Spotlight
Digital FoundryFace-Off: Dungeon Siege III
Donkey bunch.
Digital FoundryDungeon Siege III PS/360 Performance Analysis
Unlocked vs. capped frame-rates show a dramatic difference.
Digital FoundryDungeon Siege III 360/PS3 Face-Off
Just minor technical issues divide the two.
Digital FoundryDungeon Siege III 360/PS3/PC Face-Off
Console against PC in this clip comparison video.
Key events
10th September 2017
Stormlands and the million-man raid: Obsidian's cancelled Xbox One exclusive
4th November 2011
26th October 2011
1st September 2011
25th June 2011
25th June 2011
25th June 2011
25th June 2011
17th June 2011
15th June 2011
23rd May 2011
6th May 2011
7th April 2011
25th March 2011
7th February 2011
3rd February 2011
3rd September 2010
7th June 2010
Remember Uwe Boll? Someone's made a documentary about him
"I don't have a lot of respect to other people."
Provocative German movie-maker Uwe Boll, infamous for trashy big-screen adaptations of video game franchises, is the subject of a new documentary titled Fuck You all: The Uwe Boll Story.
FeatureYour fondest Obsidian game memories
"My favourite was shooting Darcy in the bollocks."
In September we asked you to share your favourite moments from an Obsidian game and we, on behalf of Paradox, dangled prizes in front of you in return: consoles for the two winners, PC Pillars of Eternity and Tyranny keys for the 10 runners-up. And you answered in your droves.
Inside Obsidian: How RPG's greatest survivors kept the lights on
"They say the path to Hell is paved with good intentions."
Over the years, I've come to know what to expect from Obsidian, or so I thought. Obsidian makes RPGs, beautiful, intriguing, sometimes slightly shonky RPGs with great writing and vivid characters and just a lingering trace of thriftiness. They make games where the concepts, where the soul, trumps the budget.
FeatureRummaging through Obsidian's drawer of game ideas
Star Wars! Snow White! Prey 2! Warhammer 40K! "There's tons of them."
Everyone has a drawer they can't close because it's stuffed too full of things. Mine has a whisk which always stops the bloody drawer from closing, and it's really annoying, but Obsidian Entertainment's drawer has around 100 game proposals in it. Game outlines in various states, from two-page snacks to 60-page feasts. "There's tons of them," Obsidian co-owner Chris Parker tells me. And for Obsidian there was never a time of greater need of an idea than summer 2012, after Microsoft cancelled Xbox One launch game Stormlands, and when South Park: The Stick of Truth was onboard THQ's sinking ship. It spurred a period now referred to in Obsidian history as the Summer of Proposals.
FeatureStormlands and the million-man raid: Obsidian's cancelled Xbox One exclusive
"That deal was the largest contract we ever signed."
Throw your mind back to Microsoft sharing a dream of an infinitely powerful Xbox One cloud, a box under your TV able to suck an almost mystical power into your living room, transforming games as we know them. The vision wouldn't quite materialise, but while Microsoft was hallucinating over the cauldron it was also throwing money around - throwing money at Xbox One exclusives to embody this future, and Obsidian Entertainment was spinning in its pot.
"We were given a proposal, the million-man raid," Obsidian co-owner and CEO, Feargus Urquhart, tells me. "Conceptually what came from Microsoft was this idea: imagine you're playing The Witcher, maybe with a friend. What happens if at points in time a giant creature pops up that you can see in the distance and it's not just popping up while you're playing, it's popping up for everybody who's playing. You all rush this creature and there's this haze around it, and as you're all rushing through the haze the game is matchmaking you into 40-man raids who are going to fight the creature.
"Then you fight it, but while the creature is being fought all the footage is being recorded up into the cloud. Then at the end we would come up with some kind of intelligent editing thing which would deliver everybody who fought a personalised, edited video of their participation in the raid. That is what was proposed to us."
