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Great 360 compatible game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: June 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is just plain fun if you like the top-down or "isometric" hack and slash type of carnage. I never really paid much attention to the story-line... I'm sure it's just dandy.
What I REALLY wanted to say is don't pay 65 smackers to the sellers here- I bought it for 30 at Wally-world today.... and they had 3-4 more. Now that it's been announced as 360 compatible it's gonna be in demand, but hopefully the publisher will burn some more. Don't get ripped off. It's a great, fun game with excellent cooperative multiplayer (!!!!!) but it's not 65 bucks great.

Good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I have owned this game for a long time. I had initially put it down after turning on the game and realizing that you could not (as the game case says) us "other" baldur's gate charaters in this one, as they totally changed the race/class combinations. Finally, after about a year or more (not really sure) of sitting on my shelf, I picked it back up and started playing. The classes were better than the first and gameplay was just as pleasing. The game also had plenty of playtime to keep me busy for quite a while. Some games I burn through in a day or two and that really burns me after spending 50$ on a game.
Overall great game, I am still dissappointed that you cannot import old characters from the first dark alliance, but I got over it I guess.

great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 10
Date: July 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Baldurs gate 2 follows on baldur's gate 1, and both were a blast to play.

an inferior sequel that offers more of the same, only easier

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 32 / 40
Date: November 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is a curious name. It's like calling a movie Part Two: The Sequel. Dark Alliance was a chapter in Baldur's Gate's history and this game continues what was started in the first, including many of the same characters and voice talent.

To wit, all the efforts in the first game to prevent the teleporting Onyx Towers from falling into the wrong hands was for naught. Mordoc Selanmere (a vampire) has located the towers on the Shadow Plane and manipulates both the Harpers and the Zhentarim into bringing it to the Prime Material Plane so he can teleport right into Baldur's Gate itself and turn all the citizens into shambling undead.

Our three heroes from the first game (the elven sorceress, the human archer, and the dwarf) have been captured and apparently are in for a long torture session. Meanwhile, five new heroes are recruited to the cause:

* Borador Goldhand: a dwarven treasure-hunter
* Alessia Faithammer: an aasimar cleric
* Vhaidra Uoswiir: a drow monk
* Ysuran Auondril: an elven necromancer,
* Dorn Redbear: a human barbarian.

My wife chose Vhaidra and I played Ysuran, because they were the most interesting characters. I mean, come on, Dorn Redbear sounds like a Klingon.

Vhaidra is known mostly for her sarcastic comments and the inability to walk without crouching like Elmer Fudd. Ysuran is identified mostly by his bare nipples, which he seems to have a pathological need to display at all times. It must be a necromancer thing.

The heroes must journey from place to place to retrieve certain items at the behest of various employers, whom ultimately all happen to be connected. The same merchant sells and buys all things with the same annoying and repetitive banter. The twist is that finding masterwork equipment and then augmenting them with gems can improve items. In this way, you can end up with an Exceptional Helmet of Viper's Quickness.

Also new to the Baldur's Gate games is the notion of prestige classes. After reaching 20th level and doing enough research about their past (which always costs gold, of course), the characters can join prestige classes. Ysuran's can join Shadow Adept and Vhaidra can join Assassin. These classes give you new nifty abilities. The only problem is that by the time you're 20th level, these abilities are marginally more effective at best.

The Baldur's Gate series uses a simplified version of the Dungeons & Dragons game system to good effect. All spells, feats, and class powers have been turned into feats. At each level, characters start with a certain number of points in certain feats. For example, Vhaidra starts with 1 dot in Armor Proficiency, Sprint, and Unarmed Combat. One dot in Armor Proficiency means she can only wear light armor, like leather armor. Role-players, look in horror upon that which is possibly Dungeons and Dragons 4.0!

We played the game on Medium difficulty, which was probably a mistake. Ysuran is capable of surviving just fine by himself, because of Skelly.

What, you don't know who Skelly is? Why, he's the skeleton that arises from Ysuran's Animate Dead spell. Unfortunately, Ysuran doesn't really animate any dead-Skelly just rises out of the ground and does not require any actual corpses to create him. Another missed opportunity for gaming coolness.

The world hates Skelly, but he doesn't seem to care. Every monster in the game has an inexplicable desire to kill Skelly (again), but Skelly just whacks away at them with his bare fists. Fortunately, Ysuran's protection spells extend both to his undead as well. Which really makes them unstoppable. There were a few situations wherein the boss monster killed Vhaidra and Ysuran prevailed with just Skelly and the Life Drain spell.

If Skelly makes the game less challenging, the Life Drain spell makes it a cakewalk. In essence, Life Drain inflicts damage and heals Ysuran. However, Life Drain doesn't require any targeting-Ysuran merely needs to point in the direction of his victim and red darts of energy flow out of his foes towards him. Yes, I ate several cookies while Ysuran sucked up the souls of his enemies like a Shop-Vac.

