Dungeon Siege: Web Wombat: Games

Created by Chris Taylor, the founder of CaveDog Entertainment, which made its mark on the game industry with the colossal Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege (DS) is first and foremost an action game, heavily laden with RPG elements.

Many thought that Taylor wouldn't be able to progress from his RTS origins, which garnered so much acclaim, but after starting Gas Powered Games and spending a good amount of time developing DS - and not rushing it out for a holiday season deadline - it would be fair to say his critics have been silenced.

Something about code speaking louder than words…

The plot is interesting enough, but nothing exceptionally compelling, and is kept moving courtesy of narrative snapshots interspersed stylishly throughout the game. Here's the gist of it: A young farmer returns from his daily chores to find his only friend and Father, Norick, in the throes of death.

Upon entering his fields, our hero is set upon by the Krug, a malignant, poisonous race bent on destruction, yet a race which usually keep to themselves unless provoked. Taking out his trusty chair leg, he slays the Krug troupe. Whack!

While the Krug are normally quite reclusive, the land of Ehb has been systematically struck by thousands of the orcish blighters, which leads many to believe someone else, someone powerful, is controlling their actions. Hmm…

From the outset, one thing is obvious - a lot of work went into making this game look alive. It's almost as if every living thing has a tiny little polygon heart beating away at 500 frames a second. Little rodents sniff about the foliage and each other's butts, trees sway in the breeze (they have wooden hearts, okay) and butterflies flit about, looking for nectar.

Bridging the gap

From the first time you tonk a Krug on the head with a shovel, to using arcane magics, then specially imbued weapons, everything moves with such a degree of realism it's fascinating. As far as the overall look goes, it can't quite match the authentic rhythm of the gameworld, but that's not to say it's an ugly Krug-like game, either.

Far from it, DS combines some really inspiring locales that would have Lord of the Rings fans foaming at the mouth. Using the 'Siege Engine' the game hasn't gone for ultra realism as far as the characters go, but that's okay, because the environments look splendid and they are what will really take your breath away.

The towns - with their blacksmith's, inns and churches - look terrific, while the shadowy forests convey a real sense of dread. There's always bad-dudes hiding in the bushes waiting to spring out. Interestingly, the simple element of surprise in this respect adds plenty of angst to wandering through unknown lands.

The environs are truly like no other. You'll come across bubbling brooks, leading to majestic waterfalls, snow-covered high country and rickety rope bridges spanning deep ravines. There's expansive canyons, arid deserts and grassy plains that span for miles.

Perhaps this is the one aspect that outshines all others in DS. Because the game is fairly linear, you'll get to see most of the stuff that the developers wanted you to see, and when coupled to the zero-loading times, it makes for andeniably playable title.

It is possible to walk from one side of the gameworld to the other with no loading whatsoever - it may take eight days, but the fact that it's possible is very cool.

Gameplay in DS is very stylised and distinct. The way in which the player goes about progressing his player is pretty cool. Rather than being given a pre-determined amount of 'skill' points after passing a level, your player evolves in a more matter-of-fact way.

The King of the Castle shalt never waiver!

Like was mentioned in our preview, there are three stats and four major skills, each related to one another. Use any hand-to-hand weapon and your melee skill rises, in turn increasing the strength stat. Use any sort of bow or crossbow and your ranged weapon skill rises, in turn increasing dexterity.

The last two are nature and combat magic, and whenever you cast a spell from one of these disciplines, your intelligence will increase.

Simple, yet sophisticated, it works wonderfully and you can bet that this method of progression will be copied in years to come. There's also a 'safety-net' aspect to character progression. If you concentrate 100 per cent on magic, your intelligence will rise rather quickly, but strength and dexterity will also rise, just at half the rate. It's nice to see a lack of constraints placed on progression, as other games do, and it makes for an entirely refreshing change.

Other cool new features that take the good parts of Diablo and make them even better are the way mana and health potions are used. Instead of downing the whole lot, in DS, your players will only drink what they need, saving some for another day.

Furthermore, a user-friendly floating camera, which can be zoomed, panned around and generally fiddled with, allows gamers to appreciate the vibrant gameworld in more detail.

In addition, the ability to hire mules was a smart move on Gas Powered Games behalf, as they allow your party to carry a whole glut of items, all of which are worth currency when sold at the towns. Greediness is virtue in Dungeon Siege.

On your travels you'll come across like-minded folk who will ask permission to join your band of adventurers. You start with just one and can have up to eight members. This allows a bit of strategy.

For the most part, the enemy AI is pretty basic, with most running at you and fighting until you pop a cap in their head, but many have long-ranged weaponry, so tactics do come into play. In this respect, a diverse party is the key to success.

A couple of close combatants, mixed in with long-range spell casters and bowmen will offer a good all-round mix. Also, you can order your party members to follow, shape formations and decide whether they should retaliate to attacks, seek and destroy or just chill out, avoiding the dangerous stuff.

It's a long way down...

This level of direction over your adventurers adds an almost RTS element to the game, but when you start equipping magically enhanced weapons, armour, rings, amulets, gloves, boots, helmets and shields, it's like meeting up with an old friend again.

The range of enemies is expansive but particularly cool is their difference in size. You'll come across monsters that are bigger than buildings, which add another wow-factor to already wow-ee-zow-ee game.

The amount of spells and special weapons is impressive and their effects even more so. With volumetric lighting put to good use, magical weapons shimmer and give off varying colours and levels of glowy-ness. It's all very cool. When you further into the game, some of the spells have to be seen to be believed, such is the elaborate eye-candy.

There really isn't much in the way of puzzle-solving, which suits this gamer to a tee. You'll have to pull the odd lever and smash the odd barrel, but that's about it. There are, however, plenty of secret rooms in dungeons, which more yield than not offer shiny new items.

An memorable multiplayer aspect of Dungeon Siege is really dependent on your connection. For those with broadband links, playing on Microsoft's Zone thingy is pretty sweet. You'll have heaps of fun and it extends the life of an already epic single-player game. 56K modem players can get by, but your need the patience of a saint. Lastly, the game allows you to import single-player characters into multiplayer games - huzzah!

Dungeon Siege is an ultimately playable game. So much so, that it becomes hard to put down. "Just one more level…" always seem to turn into an all-night session. While we've established that the story isn't of Grisham standards, it does add another level of involvement and mini-quests interspersed throughout the game give it a little more personality as well.

Chris Taylor's reputation remains intact and Gas Powered Games are off to a flying start. Dungeon Siege is halfway-house between the grandiose Baldur's Gate and the addictive Diablo and is just what RPG fans have been waiting for. It gives Blizzard a good kick in the cods, too. Look out for user-created mods, which will add even more shelf-life to what is already a great longtermer.

Combining an incredible visual presence with some really funky and innovative RPG elements. The result is an annoyingly addictive game, spiced up with plenty of Ye Olde Fantasy Lore which fans of the genre will appreciate. A worthy addition to anyone's gaming library.

Game: Dungeon Siege
System: PC
Players: 1-multi
Online: Yes
Developer: Bioware
Distributor: Gamenation

Rating: 90%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Dungeon Siege is on the shelves now.

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