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Too Short, Too Easy, Too expensive

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 12 / 15
Date: May 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

As an avid Baldurs Gate fan I was extremely disappointed with this expansion pack. Although I felt that the original Icewind Dale was too short I felt that the expansion pack was a total rip-off. I completed it after only about 5 hours. When the endgame movie started to play I thought it was the end of a chapter, until I saw the credits!

Don't waste you money.

Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 12
Date: March 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This was a hugely disappointing game. Extremely linear, and ridiculously short. Not, repeat, not worth the money! If you've played Baldurs Gate II, basically this was the equivalent of a single quest. If you haven't played Baldurs Gate II, buy that game instead. You definitely won't be disappointed.

Doesn't live up to the standard of the original or BG2.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: April 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This was one of the more expensive expansion packs I've ever seen, but sadly, it was also one of the shortest. Though the story of the game is okay, there is really not much new for this, other then the graphical enhancements made in Baldur's Gate 2 that they back ported to IWD. The new monsters (actually new, not old ones with a new skin) can be counted on one hand, and other then one of them - the final boss, they are kind of boring. Unless you have money to burn, this game should be passed on...

not worth the money

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

As a diehard fan of CRPGs, and especially of BG1, BG2, and Icewind Dale I was sorely disappointed in this expansion pack. Unlike Tales of the Sword Coast, which proved to be a challenge, my "final save" party from IWD breezed through this easily. I finished this expansion pack on the second day. Sure there were some graphic improvements and higher experience levels, but this thing was nowhere near worth..., not for just the few quests that you get for it. The boss, or "foozle," or whatever you might call him, was a disappointment, too, much less difficult than similar monsters in BG2. If you have unlimited funds, go for it, but I would say that you should wait for it to show up in the bargain bin.

Not Really The Game I Wanted

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 20 / 23
Date: March 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Sometimes you get what you hope for... And sometimes you don't. This add-on to Icewind Dale from Interplay is simply too little, too late. The story line is extremely short. As barbarians mass to attack the tiny town of Lonelywood our heroes are approached by a barbarian shaman to intervene somehow and save both sides from disaster. A short investigation in Lonelywood and a meeting with the barbarian chief leave you basically clueless and in severe disfavor. The rest of the story is primarily composed of hacking your way across one desolate scene or another in your effort to resolve the mystery. Which, after several not quite titanic battles, you finally do. All in all, about 8 hours of gameplay at the most.

Perhaps the best parts of the add-in are the improvements it makes to Icewind Dale overall. The 800x600 resolution and improved 3D acceleration are beneficial. There are 59 new spells to master, and a bunch of new items. Best of all, you can take your characters up to the 20th level!

The short storyline I found singularly dissatisfying. Not so much due to weakness, but due to the fact that there was material in it for a full sized game with, perhaps, a more uplifting ending. For, to tell the truth, the villain of the piece is by far the most interesting character. It was with some regret that I won the final battle.

.... If you haven't played Icewind Dale, I suggest waiting to see what kind of combination deal Interplay Offers. If you have already played the original game and don't want to replay it, then you may find Heart of Winter a disappointment.

Another "too short" review

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: March 08, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If this expansion were ... cheaper I would go up a star. The fixes to the original engine were outstanding. If you haven't already played Icewind Dale and are playing it for the first time with the expansion, you'll get a lot more for your money. For those who already completed I.D. and are hungry for more, I don't think this will calm your hunger. It's more like a snack than a meal. The bonus missions were a lot of fun, but were brief and simple. At least one extra long term quest would have been appreciated after shelling out "my money". My advice: wait for the price to go down.

Not As Bad as Most People Think

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 10
Date: November 12, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Yes, as most reviewers have noted, Heart of Winter isn't a very long game (though it's not as brief as some would make it out to be). And, yes, for those who bought this title when it first came out and paid the full sticker price (30+ bucks), I can understand the frustration voiced by so many gamers.

Now, however, about a year after Heart of Winter first appeared, the price has dropped to bargain bin status: I bought HoW at my local mall for ten bucks! For this price, HoW doesn't disappoint. The game is on the shorter side, but I'd say it's the equivalent of 1 1/2 levels from the original Icewind Dale. Or, for those who prefer to measure their games in hours, HoW took me exactly one week to finish, approximately 20 hours. Those who have already played Baldur's Gate II will be familiar to the additions found in HoW: higher resolution, drop-away interface, gem bags, potion bags, scroll cases. There are some new enemies, new spells, and a final battle that is fairly challenging.

Lastly, most Icewind Dale fans know that for those who own Heart of Winter there is a free downloadable expansion, Trials of the Luremaster, which adds another 15+ hours of gameplay. In other words, the time to buy the Icewind Dale expansion is now: you'll essentially receive 30-40 hours of gameplay for (in my case) ten dollars or so. You can't beat that!

As for the game itself, HoW is mostly enjoyable. The enemies, overall, are much tougher, so you won't be able to mow through them like you did throughout Icewind Dale. Also, although you need 9th level characters or higher to play the expansion, I recommend not playing HoW until your characters have hit the maximum hit point level allowed by the original (1,800,000). My only complaint about HoW is that it's really linear. Sure, Icewind Dale was linear, too, but HoW forces you to literally trudge forward along, say, an icy cave path and smite the hordes of baddies that pop up (and there are a lot of them). And because the enemies are significantly tougher than most of the creatures in ID, the expansion at times can seem tedious: you feel as if you're logging in tiresome hours at the keyboard rather than enjoyable hours.

Still, for those who didn't satisfy their crave at the end of Icewind Dale, Heart of Winter and Trials of the Luremaster should provide a decent fix.

Fun, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: March 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The expansion was really fun, Icewind dale was great, Heart of winter was interesting, EXCEPT that it was incredibly short. They set the experience caps to level 30, and playing on hard mode I took my level 11s and 12s (imported) to level 16-17... I beat the game in 2 hours. It would take AGES to get to 30. 5000000+ exp.

It's good, But extremely short. If you want something more satisfing, Baldur's gate 2 is pretty good. Pretty long.

Too Short

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

It's a good game but much too short to be worth the price. I played it in about 20 hours. They speak of going up to 30th level but you would be hard pressed to do that unless you start the game at 25th level. You can count on going up 4-6 levels that's about it. Cut the price in half or add twice the content and you would have a five star game.

More of the same

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When it comes down to it, Heart of Winter is just a bit more of the same of Icewind Dale. It is about 1/3 as long as the original IceWind Dale. A lot of reviewers are saying that is too short. However, seeing as how the plots of Icewind Dale and Heart of Winter are kind of weak anyway, I don't see that as a big loss.

What few new features there are supposed to be didnt' really add much, in my opinion. The new weapons and new spells don't seem to do much that the weapons and spells in Icewind Dale didn't do. The best part about the game, I thought, was the final battle. I found it to be more challenging than anything in the original Icewind Dale.

Whether to buy this game depends upon whether you think that the price is low enough to pay for it.

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