Dungeon Siege

"A game with great potential, but just doesn't cut it"

After a friend told me how great this game was, I went ahead and downloaded the demo to see for myself. I was impressed by what I saw - great graphics and sound, a decent storyline and interesting combat. So, I went out and bought the game the next day. Had I known then that the game just goes downhill from there, I'd have reconsidered.

What I found out through playing the full version is that the storyline is virtually non-existent. The little chunk they throw at you in the beginning is about all you get. The combat is... Well, it's awful. You can set your characters to do everything for you, while you sit back and watch; pushing the H key to heal from time to time. It's almost a good thing the game is so short (I beat it in about sixteen hours), any longer and I'd have gotten too bored to finish it.

But I thought the game would really shine in multiplayer. Player made maps that can take hours to finish. An editor to create your own skins for monsters. Wow, impressive. And I'm still impressed by that. It's just a shame that multiplayer is hosted on the Zone. The few times I can actually join a game without being booted or disconnected, I'm forced to deal with horrible lag - and I'm using DSL. Granted, the game is still relatively new. I'm sure Microsoft will fix the multiplayer issues.

I did have a lot of fun playing this game at first, though. As I said, the graphics and sound are great. Some of the area's you explore are simply breathtaking. And the ambient sounds make you feel like you're really in the game. The variety of equipment is another great feature. Everything you equip shows up on you, so you can make each character look unique. Many different types of armor, and weapons - including cool effects like flaming swords and frost axes. New difficulty levels for after you finish the game are a nice addition, but considering the replay value is so low, I never even bothered with them.

So, should you get this game? It depends. If you're looking for a game that will give you hours upon hours of entertainment, then no. But if you don't have very high expectations, and only want something to tide you over for a few weeks until another game comes out, then this is the game for you.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/02, Updated 05/03/02