Gaming on the Cheap: Dungeon Siege 3

The fantasy, action-RPG video game landscape is packed pretty full these days. With “The Witcher 2” coming soon for Xbox 360, Capcom’s “Dragon’s Dogma” on the horizon and many still traipsing through the beautifully rendered woods of “Skyrim,” gamers have plenty of opportunity to indulge their inner warrior, pick up a broadsword and go questing. “But wait,” you say, “Those games are all open world, what if I want a more focused story experience? Oh and I’m poor.” And to you I’d say, “Stop being so picky if you’re poor. And also, you should probably check out ‘Dungeon Siege 3’ for the Xbox 360.

“Dungeon Siege 3” follows in the footsteps of games like “Diablo” or the more recent title, “Torchlight,” in that it is an action-RPG that features real-time, hack and slash combat. Though earlier “DS” titles featured automated combat where players input commands in real time (akin to “Knights of the Old Republic”), this iteration features real time combat that at first seems like a typical hack-and-slash brawler, but actually requires a bit more timing and patience to really excel at.

Though I know that the “DS” story is a continuing saga, I’m not sure how much this title relates to previous games, so I’ll just stick to the story as I experienced it. Player get to pick one of four heroes – Lucas, Anjali, Reinhart and Katarina – who are among the last remaining descendants of the 10^th Legion. The Legion, for centuries, had been a just and peace keeping force in the land of Ehb, settling conflicts and disagreements the courts could not. However, a woman named Jeyne Kassynder accused the Legion of murdering the former king of Ehb in an effort to usurp his power. After having converted the Azunite Church to her cause, Kassynder waged a bloody war against the Legion, slaughtering nearly every remaining member. Now she has set her sights on taking the throne of Ehb for herself, by force, and the player must embark on a quest to not only restore peace to Ehb but also avenge those who have been killed by Kassynder. The story is kinda generic in terms of other fantasy games but easy to follow even if you’re unfamiliar with the series.

The story is 15-16 hours long which can be extended with DLC (the only pack I saw available is 800 MS points called “Treasure of the Sun”). There is no competitive multiplayer but “DS3” can be play cooperatively online with up to three other players or with another person on the same console.

Lucas (center) is one of the most powerful characters in the game

Leveling your character up in “DS3” is a bit different from other action-RPGs I’ve played and I’ll admit, was a bit confusing at first. XP goes toward earning levels where you can unlock new abilities (new combat and defensive powers, every few levels), proficiencies (upgrading your abilities, every level) and skills (passive abilities that power up your character, every level). Each character has two separate weapon sets (Lucas uses a sword and shield for quick strikes and a greatsword for broader, powerful strikes) and you can unlock up to three abilities per set. Holding the block button lets you activate defensive powers that will heal you, increase defense or recharge your focus meter (what allows you to use abilities). Each ability has two proficiencies, but, each proficiency can only be leveled up five times so you’ll have to choose which aspects get more upgrades. For instance, Lucas can do a radial attack move called “Earthrending Strike” with his greatsword. This move’s proficiencies are Tremor (20% chance per rank to knockdown enemies) or Magnitude (increases the distance the attack travels per rank). I chose to upgrade Magnitude a bit more than Tremor so my attack hits more enemies but still has a chance to knock them down. This system, though confusing at first, lets players customize their character to their own style of play.

Using your abilities can also be slightly confusing at first as well. Combat abilities require focus to perform, which you can think of as a mana/magic meter, with regular attacks filling up the focus meter. However, using defensive abilities requires power orbs (displayed below the focus meter) which require using focus attacks to refill. Over time you’re granted more power orbs (only start with two) and they’re given to you at seemingly random times (you don’t earn these through levels).

But “DS3” isn’t all combat as there are many NPCs that you can speak to on your quest. Unlike “Mass Effect 3,” the “right” dialogue options aren’t always obvious and you’ll have to choose your responses carefully. Your speech choices also have an effect on your companion, as your responses have a positive or negative impact on your influence over them. Although, your influence with your companion seems to only relate to an Achievement as having lower or higher influence doesn’t seem to have any effect on how the story plays out.

