Dungeon Siege

"A wonderful game - more RPG than Diablo series, more action than BG"

When I first saw a preview movie of this game, I was unsure that it would live up to the demo. But I bought it, and it has lived up to what I expected. The graphics are FABULOUS, the sounds are good, and there are no loading screens when you change areas! I was an avid Diablo fan, and have dabbled in BG, plus I'm a hardcore RPG fan, but this game quickly replaced all of those. This is one game to get, but only if you have lots of time for it - very addictive.

Gameplay: 9/10

The camera interface takes a few minutes to get used to, even though the controls for it are quite straightforward. When your party backs up against a wall, for instance, the camera will switch to an overhead view, making it tough to identify characters. However, the ease of play compensates nicely for this. Single clicks are all that you need to get through the game. Your characters will attack monsters who attack them, and continue attacking once ordered. So, unlike Diablo, you don't need to click hundreds of times per group of monsters - just once will do. This game also has the benefit of introducing a pack mule for purchase. The pack mule becomes a member of your party, but expands your carrying capacity greatly. No more having to leave good equipment on the dungeon floor until you can return to town and clear your inventory - now you can just load it onto your packmule and keep adventuring.

Sound and Music: 9/10

The music sets the scene quite nicely. Coupled with the AMAZING graphics engine, it's easy to get lost in the world Microsoft created here. Voice acting is nothing out of the ordinary, but it's only a small part of the game too - so music dominates this category.

Graphics: 10/10

If I could give a score higher than 10, this category would get an 11. The graphics on this game are simply amazing! I've played 3D games before, with rotatable cameras, textured graphics, fog and snow, etc., but they all pale in comparison to this one. Even more, if you consider that everything is loaded during play (no loading screens), this game has some of the best 3D graphics to come out yet! A variable zoom allows close-up shots of characters and monsters, or a withdrawn view to see all the action. The screenshots shown on Microsoft's Dungeon Siege page are actually representative of in-game performance, and if anything the game shows better scenes!

Replay / Multiplayer: 10/10

Having played multiplayer games with up to four people, I've discovered that the multi-class character does not fare very well in multiplayer games. However, specialists each do very nicely (fighter, archer, mage). The complementary skills and abilities serve players well. Further, the HUGE maps available in multiplayer ensure great repeatability. Just make sure you allow yourself enough time to play for a while!

Overall: 10/10

As I said earlier, this is the best game I've seen yet. Go out and buy it! I don't expect its price to drop anytime soon.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/02/02, Updated 05/02/02