I’ll write up some impressions later today or tomorrow, once I’ve had the chance to play it (I’m a little wrapped in two other biggish games – silly season has started at last) but for now just a quick heads’ up (heads-up? head’s up? Gah) – Space Siege, the new RPG from Dungeon Siege/SupCom lot Gas Powered Games, has had the demo treatment.
There’s a lot of question marks over this game, and looks like they’ll finally be resolved. Will it be the same somewhat monotonal hacky-slashy formula as the previous Sieges? Is there more to space than metal corridors? Is the robot awesome? The answer to these questions and more can be found here. It is 957 Byteymegas.
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Can I get a Peggle-count?
Ooh. OCD caused me to play Dungeon Siege + sequels + expansions far, far more than was warranted by the games’ qualities.
I really shouldn’t play this. But I know I probably will. When’s it out?
“Heads-up” is the proper colloquialism, I believe.
Dungeon Siege I & II were good for passing the time between Diablos, but with Diablo 3 on the way I don’t see Space Siege doing quite as well. Plus, Marvel Ultimate Alliance seems to have filled its void while GPG was doing Supreme Commander.
…Microsoft Windows Journal Viewer installation package?
I’d be all over this like… uh… space barnacles on a spaceship, if I hadn’t finally just started playing Oblivion. (I’m glad I waited all this time, as there are all kinds of UI and gameplay mods and the Unofficial Patch and so on to clean it up a bit.) Sanguine, my brother.
Just finished it.
Rather short, rather meh. It shows potential for several of the systems – upgrading the weapons and the hero, for example, but the cyborg-system doesn’t seem to be much.
But all-in-all, hack-and-slash.
I’ve only just started playing the demo but the first thing that leapt out at me is that the controls feel rather awkward and seem to be fighting against me rather than help me. Maybe I’m just too used to FPS and MMORPG controls.
Bland. Quite bland.
After playing it some more I’ve decided it isn’t just me. The control method they have created just doesn’t seem to suit the gameplay. A no purchase for me.
The camera rotation seems unnecessary – they could just design the level architecture to not impede vision, and then just lock the camera orientation. Maybe also direct up/down/left/right movement via the old wsad keys. Also, it’d be nice if someone trained generic scifi avatar how to shoot while simultaneously back-peddling away from the generic bug horde.
Bland. Quite bland.
It sure does look like the blandest game ever, from the screenshots. GPG’s remarkable lack of any artstyle whatsoever is almost an artsytle in itself.
But just almost. They really need to hire a few artists.
Installing the demo now.
The comments thread at Blue’s News has some surprisingly detailed reviews.
Common complaints: terrible controls/camera and bland gameplay.
That was absolutely horrid, it looks like everything that was wrong with Dungeon Siege 2 has made it into this. Anyone else find holding down the right mouse button to attack uncomfortable after only a few minutes?
They should have gone with either a Shadowgrounds style control scheme or the ability to give point and click attack orders to attack to match the point and click movement.
Rather bad.
Looks like a low-budget game from 2003, but feels amazingly sluggish (camera movement etc.). Also, why camera controls at all? They just get in the way. It’s as if they’ve never played Diablo or Titan Quest.
Remember its only a demo not the finished product ;) Don’t go all beta-spaz on it yet. Although if the controls are as bad as everyone says maybe email the developer and let them know? Still time for them to fix it before release
Shacknews informs us of a chat with the game’s lead designer, with this little gem:
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be much of a hook there, in terms of the story or the characters.
I’d better stop commenting about this now lest I become unnecessarily cruel.
Space Siege is quite simply the most uninspired and unoriginal and uninteresting game ever conceived.Dead Space is the well of ideas compared to this.
And no inventory…
Meh, just cancelled the download @ 40%. I’ll wait for a PCZ coverdisc or just generally not bother – SC was supremely generic too…
Is it me or does Chris Taylor make exceeding dull games?
1. How often do developers really make major changes or optimizations between demo and release? I think it’s safe to spaz on this one.
2. “Heads’ up”? I thought you needed an English degree to own your own blog. (Yes, this is an Ironic Grammar Post.)
Hmm, I can feel my enthusiasm slipping away. Just call me easily influenced by blog commentors.
Anyone have a bridge to sell me?
If you like dungeon seige or other bash & loots it’s fine I guess, there’s nothing really that lifts it above the competition, which is not to say it’s bad.
It’s reasonably pretty, your character is pleasantly chunky and colourful by the end of the demo.
It does seem like it would be better suited to an Alien Swarm/Shadowgrounds control system like people have already mentioned.
If it wasn’t coming out amid a swarm of top-notch titles I might have been more interested.
Bullet point review:
-I found myself wishing it was turn-based, so that I could be fooled into thinking my endless clicking was in any way meaningful.
-Boring, cliche sci-fi setting complete with pretty-blue-light pseudo-science euphemism in place of creativity.
-Commits the cardinal sin of making your character do cooler things in the cut scenes than you’re capable of in the game.
-Because of the laughably simplistic/clunky controls and AI, I never really felt like I was influencing the outcome in any way. I was just the life support system for my mouse hand, which, if I had just jittered it about randomly, still probably could have finished the demo.
Controls feel odd but just like in DSII it’s all about getting used to it (which might take a while if you’re coming from Diablo). For a demo it’s a bit too limited (no robot companion as well) and I am afraid the final game might be so too (only 20 hours campaign or what was it? And then the seperate coop levels). There are some interesting mechanics on show (physics and lots of streamlining of older concepts which isn’t always a bad thing) but it doesn’t feel as the brilliant Diablo-in-space everyone wanted.
Can’t say I disliked it but it isn’t a definite day-one purchase either, DSII all over again it seems.
SupCom generic? In terms of art style perhaps somewhat yes, for the rest you can’t have a deeper RTS nowadays and that’s not even an exaggerated statement.
Considering the overall good (not necessarily great) quality of Gas Powered Games’… games, I was horrified and shocked that they’d willingly associate their name with this. You can’t seriously make a hack’n’slash any more accessible than they already are. They seem to think the way to make it accessible is to get rid of the inventory, which basicly is what hack’n’slash games is all about. The endless awesome items, one only an ounce better than the previous. The hunt, for that awesome staff, or in this case rifle, which fits your set.
Seriously GPG, what are you thinking?!
Oh, and yes the bad camera, the bad animations and the clunkyness and the bad story and acting, and all that. GPG, you should look over your B dev-team. Maybe tag them C, and it’d be acceptable.
Yay, another barely interactive screensaver from GPG. All hail the lords of accessibility.
Theres nothing bad with it which is what bugs me the most.
It’s competent and well executed but totally unambitious. It doesn’t try one single bit apart from the rather gimmicky choice between keeping your humanity or going cyborg.
I think it’s a little early to cry doom. This is just a bare introduction, with no robot, and only a small handful of abilities and enemy types. While it’s a bit bland at this stage it does have potential. I’ll wait for the reviews, as ever.
Guys, I think you’re all overlooking something important: it’s still called “Space Siege. Oh, man, I can’t get over that name.
The demo was way too short, also it was dull dull dull