Dungeon Siege III: Brought to you by Obsidian, Square-Enix, and Gas Powered Games

[Great Rumbler]

Square Enix has revealed that it’s to partner with Obsidian Entertainment to bring Dungeon Seige 3 to the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Dungeon Seige 3 is to combine the best features of the franchise in its first appearance on the HD consoles, bringing a new cooperative mode and allowing four players to join.

“It is an honour and a pleasure to be part of the legend of DUNGEON SIEGE,” said Fergus Urquhart, CEO and co-founder of Obsidian Entertainment. This partnership with Square Enix is a milestone for the franchise and Obsidian, and the qualities of both companies in terms of scenario will be visible throughout the game ”

“We are honoured to work with talented developers Obsidian Entertainment, which can rely on their balance sheets among the most exhilarating game and grabbing the last few years,” said John Yamamoto, president and CEO of Square Enix, Inc.. Square Enix has committed to expand its catalogue of games by offering a wide range of genres and we’re confident we can provide the ultimate experience of Dungeon Siege that fans expect. ”

There is not a lot of other information regarding Dungeon Siege at the moment; however E3 is just around the corner so expect more then.

http://www.made2game.com/2010/06/07/dung...announced/

[Great Rumbler]

Square Enix announced today that it is partnering with Obsidian Entertainment on Dungeon Siege 3. With input from the original developer, Gas Powered Games, Obsidian Entertainment will develop the next incarnation of the Dungeon Siege franchise with Square Enix as the game's publisher. Coming for the first time to high-def home video game consoles, Dungeon Siege 3 will be available for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC.

Dungeon Siege 3 is representative of Square Enix's ongoing strategic partnerships with Western game developers and its commitment to increasing its presence in the North American market. The game will bring together the beloved aspects of the Dungeon Siege franchise with Obsidian Entertainment's expertise, to create an evolved action-RPG experience. In addition to its arrival on high-def consoles for the first time, the game will also feature an all-new co-op multiplayer mode.

Originally created by Chris Taylor and his critically-acclaimed studio Gas Powered Games, Taylor will serve as an advisor during the development of the game. Dungeon Siege 3 will seamlessly blend intuitive action gameplay and a robust RPG system in an immersive world where every decision the player makes will result in consequences.

On his involvement, Taylor comments, "It's a great pleasure to collaborate with Obsidian. They are a very talented developer who really knows what it takes to build a deep and engaging RPG experience, and I can't think of a better group to continue the Dungeon Siege series."

"It's a distinct privilege and thrill to become a part of the Dungeon Siege legacy," said Feargus Urquhart, CEO and Co-Founder of Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. "This partnership with Square Enix is a milestone for both Obsidian and the franchise, and the two companies' strengths for compelling characters and storytelling will shine throughout Dungeon Siege 3."

"With their proven track record of developing some of the most exciting and engaging games in recent memory, we are honored to be working with such a talented developer as Obsidian Entertainment," said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. "Square Enix is committed to expanding our portfolio of games across a wide variety of genres and we are confident we will deliver the ultimate Dungeon Siege experience that fans are looking for."


Story

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 pure cunning.

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.

Features

• 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.

http://www.allgamesbeta.info/2010/06/squ...ege-3.html

Concept art:

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[A Black Falcon]

I have Dungeon Siege 1, it got so boring so quickly I don't know if I ever want to play the series again...

[Great Rumbler]

I have both, but I haven't really played the first game that much. The second game is pretty good. What's your opinion of loot-based RPGs?

[A Black Falcon]

Diablo, you mean? I played through Diablo II and its expansion. They were alright, fun while they lasted (playing it through once in normal difficulty in single player) but I had no interest in playing it online or in multiplayer. From what I played of the multiplayer you're not really working with others much anyway, it's mostly just pointless item-trading stuff that doesn't interest me that much... and online there are no persistent maps at all, which is very frustrating because one thing I always loved doing was fully mapping out every level in the minimap, but in online play you can't do that because next time it'll be completely different. :( And then the stupid "characters get deleted if not used for three months" thing always finished me off for online play, I doubt I ever had a character that lasted over three or four months because I'd start a character and then not play them again because of lack of interest.

So yeah, good game the first time through, I remember having fun... but replay value? Eh, not that much for me. I'm not the kind of person who's going to find "get better items" to be enough of a reward to keep me playing, I like other things. Strategy (Diablo has only a limited amount, it's mostly just simplistic button mashing), exploration, something you can finish, etc...

As for Dungeon Siege... I liked it for about an hour or two, but then it started to get so, so repetitive. Click attack on edge of screen, wait for characters to fight the badguys automatically, hit potion buttons when necessary, repeat ad nauseum... it gets so boring! It had sort of RTS gameplay in an RPG, except without most of what makes either genre good. The game system (magic, weapons, etc.) is even simpler than Diablo's and has minimal depth. That's not good for long-term play, unless there's something else to catch my interest (like whatever it is I love so much about the Gauntlet games), I get bored by RPGs with simple battle systems which require no strategy or thought... this is part of why I love Guild Wars so much, it often actually does have depth.

Also the difficulty level was uneven, a little hard on normal but brain-dead easy on easy. And I HATED the lifts. Getting your party up and down elevators, moving platforms, etc, etc, was such a huge, frustrating pain, and there were a lot of them. Mix that with decent but not great graphics, no overworld map or anything beyond just the little minimap, a completely linear, dull world, an uninteresting story, and more, and yeah, I was pretty disappointed in the game. Probably shouldn't have gotten it, really. But the demo seemed fun and I had liked Diablo, so I did. Oh well. I have not played the addon or sequel. I passed on Space Siege as well, which if possible looked even worse. It's amazing that the very same studio made the first Supreme Commander, which is such an incredibly deep and complex (and brilliant) game... though of course the second one isn't as much, the first one was.

[Great Rumbler]

Every pretty much agrees that the second game is a lot better than first. And also that Space Siege is awful.

Anyway, it's Obsidian that's developing the bulk of the third game, not Gas Powered Games, and they seem interested in injecting more story and RPG elements to the series.

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, that it's Obsidian gives me hope for the story, but gameplay? There they seem to like to stick with what was in past games in the serieses they work in, so not so much...

[Great Rumbler]

Most of the things you complained about in the first game are fixed in the second game.

-All party members automatically board lifts when you click the level to raise or lower it
-Combat had more depth with each character having different spells and special abilities
-Normal difficulty is pretty difficult, you can't just rush into a battle and expect not to get banged around
-The game has an overworld map and a minimap
-Graphics are improved and, for the most part, it looks pretty good with varied and interesting enviroments
-The world is more open with lots of secret areas to explore
-There's a lot of different weapons and armor and other items