Obsidian Entertainment takes on yet another action role-playing game sequel in Dungeon Siege 3, with series creator Chris Taylor on board as an advisor, helping oversee the franchise's console debut.
Obsidian Entertainment is the go-to development studio for big-name role-playing game sequels. While the company's attempts at creating a first-party title hasn't gone so well, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 was a solid follow-up to the original, and Neverwinter Nights 2 was far superior to the original game, once all of the glitches were ironed out.
So it seems like good news that Obsidian is taking on development duties for Dungeon Siege 3. Gas Powered Games and series creator Chris Taylor pass on the torch to Obsidian for the third entry in the series, perhaps too scarred from the horrible live-action film to carry on themselves.
Dungeon Siege 3 sees the balance of power in the kingdom of Ehb toppled, and you must help keep the land from plunging into darkness again.
Aside from the series' first appearance on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, everything else about Dungeon Siege 3 is as you'd expect. There's co-operative multiplayer, a deep story, customizable character classes, new companions with unique personalities, and weighty decisions that impact the progression of the story.
And how does Chris Taylor feel about passing the torch?
""It has been 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."
The partnership with Obsidian is yet another step in Square Enix's ongoing Western development strategy, the previous fruits of which include Gas Powered Games' Supreme Commander 2.
Hopefully we'll see more of Dungeon Siege 3 at E3 next week. In the meantime, check out the first four screens here.