The game begins with the player selecting a sex, appearance, and which of the four available races they'll be playing. After that, the player gets thrown into the thick of the action. This was where I noted the first difference between Dungeon Siege II and its predecessor -- story depth. The game's introductory level and first series of quests already has more twists, turns and genuine character development than the whole first game. It even flirts with the moral ambiguity that's so in vogue right now. You actually begin the game in the employ of the bad guys as a mercenary. You fight your way through a battlefield against Dryads to help uber-bad guy Valdis knock over an old temple that contains a piece of an ancient shield. Once you do, though, Valdis proceeds to turn on you, murdering most of the mercenaries (including your best friend) and leaving you for dead. Oops.​