Miraculously, it appears that Gas Powered Games' Dungeon Siege franchise has survived a Boll-ocalypse -- that is to say, it's getting another game even after being "adapted" into a hilariously calamitous Uwe Boll film. Speaking to Eurogamer Germany (English version), Gas Powered Games boss Chris Taylor has divulged some of his plans for a third orc-killing romp.

"There will be some things that are very much like Dungeon Siege 1 and 2, but some things will be simplified," he said. "I am done with multi-character parties; I really think that it's all going to be about a single hero. It's too much to manage." We can certainly get behind the idea of having fewer people to manage, as long as our hero has enough to do by his lonesome. For instance, it would be nice to be granted a choice in whether we'd like to hack or slash any given enemy.

We expect to hear more on the topic once Gas Powered Games completes work on Space Siege. Which is a lot like Dungeon Siege ... but in space.

[Via Big Download]

After our brief hands-on time with the game at CES, we're anxiously awaiting the September release of Gas Powered Games' Space Siege, the interstellar reimagining of Dungeon Siege (the classic RPG series, not the latest box office turd from team Boll/Statham). However, it's a little known fact that four out of every five Joystiq writers don't own computers -- many of our posts are actually published with an intricate system of smoke signals, morse code, and carrier pigeons.

Luckily, we, along with the rest of the WASDaphobic world, might not miss out Space Siege -- According to videogaming247, the game's associate producer recently explained that "a console version is something that's being considered right now." While he mentioned that a port of the game is not officially confirmed, the very thought of getting our PC-fearing hands on the spiritual successor to one of our favorite RPG franchises is enough to inspire visions of zero-G Krug dancing through our heads.

[Via X3F]

We think it's safe to assume that everybody who's reading this is familiar with Uwe Boll and his auspiciously terrible body of work, which includes such gems as "Bloodrayne", "House of the Dead", and Rotten Tomatoes' second worst reviewed movie of all time, "Alone in the Dark". That's why it may surprise you to learn that Boll's latest (and possibly last) big-budget box office flop, "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale", is actually ... wretched, of course! Don't be silly.

In this very special edition of Metareview, we're taking a look at the cream of the crop of the film's reviews, which have already provided us with more entertainment than the actual movie ever could. Join with us in our appreciation of these brave reviewers, who have unwittingly tacked their own names onto Boll's lengthy "to be punched in the face repeatedly" list.

• Sam Adams - Los Angeles Times: "Uwe Boll isn't the worst director in the world, but In the Name of the King might be more enjoyable if he were."

• Dustin Putman - TheMovieBoy.com: "[The movie] would be irredeemable if not for its near-brilliant ability to give the viewer douche chills for 127 solid minutes."

• Jim Lane - Sacramento News and Review: "It's like a Florida dinner theater production of The Lord of the Rings, though it's not without enjoyment if you're in a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 frame of mind."

• Scott Weinberg - Cinematical: "If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Uwe Boll just spent 126 minutes telling Peter Jackson how thin, talented and gorgeous he is."

• Joe Leydon - Variety: "Doug Taylor's script, loosely based on the "Dungeon Siege" vidgame, is a lazy mash-up of cliched situations, grandiose speechifying and verbal anachronisms. But, then again, "In the Name of the King" is the sort of half-baked farrago that brings out the worst, or the least, in almost everyone involved."

Oh sweet mother of mercy. How hard are you going to see this movie? Like Richter-scale hard? Though the end of the trailer says December, 1UP says that In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale has been moved to January, thereby guaranteeing that 2008 will be the greatest year ever.

Honestly, if the whole thing was two minutes of Ray Liotta slo-mo backwards leaping, we would have already pre-purchased our tickets. But there's so much more to enjoy! There's Claire Forlani looking gorgeous! There's Jason Statham air kicking! There's John Rhys-Davies reminding us that, although he was in Lord of the Rings, he was also in 41 episodes of Sliders! We are left with just two questions. When, exactly, in January is this gem coming out, and where can we get a Ray Liotta "Life...has never been so exciting!" ringtone?

[Via 1UP, Thanks, EternityInBlack]

A far cry from leather and swords, you'll be playing an engineer who can sacrifice parts of his humanity for cybernetic upgrades. How much humanity you're willing to give up seems to be one of the game's central struggles, with NPCs reacting to you differently depending on how human you are.

You're on one of the last remaining ships carrying humans after an attack on Earth and, as you have probably have already guessed, you'll be attempting to save the human race from being eradicated. Also mentioned in the release: A co-op multiplayer mode for up to four players. More info on the game is due in PC Gamer's September issue and (we would bet) during E3.

CEO and founder of Gas Powered Games Chris Taylor (Supreme Commander, Dungeon Siege) wants to retire the old-school game design philosophies of punishing gamers. In an essay on GameDaily BIZ, Taylor notes an observed trend towards games that now reward players.

