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Dungeon Siege (Mac)

Dungeon Siege (Mac)

List Price: $29.99
Your Price: $29.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent, some instability
Review: 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!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but not great
Review: Dungeon Siege is very fun at the beggining. I never experienced any problems on my G4 Imac. Sometimes it is easy to get lost due to a map that is way worse than Diablo 2's map and when you're only controlling one guy other mebers of the group wander off. The mule that carries your things stays behind and gets attacked without you noticing. One-Player is almost impossible to play again. Unlike Diablo which has many levels, there are only 4 quests in DS but they are way too long.

Multi-Player isn't that fun either. Many people can't host games, and all you do in multi is fight the guys that are already in single, fight eachother, or do quests. I hate the Multi-Player quests.

Basically, this game is awesome for the first 2-3 months or until you beat the game. After that it sucks. I haven't played it in 3 months.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Delightful, but the fun wears off
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An great game, with limited appeal
Review: 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.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: An great game, with limited appeal
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good RPG but with some problems
Review: 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 and i didn't like how if took 5 seconds to roll and hit an enemy. So i looked for other RPGs to buy and DS seemed like a good choice, it quenched my RPG thirst for about 3 weeks 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 just and a 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 is DS2 is going to be realeased for mac it will be much better.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good, clean (or bloody), fun...
Review: 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!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A sight to behold
Review: I was never a big fan of Diablo because all in all, the game is somewhat repetitive and you only controlled one man. I mean, come on, how realistic is that? Dungeon Siege is a nice break from the norm were you control a group of adventurers, which you control. How they level up and what they are good at is mostly up to you, and the classes are all fairly varied. The game's major strong points lie in the fact that there is only one load screen in the very beginning and after that there are seemingly flawless graphics and amazing gameplay. The voice acting is none too shabby, and the controls are incredibly easy to get use to. The drawbacks are that the games system requirements are somewhat steep, and I wouldn't advise anyone leaving too many other programs running at the same time because it'll slow down the game. My system is the best iBook out and it still lags at times when other programs are running. Luckily other soundtracks don't need to be implanted, because the music is wonderful to listen to.
Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great game
Review: I'm about 1/5th of the way through this game and let me just say it is great fun. It's like a 3d version of diablo, without loadtime waiting, although not quite as in depth a story as the Blizzard classic. It's very easy to play, and would be an ideal intro to role playing type games for younger players. The pace is much quicker than say Baldur's Gate, although the RPG elements aren't as rich either. It's hack and slash done with style, and it runs great on older hardware like a iMac G3 at 600 mHz. Did I mention this is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played? Well it is, and the sound is good as well. At $30, no reason to hesitate on this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome RPG
Review: This game is a mixture of Diablo 2 and Baldur's Gate. The monsters in the beggning are easy and its very hard to die. If you are a serious RPG Gamer than you have to have this!!! This game also works brilliently in Mac OS X!!!


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