kevincostnereditsmall.jpg

The resemblance is uncanny!

Hahaha now that looks like an old Tom Cruise

[James Donaldson]

PC Patch coming to give better PC controls

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/06/23/dungeon-siege-3-getting-better-pc-controls/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rockpapershotgun%2Fsteam+%28R ock%2C+Paper%2C+Shotgun%3A+Steam+RSS%29


Actually this is one thing I would have liked to have spent more time on… Basically, I think as long as PC gamers have a good way to control the combat they will enjoy it. One review – I can’t remember which – said if you play with a game pad the combat is great, so right now we’re working on improving the PC controls through an update.

I think if there are PC gamers who are having a negative reaction it’s less about what the combat is, it’s more how the combat controls.


So they made the controls worse now, but it's ok, because a patch is coming later :/