Using the award-winning BioWare Infinity Engine developed by BioWare for Baldur's Gate, players create a party of adventurers in the frigid north to combat monstrous Cyclops and frost giants that dwarf the player characters as they search for an evil lying deep within the Spine of the World. Icewind Dale offers character advancements from levels one through 15 in the most recent adaptation of the AD&D rules under license from Wizards of the Coast. -- GamePro
Reviews / previews
The fine folks at Interplay and Black Isle Studios have scored once again with Icewind Dale, a role-playing game that emphasizes combat and returns to the glory days of the old-fashioned dungeon crawl.
Icewind Dale takes place in the frozen northern region of the Forgotten Realms game world, where the beasts that roam the land are as vicious as the cold winds that blow in the night. Much like the classic AD&D pen-and-paper game, you start by creating a party of six characters, who you will lead throughout the entire adventure.
Gamers who have fond memories of sitting around the kitchen table, hacking through the latest AD&D module will feel right at home here. Those looking for a story-driven RPG along the lines of Planescape: Torment, on the other hand, won't find it in Icewind Dale as the actual game is very linear with few side quests to get in the way of the combat.
What Icewind Dale is really about is the classic dungeon crawl with plenty of weapons, spells, and potions to discover and hordes of monsters to slay. Lots of classic AD&D baddies make an appearance, from goblins, orcs, and skeletons to giants, ogres, and trolls.
But the best part about Icewind Dale and games of its kind is that you don't have to know much about the complicated AD&D combat system to play, since all the intricacies of dice-rolling and modifiers and such take place behind the scenes where you don't have to worry about them.
Built using the Baldur's Gate engine, Icewind Dale looks as good as any RPG currently available. Characters and monsters are beautifully detailed and sport fluid animations. Fancy spell effects light up the scene and add to the excitement. The pre-rendered backgrounds also look great and range from snowy mountain passes and lush green meadows to dank, dusty crypts and caves. Excellent sound effects are backed up by an awesome orchestral soundtrack that oozes atmosphere and moves the action along at a steady pace. Professional voice-acting rounds out the whole affair and adds a polished feel to the game. And if you like, you can always import your own custom character portraits and voice files.
Control is identical to Baldur's Gate, with all of the action accomplished using the mouse. Also like Baldur's Gate, combat takes place in real time and can be paused at any time by hitting the space bar to assign actions, cast spells, or adjust your characters' inventory. It's a great system and hopefully plenty more games will be built using the same format.
The last few years have been good to RPG fans and Icewind Dale is certainly another reason to celebrate. Anyone looking for a classic AD&D gaming experience to hold them over until Baldur's Gate II arrives should definitely check out Icewind Dale.-- Brian Wright / GamePro
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