Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
- November 24, 2000 14:47 PM PST
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Adventure fans can get ready for more epic RPG action, because Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is about to see the light of day.
Adventure fans can get ready for more epic RPG action, because Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is about to see the light of day.Set in the Forgotten Realms universe, Shadows of Amn returns to the land of the Sword Coast where the original Baldur's Gate took place. When the adventure begins, you find yourself imprisoned in a cage. You must find out who imprisoned you and why.
Of course, there will be hundreds of side quests for you to take on during your main journey. The most interesting of these sub-plots will allow your main character to earn a stronghold. These quests will be class specific, so a fighter will earn a keep, while a thief will gain access to a thieves' guild. It remains to be seen how these strongholds will affect gameplay, but the developers suggested that a wizard might be able to employ workers in his mage hall to create magic weapons and items.
Several characters from the original will be returning, including Imoen, Jaheira, and Minsc (along with his miniature giant space hamster friend Boo), and 70 new monster types, from Vampires to Beholders to Liches, have been added to the bestiary, bringing the total up to 130. Also, the spells have been increased from 130 in the original to a whopping 300 and now include more powerful priest and mage spells, such as Chain Lightning and Finger of Death.
BioWare has made many improvements to the game engine, the most notable being the ability to hide the interface at the press of a key, allowing players to see more of the game world. Resolutions up to 800x600 are now available and support for 3D accelerators will allow for plenty of fancy lighting and spell effects. The character AI could still use a little more improvement, though, as party members often have trouble maneuvering through tight passageways and have a tendency to wander off in completely different directions from the rest of the group.
In keeping with Black Isle's tradition of excellent soundtracks, Baldur's Gate II features an orchestral score that adds dramatic atmosphere to the already gripping gameplay. The graphics haven't changed much from the original, but the pre-rendered backgrounds are still some of the prettiest seen in any RPG. The engine has been improved to allow for larger monsters, including one particular fire-breathing enemy that takes up over half the screen.
It looks like fans of the original Baldur's Gate or anyone looking for an epic RPG adventure will have their hands full when Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn hits store shelves this September.
