Dungeon Siege III Reviews
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PC Advisor, 3/5.
Despite satisfying combat and canny multiplayer, it's hard to escape the creeping sense that this is more there to take advantage of having the Dungeon Siege licence than from a particular desire to make the next great dungeon crawler. It'll certainly scratch a few itches while we bide our time for Diablo III, but it isn't taking action roleplaying games anywhere particularly fresh in the meantime.
The Escapist, 3.5/5.
Awkward cameras, shallow character development and bad voice acting are all things that can be dealt when a game compensates with as much fun as Dungeon Seige III does, but the multiplayer will undoubtedly be a major source of disappointment for many would-be players. Not because it isn't fun - playing with people instead of AI exponentially increases the appeal of the frenetic combat - but because there's little incentive to do it unless you're the host. When you join a friend's game, you take over one of his companions, rather than bringing in one of your own. You don't acquire experience, loot, or advance in the game - you just make your buddy's life a little easier while not gaining anything for yourself. (Except perhaps the warm feeling of having helped out a friend.) That setup will suit some just fine - Dungeon Siege III's co-op is well-tailored for roommates or couples who just want to work through the game together. That's a pretty narrow slice of the audience, though.
The Sacramento Bee, 3/4.
Each of the warriors can switch at will between two battle stances with separate sets of three special abilities. A third set of three abilities is activated while blocking enemy attacks.
Anjali, for example, can spring forward with a stunning flip kick when in melee mode, set a circular blaze on the ground when in elemental mode, and regenerate health while defending.
Each character's nine abilities can be upgraded using one of two proficiencies. Up to five ranks can be gained in each ability, and players can specialize in one proficiency or create a mixture of the two. Finally, players can choose and upgrade several talents to give their characters various passive bonuses.
All this adds up to four characters who are well-defined in their overall fighting styles, but offer quite a bit of leeway in the specifics.
GameDynamo, 86/100.
The best part about Dungeon Siege III is that it is incredibly accessible. Easy to learn and not insanely challenging, DS3 doesn't bog you down with too many stats and menus. However, it gives you just enough to satisfy the power-leveling crave. Anyone who hasn't stepped into the RPG realm would easily be able to slip into Dungeon Siege III without too much of a problem, and they possibly will find it fast-paced and fun.
That being said, Dungeon Siege III may not please the fans of the first two. However, newcomers to the series will find it an enjoyable game that would be easy to sign their friends onto for a few gaming sessions.
MMOFG, scoreless.
Ultimately, Dungeon Siege III does a lot more right than it does wrong. Most of the negatives of the game are in the graphics and sound, but the core gameplay mechanics are solid, and more unique than your typical dungeon crawling romp. Because of that, Dungeon Siege stands out from the crowd. I will say that if you're planning on getting this title for the online, you should probably find something else to occupy your time with, since the online ultimately gives you no benefits to reap. Well, apart from playing with other people but that's what the local co-op is for, right?
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Obsidian did a good job this time and I can say I was impressed to find NO BUGS! We should send them a cake or something; it's a big accomplishment for them.
Machinima has both a write-up and a video review, 7.0/10.
As a single-player game, Dungeon Siege III succeeds as a fun action-RPG. It doesn't offer anything particularly new, but gamers that enjoy hacking and looting by themselves should have fun. As a multiplayer game, Dungeon Siege III is disappointing. Its inability to import and export characters limits the amount of fun, and the likely level of enthusiasm anyone will want to commit to the mode. Obsidian Entertainment did an acceptable job at advancing the Dungeon Siege franchise, but like the company's other sequels, it did not take the franchise to new heights.
