Dungeon Siege III Previews

Two more previews have surfaced for Obsidian Entertainment’s take on the Dungeon Siege franchise, courtesy of the hands-off demonstration that was given during E3.

GameFocus kicks things off:

Regardless, there were plenty of promises that each of the game’s character classes will have signficantly different stories, which will entice players to play through more than once. Obsidian has been known for their engaging conversation system, which will also be transfered here, so that should also ensure an engaging story is to be expected.

Dungeon Siege 3 is still early in development but even at this young stage, the game is shaping up to be quite a visual treat. For example, the game features absolutely stunning vistas, which show off exactly where you need to go. As you near a section, the detail becomes much more apparent. On top of that, the game moved seamlessly from one section to the next with absolutely no loading screens.

And MSXbox-World follows suit:

The second thing Obsidian wanted to assure us was that Dungeon Siege 3 would make reference to, and build upon, the lore constructed by the first two games in the series. As such, we know that the rough premise of the game will likely involve the 10th Legion, great warriors of the past whose fall from grace marked the beginning of the end for the land of Ehb. References to the Farmer turned Hero from the first Dungeon Siege game were present in the demo, as were certain character histories. No specific information regarding the story was given.

Finally, the demonstration showed us the basics of combat in Dungeon Siege and its roughly what you would expect. Class specific spells and weaponry, with an emphasis on team work and group strategy. Each class has differing “stances” which change its focus in combat and no two classes share any of the powers or abilities. MMOs have been using similar systems for some time. Interestingly, it appeared that all dropped equipment was class-specific, which would eliminate arguments over dropped loot. Combat was well-animated with the two classes shown and the powers seemed varied enough to keep things interesting. A glowing “breadcrumb trail” similar to Fable 2 keeps players on track and colour-coded items are easy to pick up or discard.