This is the new Diablo.
·Awesome Diablo 2 style setup with a very well-done skill tree.
·Great looking game and equally sound.
·No load times (almost).
Bad Idea:
·Some of the original Dungeon Siege features are excluded, including PVP and a very high level cap.
·High system requirments to run smooth.
·A few bugs with the multiplayer coding.
Overall:
A really addicting and well-done game. Bravo to Gas Powered games for another terrific action-RPG. If you're a fan of Diablo, this is your alternative fan.
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I got the original Dungeon Siege, and although it wasn't a perfect game, it came close to the addictive action-RPG, Diablo. In ways, it blew it away and was a very deep game. Also, it was more than a basic dungeon crawler. It was huge! As a matter of fact, Diablo 2 didn't look good after I played this. Not at all. Dungeon Siege 2 actually makes me think that Microsoft/Gas Powered Games are after the throne for the action-RPG throne currently held by Diablo 2.
In Dungeon Siege 2, you begin a short tutorial on how to actually play the game. It's pretty nice and easy to run through to get some decent XP, although all the weapons you'll collect will be useless since you lose them after the tutorial. Afterwards, you have to break free out of prison by doing quests given by the guards of the elf town you're in. The game's story is very cool and leads you on a very open linear game to Act boss to Act boss. The graphics are awesome, but with total awesomeness comes total lagness. I have a pretty pimp system (see my profile) and I get pretty good frames, never going below 30fps but before, when I had a really pimp yesterday system, it ran pretty bad at times. Mainly when a ton of enemies and magic was going on in a scene. The graphics, if you can handle it, are done really well for this type of genre. The only other thing that bugged me about the graphics are the chracter models (not the monsters). When watching cinemas, it's obvious that the mouths are not animatd to move with the words. Not even a little. It's a textured body, which kind of sucked when I first saw it. Speaking of, the sounds and voice work is really good. The sounds of body parts hitting walls is just pure magic to a graphic gamer's ears. I really like how the sounds come alive with the visuals. The blend perfectly to make a harmony of visual/audio gameplay.
The gameplay is very simple. It's set up just like any other action-RPG. You have a quick bar; you have your backpack; you hold right click to attack. It's easy. If you've never played an action-RPG, it's just easy to jump right into it and figure everything out. The thing you may be confused over is your power attacks/spells. When you charge a move, you hit the number key that flashes and bam, you have a mighty, mighty attack or powerup. It's great and helps add onto the depth of the game. The skill tree addition is very nice too, which basically means you can create a warrior totally different from any other warrior out there. So the character class is a ton more impressive. The drawbacks are there, but few. For one, the multiplayer coding seems to be a bit flawed. After working my way up to a level 80 warrior, my character became corrupted and wouldn't play online anymore. It sucks because I had went through the game a few times and collected an impressive aresnal of swords and axes. They have a patch for this but I played after patching. Maybe the GameSpy network is better to prevent corruption? I won't know until I play again. The game is long but not near as long as the original Dungeon Siege. It's about as long as Diablo 2 though. Some people really don't care about how long a game like that is because the real addiction is rushing through the game and collecting rare items. I rather liked having a long multi-pathed Dungeon Siege and was a tad disappointed in that. The only other thing that sucks is the lack of Player Vs. Player. My big thing was getting in a group and killing off the smartellic kids and taking their items. So it was more of a "protect your own" type co-op gameplay. You would have to pick your allies wisely.
Overall, I think anyone that likes action or leveling up should get this game. It's a very addicting game and easy to jump into and with a expansion on the horizon, you'll sure to have more fun coming your way.
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Violence:
·Loads of blood and gore. You can filter this off.
Sexuality:
·None.
Language:
·Very minor words.
Substance Use:
·Drinking mana might be offensive to some.