Customer Review :
Great graphics, a bit too canned to be 5 star : Dungeon Siege
When I first heard that Dungeon Siege was coming out, I, like many, was very excited. I love playing RPG games. After playing about half the game, I am a bit underwhelmed. It is not a bad game, but there is not a whole lot beyond hack and slash.First off, the graphics in this game are incredible. If you want to be stunned by graphics, you may well want the game strictly for the graphics. If it were not so graphically stunning, however, I doubt it would be receiving such high kudos. At times, I am playing the game more to see what the next creature looks like than trying to solve the game.
There is basically one path through this game, at least in single player. If you start again, you follow the same path. Unlike games like Baldur's Gate, where you can go in any direction you wish (with consequences, of course), you do not have choices. You are pretty much a "rat in a maze", trying to get the cheese. Your only real decision is whether to explore every side path, which is a good idea in most instances, as you get stronger. The positive point of this canned approach is you do not have to wait for a new section of the world to be created (ala Baldur's Gate) when you enter a new chapter in the story.
The interface takes a bit of getting used to. You have a freeform third person camera angle. If you move your mouse to any edge of the monitor you can watch the battle from a variety of angles. This feature is both extremely cool and extremely irritating, depending on what is going on. In the heat of a particularly dangerous battle, changing angles can change the outcome of the battle for some of your characters. My advice is to practice with the mouse before you get into hot water.
Unlike some, I am also fascinated by the new methodology to advancement. In Dungeon Siege, you do not pick a type of character. Instead, your actions create your character. If you fight with melee weapons, you will get a strong fighter. If you focus on magic, you will become a better magician, as well as increase your intelligence. This allows you to easily create a character that can use both weapons and magic.
The main strategic point of the gameplay, and a strong point for hands on gamers, is the ability to set different characters to attack differently and quickly change formations. Choosing the proper formation and orders will dramatically alter the game. This point makes the hack and slash nature far more palatable to me, as I do actually have a bit of thought in gameplay.
The multi-player game is more fun than the single player, as I get to interact with others on a variety of quests. I also have more choices of where to start (provided my level is high enough), as well as a completely different world (although there are choices here, as well).
Summary:
Overall average game with excellent graphics and unique interface.
Pluses - great graphics, seemless play, flexible character advancement, ability to micro-manage the game
Minuses - forced game path a bit too obvious
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars PC.../ Command & Conquer 3:Tiberium Wars DVD / buying land
