Swords, Not Words!

It was just a matter of time before a Dungeons and Dragons game came to the PS2, and Interplay's Black Isle Studios and Snowblind team up to deliver Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (BG:DA). Those looking for a true CRPG experience similar to the award winning PC games will be in for a shock as BG:DA is anything but that. That doesn't mean that BG:DA is a shiny coaster; those looking for less strategizing and more hacking and slashing (i.e. 3-D Diablo) will be right at home.

BG:DA is an action orientated game that borrows the Forgotten Realms setting used in the Interplay CRPGs. It is also very based loosely on 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons ruleset. You begin by choosing one of three heroes: a human ranger, a dwarven fighter, and an elven sorceress. Each character has their own niche, thus influencing your play style: the fighter is a master of melee combat, utilizing a whirlwind and an earthquake attack; the ranger dabbles with spells and excels with missile weapons and can fire large volleys of arrows; and the sorceress can unleash devasting spells on her enemies.

The story begins with your hero being ambushed by robbers near the entrance of Baldur's Gate, the fabled city on the Sword Coast. You barely survive the assault, thanks in part to a timely rescue by the town watch. Broke and traumatized, you take up shelter in the Elfsong Tavern where your adventure begins.

The game spans three acts divided into several levels and subquests. Each act features distinct environments, inhabitants, creatures to slay, and bosses to defeat. The story progresses in a fairly linear pattern, with each subquest revealing more and more of the grand story.

BG:DA tells a good story, but it lacks the complexity of the PC CRPGs. Where BG:DA excels is in creating an action packed adventure similar to such hits as Atari's Gauntlet, Origin's Times of Lore, or Blizzard's Diablo. The world is depicted from a slightly angled top-down perspective. Your character will spend some time exploring and interacting with the environment (i.e. pulling levers, opening doors, lighting up explosive barrels, pushing crates for cover). Controls are very simple with the analog stick used for walking/running. There is just one attack button, which can be pressed multiple times in a rhythm to generate a combo. The rhythm depends on the weapon you are carrying, with heavier arms requiring a slower pace.

Switching weapons and selecting spells is a snap with the D-pad. BG:DA uses transparent overlays for spell selection and for the minimap, neither of which are intrusive during play. Frequently used items (i.e. potions) are easily accessible by hot keys.

Learning how to combo with your weapon is so important in this game as you will be fighting hoards of monsters. You can manipulate the battlefield sometimes to try and stack the odds a bit more in your favor (and save up on precious healing potions), but in the end, you wind up going from one nest of evil doers to the next.

And after the fighting is all done, you catch your breathe, gather the loot, and move on to the next group of baddies to slay. Bogged down by excess equipment? You can always open a portal and run back to town and sell off your wares before re-entering the fray. You do gain experience points for your victories, but in the end, your hand-eye coordination is much more important than the numbers. Gameplay sounds and plays more like Diablo than Baldur's Gate. This is definitely not a game for people looking for a story driven RPG.

Graphically, BG:DA is a sight to behold. The textures in the gameworld are beautiful to see and are nicely detailed. Plus the world is filled with many little details that make the world come alive. Travelling through the stereotyped, medieval city, you move pass busy streets with pedestrians engaging in their daily activities. Running through a dank cellar, you will come across tiny rodents that squeak as you crush them underfoot. Water ripples as you run through it.

Even more impressive about the environments are the lighting effects. The light from objects such as torches, exploding barrels, and magical weapons cast realtime shadows on the 3D objects. Plus, light casts realistic effects on objects; polished stone reflects a dull glare while ice gives off bright flashes.

The characters and the monsters are also beautifully detailed with characteristic gaits and motions. From the pathetic kobolds to the towering frost giants to the menacing beholders, each creature provides a feast for the eyes as you figure out how to dispose of them. Your character model is painstakingly detailed and changes reflecting the different items you equip. Kudos to Black Isle on a very nice job in the visuals department.

BG:DA also delivers in the audio department. It delivers a variety of music tracks that help set the mood at just the right times. The battle theme in particular is an engaging number that helps psych you up for the carnage ahead. Moving the story along are the voice overs from the many NPCs that you encounter. The speech is actually not that bad, so you will not be reaching for the mute button on the remote every time someone talks. Even better, the speech is well coordinated with the lip syncing and the character's gestures. Once again, the attention to little details help to improve the overall package.

All is not perfect with BG:DA. The most obvious problem with BG:DA is the repetitive battles. It can get tiresome slogging through battle after battle. A few puzzles are thrown in to break things up, but it is not enough to shake off that feeling of deva ju. BG:DA does keep you coming back for more by offering a wealth of items to play with. By combining items with various qualifiers, you can come across a wide array of items that will have you going back into the battlefield just to test out your new brand new Flaming Warhammer of Disruption +3.

The second problem is boss encounters tend to be more of a letdown than the intense battles they should be. The majority tend to be giant letdowns, such as the ridiculously simple white dragon boss. In a turn based adventure, these bosses comprise some of the toughest creatures ever. With the increased emphasis on action and the simplified attack schemes, your manual dexterity can easily chop many bosses down to size.

The third problem is length; the game can be finished in roughly 12 hours of play. Even if you finish the game with all three characters, BG:DA is incredibly short. Thankfully, the game has a two player mode that allows you to form a two man party to save the world.

Overall, there is a lot to like with BG:DA. Action junkies should enjoy the hack and slash adventure. Diablo fans should also get a kick out of this title. This is one of the better PS2 titles on the market right now and should make it into your PS2 library.