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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
 Posted - 01/15/2004 : 2:43:19 PM
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every once in a while people around here get to talkin' about their favorite movies, TV shows, videogames, ect. well, before the gestapo and/or the TR Task Force come into my apartment and put a gun to my head to try to make me talk, i guess i have no choice but to do it voluntarily. 
well, for the past eight months and really a couple of years (since the first one was released) i've been waiting for a game called "Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2" to come out. i've been checking out their message boards almost daily (i know: nerd) and everything i've heard so far has been really good (and so far it's gotten really good reviews too). a little off topic, but one of my favorites things about it are the developers from Black Isle (the company who made it). they are really friendly and like to check out the message boards every now and again and get feedback and complaints from fans, as well as answer question and even take in suggestions. i'm sure everyone here can appreciate having that kind of connection, with having Fluffy as a friend and all.
and now, it's going to be in stores around the 21st of this month on ps2 and xbox. Before i waste anyone's time (like i haven't already...), let me tell you that it's a dnd type, Action/RPG hack and slash type of game that takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting (and supports 1-2 players). before you judge it by this info, let me tell you this: i've seen the most adamant anti-dnd/rpg people get hooked on the first Dark Alliance, and years after it's release, they're still playing it, in fact, many people tell me that it's the only video game that their girl friend will play with them. the first one was an insanely fun co-op game (and really set the standard in console graphics), and the 2nd one builds a lot onto that. that said, here's the game description and features:
BALDUR'S GATE IS PLAGUED BY EVIL ONCE MORE.
The anticipated sequel has arrived. Embark on a new adventure in Baldur's Gate and brave terrible dangers in search of fortune, glory, and power. Face a multitude of sinister enemies while traveling through many spectacular environments in this action-packed fantasy game. Rid the lands of chaos, mastering skills, spells, and deadly weapons … the fate of thousands hangs in the balance.
...The player's adventures will thrust him through spectacular environments, such as a ruined city beneath the earth, an abomination-filled manor of an insane alchemist, the shadowy, unholy keep of a vampire lord built upon the Battle of Bones, even the bizarre unreality of other planes of existence. With each quest completed and each battle won, the player comes one step closer to unmasking the true villain and his awe-inspiring plot.
Features:
Fast paced, addictive hack n' slash combat with over 80 levels of thrilling action spread over 4 acts.
* Five new customizable characters, each with distinctive powers, appearances, and abilities that develop throughout the game.
* Amazingly detailed environments and monsters with even more explosive spell effects than before.
* An inventive item creation system that allows players to forge their own unique magical weapons and armor from raw components.
* Hidden areas, secret characters, and hundreds of items to discover, customize, and use, from enchanted potions and scrolls to wands.
* Sequel to the highly acclaimed 2002 Console RPG of the Year from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
* Branching storyline allows the player to choose how he or she wants to the play the game, making each game experience unique.
* Two-player cooperative mode that allows both players to play the game on a full screen.
since this is the 2nd game and the story is continuing from the 1st, you may want to rent #1 before you play #2. however, it's not that necessary.
so, that's my recommendation of the month. of coarse, by talking about this on the internet, people will try to argue that you play champions of norrath. but, i'm playing both, and the one i know i will like is Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2.
ps. sorry about the long post length, but it's like eating pringles, once i popped, i just couldn't stop.
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2004 : 3:41:37 PM
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| being a videogame buff of sorts, i must say that this game sounds most promising. i enjoy company when gaming, so games with co op modes in missions are of particular interest. i'm not a huge fan of the hack and slash games, save the lotr games. however, i do like rpgs (final fantasy, zelda, ect.) and the mixture of the two elements sounds promising. i like the idea of creating weapons and armor. thanks for the tip, i'll check it out. |
death to false metal. |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2004 : 5:34:52 PM
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to be honest, up until a couple of years ago, i really didn't like hack and slash type of games either. all the ones i played had crappy random dungeons that were all the same, looked bland, were boring as hell, and were impossible to beat. but i tell you, Frosty must've had some magic in that old crack pipe he smoked. 'cause the first dark alliance had us hooked the moment me and my brother started to play it. now, i'm not a graphics man, (which may be why i like the older final fantasy's a lot more than the newer ones) but not only was it fun and addictive, it had the smoothest and best polished graphics i had ever seen, and still few games today can compete with the orginals graphics.
