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PC RPG FANS HAVE probably been watching the large number of high calibre FPS titles released over the last few months with envy all the while wondering when they might be similarly spoiled. With Dungeon Siege's arrival it looks like their wait may well be over. Having said that purists might at first find Dungeon Siege's unique approach very different than what they are used to but they would certainly find it impossible to deny that its one of the most accessible and enjoyable RPG titles ever released. Gas Powered Games have always said from the outset that they wanted to make an 'action' oriented RPG that people would be able to pick up and play without getting bogged down in statistics and screeds of text. They have succeeded admirably in this regard but what they deserve particular commendation for is the fact that they have achieved their goal of making the game accessible without dumbing it down or sacrificing any of the best aspects of PC RPGs.
The focus on action means Dungeon Siege isn't quite as wordy as the last RPG blockbuster to hit the PC (Baldurs Gate 2) but thats not to say it lacks a suitable back story. The game begins with a quick summary of the Kingdom of Ehb and the events that lead to its creation. Most of this back story is standard RPG fare but its well developed enough to avoid the cringe factor that some RPG story lines still seem to retain. In terms of your involvement in the story well that is certainly standard RPG fare. You play the role of a humble farmer forced to take up arms (or spell books depending on what you prefer) when your homestead, friends and family are put to the torch by the all of a sudden troublesome orcs ... I mean Krug. At the outset of your adventure the nature of the evil that is spreading through the land is still completely unknown and the unravelling of the story as you journey through the game is one of its most attractive assets. Too many games nowadays seem to lay the story out before you right at the start with an all too obvious ending clearly visible from the beginning. Dungeon Siege takes a different approach and basically leaves you clueless at the beginning of your journey. As you travel through the land reading the books that turn up now and then and talk to the people you encounter not only is the games story detailed but the Kingdom of Ehb's back story is also fleshed out.
Dungeon Siege wears its influences quite openly and proudly and from the moment you start playing they are fairly obvious. Diablo and Diablo 2 were obviously big hits with the team at Gas Powered Games and a lot of the mechanisms employed in those games are on show here. Blue and Red potions for Mana and Health, similar naming conventions for weapons (Battered Hammer of the Dog etc) and a similar focus on fast paced action. Don't go thinking that Dungeon Siege is simply a 3D update for Diablo 2 though, the two games are very different. For a start a lot more skill and strategy is required when playing Dungeon Siege (unless you're playing on easy mode of course which is just a little too easy). The games 3D engine means that position, ranged weapons and using different combinations of skills becomes far more important. Rather than clicking your way through endless hordes like in Diablo 2 you'll find yourself frequently encountering pockets of enemies who will have to be dealt with in different ways depending on what they are and what kind of area they are in. Thankfully Dungeon Siege's extremely intuitive control system makes this frequent changing of tactics simple and enjoyable (more on this later).
In terms of control the 3D engine works extremely well with only a few small problems. For the most part you can navigate yourself and your party around the environment easily, changing the camera angle to suit you when you need to. Moving the camera is simply a case of moving the pointer to edge of the screen and 'pushing'. Its a similar system to the one used in Black and White and really takes no time at all to get used to. The game will sometimes switch the view for you if the one you have is not suitable for the environment you are moving into. Large structures will fade as you move behind or into them so that your view is not impeded. This system works almost perfectly but every now and then some strange glitches do occur. These included zooming right in close to your party or rapidly rotating the view round so it is the opposite direction to what you previously had. These do occur extremely infrequently but when they occur in a heated battle that you are trying to keep a close eye on it can be frustrating. A very minor criticism for an otherwise superb system.
From a purely visual aspect the engine is fantastic. The Kingdom of Ehb is brought to life in magnificent 3D and quite often this reviewer was stopping to admire the scenery instead of getting on with the business of saving the world. The environments are very detailed and intricate and really help to give the game a vast sense of scale. Along the way you'll see things like waterfalls pouring into vast canyons, massive underground halls and fairies lighting the way in a dark forest. The variety and level of detail on show are really quite something. Character and weapon/armour models are also impressively detailed and varied. Weapons that have special powers will often glow or sparkle and while this is nothing particularly new when its done in a brand spanking new 3D engine it does look rather nice. Spell effects are also suitably pyrotechnic and when you have a couple of casters in your party laying into some enemies with high level spells you'll be thanking yourself for upgrading that video card. We found one of the most enjoyable aspects of Dungeon Siege was simply watching it. Later in the game when you have a reasonably large and diverse party there is nothing more impressive than sending them into battle and watching limbs go flying, things exploding and spells being cast. To put it simply Dungeon Siege is the best looking RPG currently available. |
