Icewind Dale

Rating:
Summary: Not the best
Review: Icewind Dale, seems to fail, doesn't meet expectations,

Linear Dale, follow the trail, like your on probation.

Baldurs Gate, now that was great, the Dale should've known,

Don't close us in, we like freedom, as Baldur's Gate has shown.

As you can tell, although this is quite a good game, it just doesn't meet the expectation from Black Isle's first Forgotten Realms game - Baldur's Gate. The newer the game the better it should be, but Icewind Dale isn't quite as good, it isn't quite as big, and it isn't as good a story.

At the beggining you create six characters, which fills all available slots. Unlike Baldur's Gate where you created one who met several computer players who joined with you and all had their own personalities. So there's no more conflicts between characters and their generally rude (fun) behavior.

Icewind Dale is a full-on R.P.G game, with player statistics, dice rolls (although this is transparent to the player, he justs fights and hopes to hit, in georgous graphical combat, with lots of spells and many magical weapons), and dungeons & dragons.

Using the same engine as Baldur's Gate this game scores well for gameplay, but is let down by a very linear plot - no side quests, and some extremely difficult battles. Some say this would make it last longer, but if loading a saved game ten times is a game lasting longer, then who needs it. Apart from this it is still a good buy, as good R.P.G games are scarce lately.

Rating:
Summary: A DnD RPG that doesnt have a massive campaign, but its good.
Review: Icewind Dale is a Dungeons and Dragons game. If you are not familiar with this type of game, Icewind Dale could be slightly difficult for you. But if you are familiar with Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment, you will know what this game is all about. It starts of with a weary group of travelers who must fine a lost caravan in the high peaks of Icewind Dale in order to move through these lofty mountains to get home. Once this somewhat tiny and easy prologue is over, the REAL game begins. Icewind Dale plays exactly like Baldur's Gate.

)You travel from location to location setting off on quests that all eventually lead to the end of your adventure. Your characters gain levels as they finish quests and defeat enemies in combat, develop new skills, collect armor, etc. You may have a pary of up to 6 players, or you may only have one. It is fully your choice. You may create your whole entire party from scratch, and you may modify it any time during the game.

)Icewind Dale is VERY addicting. I play it for about 3 hours, take a break, and play until I am too tired to go on. The combat and character interaction is so in depth that you wnat to play just to move forward, and for absolutely no reason at all!

)The graphics are excellent. The pre-rendered backgrounds are beautiful; ranging from glaciers to snowy passes, even to ancient crypts. The battle and characer graphics are very sharp as well.

)The music is excellently orchestrated, with over 40 different tracks of enthralling and original scores. The gameplay is at first hard to learn (if you havent played another Black Isle RPG), but once you get used to it combat is a breexze. The interface is easy to navigate and has nothing wrong with it at all!

)Now come the CONS. First, every game comes with it's own annoying bugs. In 2 weeks of playing, the computer exited the program twice. What specifically bothered me was that I had to do the full install, because whenever I went to the worldmap the program was searching for the disk on the wrong drive. You are going to want to download all the patches avaiable and install them before you get anywhere near this game.

)Another con of this game is that it is far too based on combat. There are just some battles that you will play over and over again up to 6 times to finish. It isnt that they are hard, it is that there are far too many enemies. But many enemies means LOTS of experience....

)Now note that the cons aren't as bad as they sound. If I had the option, I would have given this game a 4.5star rating. The bugs happen RARELY and the combat is never as difficult as some of the boss battles. I only had trouble with a fight 2 or 3 times in the whole game. This is my final statement. BUY THIS GAME IF YOU LIKE DND RPGS! And even if you dont, it TRULY doesn't hurt to expand your horizons...

Rating:
Summary: A great attempt, but....
Review: Fails. I've never played baldurs gate. I remember my sister asking to so I asked my dad to play Icewind Dale. He set this up for me and I remember playing to the Vale of Shadows. I stopped about half way through. The most ignorant part about the games is the battles. As you go they get increasingly frequent. I hate haveing to fight a skeleton with 2 hp every other second. As for fighting, the game lacks as it is more of a point and click.

I started playing again from the middle of the Vale, and finally got out of there. I then went to a temple which was alright. After that I realized that I was going to another dungeon type cave. This time, I read a strategy guide to find out that it was about 5 levels of fighting. That's not fun. That is not fun at all. I could respect a short game with few battles, but when I fight battles every other minute just to drag out something... It almost seems meaningless after a while.

Anyways, I stopped playing there and decided to remake my party earlier today. I am enjoying it more, mostly because I know to make really powerful fighters and forget about druids. My druid last game killed about 15 units. My main character killed about 300. This can only tell you that my druid was bad. Fortunately I was able to change him later in the game. Although when I did, I got stuck with a level 1 character who was easily killed off. So yea, don't think because you can change your party means you will be changing later in the game. The feature is useless because by the time you discover just how bad your fighter is, the game will be too hard for you to change.