It started with casual games, says Taylor, when The Sims and Railroad Tycoon were selling millions and bringing women gamers on board. He compares the old punishment system to Carnival games -- you get three lives, a few options for more, but if you die then you start all the way over. Taylor uses Grand Theft Auto as an example where, if you screw up, you simply walk out of jail or the hospital. "The punishment is quite small, and perfectly integrated into the gameplay. Hats off to Rockstar," he said.

Much of his essay is muddled, however, in defining the line between making a game universally accessible and dumbing it down in difficulty. "Games shouldn't punish the player, but rather reward them. Oh, and it should be a whole lot easier to win," he said, followed by "Duh! Can I say duh?" You can, but a game like Ninja Gaiden serves as an opposing example to that argument, where toning down the difficulty would likely result in a less satisfying and indeed, less rewarding experience.

Confrontational and often criticized film director Uwe Boll, known for such stellar standouts like Alone in the Dark and Bloodrayne adaptations, has signed with Freestyle Releasing for the distribution of three films: In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, Postal and Seed, the latter notable for not being adapted from a video game.

The Dungeon Siege adaptation is due out January 18 in 2,500 theaters across North America, which means you'll likely have a chance to witness it, should you honestly choose to pay for it. (Given Boll's history and the film's long-delayed release, we're not expecting much.) Postal will actually beat Dungeon Siege to theaters, slated for September 28. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boll said that "the film likely will open on 500 screens and grow from there based on box office."

When the games come out, you'll finally be able to judge for yourself. Be careful what you say, however: you might end up on the other end of a directorial uppercut.

Infamous video game director Uwe Boll is going to have to find a new "star" to drag through the mud. Kristanna Loken, star of two Boll films -- BloodRayne and the as-of-yet unreleased In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale -- has thrown the "engaged to be engaged" ring back in Uwe's face and has decided to move on to bigger and better things. BloodRayne 2 is just not in the Hollywood stars for Loken. Good move, Ms. Loken, Uwe just isn't good enough for you.

Loken's official statement is that she's too busy working on Painkiller Jane, a Sci-Fi series. Replacing Loken as Rayne (and Uwe's next "fling") in BloodRayne 2 (the first one warranted a sequel?) is Natassia Malthe. After checking IMDB, we discovered that Malthe doesn't exactly have a stellar career of her own. We have to respectfully inform Ms. Malthe that those "Oscars" in Uwe's office are made of Papier-Mâchè.

Loken's excuse for not working on a third Boll movie and reprising her role as Rayne is questionable. Maybe Loken decided it was about time to get out of the acting gutter and start working on some better projects? In any case, that hasn't stopped Boll from wasting other people's money; working on future flops such as Postal, Far Cry, Alone in the Dark 2 (again with the sequels) and non-gaming IP Seed. Who knows, maybe BloodRayne 2 will turn out like Superman Returns as Uwe claims; a dull movie that somehow managed to make a profit.

(We are proactively denying any future boxing challenges Uwe Boll may deliver ... you fight too dirty, bro.)

Widely known for his anti-masterpieces, House of the Dead, Bloodrayne and Alone in the Dark, German film director Uwe Boll drew plenty of internet ire in June by sending out a public challenge to his (many, many) detractors. Like any civilized and intelligent human being, Boll decided that the best way to deal with those that disagreed with his artistic vision for videogame adaptations was to punch them in the face, grr! The invitation urged haters to fly to Vancouver and meet the German in the boxing ring for a one-on-one session of metaphorically rich pummeling. Internet casino Goldenpalace.com has issued a press release stating that they will be the ones to sponsor the event, now dubbed "Raging Boll."

Naturally, the prestige gained from having your event backed by an internet casino cannot be overstated. The joint's CEO, Richard Rowe, notes that Boll's attention grab is refreshingly ridiculous. "We receive so many outlandish offers for advertising exposure that it is refreshing to see something that surprises even us. That is why we decided to get involved. This has gotten so much attention so far, and we can't wait to see how it will turn out." Before starting proper on 23 September, Uwe will stop off in Spain to battle Carlos Palencia Jimenez-Arguello, a critic who has already vowed to Kill Boll (challenge video embedded in the latter section of the post). After that bout, Boll will face Something Awful's Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka, Jeff Sneider from Ain't It Cool News, Chris Alexander of Rue Morgue and Nelson Chance Minter from Website Critic.

All the fights will be filmed for inclusion in Boll's Postal film, no doubt rendered vaguely entertaining by showing his face deteriorating over the course of the event. It may even prove to be beneficial to his career -- a few brutal blows to the head might be just the thing to bring him to his senses. Perhaps then he'll realize how difficult it is to hold on to credibility when you've got boxing gloves on your hands.

[Via GameSetWatch]

What has orcs, elves, John Rhys-Davies, and ends in "of the King?" No, it's not Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, silly! It's Uwe Boll's latest, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. What else does his LOTR-killer bring to the table: that ass-kicking bald-guy from The Transporter, ninjas, Burt Reynolds, ninjas, Ray Liotta, and, in an Oscar-worthy role, Matthew Lillard!

No, I'm not kidding, the annoying guy from Scream.

Read on for the YouTube video, or use this link for a high-res, though unreliable, version.

[Thanks, hellmasterx]