A highly satisfying dungeon crawl.
Dark Alliance takes the D&D rules and simplifies them to make an easily accessible console game which can also appeal to players not very familiar with RPGs. You get to choose between three different characters: A fighter, an archer and a sorceress. The game begins as your character of choice enters the city of Baldur's Gate. Not ten seconds after entering the city, muggers knock you down and steal all your belongings. From there, you must hunt down the thieves, and as you do, you'll uncover - as one usually does in video games - a sinister plot.
The graphics are simple but effective. I'm very late in playing Dark Alliance, and having played some more recent Xbox games (from 2005), I can see that Dark Alliance is very obviously an early Xbox title. There might not be as many fancy effects like there are in Fable or Jade Empire, but it still looks good. The design of the various environments and enemies are excellent and of great variety. Some might think that most of the characters on screen are a bit on the small side, but once you see some of the oversized enemies, it'll definitely put things into perspective.
Sound-wise, Dark Alliance is great. Jeremy Soule, whose other credits include games like Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights, has done a fantastic job as usual. The cast feature some great names, most of which will be well known to gamers, like Cam Clark and Jennifer Hale. Fans of the Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings movies will also recognise the name John Rhys-Davies, who plays a small part in the early stages of the game.
There are a few unlockables in the game. Once you've completed the game, you can try the Gauntlet, where you get to play the popular Forgotten Realms character Drizzt Do'urden as you attempt to complete a dungeon in 15 minutes. If you do that, you unlock the Extreme difficulty setting. There is also a two-player cooperative mode, but I have not had the chance to try that.
In the 15-20 hours it'll take you to finish the game, you'll encounter lots of different enemies and environments as the game takes you into the sewers of Baldur's Gate and far beyond. The game designers have done a good job of constantly increasing the challenge, forcing you to be on your toes and not just go through the motions as you progress through the levels. It's a highly satisfying dungeon crawl, and a worthy addition to the collection of any action-RPG fan.