Info/Publisher: Microsoft Game Studio
Written by: Mike Nelson

Everyone has been waiting a long time for this one. The brilliant screenshots, seamless gameplay, and the Siege editor is something that has kept everyone tantalizing over every morsel of well deserved hype. Did Dungeon Siege come through on the goods? I would give that a definite hell yeah, considering my girlfriend pry'd me off the game to write this review.

Dungeon Siege is a fantasy in which an evil is starting to come about in a once peaceful and thriving community. Coming from your roots as farmer, no one would have been able to tell you that you would now be in control of the destiny of this once peaceful world. Your duty as an up and coming adventurer, is to no less figure out what is happening and put a stop to the evil. Hell, you've managed to grow carrots out of cement right? Bring it on!

As the game begins, you will have a choice between 4 core combat abilities. Melee, Range, Combat Magic and Nature Magic. Dungeon Siege does this incredibly well. Forget the days of endless leveling to advance just one trait of a class. Now you get a chance to choose which route you will want to take. An ingenious way for character development that has been attempted, but never really succeeded, which will enable you to customize your character in any percentage of those core abilities. Included are 3 sub-core abilities. Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence. What is unique here is that the core abilities effect different sub core abilities. For example, if you wish to increase Strength, you will want to use melee in combat. Strength will then move up at a faster rate than had you been casting spells or firing a bow. The same goes with range combat when you would like to increase dexterity. And last with casting, when you wish to increase intelligence. The reason for wanting to increase the sub skill system, is purely for item choice. Again, a flawless victory for Dungeon Siege. Most of the items you will encounter in the game have a pre-requiste for actually wearing or using the item. For instance if you want to wear a metal breastplate, and the item says you need a strength of 18, you will want to melee to get the strength up to that level. What's so awesome about this? Seems to be just like Diablo. Not really. Because if you wanted to, you could effectively increase combat magic to become a powerful caster, than after you are happy with your casting ability, melee to get strength up to wear plate armor. You are now a battlemage.