An Average Farmer In A Far From Average Adventure

My online gaming friends were buzzing about a new Role Playing Game called Dungeon Siege. A game where a simple farmer is destined to save the world. I tried to ignore the hype for a while. I dismissed it as a stereotypical RPG, a game where I would be forced to mindlessly level characters. Eventually I gave in to curiosity. The demo was free, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I started off by customizing the look of my farmer and then I got ready to play. It didn't take me too long to realize that I didn't know how to move. Oh sure, I could have read the instructions. Instead, I stood there like an idiot for about five minutes. The controls were a little different from what I was used to. The game is almost completely mouse driven. Character selection, character movement, combat, inventory management, camera perspective, you name it, just about everything can be done with just the mouse. I found this very frustrating at first. Character movement is command based. It is done by clicking on the area you want to go to, then watching your character run to the selected spot. Fighting is pretty much done automatically as well. You click on monster, you watch some animations, and then the monster dies. That's if all goes well of course.

At this point I just didn't get it. I was grumpy and about ready to uninstall the demo. Fortunately, I kept trying. The game did get better... A LOT BETTER.

So there I was, with my garden tool, smashing "Krugs" in the head. Eventually, my cynical demeanor started to melt away. This was due to the flexible fighting system. I wasn't stuck to one class. In Dungeon Siege you can be a wizard, you can be a warrior or you can be both. The game doesn't care. True, hybrid characters take a bit longer to level, but it's worth it. How many RPGs let you shoot fireballs, while wearing plate armor?

As I was slowly getting into the game, I started to noticed the level of detail in the environment. Dungeon Siege renders a rich setting, filled with thick forests, rugged mountains, spooky catacombs and so much more. The lands are loaded with eye-candy and there are quite a few hidden areas to explore. As you level, you can equip magical weapons with colorful effects. Dungeon Siege was winning me over, but there were even more exciting features to explore.

After talking to several villagers, then battling through the forest, I made my way to an underground crypt. As I entered this new area, there weren‘t any "Now Loading" messages. I simply walked underground and into this new zone. The transition from one section to the next occurs seamlessly. If you hate load time, this feature is wonderful. Dungeon Siege still had even more to impress me. After slaying an undead horde, I rescued a scribe from the depths of the tomb. Surprising, she offered to join me and fight. Guess I should have read the instructions after all. As it turns out, you can have up to 8 people in your party. Each character has their own independent stats. You can decide how you want each character to grow. You want 8 archers? Simply give them all bows to use.

The controls were beginning to make sense to me. You can pick formations, devise attack strategies, and generally run amok. Combat can become very intense, especially when your group is surrounded by a legion of adversaries. Your party doesn't have to be comprised of all heroes either. You can buy a "pack mule". It will follow you around and carry your stuff.

After I beat the demo I was still hungry for more. Naturally, I then purchased the full version. The full version still wasn't enough to satisfy my craving for action. The game felt just too short and it seemed too easy to beat. My psycho party of 8 wreaked havoc on the forces of evil, all in under 25 hours. For fun, let's compare some numbers...

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
$10 for a two hour movie = $5 per hour

Dungeon Siege
$50 for a game cleared in 25 hours = $2 per hour

Clearly Dungeon Siege is the better value, but that's not good enough is it? No no no... gamers expect more. Dungeon Siege delivers! There is an online play mode, and that helps the replay value, but Gas Powered Games took Dungeon Siege even further than that. The Siege Editor, downloadable at www.dungeonsiege.com, allows you to redesign nearly every aspect of the game. You can create new characters, new areas, new stories and more! These game modifications can then be used by other Dungeon Siege players. The problem is the Siege Editor is very intimidating. Creating a complete Dungeon Siege Mod looks like it would take a lot of time and effort.