For Dungeon Siege III, developer Obsidian Entertainment had big plans. For the series first foray into console gaming (save for the 2006 PSP edition), the sequel features a new story, new controls and a new multiplayer suite. Unfortunately, all of these tweaks lead to the game being stripped of the identity the series has created and could serve to alienate the fans that have made it what it is. The box may bear the Dungeon Siege name, but it feels so far from anything that came before that it's barely even recognizable.

Compared to previous games in the series, Dungeon Siege III features a pretty expansive story, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a very interesting one. Long story short; you've got to defeat a powerful enemy in an effort to restore power to the series famed legion. It's a story that will have you conversing with a ton of different characters and in typical modern RPG fashion your dialogue tree driven choices will have an effect on the world and story. Sounds great right? The only trouble is that none of these story elements or choices are all that interesting and are quite easily to telegraph.

It's also in the small details in which the story falters. You hear a lot about events happening throughout the world, but you never realize they're important because the game fails to put any emphasis on these events so that they seem trivial. Dungeon Siege also makes the unforgivable mistake of breaking one of entertainment's oldest rules - “show and don't tell.” During my game I was constantly being told about events in the world and wondering; “Okay, why can't I do that?” It's frustrating to know that these epic battles are happening somewhere in the game's continuity, but you're just dungeon crawling...still just dungeon crawling. It doesn't help either that the voice acting is done in a way that the characters all seem bothered, like they're being forced to read their lines.

"...there's a surprising bit of depth here if you're willing to look for and find it."

At its core and most basic level, Dungeon Siege III retains the simple gameplay of its predecessors; hack, slash, pick up loot and continue. You'll play as one of four different characters; each with their own abilities and play style (though curiously, you're no longer able to rename characters), and to the game's credit, finding which character suits your play style best is fun and even challenging at times. Leveling up feels like it should, and there's a surprising bit of depth here if you're willing to look for and find it.

Where Dungeon Siege III starts to unravel though is with its incredibly frustrating controls. It's clear that for this, the series first game to foray into console availability, the developers skewed the controls to appease console gamers and as a result, the PC version suffers. Unlike most modern day RPGs where you merely click on your target or click on your loot, here you'll have to turn your character towards your target, and then press a button for the targeting system to kick on. To get loot, you'll have to walk up to it and press a button. It's extremely fluid on a controller, and we highly recommend plugging one in if you're going to play Dungeon Siege III rather than having to deal with the hokey and frustrating controls in use here, which by the way - there's absolutely no way to change.

"...Dungeon Siege III allows for only two player teams."

The game also places some pretty absurd restrictions on its multiplayer suite as well, which is weird as the whole marketing campaign is built around it. Forget the four player parties of the past, Dungeon Siege III allows for only two player teams. If you're playing on your own, you can swap out your teammate for any of the other characters you've encountered, but you're stuck with your particular choice from the moment you pick them, so you better be sure. It's evident that Obsidian was trying to promote co-op, but it seems like it's at the extent of what made Dungeon Siege so special.

The camera in Dungeon Siege III also leaves a lot to be desired; in fact - it's quite infuriating. Here's one scenario; you're facing off with a huge horde of enemies, when you're pushed into a corner then suddenly the camera decides it's a good time to zoom in past your enemies and on to your face, leaving you unsure of just how many enemies are left. Headaches like this happen quite often in the game and frequently lead to inadvertent death.

Dungeon Siege III could have been a rebirth for one of gaming's most storied franchises, but instead it's just a frustrating and mildly fun title that merely resembles the games of the past. Dungeon Siege III suffers from problems in pretty much every aspect of its creation, if you're a fan and desperately need more Dungeon Siege, check it out, otherwise beware.