Dungeon Siege

Publisher: Microsoft Games
Developer: Gas Powered Games
Genre: Role-playing

Dungeon Siege is an action fantasy role-playing game that combines the immersive elements of a role-playing game (RPG) with the intensity of a real-time strategy (RTS) game. The game, developed by Chris Taylor and Gas powered Games, will plunge players into a gigantic, continuous 3D fantasy world on a massive quest to stop a mysterious evil that has been unleashed. Starting out with a single character, players can travel through the world, gathering a party of up to 10 different characters, or choose to face the challenge alone. Dungeon Siege's fusion of action RPG and RTS controls impels the player into one over-the-top battle after the other as the storyline unfolds and a larger plot begins to reveal itself.

The world of Dungeon Siege is one gigantic, continuous world where you can seamlessly journey from the highest mountain to the deepest dungeon without ever stopping to watch a "loading screen". Instead, the level will fade to a new image, something truly unique. Filled with a myriad of amazing locations to explore—from strange and mysterious castles to sinister secret underground lairs—you'll soon become totally immersed in the fantasy of the world that surrounds you. Dungeon Siege pushes the role-playing game (RPG) envelope with fully animated 3D characters, over-the-top battles, intense special effects, and awe-inspiring vertical landscapes.

With true 3D environments, a particle system for effects and spells, and dungeons that can extend in all three dimensions, Chris Taylor and Gas-Powered Games are giving gamers the same level of intensity found in RTS games, but with within a Role Playing Game.

Dungeon Siege will take full advantage of this "hybrid" game, by giving you a broad array of familiar game controls like drag select, waypoints, and formations.

In Dungeon Siege, you can customize your party to your liking and have the option to include up to 10 fellow characters in the adventure, picking up and dropping characters along the way.

Want a party heavy in magic, then bring along all the sorcerers you can find. If you're more of a solo artist, then recruit a trusty group of henchmen or a pack mule to help haul your loot.

Since your character develops all the skills you'll need to win as you adventure, you don't have too worry about making too many decisions up front. With a simple learning curve and no complex puzzles, you can concentrate on doing the fun stuff-battling monsters, exploring dungeons, and advancing your character. Dungeon Siege's proprietary "Siege Editor" gives gamers the freedom to change, manipulate, and rework nearly every aspect of Dungeon Siege, making this not only a game—but also an RPG platform for those wishing to create their own characters, spells, dungeons, and even entire worlds. Fans can publish these user-created files to the Web, making them available for anyone to download and explore or to play in the multiplayer game. Dungeon Siege will support up to 10 players via LAN or the MSN Gaming Zone, with players taking part in both "short game" multiplayer experiences, such as capture the castle; and the more traditional, widely played "campaign style of play.

If there is a Diablo II-killer on the horizon, this game could be it. Chris Taylor and company at Gas Powered Games are promising some unique takes on the game, as well as all the standards of the genre, such as parties, quests, spells, and so on, will be there, but they'll be wrapped in an entirely different package. The ability to have up to 10 characters in your party, the terrific editor to design your own games, and even the pack mule (!) shows great thought in the design. But this games claim to fame will be the awesome battles, something a lot of players have been asking for. Dungeon siege looks to deliver... in spades.

We have these and other images available in our Dungeon Siege Gallery.