Obsidian's next-gen game "already looking great" says Feargus Urquhart
South Park: The Stick of Truth out this year.
There's definitely something big in the works at Obsidian beyond South Park and Project Eternity, and "it is already looking great", studio CEO Feargus Urquhart told me in an email overnight.
Is Obsidian's new RPG called Eternity?
Countdown points to Friday as new clues emerge.
The number four has become a number three - it was a countdown rather than a number symbolic of the new Project X RPG that Obsidian has been teasing.
Obsidian's mysterious new RPG, Project X - is it Dungeon Siege 4?
That's what it looks like.
Renowned RPG house Obsidian Entertainment has teased a new game: Project X.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution sells 2.18 million
While Dungeon Siege 3 manages 820,000.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution sold 2.18 million copies between launch and 30th September, publisher Square Enix has revealed in its bi-annual financial report.
800,000 of those were bought in North America and 1.38 million in Europe.
The publisher also announced that Obsidian-developed RPG Dungeon Siege 3 has now sold 820,000 units, of which 20,000 were bought in Japan, 320,000 in North America and 480,000 in Europe.
EU PlayStation Store update - 26th Oct
Sony discusses Payday Heist absence.
There's still no Payday: The Heist on the European PlayStation Store. But Sony offered a few words about the game's continued absence.
"We are close to being able to confirm the release date of Payday: The Heist and are just waiting for Sony Online Entertainment to provide 100 per cent confirmation, which we hope will be with us later today," wrote EU PlayStation blog manager James Gallagher. "Sony Europe and SOE are working hard to get the game in your hands as soon as possible; thank you for your patience."
The content that is available this week relates to Halloween, which happens on Monday, 31st October. There's a sale, which includes a half-price deal on the Prince of Persia trilogy, plus extra discounts for members of PlayStation Plus.
Treasures of the Sun out October.
Treasures of the Sun out October.
Treasures of the Sun expansion in October.
Action RPG sequel Dungeon Siege 3 gets a beefy DLC expansion this October on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, publisher Square Enix has announced.
Expected to sell for $9.99, Treasures of the Sun will include a new plot arc and additional quests set in the new environment of Aranoi Desert. You'll be searching for a lost Legion hero and rifling through a "forgotten abbey" for a long-lost Azunite treasure.
The DLC also adds in various new abilities and raises the level cap from 30 to 35. There'll be new monsters to fight and items to pick up, and a new Enchanting system that lets players enhance their weapons and armour.
Japan chart: 3DS plummets pre price drop
Rhythm Heaven Wii retains software lead.
Japanese sales of the 3DS have fallen off a cliff following the announcement that the struggling portable will get a hefty price cut next week.
FeatureCheap This Week - 20/07/11
GTA 4 Episodes! GRID! Killzone 2!
Buckle up folks, here's another boatload of discounted digital fun for you to get your grubby mitts all over. The best priced games from all over the land are collected right here for your convenience. Get yourself over to SavyGamer.co.uk to keep up to date with all the cheap games, as and when they are cheap.
Digital FoundryFace-Off: Dungeon Siege III
Donkey bunch.
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Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Digital FoundryDungeon Siege III PS/360 Performance Analysis
Unlocked vs. capped frame-rates show a dramatic difference.
Digital FoundryDungeon Siege III 360/PS3 Face-Off
Just minor technical issues divide the two.
Digital FoundryDungeon Siege III 360/PS3/PC Face-Off
Console against PC in this clip comparison video.
Better Dungeon Siege 3 PC controls soon
Obsidian lays down update plans.
Obsidian is working on an update to improve the PC controls for Dungeon Siege III, Eurogamer can reveal.
FeatureReinventing Dungeon Siege
Obsidian on pulling a neglected RPG into the present.
After six years stumbling through the shadows, no-nonsense PC RPG Dungeon Siege crawls back onto our screens this month, sporting console versions, a new publisher, a new developer and, crucially, a new take on its decade-old gameplay formula.
Child of Eden enters in 25th.
