Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II

"A welcoming return to Baldur's Gate"

INTRODUCTION

After, defeating Eldrith the Betrayer, the original companions, Vahn, Kromlech and Adrianna, traveled through the portal, before the destruction of the Onyx Tower. But, they are greeted by a new enemy, Mordoc. These 3 heroes are captured and now 5 new heroes take on this new evil. Baldur's Gate is again in peril...

GRAPHICS - 9/10

Graphics are quite similar to the first BGDA, which is a good thing except now there are more levels of play field which gives height and depth to the game. Character models are excellent. Lighting effects are great especially when casting a spell. Even the great water effects have been retained. The bottom line is that it brings the D&D world to life. I just wish they added more CGI movies.

SOUNDS - 9/10

Sound effects are good. Voiceover is excellent. Sample speeches are crystal clear. Background music is good, but some are re-used from the original, which were good. I love some of the comments made by the characters when you leave them idling for too long.

GAMEPLAY - 9.5/10

Wow!!! 5 characters to choose from: Human barbarian (Dorn Redbear), dark elf monk (Vhaidra Uoswiir), moon elf necromancer (Ysuran Auondril), dwarven rogue (Borador ''Goldhand''), and human cleric (Allessia Faithhammer). Another great addition is the ability to wield a single-handed weapon in each hand, or a single-handed weapon and a shield, double-handed, and ranged weapon at the same time and cycle through them by using the D-pad. Ranged weapons are unlimited as well. Some might moan about realism, but who cares. Also, this time around, you'll have some NPCs tagging along and assisting you in battle. As for the stages each are very long, except for the last few, but I'm not complaining. Now, you can even make your own weapons at the Workshop, like Diablo 2, but not to that detail. But, it's really quite expensive, especially making rings, amulets and boots. Also, the items have quality rankings, ranging from shoddy to flawless.
As for controls, now you can have 4 of your favorite spells/abilities at your fingertips rather than scrolling through the menu.
Again. Drizzt Do'Urden is a hidden character along with Artemis Entreri.
The only real letdown is the lack of an online and 4-player co-op feature.

REPLAY VALUE - 9/10

I would say yes, you will have a go at the game a couple of times especially with a friend. Certain characters will walk different paths, and if you're the kind who wants to see every stage, you will definitely try every character.
On the minus side, they should have done something like Diablo 2, where if you collect a certain set of armory, you'd get additional bonuses. This would have greatly increased the replay value of the game. The ending really is quite disappointing. They should have done CGI movies for each character with different storylines.
Note : For those seeking for those long RPGs, such as Final Fantasy, look elsewhere and stop moaning.

OVERALL - 9/10

I have to say I really enjoyed this game thoroughly and yes I definitely recommend to anyone, especially fans of the first one. Get it. It's fun and that's what really matters. I hope there's a third one.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/11/04