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Good But Not Great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a very solid RPG game and I would reccomend it to anyone (such as myslelf) who is frustrated with the lack of quality games on the mac. However, if you've been reading a lot of stellar reviews of this game, then don't believe the hype. First of all, DS does have a lot of great things going on, technology wise it's one of the best RPGs i've ever seen. The graphics and effect are awesome, the character animation is good, and even though the game is relatively complex it ran very smoothly on my humble system (g4 imac 700mhz) - which is a testimony to the programmers at macsoft who obviously have a little bit of know-how compiling code for PPC. Perhaps the best thing about the game is it's spirit of inovation, most of the current computer RPG conventions have been turned on their head (although the game borrows heavily, or should i say HEAVILY, from Diablo II) and this means that the game play is streamlined and effecient with more time spent on exploring and battling than managing stats/spells and equipment. Two of the stand out achievments of this game are the inclusion of a packmule (a donkey that follows your party around to carry your loot) and the fact that there are no predetermined character classes (characters simply excel at what they do most so for example if you want to train an archer, just give that character some quality bow time and his/her stats will be on the rise in no time). Okay, well as for the faults, there are way too many to list, but 3 of the main downsides are: 1. a very ackward point and click interface that is hard to control and responds erratically, sometimes it's impossible to know where you are going, or to get where you want to go without clicking all over the place, especailly in some of the tighter areas where characters are often hidden by walls or disappear completely because they are standing on a flight of stairs slightly above you (you can still get shot by characters you can't see!, or even click on to alert your guys to fight back) The worst part about moving around is that the game will only allow you to move onto certain areas and the rest of the time the cursor turns into this ENORMOUS red NO (cirlce with line) icon, for instance if you click on a tree instead of just walking to the tree and standing next to it you get flashed with this hideous icon which looks like something from a construction site, not a fantasy game. This especially sucks in the heat of battle when you are trying to organize your characters but they just stand ther while you click wildly around looking for some ground that the game will let you stand on. 2. complete lack of a coherent or compelling story (you develop no attachment to any of the characters, it could even be said that the characters have no character) and 3. lack of details within the design of the game, overall it feels like the product of a huge team of people who really didn't communicate with each other to create a wholistic vision, the look and feel of the game changes erratically throughout your adventure, some characters speak audibly, others you have to read though bubbles in silence (not that there is anything wrong with that, think of the orignal Zelda, I just think it shuould be consisnent and the lack of voice acting in some parts make the game feel unfinished) some of the enemy's look cool and menacing while others are silly, rainbow colored, and impossible to take serioulsy, the quest system is completely redundant (the game guides you along very narrow path to completion (your chances of getting lost are about the same as the original Donkey Kong), i stopped reading my "quest journal" after the first 20 minutes and never skipped a beat. I could go on and on with all of the tiny detail that irk me, but the end result is that these little annoyances kept me from becoming immersed in the game. I spent most of my time playing thinking "oh that would be so cool if..." and then basically feelig let down. So if you are looking for the next Diablo II, i wouldn't waste your time with DS, i mean come on could MicroSoft ever be as cool as Blizzard? And I mention MicroSoft cos I really do think that the blandness of the game must have something to do with the fact that it was generated by this huge bland corporation. But if you are the kind of person who is wooed by fancy graphics and don't really get off on fantastic gameplay or interesting plot twist, or you are just bored to tears with all of your shareware puzzle games that you downloaded from Ambrosia and never paid for, the perhaps Dungeon Siege can scratch that itch until you get Frozen Throne or WOWC comes out.

An great game, with limited appeal

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: December 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I agree with many of the other reviewers on this page. I am talking exclusively about the single player campaign, which I have managed to get a third of the way through. Dungeon Siege does a number of things very well - graphics and simplified character creation - while sacrificing character depth, interaction, and basically everything else that makes a roleplaying game special.

