In Dark Alliance, you choose one of three pre-generated characters: Vahn the Archer, Adrianna the Sorceress, or Kromlech the Dwarven Fighter. There are many differences in the gameplay between this game and those of the PC series. This is purely a console game, and it shines as such. While the controls can seems a little daunting compared to a mouse, there is plenty of on-screen help to let you know which buttons you should be pushing to do things like pick up objects, save a game, or talk to an NPC.ĭark Alliance was not meant to be a console port of Baldur's Gate. Instead, it is non-stop action, so you'd better be prepared before you enter the fray. Unlike the PC games, you cannot pause a battle to decide which characters will be attacking whom and with what. The interface is ingeniously designed to offer ease of use but also to let you have the ultimate control when you need it.
BALDURS GATE DARK ALLIANCE PC MULTIPLAYER PS2
NOTE: you will need the 8MB PS2 memory card to even play the game, let alone save, so make sure you have one. There are also plenty of save points in the game (one in almost every other room), and you'll need to use them often to avoid replaying sections when you die (and you will). These Recall potions are a godsend, especially when you're three levels down in the sewer with no easy way to get back to town. To begin with, you'll find Recall potions in the game, which you can use to make a quick round trip to town to stock up on supplies or sell items to increase your cashflow. There are many ways to use the controls to your advantage, not only in fighting, but in getting around the game in general. Gameplay, Controls, Interfaceĭark Alliance has a great control and interface design. It got to the point where my wife would do all of the walking around and interacting with NPCs, which she enjoyed, while I would gladly jump in to supply firepower as needed. I admit to tiring of the original Baldur's Gate because of all the walking around and talking to different characters.
BALDURS GATE DARK ALLIANCE PC MULTIPLAYER SERIES
While the graphics are pretty solid, the game regularly experiences visual stutters when enemies die and despawn and when the party moves between floors.Unlike the PC games of the series, which are equal parts puzzle solving and fighting, this - the first PS2 entry in the series - is 90% action, which suits this reviewer just fine. There's currently no couch co-op, though that's in the works, but online players are still restricted by proximity to the party leader to the point that if they respawn after falling in combat, the rest of the group can be teleported out of the fight to get the group back together. Solo play is a real slog since your combo streaks are broken when you pause to avoid an attack but you share a combo pool with teammates, meaning so long as someone's still fighting you'll keep building up to your powerful ultimate attacks. Similarly, the feat trees, which easily could have been based on D&D feats but weren't, are pretty generic static bonuses. The moves mostly just provide some debuffs or elemental damage but don't feel like they're really improving your character's core competencies like making Bruenor better at tanking. New moves aren't earned by leveling up but by paying gold. For instance, if all the characters in your group die the game flashes "Total Party Down" rather than "Total Party Kill," which is the common name for dungeon master wiping out all their players. There are so many missed opportunities to just get the terminology right to make things feel more like D&D.
Magic is a huge part of D&D, but it's largely absent from Dark Alliance, which will eventually add a primary caster as part of a paid expansion. Aside from some battle cries and occasional commentary on their surroundings, the characters don't really banter or have distinguishable motivations or personalities. While you're told the bond between your characters is important, none of that personality comes through. The plot involving an evil magic item coveted by lots of evil groups is delivered almost entirely through big, dry exposition dumps at the beginning of each mission. Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance really doesn't feel like a D&D game.