While there are four characters to choose from, Lucas seems the most likely choice for a main character, for a few different reasons. First, he and his family are directly tied to the story of “DS3.” Not only because he is the youngest descendent of the last Grand Master of the Legion but for other reasons that are revealed as the story progresses. He is also the most likely, and best, choice for protagonist because he is the most powerful character in the game. Being that he is the only true melee fighter of the four (Reinhart is a mage and uses magic, Katarina uses firearms and Anjali uses a staff but also heavily relies on magic) his power is unmatched by the other three. By the end of the game, I had Lucas dealing well over 1,000 damage per critical strike and was usually mopping up everyone on screen (also because, as the most powerful, Lucas tends to draw aggro more often).

Lucas deals with a number of undead enemies in the "Treasure of the Sun" DLC

I’ve really enjoyed “DS3” for a number of reasons, the foremost being that any game that drops tons and tons of loot for me to acquire is like crack to me – I just can’t resist the allure of what great item might be still out there, waiting for me to find it. On top of that, the combat that comes between me and my loot is also pretty fun. At first, the combat seems like it emphasizes button-mashing but once you get later in the game (and especially in the DLC), the difficulty ramps up and you’ll want to stay on your toes, being careful to block, dodge and attack when the opportunity arises to be successful. Also, along with up to four-player online cooperative play, “DS3” lets a second person take up the role of your constant companion offline. “Couch co-op,” as offline, single console multiplayer has come to be known, is a feature most game developers tend to overlook but is still a big selling point for many gamers and it’s great to see games that actually take advantage of it.

The land of Ehb is large and sprawling but thanks to a quick and easy to use quest/navigation system, you’ll never be at a loss for what to do or where to go. While there is a minimap for you to get your bearings, there isn’t a world map. But, being that “DS3” is story-driven and most of the quests and adventures are presented to you without the need to search them out, having no world map isn’t a very big problem. I also wanted to point out that menus in “DS3” are relatively streamlined so you can quickly access your inventory, quests and light up a path to your next objective with the press of a button.

While the landscape of Ehb is beautifully rendered and colorful, nothing about the environments really stands out. Not that you really get a chance to take in the environments, either, as the camera in “DS3” isn’t very cooperative and you spend most of your time looking at the floor instead of the colorful landscapes. The character models, on the other hand, possess a very high level of detail and the appearance of characters changes when new weapons and armor are applied.

My biggest complaint about “DS3” is definitely the camera. Similar to “Baldur’s Gate,” the camera only features two views – a high up, zoomed out view that gives you a slightly good idea of your surroundings or a closer view that’s still positioned high up, giving you a good view of your character but not much beyond their immediate vicinity. Though it moves easily enough from left to right, it’s very limited in the vertical view that it gives you, moving up and down only slightly. So even though the characters are highly detailed and visually impressive, you don’t get much chance to study their detail.

Hopefully we’ll see more DLC for “DS3,” but I’m not holding my breath. Since its release in the summer of 2011, there’s only been on DLC pack released (“Treasures of the Sun”). Though the DLC only offers a few extra hours of gameplay, there are a ton of new items to be had, a large new environment to explore and tons of new enemies to fight. On top of that, it seems to have been designed to play after or near the end of the game because the enemies in the Aronai Desert do not play around and will mess you up big time if you aren’t prepared.

Though “DS3” doesn’t do anything to redefine a genre or stand out too much from the crowd, it remains a solid action-RPG offering that fans of the genre will no doubt enjoy immensely. If you’re not already a fan of the game type, “DS3” won’t do anything to sway your opinion. But if you’re looking for a fun, intense action-RPG the kind you usually only find on PCs, you’ll definitely find something to like about “DS3.” Since it came out almost a year ago, you’ll definitely be able to pick up this game for relatively cheap. I found it used at GameStop for $20 but I’m sure you could find it for even cheaper online.