Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (series)
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| Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Snowblind Studios, Black Isle Studios, Magic Pockets |
| Publisher(s) | VU Games (North America), Virgin Interactive (Europe), Pacific Century Cyber Works (Japan) |
| Release date(s) | 2001 (North America/Europe) 2002 (Japan) |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance |
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a series of action role-playing games developed exclusively for game consoles. The first game in a series, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, was developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, with versions for the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube released in 2002. A Game Boy Advance version of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance was also released in 2004 by Magic Pockets. The sequel to the game, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, was developed by Black Isle Studios for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, released in 2004.
Like the Baldur's Gate series for the PC, the Dark Alliance series is set along the Sword Coast and Western Heartlands, two locations from the popular Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting. However, the Dark Alliance series and the PC Baldur's Gate series are often not seen as part of the same universe, as they differ heavily in plot and gameplay. The Dark Alliance series takes place after the PC Baldur's Gate series.
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[edit] Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2, and later for the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube, originally released in 2001. It began the Dark Alliance series of games.
The battle system in the game is simplistic, but allows for customizability. The human archer, for example, can assign experience points to enchanting arrows rather than to strength, which will result in more powerful arrows. Likewise, the Elven sorceress is capable of choosing between different spells. However, starting character statistics are preset, and the player may only customize his or her character's statistics through gaining experience points. There are also relatively few non-player characters: the only characters to whom your character can speak are those who are part of a quest.
Dark Alliance was built on a much more powerful game engine than the PC Baldur's Gate series, which utilized the Infinity Engine - an engine debuting in 1998 that exclusively used sprite characters and static, pre-rendered backgrounds. The Dark Alliance engine allows for such things as dynamic lighting, real-time shadowing, fully rendered backgrounds and 3D character models. The graphics, in particular, are considered a highlight of the game by many critics.
[edit] Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, released in 2004. Dark Alliance II returned to Baldur's Gate with a new story and new characters. The story begins when the player's previous 3 heroes are taken prisoner by an evil vampire king, Mordoc. In part 2, the player is one of the many adventurers seeking fame and fortune in Baldur's Gate. The game's gameplay is very similar to that of the original Dark Alliance.
The new characters are:
- Dorn Redbear, human barbarian: strong melee fighter
- Vhaidra Uoswiir, drow monk: unarmed and unarmored melee fighter
- Ysuran Auondril, moon elf necromancer: spell caster
- Borador Goldhand, dwarven rogue: able to pick locks and traps
- Allessia Faithhammer, human cleric: casts healing/protection spells
- Drizzt Do'Urden, drow ranger: fights with two scimitars, Twinkle & Icingdeath (unlockable)
- Artemis Entreri, human assassin: fights with Charon's Claw and a Defending dagger (unlockable)
Unlike in the original Dark Alliance game, players can create their own magical weapons, armor, and trinkets (for a price) in Dark Alliance II.
[edit] Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance III
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance III was to be the next game in the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series. Instead, Snowblind Studios continued the game series with the Everquest license, releasing Champions of Norrath, and Champions: Return to Arms. Many fans were disappointed (especially after seeing the teaser trailer for Dark Alliance III at the end of Dark Alliance II) that Dark Alliance III was cancelled.