The game does a great job in voice actors though. The fact that I create my entire party is fine. The graphics could use some work. I get tired and bored of the same old dark environments every other minute. Even the snow seems depressing. Other than that, the game offers repetitive battles and little more. Online play isn't fun at all considering on gamespy there are usually one or 2 games going. Once you do get in the game you will learn that everyone exported characters who fought enemies on easy and had the option "max hp on level up" set.

Here's some advice, go play baldurs gate. My sis, sister is playing it again. She is enjoying it. This game is bland, depressing, and repetitive. Sorry but don't get it unless you wanna blow 5 bucks.

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction into Forgotten Realms Gameplay!
Review: This review is probably best for beginner players...

My husband, a Planescape and Baldur's Gate player, convinced me to play Icewind Dale multiplayer with him. As someone who prefers computer games like Jeopardy and Monopoly, I was definitely intimidated. I had three characters and had to control ALL of them at the SAME time. Needless to say, the first few days were not the most enjoyable.

But once I got used to the controls, options and spells, it became a lot of fun! It's a lot more hack-n-slash than the typical RPG (so I'm told), but the storyline is great. Playing the game encouraged me to even read the Shadowdale trilogy by Richard Awlinson.

Now that we're starting with Baldur's Gate 2, I'm looking forward to comparing the two and seeing what my preferences become. For the parents considering this game as a gift, the material is not that graphic and shouldn't be an issue for the teens... Overall I highly recommend it, even for the wives!

Rating:
Summary: Something completely different
Review: Icewind Dale wasn't a game that was intended to build over BG or succeed Torment. The whole AD&D gaming world hasn't been in the PC world for very long, and only a couple of games have really stood out. Baldur's Gate was the first and biggest, and introduced everything. Torment was much less a fighting game, with more attention to the plot itself. Icewind Dale goes to the opposite extreme with absolutely NO plot, minimal NPC interaction, and no satisfying conclusion, no matter how you view it. Instead, it allows you to tailor you party to exactly what you want, and explore the AD&D world of fighting in much more depth than Torment or BG. Your characters advance much more quickly than those in BG, and you can make use of some great high-level spells. The terrain is absolutely fantastic, even in the small villages; one town sits intertwined with a giant tree's roots, and you can get a bird's eye view of the whole thing. The Shattered Hand and the crypts of the Vale of Shadows are works of art. There are some interesting monsters to fight, including dark elves, myconids (mushroom-like monsters) and the huge, huge frost giants. If you create and handle your party right, there are plenty of challenges, but there will only a couple of the incredibly demanding battles that either force you to create some unheard-of strategy, or [save, die, reload, die, reload] more than two or three times. For those of you who believe that the plots, quests, subquests and demiquests of BG and Torment are essential to a good AD&D game, this will likely be a waste of money for you. For those of you who just want to battle through Faerun, buy Icewind Dale and see what it can show you about AD&D on the PC.

I urge everyone to try all the other AD&D's before buying BG2. Baldur's Gate II is far beyond anything that has gone before it. It is truly amazing, and will completely ruin your image of BG, IWD, and Torment. Too many people are comparing these games to BG2, and overlooking everything that they have to offer. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Torment are incredible games in themselves, and not one of them should be missed.

Rating:
Summary: Baldur's Gate on speed
Review: Icewind Dale's gameplay was intended to fall somewhere between Diablo's frantic action/arcade style and Baldur's Gate's more traditional, story-driven RPG. It succeeds adimirably in its chosen niche. Graphics are solid, action is constant, and there is just enough story to keep you interested. The game is very similar to BG (it uses the same graphics engine and interface), but the monsters are thicker on the ground, and rewards (both treasure and experience) are greatly increased. I personally found the level advancement a little too accelerated after Baldur's Gate, I didn't feel I had fully earned my new powers, but there is no denying it was a lot of fun. If you enjoyed the combat in BG but thought the game overall too slow and boring, this is the perfect game for you. If you loved BG (as I did), but are looking to take a break with a quick, fun dungeon crawl, then you also will enjoy Icewind Dale. My only reservation is that the game is fairly short.

Rating:
Summary: Descent
Review: After playing threw the entire game, on and off, in three weeks, I can say the game is...descent. I started off with one character thinking it was like my fav Baldur's Gate. But no you don't pick up new party members. So of course I played threw half the game till I hit Chapter three (realizing I couldn't beat the boss of this chapter with only one character (a high lvl ranger). I had to start completely over and make another party and get them ready to import to that boss battle. In a shorter note it would've been nice to have computer characters join your party.

The fact that all of your decisions are useless in dialogs. Nothing really changes the story it only changes the amout of exp that it returns. Aside from my dislikes of the game. I really enjoyed some of the interesting weapons and even if you didn't like the ICewind Dale you should get it with the Heart of Winter set to start with and it will improve your game play immediately...then again...if you haven't played Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 screw this game and get those...excellent pieces of work. Oh yes and the Hearts of Winter game definately had some sound problems that i can't get worked out (it hums very loudly when it loads up..i've no clue what's with it but it looks promising if i get it working)

Rating:
Summary: Even better than part II...
Review: Although Icewind Dale II is an excellent game, I cannot help but prefer the original. The environments were slightly more diverse, the storyline slightly less convoluted, and the gameplay was slightly less repetitive. Aside from these elements, both games essentially play the same. Therefore, if you just ran through Icewind Dale II and you loved it, and yet you somehow missed playing the original, then by all means grab a copy and tear into it. You'll feel right at home with this venerable title.

