The player begins by clearing the tavern's cellar of rats and vermin, and later discovers a thieves' den in the sewers where it is learned that one of the guests at the inn has been captured by thieves. Delving further into the sewers, the player finds an entrance to the crypt of the local temple where the dead are being reanimated by a magic orb, which must be destroyed. The destruction of the orb leads to meeting Jherek, leader of the Harpers, who tells the player that the Thieves' Guild is only one "part of a greater whole", and the guild must be destroyed. The player then infiltrates the guild's secret lair, defeats Kharne (associate of the Zhentarim and the second-in-command of the thieves who had ambushed the player at the start of the game) and meets Xantam, a beholder who reveals that he is controlling the thieves' guild on behalf of some greater power. After defeating Xantam, the player finds a portal which transports him away from Baldur's Gate.
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15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Baldur's Gate Coulda Been a Contender...Jan 15, 2006
By James Takahashi
"jmtt77"
Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance is basically a version of Diablo with a Dungeon & Dragons makeover. While it implements only a small subset of the D&D rules, there are many game elements -- feats, creatures, weapons, attribute buy-up, etc -- that would be very familiar to someone familiar with the D&D rules. All of those rules are implemented in a 3rd-person-from-above-perspective, graphical interface which Diablo seemed to invent, but which is often copied in RPG style games. In my opinion, this is not a negative -- that interface formula has proven to work well for this style of game, and there's no reason to invent an inferior wheel to avoid being labeled a Diablo clone.
Here are the positives of this game:
- Unlike most RPGs that claim to be multiplayer, this game actually allows a second player to participate in the adventure in the main game mode to the same degree as the first player. Usually, "multiplayer" turns out to be some limited, deathmatch mode thrown into the game as an afterthought.
- The water and shadow graphic effects are outstanding. Clearly, the developers thought this as well since you need to wade through water in half the scenes. The way the water ripples, and how the waves propagate and reflect is really quite a nice piece of eye candy.
- You can 'import' a character into the game you're playing, even if it was saved while playing another mission. This ability to develop and then keep your character for other adventures is a great feature. If only there were other, harder editions of Baldur's Gate to reuse my characters, I'd call this the crowning achievement of the game.
But here are the game's negatives:
- The game is very short. At 'normal' difficulty, I'd estimate I only had 10 hours of play time into the game when I suddenly found that I'd defeated the entire game. And that was at a conservative pace... less patient players might finish the entire game in a single sitting.
- There is not much variety in the three character types. Even though you may choose to be a warrior, an archer, or a mage, towards the end, all three are best served by using the very powerful melee weapons that become available along the way. The mage, in particular, does not receive comparable upgrades, and the bows also fell short of their melee counterparts. Baldur's Gate should have implemented D&D-like character creation to create better differentiation between characters. Seems like it would have been easy to do.
- The box sets an expectation that D&D rules are implemented, but they are very loosely and inconsistently applied. There are certainly recognizable D&D elements, but I suspect that hard core D&D fans will be disappointed. It would have been nice if the various creature types had been identified by a label (even though I think I know what most of them were).
- The replies to computer characters ("NPCs") don't seem to affect the story progression in any way. There is really only a single story line to follow, and either you find all the requested items, or you don't. Whether you find everything or not, you can still finish the game. It seems to me that one of the basic premises of D&D is that there can be consequences to your actions, but that is not the case here.
Nevertheless, my son and I had a lot of fun playing this game up until its premature, abrupt end. Had some of the basic negatives been fixed, and if the storyline had been expanded to make the game last for a month of play, this could have been one of the all-time best Gamecube titles. It leaves me wondering which is the bigger crime: 1) the total absence of greatness; or 2) wasted, unfulfilled potential? In the case of #1, I just feel like I wasted some money. In the case of #2 and Baldur's Gate, I think I feel even more disappointed than a mere dent in my wallet. Sigh... Baldur's Gate, you coulda been a contender, but in the end, you turned out to be a bum.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
A MUST HAVEJun 24, 2003
I started this game and didnt stop. with three different charachters to play with, you can play it three times and even on four different difficulties from easy to extreme. Even challenge yourself on the Gauntlet minigame after you have beaten the original. Gain experience and customize your character as you choose. Gain hundreds of weapons such as swords, axes, hammers, spears, halberds, and bows as well as magical armor from leather to full platemail as you progress through the challenging and detailed world of the Sword Coast. Monsters galore! Defeat everything from giant rats to Ice Dragons and Kobolds to Minotaurs. An awesome plotline with a cliffhanger ending that sets up for a great sequel.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
One of the best RPG games.Jun 24, 2003
By CJ This game, while being somewhat short and simple, is a fun game with very good graphics and is very realistic. Anyone who has read the Forgotten Realms series or enjoys playing RPG, games should consider purchasing this game. It is one of the few games in which you can work together with another player to beat the game. This game can import players from a different file to a new or other game. This means you can take your character and play using that character with a friend on their file. Anytime during the game you can add a second player without having to start at another save point. Also for those who have read the Forgotten Realms: Dark Elf Trilogy, you can enjoy playing the game with Drizzt, the dark elf, by holding the L and R button on the character select screen and release after the game loads. Otherwise you can be an elven sorceress, a human archer, or a dwarven fighter. The game allows you to aquire new skills, grow to higher levels, buy your own arsenal, and customise your own charachter. I highly recommend this game. Unfortunatly, due to the blood and violence it is rated teen.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
fun but shortJan 10, 2003
By Jerry Gamble Baulders Gate Dark Alliance is a very fun game but the story lacking. The Graphics were good and the music was alright. The Only problem with this game is that it is very short and not very challenging (on normal mode). If they made the game longer it would probably be one of the best if not the best game for the Game Cube.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Must own game, but if you have a PS2 or XBox...May 01, 2003
By B. Newell This is a fantastic game if you get any enjoyment out of dungeon crawl games, such as Diablo and Dungeon Siege. The fact that two players can play simultaneously through the campaign alone would make it worth buying, and the fantastic graphics, solid gameplay, and ability to customize your character through skills and feats make this game a must own. However, the Game Cube version is arguably the weakest version of this game, which has also been ported to the XBox and PS2. The frame rates, which are constantly maxed out on the other consoles, regularly dip into the jerky range. However, if you only own a GameCube, this is well worth it.
based on 33 reviews
( 33 customer reviews )
