RPGVault posted their First Impressions of Icewind Dale 2 today. Two pages, nicely written. Here's an excerpt:
The gameplay in Icewind Dale II, as in its predecessor, is heavily combat-oriented. Within moments of entering Targos, you will be beset by a howling troop of monsters. However, Black Isle has taken great pains to provide at least some experience and rewards for players who role-play their characters, and this is reflected in the myriad of ways to achieve various early quest goals. For example, a warehouse is mysteriously overrun by the invading goblins that have somehow gotten inside the town walls. A guard stands outside and warns your party away. However, given enough chatting, encouragement or intimidation, you can bypass him before being given authorization to clear out the interlopers, which garners your heroes an experience point bonus. It is immediately evident then that the development team has pushed the scripting and questing elements to a new level. The writer states furthermore that he is quite impressed by the game... |