Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance for PlayStation 2
- ESRB Descriptor: Violence Blood Use of Alcohol
- ESRB Rating: T - (Teen)
- Publisher: Interplay Productions
- Genre: Action Adventure
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Open the Gate
Pros
Excellent graphics, engaging storyline, low learning curve
Cons
Poor replay value, not much in the way of role-playing
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Great for the first couple of games, but loses it's value after you've beaten it once.
Manufacturer: Interplay, Black Isle Studios, Snowblind Studios
Platform: Playstation 2
Category: Action/role-playing
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $49.95 USD
ESRB Review: Teen (fantasy violence)
The premise is familiar to any fan of role-playing games. You are an adventurer, making your living doing the things that ordinary people would never think to do, such as delving into sewers and wandering through dark woods. As BG:DA opens, you enter the city of Baldur's Gate, a well-known location in the popular Forgotten Realms campaign setting. No sooner have you stepped inside than you are assaulted by thieves who manage to steal all of your goods and gold before being run off by the watch.
The watch suggests that you seek refuge in the Elfsong Tavern, a known hangout for cutthroats and ne'er-do-wells. It is here that you meet several folks who sympathize with your plight and can set you on the road to seeking revenge against the thieving little weenies. It's while you're off seeking your vengeance that you become embroiled in a plot that threatens the entire Sword Coast and it's up to you to save them!
The view is an angled overhead, typical of Black Isle's work (anyone familiar with the Baldur's Gate series for PC/Mac will know what I'm talking about), but the ability to angle the camera a full 360-degrees (in most areas) makes it certain that you won't miss much. Control is nicely balanced and the default settings are easy to master after only a few moments. This is always a big plus with me. I want to enjoy the game, not spend my first hour trying to learn the controls, and BG:DA's default is very intuitive.
There are three settings of difficulty, and if you defeat the game on the easiest setting, you can unlock a special level (in which you can play everyone's favorite dark elf, Drizzt Do'Urden!) which will permit you to unlock an Extreme mode (good luck getting there). On the easiest setting, it took me about 40 hours to defeat the game. The only trouble is, once you've learned it, it's remarkably simple after that point, even on the higher settings.
Though this is a role-playing game, there isn't a whole lot in the way of role-playing here. It's pretty much a straight-forward shoot-and-loot game, but I was both delighted and impressed to see that it utilized a nice variant of the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons rules (the first platform game to do so). As you adventure, you defeat foes and complete quests to gain experience and advance in level. With each level gain, you can allot points to special abilities or spells (depending on which character you are playing). Every fourth level, you can raise one of your six ability scores!
This feature makes the game entertaining, as you are always striving to get that next level, just to see what new things you can learn. Once you've played each character at least once, however, it loses it's flavor, as you know the best combinations to take to get the most from your choice. For characters, you have a choice of three:
The arcane archer specializes in, what else, the bow. Most of his special abilities are tailored toward making his archery more powerful and a well-developed archer can be a dangerous foe and a staunch ally. His weakness is his low hit point total. Avoid melee combat as much as possible when playing the archer. Though he can use any melee weapon without restriction, he tends to lose hit points quick.
The elven sorceress is probably the best choice for solo quests and it was using this character that I defeated the game on Easy level. Her abilities focus on powerful magics that can assault foes at long range, meaning that much direct combat can be avoided. Even so, in melee she proves herself a capable warrior, however she is handicapped by the fact that she can only use certain weapons. Two-handed weapons (the more powerful sort) remain forever out of her reach.
Finally, the dwarven warrior just sings melee. Strong, with many hit points, the dwarf equipped with a decent weapon can mow through entire ranks of foes easily. All of his special abilities are focused toward increasing his effectiveness in melee combat. My advice for dwarves, get a two-handed weapon ASAP, as these can do some incredible damage.
