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Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PlayStation 2) Reviews:
First things first: Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is nothing like the hit !PC role-playing series by BioWare. While the game also features monsters and rules from the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the level of detail in character classes, spells, and combat has been toned down considerably to a pure hack-and-slash format. This is not necessarily a problem, however, as the combination of action, treasure seeking, and character development is highly reminiscent of that other hit !PC role-playing game, Diablo II, with 3D graphics that go far beyond Blizzard's 2D beauty.

Unlike most traditional role-playing games, players cannot create their own character but instead must select from the following three classes: a dwarven fighter, a human arcane archer, and an elven sorceress. The game begins as your character is beaten and robbed of his or her belongings upon entering Baldur's Gate. Play then takes place within a tavern, where characters are free to converse with the locals. While the game is played from an overhead perspective, conversations switch to an impressive first-person view. The 3D characters spring to life with surprisingly articulate gestures, while speaking in the professionally acted style players have come to expect from the series.

Your first assignment is simply to investigate a rat problem in the tavern's basement, kicking off an adventure spanning multiple regions and environments with a variety of memorable encounters. The 3D graphics are stunning, using what is perhaps the best use of the !PlayStation 2's light-sourcing capabilities in a game to date. Torches flicker along the cobblestone walls, spells streak across the screen like brilliant fireworks, and the water effects are wonderfully realistic. Ripples follow characters as they walk through shimmering pools and murky swamps, adding a great sense of detail not typically found in action role-playing games.

Combat is smooth and responsive. Players have the ability to quickly use healing potions with the shoulder button and switch between ranged and melee weapons by simply pressing the directional pad. Encumbrance is factored in how fast characters move, and an individual weapon's weight is also accounted for with each swing (a two-handed battle axe shouldn't move as swiftly as a dagger, and it doesn't in this game). Killing monsters earns players experience as well as points used to develop a character's spells and feats. Depending on the class, players can develop 5-14 passive feats after leveling up, such as willpower and targeting, and 3-6 active feats, like burning hands or exploding arrows.

As in Diablo II, individual pieces of armor are displayed on the character's body and players can find the usual assortment of gloves, helmets, boots, rings, and amulets made of varying materials. Items can be purchased from a shopkeeper in each of the three acts, but the majority of quality weapons and armor are found in chests, weapon racks, or on the monsters themselves. Speaking of which, there are around 35 enemy types, from rats and kobolds to yeti and wolves to gelatinous cubes and massive frost giants. Players even get to face a beholder and a white dragon as bosses, although they are not as difficult as they are in the two !PC versions of Baldur's Gate.

While there is certainly enough diversity in the locales (caves, dungeons, mines, mountains, castles, forests, and more), the biggest drawback is the game could use more of just about everything: characters, levels, monsters, quests, and items. The gameplay is so addictive, so entertaining, the 11 hours it takes to finish it on normal difficulty simply flies by too quickly. Fortunately, the three included characters have considerably different fighting styles, encouraging you to play as a new class on a harder setting, and two bonus modes can be unlocked as well. With a cliffhanger ending setting up an imminent sequel, Dark Alliance is the start of an exciting new franchise that should not be missed by Diablo fans. Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

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