DUNGEON SIEGE

Reviewed By: Joe Clark
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: PC
Produced by: Gas Powered Games, Microsoft
Price Range: $41-50
Learning curve time: 30 min.
Age level: Mature Teen to Adult
ESRB Rating: Mature
System Requirements: XP/2000/ME/98 333Mhz 1GBhd 8MBVid DX8.0

Genre: RPG
Christian Rating: 1 of 5
   (very offensive)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 1 of 5
   (extreme)
Adult Content: 2 of 5
   (extreme)

"Dungeon Siege" is your typical fantasy CRPG hack and slash, executed in a style very similar to “Diablo”. Your party's mission is to vanquish evil and save the kingdom.

The game itself is graphically brilliant, and the sound effects are masterfully executed. The interface is easy to master, and the camera angles (player viewpoints) are easy to adjust. The party AI is easy to adjust, whether it be their movement, their level of combat engagement, or whether they will heal wounded members at key times. Inventory management can be quite cumbersome and time consuming, as you can have up to eight members in your party.

Your party's skills develop over time according to how often they are used, so if you instruct a character to use a melee weapon, they will develop melee skill and strength faster over time.

The material in the game is nowhere near as offensive as "Diablo's" imagery, but the ending sequences do feature battle with demonic-type figures in a hellish setting. Magic use by certain characters is present in the game, and several NPCs will offer prayers of blessings for your party in the name of ficticious gods.

Technically spectacular, but for mature Christians only.

Year of Release—2002

Positive—This is an excellent pc game. It is exactly what I look for in a video game. I gave it a 5 for Christian rating because there's nothing offensive about it, a 5 for excellent cause it's 1 of the most fun a games I have ever played, and a positive overall take. My Ratings: [5/5]
—jose soto, age 21, non-Christian

Negative—Man you guys didn't even get it right, this game is just BORING and monotonous. The action is simplistic and basic, it's worse than Diablo 2 which attempts to vary action at least with “skills” and “skill points” but in this you need to concentrate on one thing to become stronger if you use too much magic you'll fail as a fighter, thumbs down for this game from me. My Ratings: [5/2]
—Marduk, age 18, non-Christian

Comments from Young People…

Positive—Honestly, I think the reviewer makes much too big a deal out of some barely present, common fantasy elements. This is a ficticious world, and it's theology has absolutely no bearing on real life. Therefore, that can be called "Innocuous". To sum up the general process of spellcasting in this game, you click on an enemy, and you shoot a fireball or a lightning bolt at it or whatever. Again, innocuous. There are those who might be offended by chopping up armies of skeletons, and I can understand that, but saying that this game can only be recommended to mature christians is kind of overkill. As long as your kids are old enough to handle some violence (not particularly graphic, I might add), I'd say it's a game that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people. It's really quite a lot of fun. My Ratings: [3/4]
—Jeff Hutchins, age 17

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.