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[0gh3r]

Icewind Dale

Once in a great while a game comes along that pushes the limits of the imagination into new frontiers. Sometimes that game takes the same old formula and builds upon it. Sometimes that game takes a genre and revitalizes it. Sometimes that game takes the genre and sky-rockets it forward into new and unexplored territory. In 1998, Baldur's Gate did just that. The game was hailed as a paragon of true RPG design, people loved it, people praised it, people raved about it, it made D&D seem cool again...

In 1998 Bioware had a hit on their hands and it was only a matter of time before Bioware decided that they needed to work on a sequel. As such people would have to suffer with sub-par releases while they grated their teeth in anticipation for the next installment. What were we, the fans supposed to play until then???

Well Black Isle had just the ailment; Icewind Dale.

This game was followed closely by fans of Baldur's Gate as well as the critical media alike. Finally, on June the 20th of 2000, Icewind Dale was released in stores across the U.S. and soon the entire world.

Would it live up to Baldur's Gate? Would it take the genre and push it forward too? The answer to that question was a great big NO! Sadly, a great bunch of people expected so much from this title that they eventually ignored it as an installment to the D&D universe, in a way much like they did the Gold Box games, and any game that didn't have choices and consequences. These people eventually founded the Codex we love to hate and loathe to this very day. I digress, however, and this epic title fell in the shadow of the likes of Baldur's Gate, Morrowind, and Neverwinter Nights...

So, it was in a great, dark cavern that 0gh3r found a gleaming gem,
"Icewind Dale," it whispered and thus 0gh3r reached for the precious and pocketed it into his tarnished green coat pocket. Unbeknownst to him, it would change the course of Middle-Earth forever...

The game begins in the port-town of Easthaven. It's been ravaged by the strange and horrible weather and people are losing hope. The lord of the town asks you wary adventurers for help and the epic tale begins from there on...

The game at first glance is light in comparison to Baldur's Gate. It doesn't offer tons of choices, it doesn't offer tons of dialog options, but it doesn't need to. It's not an open-ended RPG with limitless opportunities as so many people made the mistake of making. It's an action-packed RPG for those who loved the action side of things in Baldur's Gate.

And, it doesn't fail in that department AT ALL! You'll be hacking your way through hordes of Goblins in Orcs as fast as you can say...um, I'm not American.

..yeah, the combat doesn't fail to deliver. And, if you hated the clunky interface and combat in Baldur's Gate, you'll find a nice respite from that in Icewind Dale. It takes everything you loved about the interface in Baldur's Gate and fixes all of it's issues, well save for the GUI, but the combat is so satisfying in this game. The camera shakes when you make a critical hit, enemies fly apart as you cut them down, arrows smash upon your opponents, missiles cut your enemies to ribbons...

The character creation resembles mostly everything you saw in Baldur's Gate except for a few minor differences in class selection and minor tweaks of the rule-set.

As most of you SHOULD know this game offers a fantastic soundtrack. From the beginning theme to Easthaven to Kuldahar to the very end of the game, you're treated to such an epic and movie-quality soundtrack that you'll often be asking yourself, did Basil Peladouris make this?? I know I did.

Icewind Dale, just like Baldur's Gate, offers superb voice acting. The right parts are emphasized in every sentence and the quality is crisp. Bad voice acting as many of you have experienced, kind of destroys the characters message and puts an awful relish in your mouth, thankfully, Icewind Dale does not.

Besides the great music and sound in this game, the art side-of-things is also fantastic for an Infinity Engine game. Everything is "clean", everything looks great. From the eye-popping scene of Easthaven to the haunted ruins of the Elven Fortress all the way to Lower Dorns Deep, you'll be treated to such a fantastic art selection that you won't want to leave until you uncover another part of the map.(cheesy I know)

As a final word, I just want to say that the games storyline is actually really good. It doesn't offer many choices and consequences which have become a necessity for an RPG of today but what it lacks there it certainly makes up for in quality. It's rich and finely detailed, and I don't think you could really ask anything more from an RPG. The combat is deeply satisfying and the music really brings the world to life, don't listen to the Codexers, buy this game and savor it.

Rating: 94%