9.4 out of 10
IGN.COM

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This is one good-looking game. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is powered by one of the best 3D engines yet devised for the PlayStation 2, a feat for which developer Snowblind Studios deserves considerable acclaim. All the Lobotomy veterans on the team are well overdue a fete, considering how little credit they got for the brilliant programming of their Sega Saturn games. Powerslave had a heck of an engine, it was just that nobody played it. That problem shouldn't plague Dark Alliance, though -- it should receive all the success it deserves.

It is based, after all, on one of the most reliable concepts in videogames. It's a dungeon hack. It's a good dungeon hack. Boy, do I love a good dungeon hack. In terms of depth, there will not ever be anything to touch the glory of NetHack, but Dark Alliance does more than enough to make it a standout in the genre. It has deep dungeons, twisting passages, tricky puzzles, dangerous traps, a wide variety of opponents, and +3 Masterwork Flaming Long Swords. Or something like that. You get the idea, right?

I suppose there are some gamers out there who would eventually cool on the prospect of running around, hacking things, building up a character, and charging back out into the fray for more running and hacking, but we'll quietly gloss over that possibility here. Even if longevity is a consideration, though, Dark Alliance is a cut above in that respect, with an engaging story, asubstantially different experience for each of the three character classes, and a brilliant multiplayer option. If you're not convinced yet, well, perhaps we'll have to descend a few levels deeper...

[INFO PROVIDED BY IGN.COM]

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There is honestly not a great deal to complain about here. Dark Alliance runs considerably shorter than anything else with the Baldur's Gate name on it -- I'd reckon you can whack the game on Normal mode in 15-20 hours (though restarts mean the game clock may be misleading) -- but the three character classes add substantial replay value, and the multiplayer mode is a must if you've got a friend who can stick with you for the long haul. The two-player mode lets you each pick a class and team up throughout the entire adventure, which should make for some seriously entertaining mayhem. Pity I lead such a shut-in existence...
But let's bag the pity and start doling out the congratulations for a job well done. Snowblind has put together one of the best engines on PS2 and one of the best hacks in the business, certainly the best a console has ever seen. Even the mouse-clicking hordes of Diablo fans might be lured away from their PCs, and I can certainly attest that a NetHack devotee can find solace in the arms of non-monochrome graphics. Now give me a sequel with some ioun stones and Ropers, and I promise I'll be perfectly happy.
IGN.COM

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