Gaming Target - Xbox: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance

Written by Nick Doukas on January 06, 2003

Full Review: If you know what a Beholder is, or you've ever owned a D and D reference book, this game's for youЕ

Back in the day, if you wanted to experience the world of Dungeons and Dragons, you had to do it with dice, books, modules, mapsЕ. and a whole lot of imagination. The expansive world of heroes and monsters was fascinating and impressive, even as a pen and paper RPG. Now, following the success of the previous Baldur's Gate titles (only available on PC) the console world gets a taste of the excellent production values inherent to the series with Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Interplay, DA places you into the Forgotten Realms universe of the Dungeons and Dragons franchise, and sends you on a twisting and epic adventure in and around the land of the Sword Coast, deep within the world of Abeir-Toril.

As you begin the game, you'll be given the choice of playing as Vahn, the Arcane Archer, Kromlech, the Dwarven Fighter or Adrianna, the Elven Sorceress. Each character has inherent strengths and weaknesses, such as improved magic abilities at the expense of swordsmanship, and other talents that balance out each adventurer's bag of tricks. Your enterprise will be centered in and around the city of Baldur's Gate, which, as the excellent opening cinema explains, has recently seen a rash of mysterious deaths. Many of the citizens are afraid to leave their homes, and there are rumors of a thieves' guild civil war in the dark recesses of the sewers that run beneath the city streets. It's at this point that your avatar begins his or her quest, after a brutal robbery lands you in the local tavern (a fine place to nurse your wounds), and an in-game cinema scene (which features excellent voice acting and rich characterizations) sends you on your first bit of business: ridding the vast tavern basement of giant rats.

The action in Baldur's gate: Dark Alliance is shown through an isometric vantage point, high above your character's head. This affords you a clear view of the surrounding dungeons and various other locales. You'll move via the left analog stick, and use the right to rotate the camera. To smite an enemy with a ranged or melee attack, use the A button. If you're using the bow, lightly holding down the A button will allow you to rotate in place. This will aid in aiming the bow before firing, and can be combined with the Targeting Feat (Spells and feats are special abilities that your character will be able to gain throughout the course of the adventure) to increase accuracy. To fire the arrow, simply increase pressure on the A button. If you encounter any obstacles, the Y button can be utilized to jump and the X button will allow you to perform actions such as speaking to NPC's, opening doors or chests, and pulling levers. You'll also use X to pick items up off the floor and to record your progress at the various save pedestals scattered throughout the areas. As a defensive measure, the game provides you the ability to block, which is accomplished using the Black button. You can block with a weapon or a shield, and if you acquire the feat Improved Block, you can block indefinitely with a weapon, something that is usually only available while brandishing a shield. Various potions are available throughout the game, and depending on the nature of each, you'll find yourself healing wounds, restoring arcane energy, or instantly teleporting (using something called the Recall potion). This Recall potion will allow you to port back to the nearest safe area, which is useful when you need to sell items that you're weighed down with (each character has a finite ability to carry a certain amount of gear, and the extra booty can bring you a lot of cash). Provided you don't leave the safe area, you can port back to the locale you just came from when you're done.

As expected in a game based on the world of D&D, character attributes such as Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma are relevant to each characters abilities within the realm. Secondary statistics: Health, Experience, and Arcane Energy round out a package that is faithful to the original pen and paper games. Weapons are plentiful, and range from swords to staves, with some massive battle-axes thrown in for good measure (lord knows you can never have enough of those). Certain weapons can be enchanted with magical attributes, such as fire or ice. This will be indispensable as you face some of the more advanced creatures later in the game. As you defeat opponents in combat, you'll gain experience points. When you have enough to level up, you'll receive boosts in hit points, arcane energy and special points (which will allow you to purchase new spells and gain feats, as well as raise your statistics). Combat is handled well, and various combos are available to you right from the start.

Graphically Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is excellent. Textures are smooth and clean, character models are gorgeously rendered (particularly that barmaid with the extremely healthy lungs) and the dungeon environments are nicely detailed. Character animation is top-notch, and everything in the game world is presented with a phenomenal attention to detail. Sound is spot on as well, and every footstep and weapons clash is heard with startling clarity. The adventure is deep, and even though the game only clocks in at around 15Ц18 hours (quite short for an RPG, though to be fair BG: DA is more of an Уaction RPGФ), it's time well spent. If you're a D&D fan, or just a lover of RPG's, you really can't go wrong with Dark Alliance. Check it out, but don't forget your Frost Giant repellant, you'll definitely need it.