Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance II (Xbox)

Despite the Baldur's Gate name Dark Alliance II, with its real-time combat and simplified stats and rules, is more Gauntlet (or Diablo if you're too young to recognise that reference) than the Baldur's Gate PC games. This is not to imply that it's a simplistic button-basher, though; the combat is highly involved, with different styles of melee, distance and magic attacks depending on which character you choose to control. When you're not fighting (which isn't often) you can take part in those other stalwart features of the RPG genre, shopping and levelling up--both of which are made as easy and interesting as possible.

If you're wondering what has changed or been improved for the sequel, the simple answer is not much. Even the graphics seem the same and the few gameplay features that have been altered are entirely minor. To be fair, though, there wasn't much wrong with the original. --David Jenkins

The frustrating thing is that it is not as if the game is any different from the first ( which was excellent ) . The graphics , sound , environments and scenario are all up to scratch ( and then some ) , but there is just something missing ...


Inspiringly rubbish   January 30, 2005
Benjamin Woolner (Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom)
3 out of 12 found this review helpful

I first played baldurs gate on the pc as a freebie. I thought it was amazing and when i got my xbox this was the first game i thought of buying. I wasnt sure wether to buy it or not and looked on amazon for some reviews. Unfortunately i did not take any notice of what they had said and bought it on a friends reccommendations. I was raring to play on it and put the disk in as soon as i got home. I was aboslutely gob smacked by the pure rubbishness of this game. Do not buy it. Compared to the pc version it is awful. I suggest you think long and carefully before you buy this game. i thought it was so bad i sold it the next day. Please take heed of my warning. Try something else


Dissapointed!   September 7, 2004
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This game is too easy. The first one was great, but i am i little dissapointed with this one. First you do not have a health bar for the creatures you kill so you do not know how damaged they are, but also you do not know the names of the monsters, so a lot of hard work by the programmers of creating interesting monsters is lost on us. I thought the idea of a travllers compendium would be a good idea that as you travel around and meet new monsters you can see their stats etc.
Also a lot of things are not explained in the manual. For example the different types of weapons. It tells you the main weapon catergories but not which weapon belongs in which catergories. For example what type of weapon is a battle axe? Is is a long weapon or a great weapon? These things begome important when working out which ability to spend your points on.
This is also true of lots of things in the game, that a lot of hard work has been wasted because the stat system is not properly explained. For example gloves count as weapon for the monk as she fights unarmed. But do they also count as weapons for the other characters? For example if i upgrade the gloves my dwarf is wearing, will he still get the bouns to critical hit or to combat reflexes if he is using a weapon?
I would have liked a much more detailed character stats screen that tells you for example your total chance of scoring a critical hit, total damage resistance to fire cold acid etc. It is a shame that if all of these things have been correctly calculated by the programmers that we never find out about them, and so can not make the best decisions about what armour to upgrade and where to spend our points.
Overall it is a good game, that is frustratingly short of being a great game. With a few tweaks this could have been a classic.

Dissapointed

Michael Harvey
mikeharvey24@hotmail.com


Fun, but short and flawed.   March 15, 2004
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

Okay, you've played the first game and get pretty much what you had in the first: great graphics and sound, hack and slash fun, as many enemies as you can shake a stick at.

But the flaws of this game outweigh the good stuff.

When the game first starts the goblins will try to outflank you 'ah', you think, 'they've tarted up the AI'. But no, this brief glimmer of intelligence is all too soon forgotten for the routines of old: fighters rush to bash head on, archers and spell casters attempt to keep their distance.

As you begin the levels are *much* larger than the original, but once you pass the midway point some of the levels are tiny, and the only (and it must be said, shining) spark of originality is the Plane of Air which is tricky and challenging. Another level features monsters that won't even defend themselves if you take your armour off.

Two player is buckets more fun...but some of the end of level bossess can be taken down in a bare few seconds even without special attacks, which makes for rather a let down when you are expecting a big and nasty showdown.

Complete the game and you get Drizzt (again, but he's cool) and an assassin whose name is meaningless unless you are a hardcore FR fan. Fans who wanted to try the 'old skool' three from the first game may well be disappointed.

The item creation idea is fun, letting you make your own mega-death implements of destruction.

The characters are more diverse and have their own mini-plots (go here, kill group X, get heaps of XP, generally), but frankly without the game being appealing enough the first time through, the desire to play through again is desperately lacking.

So, a lot of fun for 3 or 4 eveings, making it ideal rental fodder.

At the time of writing, holding out of Champions of Norrath on PS2 seems a better bet.


Fun but frantic   February 25, 2004
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

I played through the first Baldurs Gate game with a friend so we were both looking forward to getting our grubby mits on this one!.
The game was delivered so i called my mate up he came round with the beers and we loaded up the game, What can i say but GREAT.
They have taken the fantastic formula of the first game and have improved on it!. There is new characters better armour and equipment and even the chance to custom make your own!.
Dont get me wrong this game does not require a lot of brain cells to play, And you will get a sore thumb from button bashing plus its loads more fun to play it with a mate or mamber of your family.
This game might not be to everybodys taste so maybe pop down you local video store (you know the one!) and see if they do rentals of it first?.
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