Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Hints VI (PS2)

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Vivendi Games for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Despite the cross platform release, it is surprisingly similar on all gaming devices.

The player must create a character, choosing from one of the three templates available. Vahn is a human being and an archer who relies on arcane magic. His main strengths are the ability to hit enemies from a distance and the stealth to escape difficult battles. Adrianna is an elf and a sorceress, which means that she relies on magical attacks and on spells. Kromlech is a dwarf and a fighter. He is the closest thing the game has to a regular RPG tank, a guy who can take a lot of damage while also dishing it out.

After one complete run through the game, you can also select the legendary Baldur's Gate character Drizzt Do'Urden, who is a drow and can fulfill the dual roles of ranger and of fighter. In melee battle, he wields his signature two scimitars.

The plot is pretty standard RPG fare, with a lot of conspiracies and some Beholder meddling thrown in for good measure. The player begins as a lowly character and advances throughout the game to be powerful enough to take on the drow and even the undead. There's a cliffhanger ending to the game which was necessary as a sequel was in development at the time the game was launched.

GAMEPLAY HINTS

Easy targeting with a ranged weapon

When you are using a ranged weapon like the crossbow, press the Right Analog-stick Forward, then rotate it around to aim, all the time leaving it on its furthest axis.

Safe stash

If you drop items in a place populated by friendly NPCs, some, if not all of the items dropped will be gone if you leave the screen and return later. However, items left in the company of enemies will always be there when you return.

Resurrection in multi-player mode

If a player dies during multi-player mode, the surviving player needs to go the previous save point then walk in the light surrounding the save point and the other player will be brought back. The character will be resurrected with all items, but at half hit points.

Here's the final Boss fight of the game: