Preview Dungeon Siege 2 411 at GameDaily

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Dungeon Siege 2

<A href="http://www.gamedaily.com/">GameDaily</A> serves up a tasty <A href="http://www.gamedaily.com/pc/preview/?id=346&source=00001&gameid=2761">preview</a> of <A href="http://www.gaspowered.com/ds2/">Dungeon Siege 2</a>. Here's a bit about the old automated screensaver game and the new and improved character driven story based whatchamacallit:
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<blockquote>Many players felt that the original DS seemed to almost play itself, since the six-member party would automatically attack anything that came within sight. Gas Powered Games has taken measures to increase the player's role, requiring more thought and input. Part of this includes a complex storyline that is driven by the characters. Just as before, players will be able to customize their main character's look, and this time select a species. Players will take on the role of a sword-for-hire who works for an evil warlord. As the game progresses, you'll have a change of heart and start working against him. Characters that join your party will not have their own unique motivations and will interact with other members of the party, sometimes leading to a personality clash. Selecting specific characters to join your group may open up new quest paths within the game. Also, what began with the pack mule, later improved into an attacking animal in the expansion, will now be improved on yet again in DS2. Players will be able to select from a number of different exotic creatures, each with their own abilities, so that they will have more ways of playing the game in their own way.</blockquote>
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So, I start out as evil and I have a change of heart? And this is driven by the character? But I don't have a choice? Neat!
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

 

[Spazmo]

They're increasing interactivity by including a linear storyline? I guess that sort of makes sense if... wait, no, it doesn't make sense any way you look at it. It's total nonsense.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Why doesn't Chris just stick to what he's good at and make Total Anhiliation 2?

 

[Country_Gravy]

Characters that join your party will not have their own unique motivations

WTF?

 

[Country_Gravy]

Why doesn't Chris just stick to what he's good at and make Total Anhiliation 2?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Players will be able to select from a number of different exotic creatures, each with their own abilities, so that they will have more ways of playing the game in their own way.

Do we get to dress them up in armor and little booties and caps as well! :D That would be like so interactive and make this game the shit! Then I can have Dungeon Siege 2: The Interactive Animal Dress-up Screensaver!!

Now excuse me while I go defecate.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Why doesn't Chris just stick to what he's good at and make Total Anhiliation 2?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Ah yes, the eternal motivator. How could I forget? :D

 

[Sol Invictus]

Chris is making Total Annihilation 2. It's due out in 2006 and published (though not financed) through Electronic Arts. Whether he managed to acquire the TA license from Atari is anyone's guess, but he stated in an interview that it's pretty much TA2.

 

[NeverwinterKnight]

So, I start out as evil and I have a change of heart? And this is driven by the character? But I don't have a choice? Neat!

awesome! just what i want in a video game! [/sarcasm]

 

[Pegultagol]

I think the preview says almost everything about what to expect in terms of plot twist in the game to speak of, as well as what to expect in the end of the game that would last not more than twenty or so hours. I am looking forward to the review of it, though.

 

[PennyAnte]

Wow, there are so many gems in that preview. It said the first installment "raised the RPG bar" and wasn't broken and doesn't need fixing. But it gets better.

One of the major complaints about the first game was that there was no way to control how your party acted. Now there will be settings to make them attack on sight, hold their fire, guard units, or copy your every move.

So I have a KOTOR 2 like option to choose a variety of probably buggy and ineffective combat settings that broadly shape how my party goes about it's entirely automated activity. Wonderful. It's as interactive as the Sims. I hope there's a pee on yourself combat option.

I have never seen this kind of party AI governance setting concept work well - not in KOTOR 2, not elsewhere. Turn-based combat please.

And by the way, how, exactly, does a wizard effectively copy a fighter's "every move?"

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

The sad thing is that there were HOLD YOUR FIRE and DEFENSIVE/AGGRESSIVE settings in Dungeon Siege. That didn't really help much at all. In fact, HOLD YOUR FIRE is pretty damned useless.

 

[Ryuken]

Why doesn't Chris just stick to what he's good at and make Total Anhiliation 2?

Like Exitium said, he's working on the spiritual successor (it will likely be called 'Supreme Commander') to one of the best 3D rts games ever (or perhaps more accurate; it was the first 3D rts and also the best 3D rts still). Atari said once that they won't underestimate the franchise's power but Phantagram is off the TA2 project already.

Dungeon Siege was uninstalled here after one hour of play I think. Just... boring like hell is all I could think of it. I am still wondering what people saw in those graphics, a 2D game had more atmosphere than this. Besides, a complete AI party in a hack & slash game just doesn't work or doesn't give more fun than when you're playing alone.

That first Dungeon Siege 2 trailer was superb though, had some real epic feeling to it. But then again, it's just a trailer.

 

[LlamaGod]

Why does everything have to be epic in fantasy RPGs? It's annoying.

 

[obediah]

The sad thing is that there were HOLD YOUR FIRE and DEFENSIVE/AGGRESSIVE settings in Dungeon Siege. That didn't really help much at all. In fact, HOLD YOUR FIRE is pretty damned useless.

I fiddled with the controls quite a bit, but every combinations seemed to settle into either

a) stand still doing nothing while the wizard one foot from you is pounded in melee

b) Charge! everything that moves

 

[Ellester]

If it isn't broken, why bother fixing it? That's exactly the case with the latest from Gas Powered Games.


Am I the only one who refused to read anything after this statement? This is the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard about DS. If you’re talking about bugs, fine as DS was bug free, but gameplay wise there is a ton of fixing that needs to be done.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Why does everything have to be epic in fantasy RPGs? It's annoying.

Because people like you seem to have a very difficult time accepting any other settings in RPGs besides Epic Fantasy. Remember when you said Star Wolves wasn't an RPG oh... yesterday?

 

[Greatatlantic]

Not all Fantasy has to be epic. Take Morrowind's main story... that was about as epic as tripping down a hill.

Sorry, I can't help myself at time, namely all times.

Anyways, I think its just a matter of the alternative being worse. I mean, can you imagine playing an RPG centered around picking up some groceries? Of course, there is always room for some genius story writer to break the mold, but when writing the same old trite, epic stuff is so easy, why bother?

 

[PennyAnte]

I mean, can you imagine playing an RPG centered around picking up some groceries?

This made me chuckle for a sec as I thought of the Sims. Your character undertakes such epic activities as ordering pizza, cleaning the house and even sleeping. Your character also learns skills.

There you have it, doll house sim = RPG. The genius, mold-breaking, non-epic RPG was always out there raking the profits, we just failed to see its true greatness.

 

[Sol Invictus]

I can't disagree that Sims 2 can be qualified as an RPG. It certainly has all the makings of one, minus the 'epic storyline'. It's even got the open-endedness and non-linearity which allows you to make what you want your characters to be, and even ultimately define their storyline through the story photobook/video feature.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

Well, to be honest, I consider Sims 2 to be more of an RPG than most the RPGs coming out these days. Exit said it best, but the epic storyline part is irrelevant simply because a true RPG lets you create your own story and that's exactly what the Sims series has always done.

So what if there's no combat? Nowhere in the description of RPG does it say combat is a must. There is however conflict as well as many other human emotions conveyed within the game, thus allowing for a multitude of different ways your characters can play themselves out.