Icewind Dale
Now that winter is settling in around us, it's a great time to look back at Icewind Dale, the Infinity Engine RPG released by Black Isle back in June 20th, 2000. Riding the success of Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale snuck onto shelves a few months before the sequel to Bioware's opus was released. Rather than make a carbon copy of Baldur's Gate set in the icy tundra, Icewind Dale shucked some of the heavier story elements and open-ended exploration in favor of more combat. Way more combat. It threw the player on a cold, linear path and demanded challenges be met with magic and steel. Unlike its predecessors, Icewind Dale kept the forward momentum going all the way through, rarely giving the player the luxury of exploring side quests.
It speaks to the Infinity Engine's flexibility that it could support a more tactical, combat-focused game all the way through and still remain fun. I can remember spending hours on some encounters and trying to get through them without losing half my party. It was tough, but usually fair. These days, Icewind Dale, the Heart of Winter expansion and Icewind Dale II can all be found cheap and run great on older systems. The expansion and sequel even support resolutions higher than 640 X 480! Check out the Ultimate Collection if you'd like to nab them all at once.
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I remember playing though this a bunch of times. Both Icewind Dale games were a great pace change to the massive stories you got out of Baldur's Gate and Torment. Looks like i'm going ot have to do some reinstalling on my laptop this evening, for nostalgia sake.
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I absolutely love this game. In a lot of ways, I actually enjoyed it more than the original Baldur's Gate. When it starts getting cold outside, I always get the urge to fire this up again, and so I did this year - just the other day in fact. For me, it captures that old school AD&D flavor more than just about anything else I've played. It really reminds me of the old Gold Box games. I've got the sequal, but since I never really got a firm grasp of the 3rd Edition rules, I've never really given it the time of day. So my coal is to play though both games over the next month or so.
Anyway, very timely post Certis.
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Great pick! IWD I & II are still my favorite party-based rpg's. I believe Diablo II was released around the same time as Icewind Dale and there was debate over which game was better. I stand by this one. If you like lots of action in your D&D games you can't go wrong with the IWD series, and the second one holds up well today.
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I'll play anything that has the potential to let me be Drizzt Do'Urden or Artemis Entreri.
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I absolutely love both Icewind Dale games. I've always felt that of all the Infinity Engine games they had the most beautiful artwork and music. One screen in particular, the artwork displayed in Icewind Dale 2's credits, will stick with me until the end of my days - a ruined fortress overlooking an icy tundra with a sinking sun bathing the scene in striking orange. Few are the times I've encountered a single image that so completely encompasses what a game is about.
I'm still hoping that somewhere along the line there'll be an Icewind Dale 3...
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I'm currently playing through Icewind Dale 2 via Gametap. They've got the original, ID2, Baldur's Gate series. I'm kneedeep in excellent RPGs.
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I loved the original. I've got IWD2 still in the box waiting to be installed. Maybe I'll do that when I get my power back.
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Still...in..the box..? Man, I just lost a bit of gamer respect for you. If you beat the iron golems the first time you meet 'em, you'll earn it back
"In the wrong hands, samurai swords are dangerous weapons," Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker, Britain
Icewind Dale was a good follow-up for people who wanted more Infinity engine, but maaaan, that Dragon's Eye area was a grind and a half. I still hate that place.
I could never get into IWD II. It had the Dragon's Eye area again, so I think knowing that, and the weird changes they made to the interface turned me off.
Wonderful music though. Jeremy Soule before he got overused, and some other talented guy for the sequel.
Absolutely loved this one. Genocide has never been so fun when applied to lizard people. And seriously, how many enemies did you kill in that game? It gave you a count on your character sheet, my fighters normally reached around 500.
The spell effects really made the infinity engine look good, too.
I know! It sucks!
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I remember IWD getting knocked in local reviews due to being combat-centric. This always baffled me.
I have to second the art comments. Absolutely beautiful, I think they really nailed the way the painted screens and the pixel art joined.
Also, I think IWD was the first modern game where I really noticed the music - probably not the first symphonic score in a game, but really very good stuff. I can hear the theme picking up just now... brrr.
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Absolutely loved this game. It made a pretty good transition from Gold Box to a more updated engine that didn't compromise too much from its predecessors.
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I bought that and Psychonauts from GoGamer a while ago when they were both in the Madness sale. Psychonauts is still in the box too.
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IWD remains my favorite Baldur's Gate engine game of all time.
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I need to look into this. Having a system that is starting to show its age, not being able to play some of the new games at all, I have been looking into the older RPG stuff that I missed. Currently playing Eschalon Book 1, and while it is a new game it has the old school RPG feel. May pick up Icewind Dale when I am done with this one.
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I have very fond memories of countless hours spent playing IWD and IWD2. I really wish some of these older rpg's would get modern sequels.
I used to bring my IWD CD to my grandfathers house and play it on his computer. At the time I couldn't run it on my own rig. Good times.
By the way if anyone wants a link to some good IWD 2 "Heart of Fury" character builds and strategies please p/m me. I don't want to put a spoiler here.
"In the wrong hands, samurai swords are dangerous weapons," Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker, Britain
Glad to see the confirmation of one of those ancient games that's on my (long) list to get to...thankfully, since America deserves special treatment for repeatedly saving the world, I get to play it on Gametap.
If Gametap goes out of business before I get through my list, and I'm forced back on the eBay/Amazon Marketplace streets for old games and have to give up one-click installs, I think I'll be up on a bell tower somewhere.
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The character are was so much better than BG. That's all I remember though.
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/agreed
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Ack. I don't even think of Planescape in the same genre!
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"Think of it as 'grinding SO rep in the Kitchen instance.' " - Montalban
Planescape was by far the best (my avatar speaks well), though BG2 comes in at #2, and the rest all tie for #3. I really loved them all, but Planescape and BG2 are the only ones I'd marry [/overwrought analogy].
My problem with icewind dale was that the story wasn't strong. Your characters didn't have any, err, character, because you made them all yourself.
Amongst the Infinity Engine games, where's your demarcation? Do BG 1 & 2 fall in the same genre as IWD or Planescape?
I suppose your one of those types of people that are so often right on the money about a lot of things, that when you're wrong, you compensate by being really really wrong.
(I know, I know, a personal opinion can't be wrong because its subjective. That having been said, you're still wrong.) =)
Freakin' LOVE IWD. It and Baldur's Gate 2 made 2000 a very, very good year for gaming.
Bought Baldurs Gate 1 + 2, IceWind Dale 1 + 2 and PlaneScape Torment earlier this year, for some retro-gaming. Only got through the BG games, and a bit into IWD1, before the crazy Fall 2007 of AAA title mass release took away all my time
Great game though, have to play it and the sequel later.
Planescape however wouldnt really run on my computer :/ It was insanely slow, which really annoys me because I never played it back at release.
Its on a new computer, which is probably the reason. However, BG1, IWD1 both ran perfectly fine.
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