Space Siege Preview

Shacknews is next in line with a preview of Space Siege, based on firsthand time they spent with Gas Powered Games’ next action RPG at this year’s CES.

But here’s the rub: unlike its Dungeon forebears, the player only commands a single hero in Space Siege. And unlike Diablo, its dungeons are not randomized in design. And unlike KOTOR, your decisions in the game will not lead you down a radically different good vs. evil path. There are multiple endings, but for the most part, the main story arc is the same. Rather than telling a sweeping story through elaborate cutscenes or dialogue, most of the story will be told through textual blurbs, presented at the top of the screen and adorned with a portrait of the appropriate NPC.

That doesn’t mean that story and context have been pushed to the side. Space Siege is set in a world where cybernetics are beginning to take hold. You play as a typical hero fighting for humanity, but during your quest, you will be faced with the choice of adding permanent cybernetic attachments to your body, a sort of Deus Exian quandry.

These attachments–which do not function as a method of upgrading, but rather are always the same–will decrease your “humanity” meter as you begin to pile them onto, and in place of, various body parts. NPCs will react differently to you, and though you may gain immediate benefits over those who stay pure, you may also miss out on others. And as Achterman put it, once you cut off your arm, that’s it. There’s no going back. You are the Borg.