Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn Preview

Large numbers of exotic creatures will make tourist trips to Amn interesting for any player. Should you come across a random encounter, or a lair of one of the 230 hideous monsters, you might feel inclined to dispatch it. The combat preserves the "feel" it had in the original, whilst providing designs that are more elaborate and brimming with eye candy. There are 300 new spells included in the game, so you can cast anything from simple, level one spells, right up to level nines of supernatural death. More weapons have been included and Magic weapons, unique weapons and power items will be available.

A special influence on the game derives from the sidekicks that join your party. They are many, of which some are old, but the majority are new. BioWare collected information on the popularity of NPCs in the original, and simply carried them over to the sequel. The new NPCs, however, are developed in a very creative fashion. Here are two examples:

Mazzy Fentan (lawful good, halfling female, fighter) is the leader of a band of adventurers that hail from the Amnish town of Trademeet, a group that has gained no small degree of reputation for itself over the past several years. Mazzy, herself, is the nearest thing to a paladin that a halfling can aspire to. She is a Truesword in the service of the hafling goddess of war, Arvoreen, and both her valiance and honor are unquestioned. Mazzy and her group were last reported to be venturing to the Umar Hills and have not been seen since.

Haer'Dalis (HARE-dah-leece) Haer'Dalis (chaotic neutral, tiefling male, blade) is a rarity in this plane - he has the blood of a fiend within his ancestry, giving him an unusual appearance and an aura that makes "primes" (dwellers of the Prime Material Plane) nervous. The bard makes up for this with his wit and charm, having crossed the planes with a fellow group of troubadours who have set up a temporary home in a new playhouse beneath the Five Flagons Inn in the Bridge District of Athkatla. The playhouse has garnered accolades since its opening, although the tiefling himself has recently been curiously absent.

We are eagerly anticipating these, and a bunch of other characters from the AD&D fantasy to appear in the game. Some of them, like Drizzt Do'Urden and Elminster are "guest starring" for the second time. There's even a buzz that Drizzt will react to your character depending on how you treated him in the original (Think hard. Did you kill him, rob him, or simply chat with him?), but that's probably a rumor. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a game yours truly has been (in)patiently waiting for, all year long. Only a couple of weeks more, and I won't be getting out for at least 300 hours... Dad, get my magic-portable-fridge-full-of-greasy-junk-food survival kit ready... I'm heading down to the basement to play a game...