Because you can craft magic items, things quickly get out of hand. With enough money, Ysuran had a +4 helmet that protected him from 15 percent of fire, cold, and acid damage. And then because he was such a wuss, I gave him a ring that gave him a +4 bonus to Strength so he could carry all the crap Skelly found.

There were some challenges, like the Elemental Plane of Air, where Skelly and Ysuran often fell to their doom. Although really, how long did it take for them to hit "doom"? It's all Air, right?

Dark Alliance II seems to be dumbed down a bit. There are no longer ammunition limits, so ranged weapons effectively fire forever. Stocking up on arrows kept the archer in the first game in check. Here, it's all bolts, all the time.

The graphics are more or less the same, although my wife appreciated the fact that most of the main characters didn't seem modeled after certain movie stars (remember the bartender of the Elfsong Tavern, Lady Alyth?). And no, you can't strip down the drow chick to her underwear like you could with Adrianna in the first game.

For reasons I cannot comprehend, the map function was moved to the touch pad instead of pushing down on the stick. Since spells are up and down on the touch pad and the map requires pressing to the left (right switches from ranged weapon to two-handed weapon to one-handed weapons), more often than not I brought the map up in the middle of a combat. Please guys, if ain't broke, don't fix it!

Baldur's Gate II is an inferior sequel that offers more of the same, only easier. It's probably more entertaining in a single-player game, but it was definitely not balanced for two players. Restricting the necromancer to a single-player might have been a good start.

Although I feel obligated to tell you that Skelly thinks that's a stupid idea.

Awesome RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 15
Date: November 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Dark alliance 2 is one awesome RPG. You pick one of five heros and you go through the game getting the guy you chose to go up levels. Anyway it is like the first darkalliance but it's co-op is way better, not to mention the fact that the Graphics are outstanding for a game like this. the trees look real and the grass hills every this is awesome as far as graphics go. The one thing that is way awesome about this game is you can smelt your weapons and break them down in to get runestones and stuff so its awesome like you can get a sword that does fire and Ice, or poison and lightnig you get the pic.

So I give this game 5 out of 5 stars.

Co-op Saved my Marriage...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: September 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Ever since I started on the Atari way back in the 80's, I've been one of the original gaming girls.

scary.

This game is one of the best coop xbox games out there, and though it's old, I'm still a fan. The areas are fun, and the idea that you gain cooler spells and abilities makes this addicting. The playability is simple - kill anything that moves. However, like the first, it's over before you can say "Argh". My suggestion? RENTAL!! I shelled out the $49.99 plus tax, and it was done within a few days. The extreme level sucks though, and that should keep you busy. But the areas don't change, and it's predictable. But the graphics are fun, and it's fun to interact while you kill stuff. My husband, is not a gamer, though he liked this game alot! Great for you Diablo people out there. If you like this one, get the Hunter: The Reckoning franchise.

Awesome cooperative game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: August 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is an ok game. The co-op mode is great but only for two people. Its a great alternative to guantlet legends but still only for two players. The game is also really dark and so are the charactes so you have a hard time seeing them. The thing i dislike the most is the lack of classes and character customization and specialization the the other games had. But overall, the gameplay is fun and sometimes challenging.

Dim Alliance

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: August 06, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of the Baldur's Gate games for the PC. They were robust games with engaging stories. Dark Alliance II is not a Baldur's gate game. This game is purely hack and slash. The story is boring, the graphics tedious and the gaming experience a complete disappointment. I can't believe I paid as much for this mess as I did for Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. KOTOR is everything that Dark Alliance should have been.

My recommendation - skip Dark Alliance II.

great! absolutly great! loved the action!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: June 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I loved B gate2. the action is awsome and the characters are extrordinary. I enjoy playing it even after I have betten it. Though I used a cheat code from time to time, I still love it! the characters are each skilled in different things. now in the second game, there are five charaqcters to choose from and, more locked characters to open.

Big disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: April 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I'm a die hard PC RPG fan. Perhaps that's the source of my disappointment. I bought an XBOX while deployed to Iraq and got star wars KOTOR (Most awsome game) and Dark Alliance 2. I've played Baldur's gate. This is not Baldur's gate. This is Diablo 3. BG is turn based combat from an angle down view. This thing's camera angle is like running around and staring at your feet and trying to find your way around. I havn't gotten to far into it yet. I will try to give it another shot if I can keep away from KOTOR long enough. Perhaps I can learn to like it if I don't try to compare it to Baldur's gate. I hate it when someone takes liberities with a well known title just to make money and destroys it. That's like putting up a taco bell but not serving any Tex/Mex food only tofu! I didn't like Diablo and I don't like this pseudo Baldur's Gate!

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