Dungeon Siege II E3 Preview

GameSpot has put together a preview of Dungeon Siege II, based upon a demonstration at this year’s E3. Check it out:

In addition to an improved story, Dungeon Siege II will also feature deeper, more-interactive gameplay in the form of a modified combat system that will require more thought and input. Lambert candidly admitted that more than one member of the Dungeon Siege fan community had raised the issue that the original game practically seemed to play itself, since characters could simply be set to auto-attack and left alone to fight the game’s many monsters. As such, the new game will have an enhanced character development system that figures in a new set of skills. While the original game’s basic character classes of fighter, ranger, earth magic user, and combat magic user will be carried over to the sequel, the new system will feature a branching tree for each class that, for instance, lets fighters specialize in a sword-and-shield style, a two-handed-weapon style, or a dual-weapon fighting style. The game will also have an all-new set of “powers,” which are exceptionally potent one-off abilities that may not be used often. Once used, these abilities must “refresh.” As a result, you must wait for them to replenish themselves before using them again. Using your individual party members’ powers in sequence can turn the tide of battle in an instant. For example, using a fighter’s stunning-attack power briefly incapacitates a group of enemies within a small radius. This small radius is about the same size as the one created by a combat mage’s conflagration power, which summons an extremely damaging burst of flame that is capable of leveling most low-level enemies immediately.