Dungeon Siege Takes Players on the Ultimate Adventure

Here’s another Dungeon Siege press release, straight from my inbox:

Microsoft and Gaming Visionary Chris Taylor Deliver the Highly Anticipated ‘Dungeon Siege’

REDMOND, Wash., April 8 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that the breakthrough role-playing game “Dungeon Siege” is on store shelves. “Dungeon Siege,” developed by Gas Powered Games Corp. and Chris Taylor, who created the award-winning “Total Annihilation,” is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2002.

Combining the strongest elements of fantasy role-playing with over-the-top intensity and nonstop action, “Dungeon Siege” features advanced graphics technology that showcases a lush 3-D world with unprecedented realism and handcrafted detail. From a flourishing, vibrant forest to a deep, subterranean cavern, “Dungeon Siege” allows players to journey through breathtaking landscapes in a completely seamless world. Players are never removed from their immersion in the game to stop and watch a loading screen.

“All of us here at Gas Powered Games have been looking forward to this day for a long time, and we are thrilled to finally see the game on store shelves,” said Chris Taylor, president and founder of Gas Powered Games and lead designer of “Dungeon Siege.” “I want to thank everyone for the continuous support and all the kind words this last year as we pressed toward the finish line. We sincerely hope that everyone has as much fun playing the game as we did making it.”

“Dungeon Siege” is the first title developed by Gas Powered Games for Microsoft Game Studios. The game is so highly anticipated and well-received that gamers are already asking about sequels and add-ons.

“With ‘Dungeon Siege,’ Chris Taylor and Gas Powered Games have realized their dream of creating a beautiful, challenging and seamless world to game in,” said Stuart Moulder, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios. “This title furthers Microsoft’s strategy to expand into new categories with strong triple-A titles that provide players with fun gameplay experiences.”

Players explore the world of “Dungeon Siege” with parties of up to eight characters. Beginning as a humble farmer, players join forces with additional characters as they embark on the single-player campaign. Players can use their strength to become a mighty fighter, journey as a nimble archer, or develop their mental prowess to become a powerful magic-caster. They also can step into highly engrossing, visually spectacular battles, choosing from among more than 1,000 types of weapons and armor and more than 100 spells.

“Dungeon Siege” offers players innovative multiplayer experiences. In addition to allowing them to replay the single-player campaign in the multiplayer mode, “Dungeon Siege” invites players to enter a completely separate multiplayer world, the Utraean Peninsula, which is nearly twice the size of its single-player counterpart. The vastness of the Utraean Peninsula, along with its all-new quests and adventures, provides players with nearly endless opportunities for gameplay. Utilizing the “Dungeon Siege” multiplayer system, up to eight gamers can join together to play, explore and battle via ZoneMatch, the Internet or a local area network (LAN).

“Dungeon Siege” also will offer a revolutionary game design tool, the Siege Editor, which will be available shortly after release. The Siege Editor will enable players to create completely new, adventure-filled worlds for an endless number of battles. It will give players the freedom to rework many aspects of the game, making “Dungeon Siege” not only a game, but a role-playing platform for those who want to create their own dungeons, spells, AI and story sequences to share with other players.

More information on “Dungeon Siege” is available online at http://www.microsoft.com/games/dungeonsiege/. “Dungeon Siege” is available in stores or on the Internet at http://shop.microsoft.com/ for an estimated retail price of $49.95 and runs on PCs with Microsoft® Windows® 98, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows 2000 or Windows XP operating systems.