Icewind Dale 2 Complete

I've only played 80% of the game so far, but IMHO it is fairly tedious and unimaginative in comparison with Baldur's Gate, Planescape, Fallout, and even Arcanum. The story is just a thin pretext for more grinding - to the point that it at one stage sends you back to a level you have already completed, and asks you to re-clear it on an entirely unrelated pretext. Only one or two of the battles are really entertaining. Most of your time will be spent in the inventory screen!

Let's forget about ToEE and PoE for a second. This game is the ending of a beautiful Infinity Engine series, and convinces with its creative storytelling, amazing sound and music design and game mechanics that are capable of reflecting the depth and the strategic components of a decent board-game adventure. It's a tribute to the RPG-masters at Black Isle and their style of storytelling. As a well-polished Infinity Engine game with its render-backgrounds, character menus apparently carved from stone and no cutscenes, it is a game to get used to. It's not like a tower-defense, or a latter day Might and Magic, it won't bore you with offensive tactics or long tutorials. You are thrown into battle, without so much as a warning. And that is what makes it special: You aren't well prepared, you aren't chosen by the gods to do their dirty work: You are a hired goon, and the game builds on that premiss. All other factors that make games good for me (sound design, music repertoire and mechanics) play into the story. Much like the simplistic menu design, the weather animation, sound design and music convey sorrow, everlasting winter and helplessly hopeless conditions all around. The atmosphere is unique and, as the game reaches the last chapters, unfolds its entire potential. The mechanics are similar: They work, you can see the cogs turning, and cannot blame broken game mechanics for your inevitable failure, and will try to keep you on your toes. If you are like me, a sucker for well arranged games, in which every major segment has its part and works with everything else, then this will be an experience, a true adventure, a holiday from Dragon Age or Bloodborne with their respectable, but not at all astonishing level design.

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/87952/icewind-dale-2-enhanced-edition-is-released/p1 In a bit of context, the Source of Icewind Dale 2 was lost in the entire "fall of Interplay" debacle. So, as is what happens to most projects like this, it falls to a small team of modders to come in like heroes and save the day. They rebuilt the game from the ground up, so they deserve some respect

I'm not very good at these Infinity Engine D & D games but I do like them a lot. I think I prefer the more straightforward, hack 'n' slash direction that the Icewind Dale games offer as opposed to the story driven Baldur's Gate games. Sometimes a good story just means too much tiny text for my lazy modern gamer eyes to handle. Just let me click on monsters and make them die. Despite my many hours playing IWD and BG, I still haven't got a clue as to how best to utilize my magic classes. So many spells and options, there needs to be a tutorial in-game to help us dummies learn all the intricacies of each class. If, like me, you can't be bothered with learning what the heck "THAC0" means or dislike reading in-game tomes filled with lore, you might prefer the excellent arcade-style RPG Nox to this. That said, there still nothing more satisfying than finally getting through each one of the many tough battles that Icewind Dale will throw at you.

After playing this game for 16 years on and off, I finally just finished it now. Icewind Dale 2 is the last of the Infinity Engine era and a masterpiece in its own right. For its time it was the pinnacle of polish and a welcome sendoff. Luckily, I now know that I wasn't alone in wanting more of these and isometric crpgs have made a comeback with Pillars of Eternity etc... So the game: create your own party and save the 10 towns in an adventure that took me way over 50 hours altogether. In terms of content, without having to buy DLC etc, this game is chock full. Great story, wonderfully written dialogue and very fun combat. At the end you look back at all you've seen and really think you've been through an epic adventure which you created yourself with your personal band of adventurers. Tip: If you want a richer experience with a talking party that banter back and forth with each other, check out the IWD2 NPC project, which mods in a party like in Baldur's Gate. In short, an unreserved recommendation for crpg lovers, both on and off sale. A classic that I will never forget.