the only thing that i might possibly want to change in any future games is that they are fairly linear. however, the 2nd game has added many sidequests that you can choose to do (or choose to not do) to break up the path a bit. but, to be fair, being mostly linear goes with these games really well.
the item creation system was one of the largest features on the project. there are supposed to be thousands and thousands of possible items and combinations. a dark alliance 2 programmer told me that Dave Maldonado, the lead designer, went through and gave each item combination a different name (a huge, huge task). so, for example, instead of something like an "icybursting shocking short sword +5" it's called something like a "storm sword +5". very cool stuff. oh, and you can craft rings too. i don't know if you can craft anything else, however.
one thing that i must warn against is reading reviews (good or bad), as they tend to carelessly give away a lot of info on story, bosses, ect. so, if you really want to enjoy it, avoid looking any of that stuff up.
that said, i hope you enjoy playing it. |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2004 : 8:46:17 PM
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| good graphics are overrated. and most people don't understand what "good graphics" means. to most people it means "realistic." but the graphics for wind waker are amazing, and it's cell shaded. |
death to false metal. |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2004 : 9:34:14 PM
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too true. games like final fantasy x-2 may be visually amazing, but that's about all that game has to offer (except for maybe it's class system).
to me, good graphics are cool visuals that are smooth flowing (nice steady frame rate) and highly polished (highly refined, maybe more polygons, realistic reflections, ect). take final fantasy 7 compared to tobal no. 1 or command & conquer generals compared to red alert 2 (although that's not really fair, since red alert 2 had great graphics for its time).
i've played and beat the wind waker. i think it has really cool graphics, despite what critics say. the monsters, the up close shots of his face with his eyes blinking, the extremely cool scene in the castle in hyrule where everything is black and white, the huge bosses, the game is all of what it should be and more (except perhaps it is a little short). it's nice and smooth, and realistic in the sence that it draws you into the game. but, saying a game has good graphics because it's realistic is like saying a woman is hot because she has big breasts. (this is a little off topic, but as far as realistic goes, i think that super mario sunshine's water takes the cake. all i can say it damn.) |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2004 : 10:49:43 AM
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| my brother has a playstation 2 and x-2 is a mystery to me. how is it that yuna is a pop singer. the whole premise of the game seems a little doubtful. ff x is an absolutely amazing game, though. |
death to false metal. |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2004 : 11:46:42 AM
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to me, x-2 isn't a real final fantasy game and doesn't exist. it's basically final fantasy x but mission based with a few crappy little new areas and a different class system, (borrowed from final fantasy tactics, or, really, the orginal final fantasy 3). the monsters are all the same as in x, but with different names, and some are slightly smaller or larger/ tougher or weaker than they were in x. basically the only different noticeable thing is the 2 at the end of the title. it's a very good example of a game that sold solely because of name recognition.
i kind of find the discussion about good graphics ironic. there is a game coming out in february called Champions of Norrath (a game very similar to Dark Alliance 2 for ps2 that's set in the Everquest universe)that is made by snowblind studios (the developers of the orginal Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (Black Isle produced it, and now made Dark Alliance 2)). there are lots of people and game magazines that say " don't waste your time with Dark Alliance 2. just wait for Champions," even though the press have only received simple builds of the game (also no beta testing yet, which is probably why it will be delayed further), or haven't played it at all.
their main reason it's better? better graphics! to me, more polygons is irrelevant. i take one look at a champions screenshot and i'm runing for DA2. they may look sharper and have many more polygons, but they are barren, bland, and lack of anything that smacks of creativity. while on the other hand, DA2 to me is so expertly designed that it's almost more beautiful than a video game deserves. but, to be fair, snowblind/SOE isn't nearly as forthcoming with info as Blackisle. so, those bland stages may just be the tip of the iceburg.
something that i have to add here (i just got back from yet another class) is that DA2 had a very tight schedule (the company just couldn't afford a more lenient one), and ranged from a staff of 6 people (for about the first 5 months) to 22 people (who came on the project at different times during the last 6 months.) they may have had less than 11 months to work and a small staff, but they worked around the clock to fix even the most minor of problems, because they were that proud of it. i don't know about champion's staff size, but the team that worked on it has had nearly double the time to work on their game as Black Isle had on theirs. what all this rambling is about is that i will probably enjoy a game more when the staff puts every effort into it, than when it has more realistic graphics and no heart.
