Introduction

Developer: Black Isle Studios
Publisher: Interplay
Icewind Dale II official page: http://icewind2.blackisle.com/

An Old Friend

Who could’ve predicted the awe-inspiring success that Infinity-engine games from BioWare (Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II) and Black Isle (Icewind Dale, PlaneScape: Torment) have enjoyed for the last four years? Indeed, it’s now hard to remember the days when gamers would’ve felt blessed with just one or two solid PC RPGs a year. In 1997, there were gaming magazines that would decline awarding a ‘PC RPG Game of the Year’ due to a lack of worthy entrants. Things have changed drastically ever since Black Isle decided to take the bull by the horns. Now, it’s a common sight to see an RPG on a top10 weekly best-selling list, a far cry from the niche-gaming segments SSI Gold Box/Ultima/Wizardry fans would be quarantined in.

Title Screen

Pregenerated Goodness

Remarkable Bonuses

It’s been almost four years since the original Baldur’s Gate was released. Back then, Baldur’s Gate was easily one of the best looking RPGs of all time. Nowadays, surrounded by contenders such as Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights, the Infinity engine is looking much like a Porsche that’s lost its initial luster and shine. Black Isle’s decided to give the old girl another run around the local track.

History Revisited

While the original Icewind Dale failed to garner the critical acclaim Baldur’s Gate II and Planescape: Torment did, it was an extremely polished product in its own right. The battles were meticulously planned and character development was almost perfectly matched to the increasing difficulty of encounters. The well-paced gameplay was matched by sumptuous artwork reflecting the somber, almost gothic nature of Icewind Dale, and a stirring soundtrack by Jeremy Soule, nominated for numerous Soundtrack of the Year awards. Despite the lack of marketing muscle behind it, Icewind Dale became a sleeper hit for many gamers in the know. In almost all respects, it was far more than the plain-vanilla dungeon crawl it was advertised as. Icewind Dale II, unlike the highly ambitious Baldur’s Gate II, chooses to continue its tried-and-true dungeon crawl roots with mixed results.

Elemental Clerics

Spellcasting Paladins

Chillerific

A New Template

The most anticipated feature of IWD2 was arguably its integration with the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. The most prominent implementation of this is seen in creation. Players finally have the ability to make parties with full drow, tiefling, duergar, and svirfneblin, just to name a few. These sub-races have substantial advantages over ‘normal’ Dungeons & Dragons races. For instance, drow receive a +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma, +2 Search, Spell Resistance of 11 + character level, +2 to all Will Saves, +2 to saves against Enchant Magic, Immunity to Sleep Spells, Faerie Fire 3/Day, and the Large Sword, Bows, and Darkvision feats. Conversely, they receive penalties of –2 to Constitution and –1 to hit, damage, and saving throws when outside in sunlight. These sub-race advantages come at a huge disadvantage, however. Dark Elves are treated as though they’re two levels higher than they actually are when computing levels. This may not initially sound as much of a penalty, but it’s far more significant when it’s taken into account that XP for monster kills are scaled to a character’s level in 3rd edition rules. That means, killing at goblin at level 1 would net you a respectable amount of experience points, whereas killing that same goblin at level 7 would garner no experience. This creates a dramatic disincentive for playing sub-race characters, as they’ll lag a few levels behind their traditional counterparts for the entire game. Many players have noted that the normal game is far easier with a party of all humans, especially given that the beginning of Icewind Dale II is far more difficult than any other Infinity engine RPG to date.