Dungeon Siege II

I finished Dungeon Siege II a few nights ago. It was an enjoyable experience. I had spent many happy hours slaying monsters and accummulating treasure. Initially, the game had been rather bland and slow but it picked up in Act II and was a lot more involving in Act III.

Upside

• The interface. The interface was great and it allowed easy switches between the four different characters. The inventory system was a pleasure to use, unlike that in 'Sacred'.
• The class and character design. The warriors or melee types in this game are not as obviously weak as in other games where melee types often function only as 'tanks' or damage absorbing characters. Yes, they still absorb damage and cannot deal damage as much as the other types but they are still effective. The powers tree appeared to be useful and well thought out, like that in Titan Quest.
• The item design. The items in this game do make a difference in gameplay and I like that. Different combinations will yield significant results which makes tailoring fun.

Downside

• Drab drab drab graphics. One of the most visually unexciting games I have seen in a RPG in a long while. The environment is drab and block-ish. The character design is uninspired. Polygons abound. Sometimes, utilising 3D technology for the sake of technology instead of 'sprites' leaves quite a bit to be desired. Dungeon Siege II may have a fairly advanced engine but in terms of look and feel, Titan Quest, Guild Wars, and even Scared are much much more attractive.
• Act I. Act I was a linear walk in the jungle with insipid slow-moving monsters. Surely, the entire long Act I cannot be a learning scenario? The game only picked up in Act II and Act III when the story played out.
• Level design or scene design. Surely, the 'same-ness' and 'blandness' of each area, be it forest or city is visually unexpected. Block-ish trees, one-track areas... This is seriously a let down. As for towns and cities, I have realised that many RPGs including World of Warcraft, Guild Wars these days can only be bothered with one main city or two. I wish the designers and developers would devote more effort into the design of the cities and towns. I recall the large towns and cities of the Ultima series of games with pleasure. I enjoy the huge capital city and the smaller ones in The Elder Scroll: Oblivion.
• Monster design. Creepy crawlies, froggies, doggies. I mean, c'mon, these are really stale.
• Main quests are linear. Secondary ones are not. What gives? To go back to an Act I area where monsters are 30 levels lower to get something? Seriously...

Tips

• Specialisation. All RPGs,, whether MMOs or single player now have hybrids character classes. Seriously, hybrids are weak in almost every game including this one. It is important to specialise. Pure classes like mage, healer, warrior, etc are important if one aspires to have balanced characters that are capable of finishing quests, beating end-game bosses and other players.