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Way back in 2001, the PlayStation 2 was enjoying a great first year, having only been released the previous October. In truth, I would say that the PS2 had a legendary first full year on the market in 2001. Games like Ico, Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 2, Grand Theft Auto III, and Jak and Daxter all came out in 2001. But we will talk about those another time, because today I want to talk about Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. To be honest I did not play this game at launch, I played it after its Greatest Hits reprint, and I bought it at a Dollar General in my hometown. That Dollar General wasn't known for carrying games, so it was very surprising to see it there at all, and at about $10, it was a steal.
Isometric dungeon crawlers were not unheard of on consoles; the first Diablo was released on PlayStation in the previous generation to moderate success. But they were certainly not common either. Diablo 2, released the previous year and exclusively on PC, had no such port in the works, so what was a lowly console player to do? Enter Baldur's Gate. A modest, by today's standards, Dungeons and Dragons isometric RPG, featuring two player cooperative play, and some very impressive visuals for the genre. Developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Interplay, this game would go on to sell over a million units on PS2 and eventually even be ported to both the Xbox and GameCube. But was it worth all that hype? Yes.
In Baldur's Gate, you can choose to play as one of three characters, a human archer, a dwarven warrior, and an eleven sorceress. Whichever you choose, you end up in the titular city, shortly after you are ambushed and robbed of your possessions. A rather, apathetic pair of guards, happen upon you and only point you in the direction of the Elf Song Tavern, in leu of actually helping you get your things back. This is where your journey truly begins, you set out on an initial quest for revenge, uncovering and unraveling a great plot that threatens all of Baldur's Gate.
The character you choose impacts your playstyle a bit, each offering a head start in a direction appropriate to their class, though as you level you can steer them elsewhere. However, it may not be as effective as specializing. This is not a game that requires you to build craft. No, it's all about stomping out evil wherever it hides with randomized and ever more powerful loot. Taking firm inspiration from Diablo, this is a lighter RPG designed with consoles in mind. There's only one attack button, one spell button, a block, a jump, and an action button to pick up and interact with loot and the environment. As mentioned before, you can play the game in local co-op, and import your character into a campaign from your memory card. There's an unlockable mode called, The Gauntlet, allowing you to play as a very famous Drow (Dark Elf) from DnD proper. As well as all the loot a would-be adventurer could want.
While this game may seem quaint by today's standards, at the time it was really something to see. Snowblind developed an engine specifically for this game and especially for the PS2. They really wanted to show off the new hardware and their own prowess. It shows. The game features detailed environments and runs at a rock solid 60fps. Lighting effects bloom in the world when you cast spells, explode barrels, and literally chop your enemies up. If you had come off of playing contemporary CRPGs at the time, Diablo 1 and 2 or the previous Baldur's Gate games, this game's visuals would have truly seemed "next-gen." The only thing really holding it back are too few side quests, perhaps its linearity, and what some consider to a buggy damage/hit calculation on harder difficulties.
Overall, I think it's a great early PS2 game, and its legacy gave us some really great follow ups, including on direct sequel and other games made with the same engine. It helped popularize iso-RPGs on console, no doubt inspiring the X-Men and Marvel games that hit later in the generation, and I think this holds up very well. You can buy an PC port on Steam these days, and naturally you can find it on The Repo. It is not one that has accumulated much value with collectors and can be found second hand for less than $20. It is great co-op fun for a weekend romp with a friend or family member, so don't sleep on it.
Cheers!
Isometric dungeon crawlers were not unheard of on consoles; the first Diablo was released on PlayStation in the previous generation to moderate success. But they were certainly not common either. Diablo 2, released the previous year and exclusively on PC, had no such port in the works, so what was a lowly console player to do? Enter Baldur's Gate. A modest, by today's standards, Dungeons and Dragons isometric RPG, featuring two player cooperative play, and some very impressive visuals for the genre. Developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Interplay, this game would go on to sell over a million units on PS2 and eventually even be ported to both the Xbox and GameCube. But was it worth all that hype? Yes.
In Baldur's Gate, you can choose to play as one of three characters, a human archer, a dwarven warrior, and an eleven sorceress. Whichever you choose, you end up in the titular city, shortly after you are ambushed and robbed of your possessions. A rather, apathetic pair of guards, happen upon you and only point you in the direction of the Elf Song Tavern, in leu of actually helping you get your things back. This is where your journey truly begins, you set out on an initial quest for revenge, uncovering and unraveling a great plot that threatens all of Baldur's Gate.
The character you choose impacts your playstyle a bit, each offering a head start in a direction appropriate to their class, though as you level you can steer them elsewhere. However, it may not be as effective as specializing. This is not a game that requires you to build craft. No, it's all about stomping out evil wherever it hides with randomized and ever more powerful loot. Taking firm inspiration from Diablo, this is a lighter RPG designed with consoles in mind. There's only one attack button, one spell button, a block, a jump, and an action button to pick up and interact with loot and the environment. As mentioned before, you can play the game in local co-op, and import your character into a campaign from your memory card. There's an unlockable mode called, The Gauntlet, allowing you to play as a very famous Drow (Dark Elf) from DnD proper. As well as all the loot a would-be adventurer could want.
While this game may seem quaint by today's standards, at the time it was really something to see. Snowblind developed an engine specifically for this game and especially for the PS2. They really wanted to show off the new hardware and their own prowess. It shows. The game features detailed environments and runs at a rock solid 60fps. Lighting effects bloom in the world when you cast spells, explode barrels, and literally chop your enemies up. If you had come off of playing contemporary CRPGs at the time, Diablo 1 and 2 or the previous Baldur's Gate games, this game's visuals would have truly seemed "next-gen." The only thing really holding it back are too few side quests, perhaps its linearity, and what some consider to a buggy damage/hit calculation on harder difficulties.
Overall, I think it's a great early PS2 game, and its legacy gave us some really great follow ups, including on direct sequel and other games made with the same engine. It helped popularize iso-RPGs on console, no doubt inspiring the X-Men and Marvel games that hit later in the generation, and I think this holds up very well. You can buy an PC port on Steam these days, and naturally you can find it on The Repo. It is not one that has accumulated much value with collectors and can be found second hand for less than $20. It is great co-op fun for a weekend romp with a friend or family member, so don't sleep on it.
Cheers!