D&D players will find many little things about the game that delight them, from the selection of feats and spells, to the foes themselves. Gnolls, kobolds, gelatinous cubes, green slime, and more are among the many foes that you will face in your quests. Magical items bear names that are strikingly familiar to D&D players and often I found myself at odds whether to keep the keen short sword (which criticals more often) or trade up to the mudane long sword (which does more damage). Yes, the game does use critical hits and you can really get some good damage combos through them!
The graphics are fantastic, with excellent cut-scenes that can be skipped after you've seen them once (always a plus). Interaction with individuals in certain areas is extremely well-done, with movements, blinking, and shadows rendered in amazing detail. Perhaps best of all are the water effects. Water seems to be a popular component of platform games and each company tries to outdo the others with water effects. I'll just say that BG:DA gets my vote as the best yet!
The background environment and little noises that go with it are very nicely done and the monsters seem to come to life on the screen. Ever wonder what a beholder really looks like? I will say that the dragon was a bit poorly done for my tastes, but then, this isn't Hollywood, so I can't kick.
Multiplayer is supported, but only for two players, which stuck out as a bit of a gripe for me. If you are only going to have a choice of three characters, why not go ahead and allow a third player (ala Gauntlet)? Two-player mode is interesting only in that you must learn to coordinate your actions with one another in order to succeed. It took my brother and I (both game platform veterans) about two hours to finally work our way past "The Gauntlet" (no relation to the game mentioned above) section of the first act.
And there ain't none o' that, "You go ahead, save, and I'll rejoin you." You complete the goals as a team, or you don't continue as such. If one player dies, you go back to your last save. Fortunately, the game is littered with save points in both single and multi-player mode. After every major combat or goal, look for a save point. There's bound to be one there.
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the automapper and the recall potions. These little jobs are a role-player's dream. The automapper tracks where you've been for you, so you don't have to tax your poor brain to remember. You can view it as a large overlay, a small overlay, or just turn it off. I usually keep it going as it can show you things like save points and secret rooms. The recall potion is simply a quick way back and forth from the nearest "safe zone". It just means that you don't have to keep going back through areas you've already cleared.
In all, the game is very well done and will provide a few hours of entertainment. However, once you've beaten it every which way you can, the thrill wears off. My advice, pick it up on rental and save yourself the cost. Or else, buy it, beat it, and give it to a friend.
Platform: Playstation 2
Category: Action/role-playing
Genre: Fantasy
Price: $49.95 USD
ESRB Review: Teen (fantasy violence)
The premise is familiar to any fan of role-playing games. You are an adventurer, making your living doing the things that ordinary people would never think to do, such as delving into sewers and wandering through dark woods. As BG:DA opens, you enter the city of Baldur's Gate, a well-known location in the popular Forgotten Realms campaign setting. No sooner have you stepped inside than you are assaulted by thieves who manage to steal all of your goods and gold before being run off by the watch.
The watch suggests that you seek refuge in the Elfsong Tavern, a known hangout for cutthroats and ne'er-do-wells. It is here that you meet several folks who sympathize with your plight and can set you on the road to seeking revenge against the thieving little weenies. It's while you're off seeking your vengeance that you become embroiled in a plot that threatens the entire Sword Coast and it's up to you to save them!
The view is an angled overhead, typical of Black Isle's work (anyone familiar with the Baldur's Gate series for PC/Mac will know what I'm talking about), but the ability to angle the camera a full 360-degrees (in most areas) makes it certain that you won't miss much. Control is nicely balanced and the default settings are easy to master after only a few moments. This is always a big plus with me. I want to enjoy the game, not spend my first hour trying to learn the controls, and BG:DA's default is very intuitive.
There are three settings of difficulty, and if you defeat the game on the easiest setting, you can unlock a special level (in which you can play everyone's favorite dark elf, Drizzt Do'Urden!) which will permit you to unlock an Extreme mode (good luck getting there). On the easiest setting, it took me about 40 hours to defeat the game. The only trouble is, once you've learned it, it's remarkably simple after that point, even on the higher settings.
