Why should I play IWD?

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Well, as the tittle says: 'Why should I play IWD?'.

I've seen this game praised in numerous threads, which had me wonder why it was praised so. I bought this game years back, but never got further into the game than the mill thingie where you slay goblins (I think they are Goblins); iirc it's the second area after leaving the little fishing town wherein you start. For some reason I got bored and simply just never returned to the game. After reaching halfway into IWD2, and thinking this game sucks, I guess I just sort of ditched IWD along with it, as I thought it quality-wise wouldn't have much more to offer (I'm here talking about plot, dialogue, RP possibilities. Not rule sets or animations).

So please do tell me why you think this game is great, 'cus I sure wouldn't want to miss out on anything that I could possibly wound up liking (like I almost did with PS:T - another game that I ditched quickly, but now love wholeheartedly!).

 

I play IWD, and IWD2 for exploring only. I love to explore the new places. It doesn't hold a candle to BG and BG2 for me because it doesn't have banter. I love to mix my party to get lots of banter, even if they are pissing each other off they are talking.

I do like to mess around with all the different weapons in the game (IWD), to see their graphics, watch how much butt they can kick, and just see what they can do. I geuss thats probably why I cheat so much, I like to see use all the cool weapons and armor, and you can't find them all with normal game play. I played to where you have twice before I ever went on, and I personally think the game got better after that. I haven't finished a game yet because I lost my last party well into the game with a PC crash and haven't gotten back to it yet. I don't know if all this rambling tells you what you want to know, but I tried to help.

 

Just play it !
The game is just plain fun.

There are not that many options, as the story is very linear. The dialogue is fun most of the time, and if you like a good battle, you won't be dissapointed.

But *don't* play this game for the linear plot (it hardly exists ), just play it for fun and exploration

I play this game over and over, simply because I love the atmosphere. And the music is so COOL

[ February 07, 2006, 14:25: Message edited by: Lynadin ]

 

IWD is a great game.

-Exploring new places and battling different monsters.

-Random loot system. Game spawns different treasure loots with unique items.

-'Cool' atmosphere of Ice Wind Dale region. (brr chilly)

-The plot is nice though, even better than IWD2, but it is told very slowly, and you don'T have a clue to real goings till last episodes. this is fun as it keeps the mystery, who is enemy, what is his planning?

-Have you read IWD books? Remember Crenshinibon? (ugh I definitely mistyped that) the game's plot has it! Cool!

-Create your own party. For increased fun, go for less than 6 members party, or even solo! You can not do this in IWD2, thanks to annoying 3E dynamic XP system, but IWD uses pure and good 2E.

-Start from lowest levels to uber levels!

-If you have HoW, and ToLM, the fun never ends! I don't have them, I am so sorry!

-Pure hack-slash fun, BUT harder battles will require your strategy!

Try to create a party with a theme, a history of some sorts. Think about their relationship and reaction to one another. Who is the leader and why? Is he/she so brave? Charismatic? So wise? Or only the most powerful? Who likes whom most and will endanger his/her life for the sake of the other; or will not bother to do anything for the hated party member? Mixed alignments are nice to have.

Example:
A LG paladin, a NG cleric/mage, a CN thief/x, and a CE necromancer.

NG cleric wants thief and necromancer in the party to redeem them to the good, and is sure that as long as they are in the party, he will prevent them from doing any great evil; infact they will have to do good things most of the time as Paladin and cleric are the leader(s) of the group.

Paladin on the other hand, pities the thief and tries to teach him the 'ways to law' but finds the necromancer very disturbing and were not the kind and benevolent cleric/mage who persuades him otherwise, he will kick necromancer very bad.

Thief , being CN, does not bother. he likes cleric/mage as he behaves kinD enough to him, but finds the paladin really boring as he always keeps telling him righteous stuff which the thief does not understand. Thief finds the necromancer very horrid and tries to stay away from him as much as possible. He likes being in the party as he accumulates more weakth this way.

Necromancer, he hates everybody but feels like he has no chance but to be in the group for now. As if he were free from the group, he knows he can't survive the harsh IWD region. The group offers him good protection and a chance to increase his prowess, and gives him plenty of targets to train his foul art. He does not care the victims of his magic being the usual evil creatures for now. He really hates the paladin, finds the thief utterly useless and annoying, and though he has a limited respect for the kind, wise and smart C/M, he does not feel any love for anybody.

