14 DAY TRIAL // Developer Obsidian and publisher Square Enix have already announced that Dungeon Siege III will be released on May 27 in Europe and four days later in North America and the two companies are now working to build up a little hype for the reinvention of the role-playing series.
Obsidian has long been known for creating complex narrative experiences and a lot of fans of the Dungeon Siege universe are curious to see how they can expand it while making it something clearly different in the role-playing and action space.
When asked by Eurogamer about whether comparisons with the much-delayed Diablo III project from Blizzard Rich Taylor, who is the project director working on Dungeon Siege III, said, “People will find they're two completely different games. With Dungeon Siege you're going to feel like you're playing an Obsidian RPG in terms of story. You're going to meet NPCs that have quests for you. You're going to have branching dialogues. You're going to have influence with your AI-controlled companions, similar to what we've seen in out other games.”
He added, “we do have some similar mechanics to Diablo – we have the randomly generated loot – that's really about where the similarities stop.”
Dungeon Siege III is using a new game engine called Onyx that Obsidian has built from the ground up and which will probably lead to a smoother launch than that for previous releases Alpha Protocol and Fallout: New Vegas, where the company used other people's game engines.
Taylor also said that his team is keen to create an experience that is as accessible and interesting both for those who have played the Gas Powered Games created Dungeon Siege game and for those who are newcomers to the universe.
The game will follow a group of veterans in the land of Ebh as they try to rebuilt the 10th legion and face a threat that lingers upon the land.