Though this is a role-playing game, there isn't a whole lot in the way of role-playing here. It's pretty much a straight-forward shoot-and-loot game, but I was both delighted and impressed to see that it utilized a nice variant of the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons rules (the first platform game to do so). As you adventure, you defeat foes and complete quests to gain experience and advance in level. With each level gain, you can allot points to special abilities or spells (depending on which character you are playing). Every fourth level, you can raise one of your six ability scores!
This feature makes the game entertaining, as you are always striving to get that next level, just to see what new things you can learn. Once you've played each character at least once, however, it loses it's flavor, as you know the best combinations to take to get the most from your choice. For characters, you have a choice of three:
The arcane archer specializes in, what else, the bow. Most of his special abilities are tailored toward making his archery more powerful and a well-developed archer can be a dangerous foe and a staunch ally. His weakness is his low hit point total. Avoid melee combat as much as possible when playing the archer. Though he can use any melee weapon without restriction, he tends to lose hit points quick.
The elven sorceress is probably the best choice for solo quests and it was using this character that I defeated the game on Easy level. Her abilities focus on powerful magics that can assault foes at long range, meaning that much direct combat can be avoided. Even so, in melee she proves herself a capable warrior, however she is handicapped by the fact that she can only use certain weapons. Two-handed weapons (the more powerful sort) remain forever out of her reach.
Finally, the dwarven warrior just sings melee. Strong, with many hit points, the dwarf equipped with a decent weapon can mow through entire ranks of foes easily. All of his special abilities are focused toward increasing his effectiveness in melee combat. My advice for dwarves, get a two-handed weapon ASAP, as these can do some incredible damage.
D&D players will find many little things about the game that delight them, from the selection of feats and spells, to the foes themselves. Gnolls, kobolds, gelatinous cubes, green slime, and more are among the many foes that you will face in your quests. Magical items bear names that are strikingly familiar to D&D players and often I found myself at odds whether to keep the keen short sword (which criticals more often) or trade up to the mudane long sword (which does more damage). Yes, the game does use critical hits and you can really get some good damage combos through them!
The graphics are fantastic, with excellent cut-scenes that can be skipped after you've seen them once (always a plus). Interaction with individuals in certain areas is extremely well-done, with movements, blinking, and shadows rendered in amazing detail. Perhaps best of all are the water effects. Water seems to be a popular component of platform games and each company tries to outdo the others with water effects. I'll just say that BG:DA gets my vote as the best yet!
The background environment and little noises that go with it are very nicely done and the monsters seem to come to life on the screen. Ever wonder what a beholder really looks like? I will say that the dragon was a bit poorly done for my tastes, but then, this isn't Hollywood, so I can't kick.
Multiplayer is supported, but only for two players, which stuck out as a bit of a gripe for me. If you are only going to have a choice of three characters, why not go ahead and allow a third player (ala Gauntlet)? Two-player mode is interesting only in that you must learn to coordinate your actions with one another in order to succeed. It took my brother and I (both game platform veterans) about two hours to finally work our way past "The Gauntlet" (no relation to the game mentioned above) section of the first act.
And there ain't none o' that, "You go ahead, save, and I'll rejoin you." You complete the goals as a team, or you don't continue as such. If one player dies, you go back to your last save. Fortunately, the game is littered with save points in both single and multi-player mode. After every major combat or goal, look for a save point. There's bound to be one there.
Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the automapper and the recall potions. These little jobs are a role-player's dream. The automapper tracks where you've been for you, so you don't have to tax your poor brain to remember. You can view it as a large overlay, a small overlay, or just turn it off. I usually keep it going as it can show you things like save points and secret rooms. The recall potion is simply a quick way back and forth from the nearest "safe zone". It just means that you don't have to keep going back through areas you've already cleared.
In all, the game is very well done and will provide a few hours of entertainment. However, once you've beaten it every which way you can, the thrill wears off. My advice, pick it up on rental and save yourself the cost. Or else, buy it, beat it, and give it to a friend.