Those sort of things open up new RP ways. Necro may launch a skulltrap where Pally was meleeing enemies, and when the Pally is injured too he may just say :'Sorry!' Or the paladin may not want to use his healing abilities on the necromancer unless the cleric kindly wants him to do so.

Just imagine that sort of things. Make couples, married ones, lovers, renegades, hated/loved party members, the ones who hate each other, etc. etc. These make up for the lack of the banter. YOU, as the player, have the power to make those things, it is your game, your party. Give your characters personalities and bios! Don't think about them as only power-house PCs created in a few minutes. OK?

Meh, I love this game!

 

Well said, Silverstar, I can only agree.

 

I have to agree with Silverstar this is a great game when I first bought this game a friend of mine (in the Army) borrowed it just to see what it was like, I never saw it again, he did send me the money to buy a new one though.

It is very linear compared to BG1 and 2, there are few side quests and you can't really change your party members with people you meet and there's no banter, but don't let that stop you. This was the first great D&D cRPG it paved the way for BG and for that reason alone you should play it.

Play and Enjoy.

 

Okay, I'm slowly turning to the dark side . One thing remains unanswered though, and that is my concerns regarding the dialogue... IWD2 has ever so crappy dialogues (imho), and that was a major turn-off for me. So, how good are the dialogues in IWD? I can't recall the few ones I experienced when I played...

 

You played only the tutorial (sorta) parts of IWD. What dialogue could you expect from a fisher men town or a bunch of goblinoids?

It gets better to the end. For example, the dialogues with the main villain (you fight him twice) are all fun, I was able to out-smart him in the dialgue as he kept denying the fact with the Crenshinibon and...err no spoilers for ya!

Other dialogues with other bad guys are great, especially in the final (HUGE) chapter, you have many ways to deal with some, some actually threaten you, force you to do something, and one even tricked me via dialogue, he was THAT sinister! I was utterly shocked, I thought I really intimaded him but then...well...Cool!

Definitely play it to the end, it is worth it! And give us feedback! OK?

 

Who gives a **** about the dialogue? IWD is one of the best tactical RPGs I've ever seen, and what's better, it's 2e! I tell ya, when I get done with my current (and first through IWD) BoM party, I'm going to start taking some of my PnP parties through. I can only imagine how hard it's going to be for my all-fighter party; I'll probably have to dual one or both of the humans to get thieving skills and maybe some magic...

 

I'll go against the flow and say this is my least favourite of the IE games. Yes, I even like IWD2 better! (not by that much though)

It's a fun hack and slash game really, and as others have said the exploration part is fun. It does get boring though, in many spots.

Regarding dialogs, they're not very good when they do occur, and the poor voice acting doesn't help. However you hardly have to worry about that, because there's so little dialog anyway

I do like IWD2 for the ability to go through many areas with little or no fighting. In IWD1 you are forced to slaughter everything in your path. Also, this is the most claustrophobic modern CRPG I've played: 90% of the game (maybe more) is all underground. I've not felt so oppressed since playing Ultima Underworld 2!!

The music is excellent, one of the best in a computer game, but unfortunately you don't get to hear it much, and end up going through most of the game with nothing but ambient sounds.

The last chapter is the best one. It's the only non-linear part of the game, and it's the only one that allows you to do things in more than one way. It's still standard "slaughter everyone and anything" fare though.

My personal opinion, of course. YMMV. It's not a bad game, far from it, but it's not great either, and really doesn't shine in terms of originality or writing.

@Darkstrider: Actually both BG and PST are older, and both are miles better, so that eliminates your reason for playing it

 

I like IWD more than BG1 and BG2, because:

- You can create a party in IWD while in BG you are limited to the few NPCs with the proper reputation.

- You don't have to bear ugly party members because you need thieves or spellcasters.

- You don't have to bear annoying crying like "Our actions are not those of warriors bold" because your heroic deeds raised your reputation above 18.

- You don't have to search hours in the city maps just to find a certain location.

- You don't loose party members or become neutral evil just because you chose an option the developers didn't like.

- IWD doesn't have unfair fighting situations like the BG games. You actually have a chance to beat the game without reloading or spoilers.

- You don't have that much mage cheese.

- IWD is more linear, that's an advantage.
You don't miss half the game if you play without walkthrough or against the plot and the difficulty is not so unbalanced.

