Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2)

Now fast forward a few years, and we have the first ever Baldur's Gate on a console: Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance. But as with so many PC conversions, almost all of the cerebral gameplay has been 'misplaced' along the way. It is a well know fact that there are two very different audiences for PC games, and console games, and it is also a fact that console gamers are, in general, attracted to more action packed instantly gratifying games. With this in mind, most developers making a PC conversion tend to modify, to a greater or lesser extent, the levels of action and brain work in a game.

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, is one such game. Gone are the extensive character creation options of the PC version, and in there place is the option to choose between three generic characters (an Elven Sorceress, a Human Archer, a Dwarf Fighter and a secret character who requires unlocking). As in the PC version these characters gain experience as you progress through the game, and you can customize the attributes (like Strength and Proficiency with different weapons). However, the most important difference between the two games is the story line. Every RPG lives or dies by its story line and frankly this is Dark Alliance's weak point. The fact is that the storyline is rather detached from the gameplay, the story is driven by the odd encounter with a certain Dwarf chieftain, or a maiden in distress. These characters then give you a task (which almost invariably involves finding and killing something). And this is pretty much how the story unfolds.

So, with a game now so reliant onit's gamplay, how does Dark Alliance fare? Thankfully, not too badly; gone are the quazi turn based encounters of the PC games, and in their place is a real time combat system. You now have a lot more control over you characters movement; controlling them directly instead of through a point and click interface. And the combats between you and the hoards of Orcs, Goblins and whole host of other such enemies, is defiantly an intense and challenging experience. The magic system is also very different, instead of selecting and memorizing thirty or so spells, your character has just a few spells that aid him or her in combat.

The most noticeable difference in this conversion is undoubtedly the graphics. This is where the game excels. Never before has the Forgotten Realms (the location within the Dungeons and Dragons game world in which Baldur's Gate is set) looked so beautiful. The now completely 3D world has a polish to it that few RPG's can match. In addition, the rousing sound track, and effects are well above average for an RPG, and every character with whom you interact now has very convincing voice acting.

In terms of longevity, this game can't hope to match the epic scale of its PC counterpart (which game on 4 CD's, and had to install a massive amount of data to a hard disk). However, this is not a short game, it contains at least thirty hours of gaming, and there are extra modes to be unlocked upon completion.

The final point, and possibly one of the best parts of this game is the two player option. Very few games allow two people to work together as a team, instead of against each other. Yet Dark Alliance allows two players to team up and take on the masses of nasties that await them. This is great fun, and means that you can plan fights more tactically, or just wade in with double the number of flailing sword arms.

In summery, if you are what the games developers see as a typical console gamer, i.e. someone who likes the instant gratification of a quick blast of arcade gamplay, but with a story along the way, then this game will be perfect. However, if you are looking for similar gameplay and strategy elements that were present in the PC versions of Baldur's Gate, this game may come as a bit of a disappointment.

Graphics 9
Sound 8
Gameplay 7
Lifespan 8

Overall 8
A fine fantasy adventure RPG set in the rich world of Baldur's Gate. Great for action fans, but may disappoint players of the PC games looking for strategy and depth

The first thing that strikes you are the graphics - they are amazing. Its extreamly hard to fault them, from the mesmerising magic effects and the heat haze rising above the torches, to the incredible water effects that ripple out and splash around when you walk through it. You can literally spend 10 minutes just playing around in the water levels. The character cut scenes are seamlessly blended in to the game too and are very well done (note the animation on the bar maids two best assets!!). The magic effects are mesmerising

The gameplay is everything you want from an RPG, but with a much more action feel to it. The usual weapon/gold collecting and skill enhancements are all there, but the focus is on hack and slash. Also, this is avery linear, game, something hardened RPG'ers may not like.

Overall this beats the likes of Summoner for looks and playability, it really is a joy to play, but there is one draw back..... its criminally short (for an RPG). Summoner may not look as nice but it does last around 45 hours, whereas this took me 15 hours to complete, and I wasn't racing through.

You can of course do the extra challenges (Gauntlet mode etc) and re-play the adventure as a different character (which suprisingly does change the gameplay significantly) but you can't help but feel a bit short-changed.

In conclusion, stunning it is. An Epic, it's not.