Dungeon Siege 2 First Look

Before we all get flooded with various content from the upcoming E3 festivities, we decided to offer you a quick peek into Microsoft's and Gas Powered Games' promising sequel to Dungeon Siege, one of the most praised RPG hack'n'slashers in the gaming world today. If Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna didn't tickle your fancy, GPG promises DS 2 surely will. It features something for newbies as well as true-hearted fans of the series. Unfortunately, at this point, the game itself is kept away from snooping eyes of the press, so to learn more details you're gonna have to wait a few weeks or so (i.e. keep your eyes open for the E3)... by then Microsoft and GPG should unwrap a playable build.

We can take you ugly slobs any day!

In your face! Not so tough now, eh?

Now ask yourselves, what does a good action RPG really need? Well, there are several answers to that. The first thing that makes any game worth your while is a half-way decent story conveyed through rich dialogue and top-notch character voicing. A clear-cut character development system, in addition to an intuitive interface and inventory is extremely vital to an action-packed slice'n'dice RPG - add a solid AI, sharp visuals and pleasing music, and you pretty much got yourself a winner. It's safe to assume Dungeon Siege will deliver all of that and more.

To begin with, Dungeon Siege 2 challenges gamers to take on the main single-player mode with a party of up to six members, each of which may be leveled during the game. (YOU CAN LEVEL THEM?! WOW! - Ed) Players are also able to choose from a wider variety of character classes. The interesting thing is that you'll be able to enhance skills of each party member by using a completely revised character development system. Gameplay wise, things are more dynamic and intuitive than before. Throughout the course of the game your characters increase their fighting abilities, eventually gaining access to Hero Powers. These special Hero Powers come with a catch though. They require increased Wisdom and appropriate timing to be pulled off successfully.

We don't know much about the story at this point. It was revealed, however, that all characters possess unique backgrounds, voices and motivations, which should compel gamers to play on until they finish their main quest. By the way, quests are a lot more story-related this time around; unlike the previous games where most of the quests involved standard tasks such as clearing out monster-infested caves, forests and dungeons.

Although not much info or media had been uncovered yet, we noticed that GPG is going for an even simpler approach in design than in the previous two installments. We were happy with things in the original as well as Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna. Still, the developers' goals are to replenish the basic gameplay mechanics and enhance the overall quality of the product. It's actually good to know that the sequel is being created with things like that in mind. Other features were thrown in to emphasize the importance of tactics, as opposed to the mindless point-and-click routine. The so-called "Coach AI" will increase the need for strategy and coordinated attacks in order to subdue powerful enemies. This newly improved opponent intelligence also triggers unexpected attacks, so you better watch your back while you're out there.

The game offers plenty of baddies to fight against and a diversity of weapons to slice them all with (nothing revolutionary though, just your usual battle axes, swords, bows and staffs - still, they (GPG) promise to put in an assortment of brand new items and weapons). On top of working meticulously on their appearance, the lads at GPG gave each and every monster a unique fighting style and intelligence. The Klask, for example, is an ugly three-headed beast that uses its gigantic spiked fists to bash the living crap out of their enemies. Apparently, their favorite pastime is crushing an opponent's skull between its powerful iron fists and it is said they can also ram through thick stone walls. The Klask definitely shouldn't be assailed with a single character. It may take several experienced party members to bring this beast down. If other enemies receive similar attention, it's safe to assume we're looking at one immensely fun RPG.

The idea is not to panic, or it’ll go straight for the throat... Aaargh!

Floating chicks are really not my thing.

Improvement has obviously been the keyword throughout the game's entire development cycle. The franchise has progressed both technically and visually. The new SFX graphical engine allows for a broader range of visual effects, richer background detail, and, most importantly, environmental interactivity, which was said to have a crucial influence on the gameplay. Using the surroundings to gain tactical advantage will most likely fit well with the enhanced AI, creating a truly challenging experience for all gamers. Character animation also went through a significant tune up, while the cinematics now run in the game-engine. Game-engine cinematics are often misinterpreted by some as a weak visual moment. From our standpoint, they create a closer relationship between the player and the characters he is leading. It also streamlines the whole experience, showing off a simple yet effective blend of the story and the game itself. To spice things up even further, artwork and character models have received an overhaul; plus, a variety of new ones have been thrown in to boot.

Exceptional effort was poured into making top-quality audio. For that, MS hired two industry veterans; sound designer Frank Bry and renowned composer Jeremy Soul. Both names should be familiar to all contemporary gamers. Frank got involved in several projects over the past years including Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna, Total Annihilation, Metroid Prime, Unreal Championship (Xbox), Unreal Tournament 2003, and many others. A guy like Jeremy really needs no introduction... you merely have to mention inspiring soundtracks from titles like SW: Knights of the Old Republic, Unreal II and Neverwinter Nights.

Lately, a majority of game developers seem to be concentrating a great deal of their attention on smooth and quick-paced gameplay, as well as intuitive overall design. While we see this to be a great advantage for Dungeon Siege 2, there are other aspects we like to think are extremely important to the whole experience. A decent storyline is, of course, essential and must be tied (cautiously) into the previous game. It would also be appreciated if the developers took the time to tone down the linearity of the plot structure (such a tendency in the original left many gamers quite disappointed). In any case, it is still early to say anything about this one for sure. Overall, we think the team has enough experience and talent within its ranks to see this one through to the end.