Dungeon Siege III

The old fashioned action RPG, how I have missed you. `Baldur's Gate' was a fantastic series, but it feels like it's been years since a decent dungeon crawler hit consoles. All of a sudden 2011 has become the year, with plenty of dungeon based games coming in downloadable form, but with `Sacred 2' letting me down, it is up to `Dungeon Siege 3' to sate my appetite for whacking dungeon fodder in a full RRP game.

`Dungeon Siege 3' is one of those rare games that does what it says on the tin. Everything is set for a basic action RPG; third person perspectives, quests, loot drops. The reason the game works is because all these basics are done very well. It's not the prettiest, original and, if I am being honest, most interesting game out there, but it is certainly entertaining. There is some sort of story that is sub-Tolkien stuff, but what really matters in that the gameplay feels great. In the single player you can choose one of four characters whose skills differ from full warrior to full mage, and characters in between. You can take a hero online and play with 3 other people, but be aware that not all your saves will go with you.

This is a game that takes bog standard and does it really well. With a central quest that lasts around 15 hours, it is not the longest RPG ever, but it never outstays its welcome. Having not played a decent dungeon crawler on console for around 8 years `Dungeon Siege 3' really filled a gaping hole I did not know existed. Silly, action packed and a bit creaky, `DS 3' is a great RPG for people who like their RPGs with a bit more action and less thinking.

I've been looking forward to the next installment of Dungeon Siege, and now it's here I am loving it! (Although I am a little saddened at some of the changes)

The game is your typical hack and slash game from the 90's, (Dungeon Siege, Diablo, Sacred)

It's pretty much top down, there is an option to change the camera angle to behind the character, but it's not great for tactical reasons (Your view is a lot more limited and it seems as though the enemies just pop out of nowhere)

You attack with the A button, X Y and B are reserved for special skills that use Focus (Which is pretty much magic) Focus is gained by attacking enemies, so you can't just spam your special skills over and over.

There are two stances your character can take, e.g Warrior sword and board or two hand, gunsmith is 2 pistols or a 2h rifle, etc. The can be easily switched between at a press of a button (However I, personally have been focusing on one)

The level up system is pretty same as, you kill things, complete quests, get xp and level up.
The level up process also includes "talent trees" so to speak, you can choose which skill you wish to have, and where to distribute points to increase the damage or effects done by that skill. Once you use the skill enough it becomes "empowered" giving you access to the more powerful version of it.

The reason I was slightly saddened by the game is due to two things ;
Being limited to 1 "Companion" in single player (Whereas previous Dungeon Siege games you had 4 characters in total) Whereas online you can have 3 other people join your game, but the game does increase in difficulty.
Secondly, I mentioned before about characters having two stances, unfortuntely there's no way to get your AI companion to stick to any particular stance, I have the mage as my companion, I have been levelling up his 1 handed stance skill, however he loves being in the 2handed stance, so his attacks are weak and he has an option of about 2 spells. He switches to the other stance irregardless of how many times I switch him to the 1 handed stance in the menu.

The co-op on the game is okay. You can't go too far away from eachother, which means that ranged attackers are in the thick of it, which can result in an easy death. You can be revived, but the other character has to come over and spend 5 seconds holding down a button to revive you (leaving you open to attacks) The AI puts you as priority if you die, which is nice of them. But can be a pain if they're surrounded and being interrupted every second.

With the multiplayer, as fun as it sounds having 3 friends join your game to rip the enemies another, it isn't beneficial to anyone but the host.
The other players take control of the AI units, so if you're a warrior, no one else can be. Once the players leave the game, everythin they've done to your characters stay, you can't redistribute points they have spent.
The people that took over control of your AI characters gain nothing in their games.

All in all, the game is what you'd expect. A simple hack and slash game that will keep you entertained. When you finish the game, just think, there'll be less time to wait for Skyrim!

Although I think the overall game is pretty fun, the price tag should be at 15£ for a role playing game of 10-hour single player campaign.

Pros:

Awesome boss fights
Some nice loot
Nice art style

Cons:

Not enough RPG elements
Linear story, with some decisions but not story altering ones
Multiplayer camera
Action oriented