The Pros:
· You don't get to play the game with just one character - you get a custom party of six. This is the very thing that sets Icewind Dale apart from the rest of the pack. RPG fans will spend hours devising their cast of six, and enjoy liberal amounts of fun doing it.
· Excellent storyline.
· Excellent production values (if you can get past the Infinity engine). The music, voice performances, and sound effects are top of the line.
· Atmospheric backgrounds and locales. You can almost feel the snow beneath your feet and the freezing wind at your cheeks.
· Combat requires more tactical consideration than it does in games like Diablo or Dungeon Siege.
· You really feel like you're playing a good D&D novel.

The Cons:
· The gameplay is very linear, so if you only play RPGs when the latest Elder Scrolls games comes out, you might not be interested in playing Dale. I, however, love both. There's always room for variety.
· Some annoying backtracking sessions through scenery you've covered seemingly hundreds of times.
· Monster battles can get repetitive after a while.

In my own humble opinion, Icewind Dale is hands-down the best isometric RPG I've ever played, despite its faults (which are few and far between). My advice is that you take a pass on that overhyped Neverwinter Nights and venture into the harsh climate of the Dale.

Final Grade: A-

Rating:
Summary: A sense of adventure, a touch of awe.
Review: If you've never played Baldur's Gate, then I'd recommend playing that before you ever come near Icewind Dale. Playing Icewind Dale will make it nearly impossible for you to enjoy BG. If you've also never played Planescape: Torment -- the same applies (relatively), although you should probably play BG before Torment as well. The engine enhancements make it difficult to enjoy the earlier games once you've experienced the new capabilities.

Icewind Dale is a "Baldur's Gate Engine" game set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. The game takes place in the northern lands of Faerun known as Icewind Dale. The game is labeled, and plays, as a traditional 'dungeon crawl.' The combat in IWD is a lot more intense than in both the previous BG/TotSC and Torment titles. That being said...

-- What Icewind Dale Does Right --

[Music & Sound] The compositions in this title are by far the best of any Black Isle game released. The game is filled with deep, rich, orchestral pieces that fill the air with the spirit of the Dale. The beautiful, Celtic music of the town of Kuldahar is spectacular, and the dark, sinister sounds of some of the more ... exotic ... places you visit are awe inspiring. The battle sounds have been improved upon as well, with more bass and bigger clashes. Voice acting and dialogue are a lot more prevelant in this game, because the dialogue is sparser and not as present as in earlier games. The voice-sets for your characters are much more diverse, and superbly done.

[Graphics] The artwork of Icewind Dale is something to dream about. The maps and landscapes are done with such attention to hues and moods that I almost felt cold as I walked though a frozen Dwarven museum. The portraits of your characters are also given this same depth and attention to detail, making it infinitely more enjoyable to construct your unique party. One of the greatest improvements to the engine is the support for large creatures. No longer do you have to imagine a frost giant ten times your height -- to say more would ruin the surprise. Just be assured that the first time you see a frost giant tower over your players like an oak over an acorn, you will be humbled. The spell effects for this game are much more like Torment than BG, and you'd require knowledge of both games to know exactly what I mean. Basically, the spell effects have some of that gothic-imbued tone that Torment lent to them.

[Gameplay] With the improvements to the BG engine, including increased walking speed, bumping, and increased animations the game is a pleasure to play. The game is situated mostly in underground locales, but you'll never miss the overland of BG or the landscapes of the Planes. Icewind Dale has its own mood and setting -- one that lends itself extremely well to a dungeon crawl. The last thing you have to be worried about in Icewind Dale is gameplay. You'll always have some battle to wage, some mystery to solve and places to explore. Unlike BG, there is absolutely no "empty space." There are no large areas of maps with nothing in them, or any at all so to speak. Every inch of this game is filled with things to do. The game also includes an enormous amount of items, armors, weapons, etc -- much more variety than ever experienced with BG or Torment.

-- What Icewind Dale Doesn't Do Right --

Basically, this game is a Baldur's Gate Engine game (Bioware Infinity Engine). What I saw that dissapointed me was the lack of new paper dolls for the characters, a lack of animations for some of the new weapon types, and for lack of icons for new types of magical weapons and armors. Such things are not incredibly difficult to include in a modification of an engine, and I wish that BIS had taken the time to include them.

Basically, IWD delivers more of the things that have made BIS the RPG leader that it has become. Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate 2 will be the last two games to make use of the Bioware Infinity Engine. If you've never experienced these epic RPGs before, you're missing out on a fantastic experience. If you're familiar with both BG and Torment, and enjoyed both, then you won't regret purchasing Icewind Dale.

Rating:
Summary: Grrrrrr-eat!
Review: This game is awesome! The battles are so realistic! And the violence...Heh heh heh! I would recommend this game to anyone! It is the greatest role-playing game I've ever played!