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Dungeon Siege II (PC)

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It has been about 4 years since the release of Dungeon Siege, an enjoyable fantasy RPG. It was an action RPG, with a constant but manageable flow of combat, which is still the case in Dungeon Siege II. Dungeon Siege II puts you in a much more engaging plot than in its predecessor.

You will once again return to Aranna, but it's not the same world as before, the realm has been torn apart by a vicious civil war. In midst of the chaos, a brutal leader, Valdis, has emerged who wants to bring his order to the place no matter the cost. Against this chaotic backdrop, the lines between good and evil are blurred. It's up to you to pick your own path through the war and put a stop to Valdis before he unites the world under his tyranny. You have a good deal of freedom deciding how you overthrow Valdis through lots of interesting choices and quests. Some of the choices are as simple as what you say to a commander or a party member, and others as to how you destroy an enemy encampment.

Dungeon Siege II features a well crafted point and click movement and battle system. It also has a flexible camera system. There is a problem though; there are times when you can't see what you need to do to move on. This is easily fixed by moving to a different area; you can then you can see what you need to do. Some users might have a hard time getting used to the movement system, but the game does give you time at first to play with the camera settings and movement system.

The first twenty to thirty minutes of play walks you though all the important aspects of the game: how the skill system works, how objects work, how to use the camera, how to move around, what and how the different screens in your user interface are, and how they work, and some of your basic battle skills. This part of the game also wets your appetite with Chapter One of the story, which unfolds as you play. The only problem with how this was done is after a reinstall or logging into another username on the system you have to go through it all again.

The new branching skill tree, which is revealed in chapter one of the game is very powerful and allows players to customize their heroes as they get deeper and deeper into the adventure. More importantly, they've added what are called "Powers" to the equation. These are over-the-top special abilities that must be used sparingly, but can completely turn the tide of a battle.

Another thing you will notice is the land is very interactive. As you play, you will have to destroy certain buildings or flood areas to make your objectives; this gives you real power over your environment. You are able to use the terrain to your advantage; in chapter 2, for example, you have to set fire to outposts to meet an objective.

The new pets add a fun and useful aspect to gameplay, the pets can not only haul your stuff but they can fight with you to help you on your quest. You can even feed your pets special items to boost their powers, creating a truly unique ally.

Though you are traveling in a group most of the game, your main focus is your character. You don't have to switch between players, micromanaging every detail, making you feel more a part of the action. This alone is a nice change in RPG's as of late.
The AI for your companions has been significantly boosted. You select a party tactic and then your companions will fight accordingly. Some of these tactics are: "Hold Ground" which will order your companions to stay put and defend an area while you explore on your own, "Defensive" stance will keep your party close-by, attacking only creatures that attack the group, "Rampage" orders your team to fan out and obliterate anything they see, And "Mirror" stance tells your party to follow you and gang up on whatever creature you attack. This latter approach comes in handy for boss monsters, large opponents, or pesky casters that you want your team to focus on before dealing with minions.

To improve battle and help lower micromanaging you can give your party standing orders to cast support spells. For example, you can tell your healer to auto-cast a healing spell whenever characters drop below a certain health threshold. Your companions can also automatically summon pets, buff heroes, or debuff enemies. Leaving auto casting on can be risky if you're not paying attention, because it drains your mana quickly.

Another thing to improve warfare they allow you to customize your weapons. For example it's possible to have a weapon enchanted using resources you find in your adventures. You can also imbue certain weapons with amazing powers, though, they are not cheap.

Also enemy A.I. is much smarter; this makes the game challenging but much more playable. Groups of enemies are now treated as teams. When they attack they determine their plan of attack, then they split off to execute it on as a team. They sometimes focus on one particular character who's the biggest threat; they will use special abilities accordingly. Those who are able to do so will cast spells or heal their own team making for fun interesting battles. The first "real" battle you will have in your journey will be in chapter two right before destroying a scout tower. There are battles all through chapter one, but it is to teach you how to play the game. In chapter two you will encounter a general and a small but powerful group of men, is a fun battle with the new enemy A.I. system.

The scenery of Aranna, from forests to war torn trenches, immerses you deeply into the game by setting you in the mode and tone of the game. You will see monsters spring out of the shrubbery in an ambush or scurry away under a bush when wounded. You will also see great detail in the forests and every other aspect of the games environment.

Very detailed monsters and charters help you feel for your cause. Rippling fur, swinging chains, bits and pieces of armor, all of which are rendered with great detail, add to the game's feel. Some of your enemies are somewhat over the top, but that seemed to be a trademark of its predecessor.

Music helps set the mood while moving about the different lands and objectives, which helps immerse you in the game. Shooting an enemy with an arrow through the head has a nice ring to it. The sound effects are very fitting and really help set the mood for civil war. The voice acting really needs some improvement, however; it really almost kills what story is there. That being said it's not an end all as the environment, music, and sound effects, set the mood and tone to the game, and with better voice acting could be the RPG of the year.

The only things that hurt this game are the lack of innovation in the overall graphics, and of course the voice acting. The story, though in need of polishing, is immersive and original. Dungeon Siege II should be in every true RPG fans collection, and is a great starter game for any novice to the RPG world.

Note: The developer has told us a good portion of the voice acting is a place holder. Given the early release of the preview this is highly probable, but to give far coverage to out users we have left our preview completing intact. Please also note, anything in game is subject to change prior to release.

Reviewed By:EG Admin Reviewed On: Sat, 30 April 2005 22:15:50 Read: 861

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