Dungeon Siege vs Record of Lodoss War Online
Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege is a classic dungeon crawler that predates the first Torchlight but not the Diablo series. In this game, you play as a humble farmer who sets off across a 3D fantasy world, battling against hordes of enemies as the storyline unfolds. The most interesting part of this game, back in the day, is that it's a dungeon crawling game that is set above ground and surprisingly not in dungeons. In some way, it is more like certain parts of Diablo 2 and also Path of Exile.The game also has an interesting take on loot and inventory management. You'll get a ton of loot as befit a dungeon crawler, but the thing is you have a very limited inventory, even with a pack mule, and no vendors nearby enough to sell your loot to. So, you'll likely end up throwing most stuff on the ground just so you can move on. Dungeon Siege even allows you to assemble up to a party of 8 characters to aid you in your journey.
However, Dungeon Siege is a really old game and as such, the Steam version does have its fair share of glitches. You may experience constant crashes and installation difficulties even if you're running a top-notch desktop set-up. Some players have also mentioned that the ending of the game was cropped off somehow and that this version of the game doesn't include its expansion or a multiplayer option.
All in all, Dungeon Siege is among the top 5 classic dungeon crawlers back in the day and if you are interested to give it a try, you can get the game for as low as $1 during a Steam sale.
Record of Lodoss War Online
Record of Lodoss War Online is a somewhat old-school, anime-themed MMORPG that has a unique top-down-like view (much like in Drakensang Online), a straightforward hack-and-slash combat, and a storyline that’s intriguing enough to make you stick around. Set in a world on the verge of being plunged into yet again another war, you play a promising adventurer who has uncovered a plot by the evil sorcerer, Bagnard - he is hellbent on bringing back the evil gods and their armies of doom. Naturally, you can't let his plans come to fruition.In addition to its unique Reaction skills that works in a combo-like manner, this dungeon-crawling game also features a myriad of dungeons to challenge with friends, a merc system where you can recruit NPCs to aid you in your adventures, and also a dual-leveling system where you level up both your character and your character’s ranking in the Adventurer’s Association. There are plenty of other features in this game as well, including the mercenary system where you can recruit up to 2 other NPCs to join you in your adventures; fun stat-boosting titles to earn, free teleports to town, and an account-wide vault where you can use to transfer gear or other items between characters. Players can also set up their own stalls, a.k.a. “Sales Agency”, to sell items they don’t need.
Record of Lodoss War Online may be grindy, like most MMORPGs are, but it's a pretty decent dungeon-crawling game overall. The beautiful and adorable anime graphics, the incredible title theme as well as its simple-to-grasp gameplay made it a fun game to play even in this day and age.