Resurgent dance regime Zumba Fitness has leapt back to the top of the UK gaming chart.
Mule variations.
I have a signature move in co-op action RPG Dungeon Siege III. How many games can I say that for? Basically none.
What I like to do in Dungeon Siege III is wait until there's only one monster left to deal with. Then I summon a mirror image of myself - something I can do because I chose Reinhart Manx as my character, a mage who makes up for his terminally boring dialogue by being the spitting image of Kenny Rogers - and run off to whatever chest is nearby.
As my mirror image tangles with the monster, I pop the lid of the chest, sending Dungeon Siege III's characteristic ejaculation of loot (there's honestly no other word for it) flying twelve feet into the air over my head. Then I turn around and, with the touch of a button, bring a whip of purest energy down on the monster's head to send it crumpling to the ground.
VideoDungeon Siege III launch trailer
Will Obsidian's RPG cast a spell on you?
Zelda! Alice! Dungeon Siege! Child of Eden!
This week sees the return of a true classic in the world of gaming - a sequel to American McGee's Alice game! Ah, we kid. We mean Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 3D.
VideoGun-toting Dungeon Siege III footage
Xbox 360 demo out now but U.S. only.
Xbox 360 demo out now but U.S. only.
Dungeon Siege III demo announced
Xbox 360 gets it first.
A demo for Dungeon Siege III is available for exploration on Xbox 360 from 31st May, publisher Square Enix has announced.
Everyone else will have to wait a week - the sampler goes live for PC and PlayStation 3 on 7th June.
The full Obsidian-developed dungeon crawler then follows on 17th June. For more on the "confident, likable, and engaging" sequel to 2005's excellent Dungeon Siege II, have a read of Christian Donlan's recent hands-on preview.
Ehb and flow.
All video games tap into our obsessive compulsive nature to some degree, but few do it more ruthlessly than the loot-dropping dungeon crawl RPG. This is a genre for people who feel a deep sense of personal failure if they don't smash every barrel, open every chest and own an inventory groaning with Rare Inferno Pantaloons of Swiftness.
VideoDungeon Siege III multiplayer trailer
Something to crow about.
Redundancies reported at Obsidian
Fallout: New Vegas dev sheds staff.
P45s are reportedly being handed at Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment, with senior staff among those made redundant.
VideoDungeon Siege III Reinhardt video
Otherwise known as the mage.
Otherwise known as the mage.
Buy Dungeon Siege III, get DS1, DS2 free
Square details Steam-only offer.
Pre-purchase a PC copy of forthcoming action RPG Dungeon Siege III via Steam and you'll get the first two games in the series for free, publisher Square Enix has announced.
Dungeon Siege III release delayed
Square keeps action RPG fans waiting.
Forthcoming action RPG sequel Dungeon Siege III will now launch in Europe on 17th June, rather than 27th May as originally promised.
First Dungeon Siege III co-op details
Friends can vote on story outcome.
In Dungeon Siege III, co-op group members are allowed to vote on the outcome of key story decisions.
Your friends can decide whether a quest is accepted or turned down, noted the European PlayStation blog. They can even say whether a person lives or dies, and the consequences of their input can alter the course of the story.
The final decision, however, rests with the host of the co-op session.
VideoDungeon Siege III Lucas footage
He fights with sword and shield.
He fights with sword and shield.
VideoDungeon Siege 3 trailer stars Katarina
Heeled brunette with a very large gun.
Fallout: New Vegas dev making XBLA RPG
And a fantasy game and a licensed game.
Fallout: New Vegas and Alpha Protocol maker Obsidian is making an original Xbox Live Arcade action role-playing game.
Latest Dungeon Siege III screenshots
Lands in Europe 27th May.
Lands in Europe 27th May.
FeatureDungeon Siege III: More stable than New Vegas
Rich Taylor talks stability, loot and multiple platforms.
