Dungeon Siege

Preview - 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?

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.