Good stuff: (1) There were points at which the graphics made me pause to admire the landscape - in particular the trees swaying in a light drizzle and fog falling off the walls of ice caves. All of this requires some hardware of course. I bought the game when I had a 600 mHz iBook with 256 MB RAM and a 16bit graphics card, but recently had it replaced with a 933 mHz iBook (I love the things) with 640 MB RAM and a 32bit card. On the first computer I turned everything to low resolution and got rid of the object detail and particle effects and the game was doable. On my current computer, I've maxed all the settings and the game consistently stuttered only during a snowstorm, where I guess all the falling snowflakes pushed the limits. Considering that the graphics are a major draw, if your computer can't handle them you might want to think twice about buying this game. (2) The system of character creation is simplicity itself. At the beginning you decide what your character looks like, and the game starts. Your three abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence) and four skills (Melee, Ranged weapons, Nature magic, Combat magic) all start at the same low level. They are raised by doing related things, so regularly casting a fireball raises Combat Magic, which in turn raises Intelligence, and higher intelligence gives the character more mana points to cast spells. It's so simple that it quickly fades into the background of the game, and makes Dungeon Siege approachable especially for players who don't want entire lists of abilities, skills, and derived charts to worry themselves with. (3) No upload time! Wherever the characters go there is a never a pause while the new area is uploaded, which makes gameplay one continuous experience. Big "Oooooh!" factor here. (4) Great inventory control. With a single click, the computer will organize the inventory of a character. There's a spell which turns an item of loot into gold, at a slight cost. And the best innovation of any game ever - mules! Honest to the maker four footed mules that you can load with all the loot.

Bad stuff: (1) Almost entirely linear play. There are a few side areas to wander into but the game is mostly (journey during which you kill everything in sight) followed by (safe place where you can buy and sell supplies/companions/mules) followed by (another journey of death), etc. (2) Simplified characters. I'm one of those people who likes the sub-charts of derived scores as part of my character, and finds the decision about whether or not to raise my Blacksmithing skill gripping. There's not enough detail and control of your character. (3) Storyline essentially disappears early on. The game starts with a quest to tell the authorities about a new danger, but the plot is quickly abandoned for a combat free-for all. Despite talk about your character being the hero of the land, it is possible to dismiss your character and replace him/her with a hired mercenary!

I'm not against combat-fests and I really enjoyed Diablo, but I think what makes this game particularly uninspiring is its puzzling lack of attitude, or what might be called soul. Even really bad games, which Dungeon Siege is not, usually have someone who was inspired to make it and the maker's enthusiasm comes through somewhere in the game. I don't know if the speculation about it being because it is a Microsoft product are correct, but in the end there doesn't seem to be anything to this game except pretty images, good programming and killing stuff, which may be enough for some players.

Delightful, but the fun wears off

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: September 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

First, remember that I am an RPG fan... recall Wizardry, Pools of Radiance, The Bard's Tale, Baldur's Gate(s). I am also a fantasy fan, and a gaming fan, so I loved Diablo II despite its weakness as an RPG.

Given my gaming history, I should *love* Dungeon Seige, and I did enjoy it a lot for a while. Unfortunately, it just failed to capture my imagination. I'm not fully sure why. The build-your-character aspects were kind of weak, but not nearly as weak as in Summoner, and I *loved* Summoner. But Summoner had a really, really good story. And characters I had affection for. *Places* I had affection for. Dungeon Seige's level design was kind of boring and repetitive (though gorgeous), but Diablo's level design was a bunch of random pathetic mazes, and I *loved* Diablo. But Diablo had style. And strangely addictive character building.

To sum up: Dungeon Seige takes all of the elements of a good fantasy or RPG game (character building, storyline, style/gameplay, etc.) and does an "okay" job on them all. Dungeon Seige has some really, really great moments-- but I very rarely got pulled in to it. A good RPG has to feel like a real universe, through and through. Usually, DS didn't.

Oh, and I could never get multiplayer to work right. Darn it all.

Fun but not Baldur's Gate

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game ran ok for me on an iMAC 400DV G3with 320RAM even though the box says you need a 450. The game was to linear for me. It was fun but not enough interaction between players and NPCs. There was one particular way of doing everything with no alternatives. The Baldur's Gate series was much more to my liking.

Fun that Wears off

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Based on single player play, I have to echo other reviewers' claims about the game wearing off. The graphics, sound effects, game play are enjoyable. The weak, often non-exist plot is a problem at least for me, though people that liked Diablo 1 and 2, will like this game as people who enjoyed Icewind Dale. I prefer Baulder's Gate, Neverwinter Nights. I wish the characters had at least an inkling of personality, a few comments from time to time. A lack of soul as one other reviewer puts it. I've also had it crash from time to time, so save often, like in any other game. My computer has 1.2 MhZ, plenty of Memory and video Memory, so I can only blame the game for that. So if you don't like a plot heavy game, this might be the game for you.