but i don't care what reviewer's say, i'm playing both and judging for myself.
anyways, i was going to tell you this if you liked Dark Alliance (because if you like that, you might like champions). champions features up to 4 player co-op mode (but it's zoomed out like gauntlet to get in all the action), "better graphics", slightly customizible characters (though in a game so zoomed out, what the hell kind of difference will a custom tatoo make?), random dungeons (which may be good or bad), and supposedly 20 feats with 20 ranks (per character). so, if you like one, you might like the other, which is slated for Feburary.
sorry to ramble on incoherantly, but really i'm just looking forward to both games. which one will i like better? i can guess, but really i have no idea until i play them.
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Saint Jude
Alien Abductee
USA
2144 Posts |
Posted - 01/16/2004 : 9:51:18 PM
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| every play morrowind (elders scrolls 3). that game had me hooked for many moons. very fun to play after you get yoru character fast at walking. |
Remember, turn off your tv. Read. |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/17/2004 : 4:00:05 PM
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naw, i really don't play computer games (except command and conquere: zero hour when i'm at my brother's every once in a while). not because i don't want to, but because i don't have a computer of my own. i may just have to put that on my List of Games to Play in Case i Ever Get a Computer, which already includes: fallout 1 and 2 (i've played fallout: brotherhood of steel), diablo, neverwinter nights, and icewind dale 2. thanks for the suggestion, though.
man, i should really listen to my own advice. i just read a review at gamespot for Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 that totally gave away the story. dammit. and damn them!  |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2004 : 2:16:07 PM
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The best RPGs ever:
Secret of Mana
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy III
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Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2004 : 2:33:21 PM
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i havn't played the other two, but you're damn right with (our) final fantasy 3. (of coarse, closely followed by 2, then 7, then 9, with 1 somewhere in the mix. i don't know exactly where zelda falls, but the ocarina of time, going hand in hand with the wind waker, are somewhere near the top, too.)
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Arthen
Alien Abductee
USA
4845 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2004 : 3:17:30 PM
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Find a SNES or an emulator, and play SoM and Chrono.
I think SNES will always be my favorite system. |
Steve Hackett: "I'm my own opening act, you see."
Tim (before "Faceoff"): "Peace, love....and SEX!"
cbenc41@hotmail.com |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2004 : 7:16:51 PM
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| use snes9x for an emulator. it rules |
death to false metal. |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/22/2004 : 7:40:52 PM
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| good ol' emulators, i nearly forgot about them (anyone remember nesticle?). that's where i got my first dose of final fantasy 5 (which sucked. especially since i had to play the whole game without sound for diplomacy purposes) before it was released in anthology. i might download the games/emulator sometime later, but for now i don't have a computer (i use the computer labs at my college, msum, to use the internet). but, i might just get my brother final fantasy chronicles (package of final fantasy 2+ chrono trigger) for his birthday, so i could just borrow that. yeah. |
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pants_happy
Chatterbox
412 Posts |
Posted - 01/28/2004 : 4:19:31 PM
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well, since i recommended it, perhaps i should post a review, or better yet, some general impressions.
i thought that it was good, and worth at least a rental. my biggest complaints are that it was way too easy compared to the 1st game, so even if you are a beginner, you might enjoy it more if you begin the game on hard. another complaint that i have is that you gain levels way too quickly. while this is noticibly done at the very beginning so you can customize almost from the start, it doesn't make gaining levels have as much worth as they did in the last game. also, the story isn't that great, but neither was it in the last one, so that's not that big of a deal in this type of game.
what i did like is basically everything else (with a few exceptions, of coarse). the levels are simply incredible. i heard myself saying "this is definately the coolest level" more than a few times (i would mention specific levels, but even that would give away unnecessary info). they are extremely varied and they fit the game well. the bosses are amazing. each one has very different strategies, (this may be a little less noticeable to some) looks, and attacks. some are very out of the ordinary, some make you change strategies, and some are so fun to fight you might find yourself reloading from your last save and fighting them again just for the heck of it. the characters are also very cool, but i'm not going to get into any detail, so as not to give anything away. so, i would say it's worth at least renting, if not buying (if you decide you like it too). and, that's all i'm gonna say about that. |
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Dark Alliance 2 (Beware: Videogame thread)
