Dungeon Siege II Preview

GameSpy has written up a two-page preview of Dungeon Siege II, after spending some time with a press copy of the action RPG sequel. Here's a bit of what they had to say:
A new skill tree system has added an element of variability to character leveling. The original Dungeon Siege worked on a simple principle: whichever skills you use are the ones that improve. If you want to improve your melee, use melee weapons. If you want to be better at your nature magic, use nature magic. This meant you never actually stopped to raise a character and it was hard to feel personally invested in any of them. Now with the skill tree system, you'll receive points every time you raise a character level that allows you to make your characters more personalized. Two melee fighters can specialize in different ways. You'll want to take care to have a balanced party, and you'll be less likely to drop NPCs and pick up new ones. The character you create when you begin the game is also the one the story revolves around.