Dungeon Siege II Demo

[RangerRick]

Anybody download the demo(1.5gig +) and try the game yet?

http://www.3dgamers.com/dlselect/games/dungeonsiege2/ds2_englishdemo.exe.html

I'm downloading from 3DG now, and should take about an hour.

[Rob]

I try not to plug products, but because of the size, you can get the demo on a DVD with this months issue of PC Gamer (as well as a 14 day trial to WoW).

[Circlebreaker]

1.5 GB, are they nuts? :eek:

I really want to try this demo, I'm really looking forward to the game, but I have a 10 GB a month d/l- limit I have to keep in mind here. I'm already close enough to 10GB a month as is, without spending almost 1/7th of it on a single demo. Looks like I'm going to have to get it off some game magazine's cover disc, or just skip the demo entirely.

ETA: Looks like Rob and me posted at the same time. That would be an option, otherwise I'll probably have to wait untill september, since most gaming mags here don't have an august edition. Let's hope some stores carry that one.

[Rob]

Why don't they have an August issue? Do you only get 11 issues a year then? Just curious.

[Circlebreaker]

Summer vacation. It's pretty much a habbit by a lot of the monthly magazines that there isn't an August issue. So yes, you only get 11 issues a year. PC Gameplay, the Belgian mag I usually check does have an extra big July edition, and also release an extra "summer edition", also in July. But that one doesn't contain any demo's and stuff, AFAIK just extensive previews of all the highly anticipated games, and some walkthroughs and that stuff. Not really something I'm going to spend money on.

[Frans]

11 issues? How lazy. :wtf:

PC Gamer UK runs 13 issues per year. Once every 4 weeks, plus an Xmas issue at the end. Now that's value for your subscription. :shades:

[SupaTroopa]

The US PC Gamer, unfortunately, has gone into the crapper. They keep sending me bills and threatening collection for $25 after I got the first "free" trial issue and returned their card saying they can keep their "brochure," which now poses as a magazine...oh well.

Any ways look forward to checkin' out the demo.

[Nova]

I'll get it tomorrow, I've been looking forward to it.

GameSpy has posted their impressions of the final build of the game and it looks like the ridiculous linearity of the first game is gone and that there is actually a storyline now.

I'll probably be picking it up on the 16th...

...And start playing it sometime 3 months later, 'cause I still can't pry myself away from Guild Wars.

[Ron]

So far i like it... I havent played it for mroe then 40 minutes so far though. The one thing I do like is the improvement in the combat system which I don't think a real combat system was in the original. What i mean by that is that I didn't really do anything in the first game other then point my avatar in the direction i wanted to go and it did everything forme so I just clicked my may to the end of the game. The only downer of the game is that I was expecting an improved visual appearance on the models so they don't look so squarely shaped and a nicer view distance but so far it looks like they made that shorter... but other then that It has my pro-order :wink:

[GrimDanfango]

I downloaded it... and played through - I can see why its 1.5Gb - it took me 4 HOURS! - and from the world map, that appears to be less than 10% of the game.

Of the gameplay itself - it appears to be pretty ideal from my perspective - its DS1, identical in feel, but with a healthy solid narrative and some reasonable side-quests and intrigue.

In the demo at least, its *almost* as linear as the original, but with the potential for returning later in the game to complete other side quests, giving it a much needed hint of free-roaming-ness. The narrative only occasionally goes beyond the basic requirement of giving some incentive to your mostly-linear actions - but it achieves that pretty well...

It won't be everyone's cup of tea - it may be more story than some hack/slashers care for, and it certainly isn't for the baldur's gate faithful. The voiceovers are bearable, and occasionally reasonable - I'm juust starting to be able to suspend my disbelief in a fantasy world where dryads and elves speak with heavy american accents :-). (usurpers was read "yoosepers" at one memorable point - ick)

Personally, I found it had just enough story and characterisation, coupled with the original's seamlessly changing and sometime beautiful environments, to keep the relentless combat interesting and addictive.

What's everyone else think?

[SupaTroopa]

Demo wouldn't install - corrupted apparently - gotta re-download, which I may or may not do at some point. I am really bored of midevil/fantasy games at this point in general, so I'm not sure if I'll go for it. Guess I'm more of a sci-fi guy.

[Fzoulcmbyl]

I'm having a pretty good time with the demo so far, and I agree with both Ron's and Grim's take on it.

I haven't decided if I'm going to get it yet, as I got pretty burnt out on the first one... got about 85% through the entire game, and it just stopped being fun.... but maybe they have tweaked this enough, that it will keep ya interested all the way through.

The other Demo that I have been having more fun with than this one,.. is the D&D Rts called Dragonshard. There was a single player demo that came out for that one around Aug 3rd I think. I'm enjoying the story element more than I did Warcraft 3, and the campaign has had a lot of varying areas that look really cool. Underground caverns with undead cities, libraries, snow areas, and forest areas. Definately check this one out.... they advertise that it features Co-op play, so hopefully part of that will be a co-op campaign in addition to co-op vs the AI in multiplayer.


Fzoul