Icewind Dale The Icewind Dale Series Thread

[Heresiarch]

I've played all the Infinite Engine D&D stuff except IWD series, because I've heard it's pretty much hack and slash compared to BG and of course PST. Dunnoh if it's worth for a playthrough? Any good thing it has which BG doesn't? Good music? Good battles? Better art?

Is 2 based on 3rd edition? Is it better than 1?

 

[octavius]

Very good music and art - better than BG.
Combat is generally better - not much of the mage duels of BG 2.
As far as dungeon crawls go it's one of the best.
Not much NPC interaction and no banters.
Class and (I think) stats do play a role in dialogues, though.
Loot is more randomized than in BG.

Definitely worth a play though.

 

[octavius]

Combat is pretty much the same Infinity Engine shit.

I wouldn't call it shit, but it could have been better.
Lack of grid and no zone of control/opportunity attack is lame, though.

 

[Glyphwright]

No story, no characters, no point, lots of combat area filled with hundreds of monsters to kill.

 

[hanssolo]

No story, no characters, no point, lots of combat area filled with hundreds of monsters to kill.

sounds great, hey?

 

[bonescraper]

It's Baldur's Gate with better music, graphics (artwise) and better atmosphere. But it's all about combat, loot and party progression. The story isn't actually that bad compared to other h&s games (but then again, you can't get more shallow than Diablo or Sacred).

I actually prefer IWD over BG. It's the mixture of music, visuals and that great fucking atmoshpere that makes these games shine.

No story, no characters, no point, lots of combat area filled with hundreds of monsters to kill.

Sounds like Wizardry to me

Fucking storyfag.

 

[Heresiarch]

Not much of BG2 mage duels? It's a pitty then.

I really liked those hard as fuck but insanely intense party vs party fightings, like the Twisted Rune guys and the fight getting Celestial Fury. Anything similarly challenging in IWD2?

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

Just try it? I thought it was nice and somehow always liked it better than BG2, maybe because it wasn't as epic and because it has full party generation. I also liked BG more than BG2 for similar reasons, I like the down to earth story better and it has more possible party members. Anyway, playing any of these games makes you really wish that you were playing a turn-based game instead, or at least grid-based. Maneuvering in IE games is just so damn silly.

But try it, I mean why make "should I try this game" threads anyway, usually when I hear about some game I might like I'll play it or forget about it. Considering these are old, cheap/free quickly downloaded games.

 

[Nickless]

I don't know about the first, but the second is awful. Just more combat, after combat, after combat, after combat, after combat, after combat. Dialogue/story essentially amounts to fetch quests in the first chapter. There's nothing to this game except poorly implemented real time infinity engine shit. Skip.

 

[thesheeep]

Both are great games.

Sure, there is not much of a story, or any choices (or any consequences to choices). It does its puprose, though: it explains why you are going from dungeon to dungeon (I also count dungeons that are not underground).
But who fucking cares? It's a dungeon romp, like ToEE or Wizardry, etc.
And it definitely has the best implementation of D&D rules of all Infinity Engine games.

You into complex stories and/or c&c? Skip!
You into challenging (and it is challenging if you don't minmax) D&D combat and dungeon crawling? Play!

IWD2 is even more into those extremes. But skills, classes and races do influence the dialogues quite a lot. IWD2 and ToEE IMHO are the best dungeon crawling games using D&D rules and setting.

 

[thesheeep]

Can't stand the f*cked up perspective in that game (I don't play Ultima for the same reason). Everything just looks wrong, twisted.
I envy those that can see past that, but unfortunately I can't.

Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that it is a good game, as much praise as it gets, but I won't play it.

Also, afaik, the rules in KotC are not nearly complete, very limited class & race selection. And replayability is one of the main feats a good dungeon crawler should have.

 

[soggie]

Yes. Forgive the perspective, forgive the story, and just play it.

If you're a connoisseur of quality RPGs, you'll be sucked in the moment the title screen pops up. The music is fucking awesome. The atmosphere is just right.

Damn. Just play it.

 

[made]

Can't stand the f*cked up perspective in that game (I don't play Ultima for the same reason). Everything just looks wrong, twisted.
I envy those that can see past that, but unfortunately I can't.

