Lionheart Has Lots of Heart

Depending on your point of view, Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader is either a thinking-man’s Diablo, or an action gamer’s version of Baldur’s Gate. Lionheart is an RPG that places you in Europe in 1588. Historically speaking, many things look as they should in Barcelona, where you spend much of this single-player adventure. Even the Spanish Armada is getting ready to invade England out in the harbor. But the coolest aspect of this RPG is that it is an alternate history setting, so lots of things are different too. The main difference between the Lionheart world of 1588 and the … Continue reading Lionheart Has Lots of Heart

Icewind Dale II is Cool Combat

Normally I review the so-called hardcore RPG games. You know, the ones where you have about 30 different quests going on at the same time, have to concentrate on party interaction, follow main, romance and side quests and generally take a lot of notes. I never got into the Icewind Dale series because I was told they were hack and slash titles, with lots of combat but not much role-playing. Another staff member told me that they were actually pretty good and wanted to know if I wanted to try my hand at reviewing it. He assured me that I … Continue reading Icewind Dale II is Cool Combat

Baldur’s Gate II Rocks RPGs

There are two ways you can spend the holiday season. The first involves dinner with the family, huge lipstick-smeared kisses from aunts you barely know and riveting conversation about how in the old days people walked to school in the snow and it was uphill both ways. And then there is the fun way: Baldur’s Gate II. It was almost a given that the sequel to the winner of the GiN RPG of the Year would be awesome. About the worst thing that could have happened is that nothing at all would have changed, and even then Baldur’s Gate II … Continue reading Baldur’s Gate II Rocks RPGs

Baldur's Gate Series Ends Gloriously

Four games and several years ago, the Baldur’s Gate saga was born in this fine nation. The original game caused a revolution in the way people, especially PC gamers, thought about role-playing games. It was probably the first RPG to sell over a million copies, and it did it in less than three months. The follow-on pack, Tales of the Sword Coast, was not met with the same critical acclaim, but none-the-less added something to genre, namely the now popular "super-huge-you-can-play-for-weeks-inside-dungeon." Then came the actual sequel, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. All these titles were fun to play and … Continue reading Baldur's Gate Series Ends Gloriously

Ever Get Tired of Being the DM?

Then perhaps Interplay’s latest release, Icewind Dale, is what you and your Dungeons and Dragons group may be looking for. Icewind Dale is the latest in the series of TSR Advanced Dungeons and Dragons PC adaptations dealing with the Forgotten Realms setting. The look and feel of the game resembles that found in Baldur’s Gate or Baldur’s Gate II. The three quarters view and the activation of various members of the group (in the stand alone game) are identical. The pausing of combat to allow commands to be given to the various members of the group are also similar. All … Continue reading Ever Get Tired of Being the DM?

Baldur’s Gate

It has been a long time since I’ve journeyed to the Sword Coast via the magic of a Dungeons and Dragons game. Computer RPGs have never really been able to capture the flavor of a pen-and-paper role-playing, with several friends sitting around a table drinking sodas, eating chips, solving problems and slaying dragons. (well, only occasionally slaying a dragon) But that all changed with the release of Baldur’s Gate. Black Isle studios, a development arm of Interplay, has a great deal of experience with computer RPGs, and for the first time, someone has gotten it right. Most computer RPGs, especially … Continue reading Baldur’s Gate

Fallout 2 serves up a mess of nukes and kooks

When I reviewed the original Fallout, I said that 80 years after a global nuclear war, the old neighborhood had changed a bit. Now Fallout 2 takes place a generation after the first, but things in the wasteland haven’t changed that much. Your character still has to face all the greed, crime, corruption, murder and mayhem that a degenerating society can throw at them, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun. When the original Fallout came out, people were amazed that such a quality role-playing game could take place without an elf, magic-user or dragon in sight. Many … Continue reading Fallout 2 serves up a mess of nukes and kooks