Ask most Blizzard fans what they want most in the world and quite a few of them will proudly tell you they want a sequel to Diablo 2. Now, whether that’s actually ever going to happen is quite the mystery, but there are plenty of other games in the same vein that will keep those fans occupied. Microsoft and Gas Powered Games set out awhile back to kick Diablo off its throne and while they didn’t completely succeed, they did set the trail for a long line of knockoffs. Now Dungeon Siege is back and pumped up with the typical sequel promise of adding more and more of what people enjoyed the first time around. In most cases an aim like that results in overkill, dilution and a serious case of utter cramps from so much milking. Luckily for Dungeon Siege 2, it’s milking the proper material.

It’s no easy feat to create a massive world with its own culture and hundreds of quests to boot, but Gas Powered Games came through. Aranna is an imaginative (if still massively clichéd) world that manages to involves its players in a way most other hack and slash role playing games can’t seem to pinpoint. The world is in total chaos and every race, group and kingdom is at each other’s throats. Your character of course is thrown into the middle of the mess and your quests one way or another end up at the center of the issue. There is a story here, in fact, it’s actually quite good. Most would argue that the original Dungeon Siege lacked anything resembling a plot so it’s nice to see that Dungeon Siege 2 at least tries to engage the player. The meat of the game is of course the action and that is where most players will focus their attention.



As with other games in the genre, your character features statistics that outline his or her abilities in certain areas like strength and endurance. By completing quests and defeating enemies you can gain experience points and eventually level up. At this point you have the choice of upgrading certain skills vital to smooth progression in the game. Unlike most other RPGs, the stats system is streamlined and most things are done for you. This allows you to place focus on upgrading specific skills vital to combat. You will find that your abilities with your weapons end up being the deciding factor in winning battles more often than your actual level. 

Instead of forcing you to choose a specific class in the beginning of the game, you can pick up any weapon or spell and work with them from the start. The style of combat you use the most will end up being the area in which you excel and therefore you end up becoming a mage, archer, or axe-wielder based on your initial actions. One small issue with this element is that once your set in the ways of being one specific type of character, it’s often very difficult to be proficient with anything else. Luckily you have party members to balance out your weaknesses. 

A lot of quests involve you destroying enemy camps or fetching special items, but pretty much all of them drag you into large battles that often overwhelm you, so it’s natural that you have been given the opportunity to hire party members that you can control in cooperation with the computer. It’s almost always best to hire someone that is good with different weapons than you so that your party’s attacks can be more varied and effective. Another reason to have different types of characters is so that you can access certain areas that are initially blocked off. In some dungeons there will be doors that can only be opened with a bow, or some that can only be accessed through the use of typical hand to hand weaponry. This adds an interesting replay element to the game because you can travel back and access the areas at a later time if you choose to.

In terms of options, there are a ton of different weapons and items to discover. The world of Aranna is filled with secrets and side-quests. Even when the story has left you behind, there will always be something else to do. But don’t expect such an easy romp through the world. The enemy AI from the first game has been improved significantly and if you don’t properly equip yourself, you can expect to land right back into your home point and have to trek back to find your corpse (or you can waste your money to get it back instantly). The variety of monsters has improved and with the addition of skill trees and heroic powers (equivalent to a “special move”), there are endless ways to dispatch enemies and bosses.

Speaking of bosses, you’ll know who they are when you start seeing those large health bars. Sometimes huge, other times small, bosses are no slouch and putting your skill points in the proper areas and equipping your best weapons is the only surefire way to knock these enemies down.



Dungeon Siege 2 comes equipped with a full fledged multiplayer game to keep players happy. While it’s the same 40-60 hour quest from single player, being able to bring your parties online is an awesome way to extend the your interest. There are some issues with lag depending on the server and unless you start a “newbie” server, don’t expect to join a  server with established players and receive warm welcomes. Those people take their “open slots” very seriously (a little too if I may say so myself). 

Aranna is a visually impressive world, but in technical terms, it’s not state of the art. The character models are quite average and surprisingly the enemies often look ages more interesting. The environments fare much better and the detail in most areas is quite impressive. Anyone with a decent machine will be able to enjoy the game, but as with all things, you may have to knock the resolution down or cut some of the settings to keep it running at a smooth framerate.  

Microsoft is not known for slouching in presentation so it’s no surprise that developer Gas Powered Games went for a much larger scale. The game has striking opening cinemas and a hefty dose of voice acting. The quality of the actors is debatable throughout the game but this is no Resident Evil, so take comfort. As you’d expect from a hack and slash game, the sound effects are effective and overall the time that went into putting this game together is evident in almost every area. 

If you were disappointed with the poor offerings of summer 2005, then Dungeon Siege 2 is definitely one of the bright spots. Pick it up, hack, slash, hack some more, go online, trash talk and then call it a night. It’s enjoyable, if not totally original but there’s no denying that this is a good game. Pessimists keep pouting and waiting for Diablo 3. Optimists, sit back, relax and take comfort in knowing you can actually enjoy other games while you wait for Blizzard to deliver. For right now, Gas Powered Games has done it for them.