
	Platform Playstation 3 Genre Action Role-Playing Publisher Square Enix Developer Obsidian Entertainment ESRB T (Teen) Released June 21, 2011

- Co-op gaming makes the hack & slash adventuring so much more fun, although the “tethering” when one falls and needs to be revived can cause unnecessary damage for the would-be rescuer - The Hansel and Gretel trail navigation system really helps direct gamers into the right path of the current quest - Smart mapping of buttons to PS3 controller makes it easy to switch between different weapons and magic powers on the fly

- Although many times they will be completely grateful for their help vanquishing adversaries, solo players will get frustrated when their AI-controlled sidekick walks into certain doom when trying to resuscitate them if they fall in battle

Review: Dungeon Siege II (PC) Review: Dunegon Siege: Legends of Aranna (PC) Review: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm (PC)
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Dungeon Siege III

Score: 8.5 / 10

After bouncing around from safe house to safe house, young Lucas Montbarron, son of the killed Grand Master, Hugh Montbarron, has decided enough is enough. It’s time to settle down once and for all by gathering up the remaining Legion and reclaim his family’s lost honor in the new action role-playing game for the PS3, Dungeon Siege III. And he’s planning, along with the help of a few fighting friends, to hack and slash his way through every enemy and creature in his way to recapture that honor and bring the Legion back to its former glory, reuniting the kingdom of Ehb for its young queen while vanquishing the evil intents of the

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dangerous and deadly deity Jeyne Kassynder.

For the first time on consoles after the first two titles were PC-only adventures (and the last released in 2005), Square Enix finally has finally brought a new Dungeon Siege sequel, a good old-fashioned hack & slash action RPG dungeon crawler that fans of the genre will enjoy immensely. Traversing through the

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land of Ehb by themselves or with a partner (or up to three, if gamers go online) gamers will fight with both might and magic through a multitude of enemies, both human and creatures ranging from giant spiders and wolves and automatons to Cyclops and archons; just about any type of enemy can appear around any corner of Dungeon Siege III.

Gamers will take on the role of one of four characters in the main quest: as mentioned, Lucas Montbarron is one. He’s a skilled swordsman, using cold, hard steel and a shield as his battling implements of choice.

Anjali is the mysterious archon, a fire spirit who served the gods. Legion-friendly allies raised her. She battles with a spear or staff, and also can use fiery projectiles for ranged fighting. Reinhart Manx is a mage of the Legion, using Entropic magic to fend off foes. He can attack multiple enemies at once, as long as he is at a distance away from them. The arcane gauntlet and capacitator are the facilitators of his Dynamic magic, which focuses energy at close-range enemies. And finally, there’s Katarina, who so happens to not only be a Lezcanzi witch, but the half-sister of Lucas, sharing their father’s blood. She’s a badass with guns and magic and may be the best fighter amongst the four with both close and ranged gun weaponry.

As it is a RPG, gamers will have to undertake main quests and side missions, with weaponry that isn’t exactly hearty for battle, especially against tougher foes. But along the way gamers will be doing item grabs hidden in treasure chests or other items for weapon and armor upgrades that are absolutely vital for survival later in the game. Fortunately, both the gold and items are communal, gathered in the main player’s (whoever is the first controller holder) inventory for distribution among all party members. Each item is specifically meant for use with one particular character, so the gun-toting Katrina can’t handle the swords that Lucas can use. Magic, defense and weapons can also be enhanced by gamers ranking up and upgrading abilities unique to each individual character. With all the weapon/armor switching and enhancement/magic choices, the smart mapping of buttons on the PS3 controller makes it easy to switch between different weapons and magic powers on the fly during heated battles.

What really makes it simple to bounce from quest to quest is the “Hansel and Gretel” trail navigation system. By pushing up on the directional pad, a trail of yellow pellets appears, showing gamers the path to the quest point. Playing with my daughter, she got me laughing when we initiated the trail and she elicited a “wocka, wocka, wocka” sound, because it does really look like these yellow dots are right out of Pac-Man. There are a plethora of quests, too, in varied landscapes, from dark forests to cities to mines and ancient castles and yes, even dungeons.

To keep gamers from having to backtrack too much is a generous allowance of save points. Also helping is the reviving system that allows fallen-in-battle comrades to be resurrected. However, what causes some issues with that is that the fallen fighter remains in his defeated spot, while the would-be resuscitator can continue fighting and moving around. However, if they move too far from the fallen hero, a “tethering” system automatically pulls the rescuer directly to the currently dead hero, and that can be extremely disadvantageous depending on who or what is being fought at the time. Even worse off sometimes are solo gamers playing alongside AI-controlled heroes. Although many times gamers will be completely grateful for their help vanquishing adversaries, they will get frustrated when their AI-controlled sidekick walks into certain doom when trying to resuscitate them instead of using a safer strategy to bring them back from the dead.

With very good controls transitioned from a PC title onto consoles, Dungeon Siege III has gratifying old-school dungeon crawling combined with RPG elements for ton of hack & slash adventuring fun, especially for gamers that indulge in co-op gameplay.

- Lee Cieniawa
lcieniawa@armchairempire.com

(July 26, 2011)