Customer Reviews

Dungeon Siege (Mac)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

With a enjoyable single player campaign, Dungeon Siege is a solid game, but sadly is rather hadicapped. The campaign is far too short, rather simple, and not very replayable. Multiplayer is extremely lacking, needing a centralized server to be of any use.

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!!!

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!

While the search for the perfect game continues, this one was a contender. Graphics were the best I had seen yet, and the engine was very smooth. I liked the stereo specific sound effects. I played this with Yamaha speakers, and the frogs sounded so real, also the dripping echo. The linear plot was easy for folks like me, and I liked the progression, even if the ending was less than I had hoped.
I played this for way too many hours. I found several things: The Lost Witch in the little garden in the swamp phase never follows you. So if you just fight the monsters she sends, you can get your party strength up almost high enough to wear the cool armors you get. In the end, it was hack and slash, which gets old. And I had way too much gold at the end and not near enough at the beginning. I wish the monsters weren't permanently killed in all areas. Coolest monsters I've seen though. Liked the battle structure, a good mix of real time and turn-based.

I sold it after I played and won and played again, but I may just buy it back again...

Not as addictive as Combat Mission:Beyond Overlord though.

This game ran ok for me on an iMAC 400DV G3with 320RAM even though the box says you need a 450. The game was to linear for me. It was fun but not enough interaction between players and NPCs. There was one particular way of doing everything with no alternatives. The Baldur's Gate series was much more to my liking.

Yes, there's a lot that's good and impressive about this game. The graphics and sound are excellent. The gameplay is intuitive and easy to master. Comparing this game to the older game Diablo II, it certainly has some enhancements compared to Diablo II. The graphics are better, and you can move the camera angle around. You can command several characters, and build their skills however you like. But its hack and slash, minimal-strategy gameplay is equivalent to that of Diablo II. I've played it for several hours, and have not been impressed. I was hoping for and expecting a game that would take this type of game to a new level. But it doesn't achieve that. There's nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary here. Very linear storyline and gameplay.

If you own a MAC computer do not order this game! While the game appeared to install ok,j when I try to play it, it does not recognize a mouse. I have e-mailed the developer, but never received a response from them. I feel as though I have been burned. I have played this game on a PC with no problems.