Dungeon Siege
Gas Powered Games inspirational debut...
Indulge me if you please in the following conceit. Let us imagine that computer games are a form of life. Let us not be topical in giving Creationism a look-in and rather think about the way in which evolution affects the development of life. Consider the methods used by organisms as they fight for survival in an increasingly competitive environment, adapting and innovating to become master of their niche. Shall we travel back to the beginning?
Related
First out of the primordial soup was Hack, a sturdy dungeon crawl whose simple looks hid a complex nucleus. After many years of slow, incremental change during the 8bit years Dungeon Master first made an appearance, taking the adventurer into the dungeons at eye-level. Many different variations on this beast were eventually followed by the giant leap forward heralded by Ultima Underworld. The beast had extended into three dimensions; another node in the ever-growing RPG tree had been reached. Over ten years later we can now see Dungeon Siege making its presence felt, drawing attention to itself with advanced visual powers. Augmented by its absorption of Diablo 2’s efficient interface this new animal is made all conquering by abandoning the older RPG tendencies towards rigidity in favour of a liberating versatility. Dungeon Siege is nothing like the shrew of early mammalian development; rather it is the equivalent of a cheetah, a wolf. Let’s delve deeper into its makeup and play with its furry ears for a while and find out why this game could very well be an emergent new species in the RPG tree of gaming.
So what exactly is so special about this game that justifies such an indulgent introduction? For a start the character generation involves nothing more than choosing race and appearance. After that it’s on the in-engine intro cutscene. Rejoice, because that first loading screen will be your last (unless you have died and are re-starting). The intro opens up into the game proper and no matter where you go, whether it be exploring a forest, crawling through a sprawling dungeon or entering a new town or building you will be free of that screen which has been with us since the dawn of computer gaming. This achievement becomes all the more impressive when you come to realise the true scale of the world that has been created for you. I went into a mine to find a dwarf’s brother, thinking it would be a quick hunt, only to find myself being tormented by a giant rock monster three levels and three hours into the depths of the earth. The monsters I encountered during my travels were not just colourful and well animated but also showed a pleasing amount of variety, from kobold type cannon fodder through to dogs, scorpions, some weird two-headed thingy to a yeti, and then some.
Comments
I thought I'd talk about what the game was like to play, how the design of the game mechanics is superb. I take on board the critiscm that I didn't concentrate on the gameplay - I have to leave something for the review. I'm glad that my piece has stimulated some repsonse, especialy as this is my first try. And unless you have played it yourself Max I think it a mite unfair to say the praise is undeserved for it most certainly is. I've played most PC games out there and this is one of the best made and well thouht out titles in a very long time, regardless of genre.
I have to say I liked reading the review. It’s beautifully written, analytical yet descriptive. In response, to the criticism above, I remind that person that this a preview not a review. It's not good journalistic practice to make conjunctions before a game is fully developed.<br>Keep up the good work.<br>
"I thought I'd talk about what the game was like to play, how the design of the game mechanics is superb. I take on board the critiscm that I didn't concentrate on the gameplay - I have to leave something for the review."<br><br>Then you agree that rather than it being a rounded preview it was a selective preview. Good. I'm glad you can see that. It saves a world of pain.<br><br>"I'm glad that my piece has stimulated some repsonse, especialy as this is my first try"<br><br>You clearly don't know me. I have hopes that the gaming media will develop a more mature and credible approach to game reviews, and I sincerely hope that British game reviewers can lead the way. Mayhap Ferrago will be part of that lead.<br><br>"And unless you have played it yourself Max I think it a mite unfair to say the praise is undeserved for it most certainly is. I've played most PC games out there and this is one of the best made and well thouht out titles in a very long time, regardless of genre."<br><br>My comments were based on the publically available information and your preview. Regardless of what the actuality is it is fair, and spot on, for me to suggest I have seen nothing that makes me think this game is going to be no more than slick visuals and derivative gameplay.<br><br>"It’s beautifully written, analytical yet descriptive. In response, to the criticism above, I remind that person that this a preview not a review. It's not good journalistic practice to make conjunctions before a game is fully developed."<br><br>I found it ugly and had a bias in the descriptive elements. Regardless of whether it was a preview or not, gameplay is ultimately the most significant and unavoidable aspect a game requires if it is to serve any purpose. By leaving gameplay unexamined the pieced turned from a journalistic examination into a sales pitch for eye candy and graphics cards. That isn't the job of a journalist. Neither is it the job of a reviewer or previewer. It might've been a good idea to remind the reader that ultimately the gameplay is the final judge and only the full review could comment on that. Until then all bets are off.<br><br>OK Sam. I've been hard on you. You're piece wasn't a complete failure. You're observant and are able to communicate those observations well. This is a good thing and something you deserve credit for. Well done. The two substantive issues I have are with balance of the overall article and bias towards selling the game on visuals. This isn't something you should shoulder the blame for. That's for the editorial policy to catch. Even though I wasn't too happy with the preview you're honest about what you did see and how you saw it. Experience and reflection will teach you how to communicate this better.<br><br>I wish you well.
What a surprise. The real game and review turns up and guess what? A game with near zero gameplay and replayability arrives on the scene. By God and all the saints my radar must be the sharpest in the business. If only publishers were so sharp we wouldn't have to wade through so much crap to get our sticky fingers on a decent game.
A huge tree and went were called else to our in many A huge pirates
community I'd surprise visit were called places I thought
The game is great. And the graphics. The only downfall is the fact that Microsoft stoped hosting Zonematch. So if you aren't loading the server it's not you're falt. It's just that there isn't a server to load.