Genre: Action/RPG Developer: Gas Powered Games Publisher: Microsoft Price: ~$40.00 (search for prices here) Review System: Alienware P4 2GHz, 512MB RAM, Nvidia Ti500, Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer. We Recommend: PII, 400MHz, 128MB of RAM, 16MB D3D video card Homepage:Dungeon
Siege Bugs encountered: None. Zero. Nada. Available for: Win 95/98/ME/2000/XP
When the kingdom of Ehb suddenly falls under the gritty teeth and claws of the
Krugg, it's up to you, a simple farmer, to save the day. A farmer? Yes, and you can wield a shovel with the skills of a Shaolin priest! This
modest beginning sparks an epic hack-n-slash quest that mixes equal parts
Diablo, Baldur's Gate and Darkstone. Sound intriguing? It is. You've probably heard all the hype already, but if you want the low-down, as only Game.Ars can give it, check out this review.
Click an image to go to the screenshots
page
And if you look closely at the image on the right,
you'll see that my adventurers have deadly aim. Youch!
Another fantasy hack-n-slash?
No one out there can argue that the fantasy genre is overloaded and bursting at the seams. Developers who want to create a fantasy title � be it strategy, role-playing or action � will have games like
Disciples 2: Dark Prophecy, Asheron's Call and Diablo 2 to compete with. On top of all that, it is next to impossible to be wholly original working within the genre, so when a company decides to go ahead with a new fantasy game, it had better be pretty damn certain
that the end product will outshine the competition � or why bother? With
Dungeon Siege, Gas Powered Games and Microsoft have decided that this time they have
a diamond on their hands; but does that diamond sparkle? Based on my experience with the game, I have three words to answer with: Move over
Diablo.
Dungeon Siege welcomes us into the realm of that ever-popular gaming hybrid known as action-role-playing. It sticks quite close to the proven formula, too, letting players explore, fight beasties, gather treasure and earn experience levels. The thing that makes
Dungeon Siege more appealing than the others is its presentation. The graphics, interface, sound effects and overall polish come together to
give the the player one heckuva time. It doesn't take a lot of risks, but it does take
the familiar fantasy gaming genre to the next level. (And it's a nice level at that.)
Nicely done
I was immediately pulled into the game by the character creation process. You don't get to assign points to skills, but you do get to build the physical likeness of
your character. Players can choose from a variety of hair styles, skin tones, head shapes, torsos and leggings. Male and female characters are both available, too, and all start the game as humble farmers. No one begins play as a fighter or a mage, but instead
the player decides what kind of character they want simply by building on the appropriate
skills through practice. For instance, if you use a melee weapon all the time, your combat skills and strength
go up. Use a bow and your ranged attack will increase along with your dexterity.
Or, by focusing on spells you can become an expert mage, gaining intelligence along the way.
And if you wish, you can even evolve into a jack-of-all trades by employing all of the available skills equally. Since you don't have to stop and spend points each time you go up a
level, character-building feels more natural and realistic. It's definitely a refreshing approach.
As your character's stats go up, he or she will be able to use more powerful spells and weapons. Some gear,
such as heavy armor, requires a minimum amount of strength to use. Other items, like bows, require dexterity, while spells require intelligence. One of the most charming aspects about the items in the game is that each is
fully modeled with its own art. Wield a dagger and you'll see it in your character's hand. Change from leather to studded leather armor and its appearance is reflected on your character as well. The sheer variety of items in this game is astounding, leaving me near drooling for the next thing I might discover.
