Quite possibly the most noteworthy improvement featured in Dungeon Siege II is the inclusion of a solid narrative - a rather large oversight in the original game. Several millennia ago, the deity Zarramoth's power was threatened by a rebellion, led by Azunai. As the God struck his final blow on the rebel leader, a powerful burst of energy was unleashed, obliterating both armies. This cataclysmic event turned the Plain of Tears into a wasteland - the sole reminder of the First Age of Men. The energy released in that event has since flowed freely throughout the world, but now, at the very place of the fatal battle many years before, a new threat is growing more powerful with each passing day.
Dungeon Siege II will also be more text heavy, with branching conversations, journals and all other sorts of paraphernalia you'd expect in an RPG. Quests are handled a little differently, being split into main quests and side quests for added focus. The number of side quests has been increased, and while the game is still linear in nature, players can take multiple side paths to get to where they're going, rather than just one main path.
Everybody knows the pack mule was the real hero in the first game
General gameplay will remain close to the original game, as the interface and control scheme of the game have been tightened, but not drastically altered. Everything is still mouse driven – just hammer the mouse buttons on a foe, press 'H' when you need to heal, and pray for the best. There is still a degree of automation in Dungeon Siege II, but it won't be firmly clenching your hand like a toddler's mother crossing the road (as seen in the original game). The game has a large amount of different types of weapons and armour, in varying conditions, some of which are magically enchanted or have specific attributes. In the first game, you could employ the services of a pack mule to carry all of the various loot you found. In Dungeon Siege II, a new pet system has been added with 9 different types of creature (such as the fan favourite pack mule, and the new lap dragon). Your pet can be fed items from your inventory to help them increase in size and strength. There are about 6 different sections to the age cycle of your pet, and their stats will vary depending on what items you feed them, for instance, eating lots of armour will make your pet more resilient against attacks.
The actual role-playing element of Dungeon Siege II will be greater than its predecessor, due to a more fleshed out character creation system, and the improved skill system. Players will be able to pick one of four character types (human, elf, dryad and half-giant) as well as gender, and then can customize their appearance. The skill system has been overhauled - the original game's skill system has been replaced with a branching system, allowing you to pump points into various skills. There are still three main classes of character (fighter, ranger and magic user), but the new skill system allows greater customization and variation within these character classes. The good thing is that thanks to the game's party centric nature, you can customize your party so that each member can cover the other's weaknesses.
Your party will help you get out of sticky situations like this one
Dungeon Siege II looks to improve upon the shortcomings of its predecessor, addressing the issues of the lack of solid narrative and role playing elements. Due to the game retaining a lot of the distinguishing features of the original game, we can't say if it will appeal to those who disliked the original game, but PC RPG fans should certainly keep an eye out for this one. Dungeon Siege II is due out in early August, and PALGN will have a full review a short time after.
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