Video Game Review: Dark Alliance I and II

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. 4 words will sum it all up. Anything other than average. Released in 2002, the Dark Alliance games have proven themselves worthy of recommendation here on Associated Content. Though the first of the Baldur's Gate games was released several years ago, it is still one of the top RPGs today. It is not as good as the Halo games, but better than games like the earlier Metal Gear Solid games.

So what makes Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance I and II such notable games? When starting out DA II, you can choose to be one of five very different characters. They all follow the same story line, but each one has different skills:

- A barbarian with excellent close range hand to hand fighting.
- A cleric, possessing magical spells to heal herself and allies.
- A rogue with incredible strength (though he is very short).
- A monk, sort of a mix between necromancer and barbarian,
- A necromancer, with incredible magic spells able to take down hordes of enemies in a matter of seconds.

As said before, the story has the same turnout no matter which character is used. There are close to 100 missions and mini-missions in the whole game, and include thieves, dragons, goblins, trolls, ice beasts, jelly monsters, and deadly dungeons. The graphics are stunning even in 2006, and for a price on eBay of $8.00, I was thoroughly impressed with the whole game.

If I've already got you sold on buying the Dark Alliance games, it is vital you buy both of them, and play the first one before the second (duh). The games are sort of like the matrix movie series; one game's plot runs into the next one's. The games are fun to play in an interesting multiplayer mode as well, which I would recommend for any new gamer or someone not used to playing RPG/ Adventure games.

It gets to be a bit repetitive after a while, and definitely maintains a constant hack-and-slash theme. I would recommend this game to any serious gamer who doens't rely on amazing graphics to fulfill his/her gaming needs, and someone who needs a break from all the newest hack-and-slash games. It's a fun game and is definitely worth the money.

If you decide to pick up a copy at a local store, or online, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of it, and which character was you favorite (mine is the necromancer :P)