Our video games coverage continues as Olivia Cottrell assesses the newly rebooted RPG series. If you missed it, be sure to check out her podcast discussion with Caleb on sci-fi and fantasy in video games!

Coming to legacy games late is always something of a tricky proposition. You don’t get the in-jokes, the lore can be boring without a vested interest, and without a strong dose of nostalgia to temper the game’s flaws, the experience can often leave you wondering what exactly got the game’s fans so excited in the first place. So it is with Dungeon Siege 3, the latest offering from Obsidian Entertainment.

Promoted as a reboot of the Dungeon Siege franchise, Dungeon Siege 3 is set many years after the ending of the second game (released in 2006). The land of Ehb is in peril again and the player, taking on the role of one of four descendants of the Tenth Legion (a kind of medieval Torchwood), has to stop it. Along the way they have to deal with the usual waves of bandits, ghosts and witches alongside some less conventional foes. My particular favourites were the four-armed giant blue naked women who peeped over the edge of the scenery before they clambered up to fight you. This kind of interesting enemy design and variation allowed for some fun tactical gameplay and encouraged me to experiment with the different skills of my character, complementing the solid combat system.

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