Fresh from the launch of the Bethesda-published Fallout: New Vegas, which won rave reviews while suffering from console-crashing bugs, developer Obsidian is now preparing to launch the Square Enix-published Dungeon Siege III, an attempt to take the action-RPG series onto consoles while preserving its PC gaming roots. No rest for the wicked.
VideoObsidian's new Dungeon Siege III trailer
Sure to get raven reviews.
Dungeon Siege III release date
Limited Edition for pre-orders only.
Obsidian action RPG Dungeon Siege III will release on 27th May in Europe, publisher Square Enix has announced.
A Limited Edition is available only to those who pre-order. It contains four unique in-game items that can be activated on the day of launch.
Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian is making the game with the help of original creator Gas Powered Games and its boss Chris Taylor. It'll appear on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as well as PC.
Obsidian: Why Fallout: New Vegas crashes
"We're gamers, too."
Fallout: New Vegas creator Obsidian Entertainment has explained why the sprawling openworld RPG suffers from technical issues – including console-crashing bugs and corrupted save files.
Sieging is believing.
You know that moment you often get in a good dungeon crawler, when you've reached the lair of the final boss, and you've learnt all the tactics and mastered the rhythm of the game's combat, but you haven't got quite the right gear to take him on just yet? You've got the smarts, but you haven't got the armour. You've got the intelligence, but you're still slightly lacking in terms of technology. And you know that moment – it's generally the very next moment – when you decide to try and take the boss on anyway? That's how I see Obsidian Entertainment: a clever team with great ideas, often struggling against the budget, the timeframe, or the engine.
Boll: "Actors know I'm a real filmmaker"
They "don't hate" my movies.
You might not like his work, but German filmmaker Uwe Boll insists the powers that be - the Hollywood actors, agents and managers - take what he does seriously, despite his movies being critically trashed time and time again.
Uwe Boll to shoot Dungeon Siege 2 movie
Dolph Lundgren lending his "acting chops".
Uwe Boll, a German filmmaker of questionable talent, has signed blonde bombshell Dolph Lundgren for another Dungeon Siege-inspired movie.
Total Annihilation creator backs the PC
Steam creates "intensity that had been lost".
The creator of PC hits Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander and Dungeon Siege has hit out at those who say PC gaming is dying and pointed to Valve's digital download service Steam as evidence of its booming popularity.
VideoSquare-Enix demos Dungeon Siege III gameplay
On track for PC, PS3 and 360 next year.
Handcuffs not included.
Handcuffs not included.
The RPG series returns, this time from Obsidian.
The RPG series returns, this time from Obsidian.
First Dungeon Siege III screenshots
Obsidian's take on the licence.
Obsidian's take on the licence.
Between the Diablo and the deep blue sea.
Always the bridesmaid... Poor old Obsidian Entertainment seems to be fated to ride the coat-tails of others in the North American RPG scene. Born from the ashes of the famous Black Isle Studios, it made its name as a capable understudy for BioWare on Knights of the Old Republic II and Neverwinter Nights 2 - and perhaps unfortunately, that name stuck.
Squenix confirms Dungeon Siege III
PC, 360 and PS3, Obsidian developing.
Square Enix has announced that Dungeon Siege III is in development at Obsidian Entertainment, under the watchful eye of original creator Gas Powered Games and its boss Chris Taylor.
The action-RPG will appear on PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as PC, and feature four-player co-op, according to a French press release on AGB (via VG247).
"Allying the intuitive gameplay of an action game with a proven role-playing system, Dungeon Siege 3 will take place in an immersive world where each of the player's decisions will have consequences," it says here. In French.
Uwe Boll gets lifetime Razzie award
Dungeon Siege also up for five trophies.
Uwe Boll is to be recognised for his contribution to movies by the organisers of the Golden Raspberry Awards - otherwise known as the Razzies.
Chris Taylor reveals Dungeon Siege 3
"Going to be about a single hero."
Gas Powered Games boss Chris Taylor has spoken of a third Dungeon Siege game.