Good, clean (or bloody), fun...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 35 / 35
Date: February 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I very much enjoyed this game. The graphics are great, the gameplay is fairly linear--a drawback for some, but I *like* linear--and the story and dungeons here are both inventive and challenging. I have tried Icewind Dale (tedious and aggravating) and Neverwinter Nights (complicated and, once again, aggravating) for the Mac, but Dungeon Siege is better than either of those games, in my opinion.

I don't want to give up half my life just trying to figure out how to play a game and then spend the other half resolving arcane puzzles that you have to get a clue book to help you with. Geeze. Unless you're a professional gamer (or college student [yeah, I still remember those days!]), who's got time for that? Just a bit of hack and slash adventure is all I crave, with an assortment of challenges (not all of them battle oriented) with a few good digital companions at your side (I found Kroduk, Gloern, and Merik to be particularly helpful). What more could you ask for?

Dungeon Siege is good fun for someone who doesn't want to waste a lot of time trying to figure out character stats and complex rules of engagement. Moreover, while there are a couple of minor side battles here (and one major one that which I missed my first time through), I still found the game entertaining and replayable. I like the idea of fully realized companions that join up with your team along the way (if you want them to and/or can afford to hire them). These are not just mindless drones but as controllable and accessible as the primary character that you create at the beginning of the game. I also like the way characters' abilities are enhanced based on the way you choose to play them; if you have a character use a bow, for example, then they gradually increase in that particular skill.

The music is great, the various levels are seamlessly woven together, and the "gore level" is adjustable, as is the game difficulty level. All in all, this game was just what I was looking for: fun, "winnable", and not irritatingly complex.

I highly recommend Dungeon Siege for Mac owners who enjoy this sort of thing. I haven't had this much fun with a Mac game since the Wizardry, Bard's Tale, and Might and Magic series of long ago. And, yes, I know how old that makes me!

Excellent, some instability

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: June 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Dungeon Siege is an excellent addition to the Mac RPG ranks. I am embarrassed to admit that I've spent 27 hours playing it so far (the game helpfully shares that stat with you on the save file) and have enjoyed it immensely. The only reason I give it four stars instead of the five is that the game has crashed three times on me so far. Saving the game more frequently has pretty much alleviated the problem, but you'll hate yourself when you forget and it crashes on you after a long session... After quitting a game session, the Finder is sometimes unresponsive and has had to be relaunched (CMD-OPT-ESC for those new to OS X). Warts and all, still an excellent game!

Fun while it lasted

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

With a enjoyable single player campaign, Dungeon Siege is a solid game, but sadly is rather hadicapped. The campaign is far too short, rather simple, and not very replayable. Multiplayer is extremely lacking, needing a centralized server to be of any use.

Good RPG but with some problems

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: June 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game a few weeks ago even though the game is a little out of date. The story line is pretty good even though it is simple to complete. I Like RPGs which have a deep story line, take some skill to complete but the characters, items and skills are easy to get the hang of. The obvious answer? Diablo 2..but i already owned that and people admit it there arent any up to date rpgs with the things i said above...heck macs have a shortage of RPGs even availible. I bought NWNs and i thought it was okay but it was too complicated. So i looked for other RPGs to buy and DS seemed like a good choice, it quenched my RPG thirst for about 3 weeks (about 45 hours) but then i beat it and the game wasnt really one u could beat again and have fun. On this i disagree with the other reviewists is the issue of graphics, D2 i thought had better graphics but was released earlier that this game was....If u have Mac and u like RPGs i would buy this game...but other RPGs to consider(if u have no problem buying out of date games) are D2 Baulders Gate 2 and Icewind dale...overall this was a fun game but i think if DS2 is going to be realeased for mac it will be much better.

Very good game, but disappointing for me.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 31, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Yes, there's a lot that's good and impressive about this game. The graphics and sound are excellent. The gameplay is intuitive and easy to master. Comparing this game to the older game Diablo II, it certainly has some enhancements compared to Diablo II. The graphics are better, and you can move the camera angle around. You can command several characters, and build their skills however you like. But its hack and slash, minimal-strategy gameplay is equivalent to that of Diablo II. I've played it for several hours, and have not been impressed. I was hoping for and expecting a game that would take this type of game to a new level. But it doesn't achieve that. There's nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary here. Very linear storyline and gameplay.

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