Best game to hit PS2 so far...

If your a fan of the Baldur's Gate series for the PC, this title will be something new and enjoyable to experience. If your new to the Baldur' Gate series, and are wondering what the hoopla is all about, this is the game to play. Baldur's Gate is probably the most popular RPG series for the PC, and now Snowblind and Dark Isle studios brings the series to the PS2.

First thing you'll notice about this game is the amazing graphics, which are by far the best the PS2 has to offer so far. Everything is real-time, nothing is pre-rendered in this game which is why it looks so good. Unlike other PS2 games, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance features anti-aliasing to the fullest. Tired of seeing jaggy edges in other PS2 games? Well look no more, because they are non-existent in this title. The lighting/special spells are truly remarkable, and need to been seen to believe. The characters cast real-time shadows as well, which is another neat thing. The characters themselves, and also the bad guys, are highly polygon and detailed. In fact, some creatures in the game are made up of 20,000 thousand polygons. Graphically, this game will deliver. After viewing its glory, it will make you wish all PS2 games look like it.

The controls are pretty simple and quick to get used to. The circle button is used for magic spells, triangle to jump, square for action ex. talk, open doors, and X is used for normal attack. R1 button is used to block, R2 used to refill your health, L1 is the auto map, and L2 is to refill your magic( mana). The D-pad toggles between the different spells that you have, and the left analog stick moves the players. The right analog stick rotates the camera. The select button is used to go into your inventory where you can equip weapons, clothing, spells and such.

If you are familiar with the Diablo series for the PC, this title somewhat plays the same, only that your aren't clicking the mouse button everytime. Because of this, some might feel the gameplay is repeative. Its your basic hack and slash game basically. If you like Diablo, this game will fit right up your ally. If you never played Diablo, this game is worth the try. One of the best features this game has is the cooperative 2 player mode, where you and a friend play the story mode together. This really adds to the replay and fun factor value of the game. During the game, you will pick up bottles of red and blue mana, with the blue for magic, and the red for health. In the up left corner is your health, magic and experience status.

The story is pretty good, and with the characters having voice overs, its even better. Speaking of voices, the game has some of the best acting in it. During the game, you character might say stuff when they killed or killing a creature, very cool.

The sound in the game is pretty well down, from the special effects to the characters voice overs. The creatures, or monsters so to speak, also have pretty authentic sounds to them, like the rats and skeletons when the break apart. Explosions, to boxes exploding, to the sound of the fire spells, its all pretty well done. The thing that lacks a little bit is the music department. From the music you do hear its pretty good, but you'll wish it was louder and more frequent.

Those worried about this game being short won't have to worry about this game. On average, it will take about 20-25 hours to complete on the first try.

Overall, this game is a really good game. It has, literally, perfect graphics, story, and control. The gameplay is up in the air into whether you will like it or not. If your not too sure, read popular game site reviews like from IGN or Gamespot, or rent the game if your not too sure. Its a game that shouldn't be passed over though.