- IwD doesn't have such a depressing dark athmosphere

 

The IWD games are more about combat than the BG games. Not to say that the BG games are lacking in combat, but all their combat is somewhat balanced with all of the party banter and dialogs.

If party banter and dialogs are your primary reason for playing, then perhaps IWD1 or 2 won't be your thing. But if you really like the battles and building new and different parties to test them in combat and trying out new weapons, spells, and tactics, then maybe the IWD games are for you.

 

Agreed with Crusis.

IWD1/2 is more about combat, tactics, and party setup. than BG1/2. And weaker on the rolepalying stuff.

It is just a matter of taste. I happen to like a bit of both, and i find IWD games to be better replay than BG games for some reason.

 

After about four years I decided to install IWD again. I've played IWD through twice (with full party and solo) earlier. Then I went heavily on BG2 and been playing it since, countless of times, with mods, solo, good party/evil party- you name it.

Anyway, to the point. When I started IWD with threesome party I noticed to my great suprise that I enjoyed it a lot! Lack of those same old dialogues (which I click through in BG/BG2 without even reading them because I know them inside out) was relieving. I realized that those endless familiar banters in BG- series became some sort of burden to me.

So, give it a shot Oli. You might like it.

And don't get me wrong, BG is still number One for me, but atleast for a change IWD has it's place. And the music is AWESOME!

... and sorry my bad english, I have difficulties to express myself with it. I hope you get my point...

 

I like how there are so many different races and how your mages can use weapons. It makes total mage parties all the more fun.

 

So Olim, have you decided to give it a try? Or all our efforts were in vain?

 

Olimikrig, I have one word: Kuldahar. It's probably the single most awesome spot in all of Faerun My little rant aside, Icewind Dale is all about the atmosphere via the setting, whereas the more acclaimed BG and BG2 games are about atmosphere via the characters. Sure, the BG's have awesome graphics and creative ruins, but they don't give the same feeling of exploration you get from Icewind Dale. I mean, who is going to remember Nalia's keep? But The Severed Hand? The Vale of Shadows? The briliance of the atmosphere of Icewind Dale revolves around the epic/legendary status of the enviornment you explore, yet the lack of the spic status of your character. In BG and BG2, your characer is so epic that wherever you go becomes legendary just because of your presence. In Icewind Dale, your characters are nothing special, their actions speaking for themselves. Also, Icewind Dale gives more of a feeling of being on your own in the dangerous world. In BG and BG2, you travel between cities, with constant havens from the villans. In Icewind Dale, all you have is Kuldahar, the rest (for the most part) is threatening and almost dark, conveying the feeling that everywhere you turn there will be an enemy. Also, as said before, the music is awesome.

 

@Olim haven't you started yet ?

 

Yes! deepfae you have done a wonderful job at sumarizing the whole experience of IWD1/2. You said exactly what i was thinking but in a greater way!
IWD is all about exploring and tactics. There is this feeling after you finish the game, that you've seen the best of this world and fought the best also. I got this more from IWD2 though then from IWD1. 2 just had more exciting places to be honest. Who can forget Dragon's Eye? Or Black Raven Monastery or the Severed Hand? And it's all about Kuldahar! When i first arrived in Kuldahar i was amazed, i mean the atmosphere was so great! I remember watching the map when i was in Dragon's Eye and it was showing places and towns i've passed through and i was amazed, it seemed like an epic journey, like right there and then i was on top of the world. BG1/2 lacks this. I don't think back and remeber the place i've been. It doesn't seem like a huge journey against all odds. In BG you remember different things (i admitt there is a downside to not having NPCs... Some good ol' banter is always fun, and watching them establish relations is just amazing!). Also, IWD lacks in the story department, at least compared to the BG series, but then again what doesn't lack when compared to The Saga?
I just don't understand how people that have played and keep playing the BG games haven't played teh IWD games. It also goes for P:T

And besides that, to be honest, you can't call the IWD series H&S... If IWD is H&S than what the heck is Diablo or Dungeon Siege? IWD is just battle oriented. You can't just go heads-first in battles, you've got to have tactics in IWD. And there is tones more interaction and NPCs than in H&S. I have to admitt that it was IWD that thought me tactics in AD&D games. In IWD i was forced to use buffs and the really cools spells as i now call them (not just Fireball, Fireball, Cone of Cold, Prismatic Spray 'till everyone is dead).
To me BG and IWD are complementary. The Infinity engine has "spawned" only great RPGs.

 

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in my feelings about the IWD series