E3 06: Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony First Look

The Dungeon Siege series is preparing to hack and slash its way on to the PSP. Last March, 2K Games announced that Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony in development at Supervillain Studios. We have some new details about this role-playing game in our E3 2006 show report.

Details are scant about the story of Throne of Agony, but it's safe to assume that it will somehow involve a throne, and perhaps a bit of agony. The only plot information that has been revealed thus far is that the game will feature an all-new story built around a nonlinear single-player campaign. The campaign will take roughly 15 hours to complete and will have additional difficulty modes to encourage you to play it again once you've finished the first time.

The gameplay is going to stick fairly closely to the Dungeon Siege formula, so you can expect lots of dungeon-crawling, loot collecting, and real-time combat. There are four characters to choose from when you first start the game, and while that sounds somewhat limited there will be plenty of room for customization as you progress through the game. There are eight different hero classes to choose from initially, and as you reach higher levels you can further specialize by assigning your hero one of 16 legendary classes.

Whereas previous Dungeon Siege games focused on party-based combat rather than single-hero combat, Throne of Agony will be more of a solo adventure. You won't have to go it completely alone, though, because there are 16 pets and companions in the game. Each one has unique strengths and special abilities, and you can switch between them to suit your needs in any situation.

As with any hack-and-slash game, Throne of Agony will reward you with experience and loot, which you can use to make your hero a force to be reckoned with. There are more than 100 different enemies to bludgeon, dismember, and immolate in the game, with some familiar enemies taken from previous Dungeon Siege games as well as all-new additions to the Dungeon Siege universe. That sounds like a lot of enemies, but don't fret--you'll have an arsenal of more than 100 unique spells and abilities with which to dispatch your foes. Additionally, there will be tons of loot to collect, and you'll be able to enchant all of the armor and weapons to add special effects and stat bonuses.

New to the series is the concept of vehicular travel in Throne of Agony. Instead of walking or warping you'll be able to travel in style by hopping aboard airships and boats to whisk you away to the furthest reaches of the world, which should be handy.

This game will also feature two multiplayer modes that you can play with one friend via an ad hoc connection. You will be able to play through the storyline cooperatively, which allows each player to bring one pet or companion. There will also be a multiplayer arena mode where you can pit your hero against your friend's in quick battles. There's no word yet on whether winning one of these battles will allow you to steal items from your opponent, or if you'll gain experience for these battles.

Based on what we've seen of the game, it looks as though it will have a similar graphical style to the PC Dungeon Siege games. The environments show a variety of settings, from dank dungeons to snowy cliffs. The characters are large and detailed, and weapons and armor are reflected in the appearance of each character.

We're looking forward to seeing more of Throne of Agony before it ships this October. Be sure to take a look at the recently posted screenshots and check the gamespace often for updates.