icewind dale
Latest
Six Bioware classics are coming to consoles this fall
A collection of classic BioWare roleplaying games will be arriving on consoles later this year. Physical and digital copies of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate ll and Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment will all arrive in stores on September 24th in North America. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will be available on December 3rd. All of the titles will be available for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition calls RPG fans to yesterdecade
Dungeons & Dragons fans can now expand their game-based inventory with Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, a reworked version of 2000's classic role-playing game from Black Isle Studios. Adventurers can take a trip down Enhanced Edition's ice-slicked memory lane on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam, iOS using the App Store, or Android through Google Play. The mobile versions are available for $9.99, while the Steam version is going for $19.99. As its name suggests, Enhanced Edition has a few new features equipped compared to the original release, including dozens of new spells and items, more than 30 new kits and classes, and content that was cut from the original release. Enhanced Edition also supports cross-platform multiplayer and includes the Heart of Winter expansion, as well as its Trials of the Luremaster add-on. Update: This article has been edited to reflect the Steam version's $19.99 price tag. [Image: Beamdog]
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition now available for pre-order
Having already enhanced both Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2, developer Beamdog now sets its sights on another Dungeons & Dragons Infinity Engine classic, Icewind Dale. "It is now official, Icewind Dale:Enhanced Edition is available for pre-order on Beamdog," reads a tweet from Trent Oster, creative director on the aforementioned Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. Those who follow Oster's tweet to the game's website will find a brand new pre-order page for Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition that reveals a few key details. Like its predecessors, Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition will appear on PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices, and will feature a purchase price of $20. Unfortunately, Beamdog has yet to decide on a release date for Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, though in the meantime, prospective players can learn all about the various tweaks and improvements Beamdog has planned for the roleplaying classic by visiting this page. [Image: Beamdog]
Neverwinter's heroic encounters bring dynamic events to Icewind Dale
Neverwinter's Module 3 is on track to release tomorrow, and with it arrives a new type of quest for the game: heroic encounters. Cryptic put up an overview of heroic encounters today, calling these quests "challenging" and "exciting." They sound an awful lot like other MMO's dynamic events, as these variable-sized public quests will spawn on the landscape with different types of tasks. Some of the encounters will require more than one party to complete, and the biggest ones for each map will begin only about every 90 minutes. Rewards from heroic encounters include profession assets, Black Ice, weapons, and consumables.
Neverwinter will make players choose between mercenaries
When Icewind Dale arrives with Neverwinter's Module 3, players will have a difficult decision to make: whether to join up with the Ten-Towners or the Arcane Brotherhood. In a new post, Cryptic explains that these two groups are at conflict with each other in the effort to collect the precious Black Ice. Ten-Towners want the Ice for profit and for those who have lived in the north, while the Arcane Brotherhood desires the substance to increase its members' knowledge. Once a group is chosen, that faction will deliver daily contracts that the player can take up. By repeating the dailies, players can earn enough Black Ice to create a new armor set. Players shouldn't fret too much about their choice, as their allegiance can change on a daily basis with no penalty. Cryptic will also be introducing account shared banks with the module to help pass items between characters with ease. Module 3 arrives on May 13th.
Neverwinter's Icewind Dale PvP factions detailed
Neverwinter's forthcoming Curse of Icewind Dale module will introduce two factions to the free-to-play fantasy MMO. Players will receive contracts from either the Ten-Towners or the Arcane Brotherhood and will subsequently be sent to collect black ice and fight monsters on behalf of their factional choice. In the process, adventurers will encounter players from the opposing faction in what Cryptic says is "a more developed PvP progression path for players who are seeking an alternative to the standard PvE content in Neverwinter." Cryptic's latest website update refers to Neverwinter's PvP as "open-world," and you can read more details via the links below.
Neverwinter's next expansion heads to Icewind Dale
The name Icewind Dale conjures a lot of fond memories for fans of both the Forgotten Realms and turn-of-the-century RPGs. Fortunately for both groups, Cryptic and Perfect World are returning to the iconic locale in Neverwinter's next expansion. Module 3: Curse of Icewind Dale is slated to release "later this spring," according to a news blurb on Cryptic's Arc website. Players can expect "new PvE content," new features, and "completely different ways to PvP." The Neverwinter dev team has released a brief preview trailer for Module 3, and you'll find it behind the break.
Jukebox Heroes: Guild Wars Prophecies
What's that, you say? A cheap tie-in, you say? Oh, pish posh. It just so happens that I appreciate the rich oeuvre of Jeremy Soule, and the alignment of the planets is... OK, it's a cheap tie-in. I can't help it; Guild Wars has been on my mind this past week, and since the full Guild Wars 2 soundtrack has yet to ship for DirectSong, this will do. Besides, as we well know, music doesn't age at the same pace as games. So why not hit up a soundtrack for the first Guild Wars while we dive into the sequel? At the risk of understatement, I think it's safe to say Jeremy Soule is somewhat well-known in the field of gaming. As a composer, he's tackled projects like Knights of the Old Republic, Icewind Dale, and the last three Elder Scrolls titles. In the Guild Wars community, he is the voice of the musical soul of the game. His compositions are the stuff of heaven: full, ethereal, dreamy. It's almost impossible to separate Soule's work on Guild Wars: Prophecies from the game, especially for those who played Prophecies extensively since its 2005 release. I'll be eager to digest and report on his newest work when it arrives, but until then, let's sample the highlights of his first foray into Tyria.
Beamdog interested in Icewind Dale, pending Baldur's Gate success
Beamdog hasn't even released Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition, and you're already clamoring for Icewind Dale? Slow down there, pardner! It turns out that Beamdog is just as keen on tackling Black Isle's other Dungeons & Dragons RPG, which runs on the same engine as Baldur's Gate. Beamdog head Trent Oster noted on Twitter that the subject of Icewind Dale "has come up a number of times" and the company is "interested" in pursuing the project.That said, the possibility depends on the success of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. Though the project isn't officially in the works yet, Oster told a Twitter user that Icewind Dale would likely run on Beamdog's existing codebase, and thus would support all classes and kits available in the Baldur's Gate 2 "Throne of Bhaal" expansion.Finally, when asked if Beamdog would consider trying its hand at taking on the Ultima series, another old-school favorite, Oster said the company approached EA about the idea. "They told us no thanks."
Obsidian's Avellone on breaking into the industry
Over at Penny Arcade, Obsidian co-founder Chris Avellone has some advice for aspiring game designers. A creative force behind RPG classics Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale and the upcoming Neverwinter Nights 2, Avellone is always an entertaining read. He values persistence, practical experience, and attention to detail over academic background. And if you want to be a writer, a sense of humor doesn't hurt, either. Just make sure your email address isn't SuperMageCockLord@yourmomma.com. Chris will explain why.See also: NWN mod creator on Atari, Infinite Dungeons Obsidian's Urquhart: happy thoughts on KoTOR 3