I never get the beef people have with that perspective. Is it because stuff is tilted to the side as well as backwards? How about Dark Sun or Albion - is that bearable?

 

[Excommunicator]

I played IWD2 and it was good fun IMO. I enjoyed it more than either BG, and I would put that down particularly to the better atmosphere/music/visuals etc. The environmental sound simulation is excellent and I would say felt better than I have heard in any other game.

I didn't play it and think of it in strictly RPG terms, more of a party based action-strategy game and the combat I certainly enjoyed more than BG2, mostly due to wider range - and more interesting - enemies.

I soloed through it a second time, and had quite a bit of fun there. Recommended as an action heavy party RPG, not as some high-achieving RPG.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Not much of BG2 mage duels? It's a pitty then.

I really liked those hard as fuck but insanely intense party vs party fightings, like the Twisted Rune guys and the fight getting Celestial Fury. Anything similarly challenging in IWD2?

The Holy Avenger fight in IWD2 is a lot like this.

 

[ZbojLamignat]

Just try it? I thought it was nice and somehow always liked it better than BG2, maybe because it wasn't as epic and because it has full party generation.

But BGII does have full party generation. Just start a multiplayer session, create all 6 characters, start game, save, copy the save to the single player save folder.

What's more - playing that way (with difficulty set to maximum and possibly adding some increased difficulty mods) is the way to have most fun with it. Unless you're one of those weird people that believe the party banter to be fun and romances well written.

As for the OT. I think that ID is worth it if you can stomach the IE combat mechanics and boring character system, because they're as bad as in first BG (not even character kits from BGII are there, sorry). The atmosphere and visuals are really nice, looting and difficult battles satisfying. I never liked II, the first one was simply enough for me.

 

[Serious_Business]

Mediocre games for mediocre men

 

[Black_Willow]

Not much of BG2 mage duels? It's a pitty then.

I really liked those hard as fuck but insanely intense party vs party fightings, like the Twisted Rune guys and the fight getting Celestial Fury. Anything similarly challenging in IWD2?

The Holy Avenger fight in IWD2 is a lot like this.

Oh yeah, this fight was a majestic rape. I spent three days trying to beat it.

 

[Marquess Cornwallis]

Icewind Dale was the only IE game I skipped back when it was released. I played IWD2, didn't like it all that much at the time and never came back to the original game. Then, a few weeks ago, I was looking for a simple but fun dungeon crawler that lends itself well to being played for short stretches between work. I got the IWD complete edition from GOG and it's hard to say whether it's because it has been such a long time since I played an IE RPG or because there have been precious few good dungeon crawlers released in between, but I'm now about halfway through the first expansion and loving it.

 

[Hegel]

It's pretty fun. Play it, nice ambient and sound.

 

[circ]

IWD 2 is the only one I've tried. It chugs along decently until you get to this ice temple, with pretty much continuous unimaginative combat up to that point, then it's all downhill from there with inane puzzle after inane puzzle after that and the story going full retard.

 

[chzr]

yes if you'd like to play dungeon crawler in infinity engine

 

[Admiral jimbob]

My main beef with trying this series is that Infinity Engine combat is shit. BG2 already has just about more of it than I can stand, I don't think I want to play a hack-and-slash on the same engine.

 

[Phelot]

I don't mind IE combat. Sure it's missing a lot of things that probably should be there, but I always found it to be fun. Kind of like a RTS in a way.

As others have said, the style, art, sound, and music are also a major plus if such things matter to you.

 

[Shannow]

IWD is a decent dungeoncrawler in the IE. IWD2 is a great dungeoncrawler in the IE.
IWD2 has some small-scale but decent C&C, decent to good dialogue, the best UI of all IE-games, 3rd ed rules (which I consider better than 2nd ed. Lack of cheese and certain spells not withstanding) and great encounter design. Many (most) battles pit you against varied enemies (eg: shaman + sorceror + 3 meleers + 2 archers). And it's far more challenging than eg. KotC. It suffers from a few bugs (music not playing, Improved Initiative doesn't work, etc) but none are game-breaking or overly bothersome.

I'd suggest both to anybody who doesn't mind IE games or dungeoncrawlers. But fuck, why do kids nowadays not simply try games instead of making threads asking whether they should try them...