Written by Jeff Buckland, 2/17/2003
Played on:
Xbox
You might think that after the success of Blizzard's Diablo 2, that there would be a ton of clones of it being released. Surprisingly, there haven't been many at all, save for a few: Darkstone, Nox, and the recent GBA version of The Two Towers have loosely followed the Diablo format. Perhaps the best Diablo clone, though, is Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Despite the BG name, this is far from a dedicated RPG. BG:DA debuted well over a year ago on the PS2 and is now available on the Xbox and GameCube. We will look at the Xbox version here, which boasts slightly better graphics than the PS2 version.
BG:DA is a very simple game to pick up, since you only have to use one stick and press basically two buttons to start. The game does wind up using almost every button on the controller eventually, but the developers made sure to keep it simple at the start.
All of the controls from the PS2 version are here with a couple of minor adjustments; if you'd like to remap the buttons, that option is now open as well. I decided to remap the block button since having it on the Black button was just inconvenient.
The characters are quick to respond and easy to maneuver, and the right stick allows you to rotate the camera to get a better angle of the fight. It's easy to tell what's going on even during the heavy fights, and believe me, the fights can get intense. It's important to have snappy controls for a game like this.
BG:DA has some very clean, sharp graphics overall. While there are plenty of monsters, some of which look and move extremely well, there aren't really a ton of them. They are mostly pulled from the D&D and Forgotten Realms world, and they look great.
The areas that you traverse are also impressive - they even made swamps look good, which is a rare occurrence that I've seen. BG:DA makes excellent usage of reflective surfaces in most of the areas of the game and they never get in the way or become annoying. In addition to this, the effect of wading through the game's waist-deep water is simply stunning.
The player can choose from three characters, all of which can use just about all of the gear in the game. Each character wears the gear very differently as well, which helps you get into the spirit of the game. Spell and graphical effects are big and booming, although even bigger explosions couldn't have hurt. : )
The Frame rate in the Xbox version is immaculate, and the graphics are overall a bit sharper than the other versions; the GameCube version has frequent frame rate drops, and the PS2 version did have the occasional stutter. There's no doubt here; the Xbox version of BG:DA is the superior one.
With the Baldur's Gate name, you might expect this game to be a serious RPG. While the characters do gain experience points, level up, choose skills, and collect gear, this game's story is linear and the fighting is 100% action. The plot is a bit unclear at the beginning and improves little by the end, but that's hardly the point in this game. It's all about busting heads and getting loot, and BG:DA serves up plenty of action.
For those who have played Diablo 2, you will notice some obvious similarities here; it's all action, there's magic and swords and bows, and you traverse a somewhat linear path throughout several episodes. There are several major differences, though; first, any character can realistically go through the game with just a weapon, a shield, and a bit of armor. The Human Archer and Elven Sorceress can even do this, although as you'd expect, the Dwarf Warrior is the best at this.
