Space Siege - updated impressions

"Man has colonized space. The first colony ship to launch from Earth was the ISCS Chrysanthemum in 2056," chimes Achterman. "Over the next 138 years, 18 other colony ships were sent out, but none of the ships were successful in establishing a terra-based colony. Instead, upon their arrival to their destination, the colony ships converted into permanent space-stations. Of all the planets initially targeted as colonies, only Elysium IV was capable of supporting human life."

With the humans settled, they waste no time doing what humans do best - stripping the planet of natural resources, pumping the air full of chemicals and filling every TV station with vacuous reality TV programs about housekeeping. Or at least something along those lines. Point is, the colonists end up pissing off the locals - a race of giant alien killers called the Kerak, which bear more than a passing resemblance to the giant bugs from Starship Troopers - so much that they wipe out the colonists, then head to Earth to do the same to the rest of humanity.

With Earth on the brink of annihilation, only one human ship full of refugees - The Armstrong - escapes the blanket of Kerak warships pummeling Earth from orbit. "Earth ships are escaping like crazy trying to get off the planet, but the Kerak destroys them," explains Taylor. "Your ship barely escapes, but the aliens manage to send an invasion force onboard before you get away."

Flying aimlessly into the void commonly referred to as space and with his ship infested with enemies, Seth Walker only has one choice: pick up a gun and start blasting some bugs. "Although their appearance suggests otherwise, the Kerak is extremely intelligent, capable of adapting to any environment and are brilliant military strategists," explains Achterman.

"There are several types of Kerak warriors and each type fills a specific combat role. Drones swarm their enemies and explode on contact. There are also nimble, armored skirmishers, bipedal Kerak warriors who can deploy advanced weapon systems and even an invulnerable monstrosity that barrels forward with alarming speed. There's no question that the Kerak is the greatest foe that humanity has ever faced."

But enough about the bugs for now, because we make it about time to talk more about Seth, a character who's a world away from the player-generated heroes that starred in the Dungeon Siege adventures.

"Instead of a generic male or female character, we decided that we wanted a character that you can go through a story with," explains Taylor. "Seth is like our Gordon Freeman, only he'll be able to speak. He has a look and a history and there's something loveable about him."