Icewind Dale II - Reception

Reception

Icewind Dale II reached sixth on the NPD PC games sales chart in the last week of August 2002, and climbed to fourth during the first week of September. Icewind Dale II's reception was generally positive. Game Informer hailed it as, "one of the best RPGs ever released for the PC," and Gamespot called it, "simply a great role-playing game." However, PC Format said, "it's uninspired and uninspiring, giving itself a narrow remit and fulfilling that unspectacularly." Certain reviewers compared Icewind Dale II to Neverwinter Nights. IGN said, " the pace of IWD2 is more varied, its balance better, the gameplay more interesting," and Game Informer considered the interface superior to that of Neverwinter Nights. PC Format said, "in the light of Neverwinter Nights in particular, there’s little that stands out in Icewind Dale II to recommend it," and PC Zone said, "it's not the BG2 killer we had all hoped for and neither does it stack up to Neverwinter Nights."

Many reviewers praised the game's combat and pacing. G4 called the game's combat "sublime," and said that "no Infinity Engine game thus far has had such interesting and intricate tactical combat." Gamespot called it "expertly paced." PC Zone complained that certain gameplay mechanics had become outdated, but that "the only real downer is the antiquated spell system and the inexplicable necessity to rest after every fight." The game was also praised for its implementation of the Third Edition rules and interface. Computer Gaming World said that "IWD II has the Third Edition rules down, and in no other place in the game is it more apparent than with character development," and PC Gamer said it had "a dazzling implementation of the D&D 3rd Edition rules." Gamespot called the interface "a big improvement on the spread-out interface of all previous Infinity Engine games," and IGN said that "the customization improvements to the interface that seem so natural, they make you wonder why they weren't thought of before." Game Informer called the interface "absolutely inspired" and its inventory system "second to none."

The game was criticized for its graphics and engine, which reviewers considered to be outdated. G4 called the engine "old" and "clunky", and PC Format said that "the whole thing is limited by the creaking engine." However, certain sources praised the engine. Game Informer called it "the best role-playing engine that has ever been invented," and Gamespot said that "'immortal' may be a better word to describe the engine, because the fact is, Icewind Dale II plays great." In regards to the graphics, Gamespot said that "in many ways Icewind Dale II represents the best use of the Infinity Engine's prerendered, isometric settings to date, that doesn't change the fact that Icewind Dale II generally looks dated." IGN thought the sprites had become out-dated, and that "the animations are crude by today's standards." However, Computer Gaming World believed that "it consistently offers the same striking and imaginative environments that establish the tone and immersive charm of the game," and Computer Games Magazine said, "it may not look like much, but it's got it where it counts." The game's pre-rendered backgrounds received praise. IGN said that "the artwork is attractive, both conceptually and in its final form," and Game Informer called them "beautiful". Many reviewers complained about the game's pathfinding AI, which PC Zone called "outrageously bad."

Game Informer called the writing and story "on par with any fantasy novel." PC Gamer said it had "some of the richest and most enjoyable dialogue since Planescape Torment," and an "impressive storyline." Gamespot called the story "engrossing," and said that "the game is very well written, offering up a number of strong characters and serious themes." PC Zone noted that, "thanks to the excellent NPCs, the battles have a lot more meaning, as there is a strong storyline behind the endless hacking and slashing." PC Format thought that "IDII also suffers, like its predecessor, from a story irrevocably weakened by anonymous central characters – the six you create." In regards to the audio, Gamespot said that "Inon Zur does a truly fantastic job that's perhaps even better than Soule's effort in the original Icewind Dale," and that "the voice acting in Icewind Dale II is as great as you've perhaps come to expect from a Black Isle Studios role-playing game." Computer Gaming World said that " sound effects, music, and voiceovers are all excellent."

Allen Rausch, writing for GameSpy's 2004 retrospective "A History of D&D Video Games", "While nobody would mistake it for "2002 RPG of the Year" material, Black Isle Studios managed to give the Infinity engine a terrific game as its swan song."