General Gaming Move over fake Dark Alliance: The King has Returned - Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance coming to PS5, PS4, XSX/S and Switch this Friday

[Brian]

 

[Remarkableriots]

@ManUtdRedDevils It's coming to PS4 and PS4? That's insane! 

[Brian]

2 minutes ago, Remarkableriots said:

@ManUtdRedDevils It's coming to PS4 and PS4? That's insane! 

Corrected. Thanks 

[Paperclyp]

WHAT 

 

I dunno if it holds up but what a great game. I hope it’ll have cross generational online play? 

[GameDadGrant]

Interesting. What about the sequel?

[Kal-El814]

These games sully the good name of Baldur’s Gate, whatever.

[TheLeon]

24 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

These games sully the good name of Baldur’s Gate, whatever.

I’ve never played Dark Alliance, but I think I would really enjoy a watered down BG. Is that what it is?

[Kal-El814]

2 minutes ago, TheLeon said:

I’ve never played Dark Alliance, but I think I would really enjoy a watered down BG. Is that what it is?

 

I’m mainly joking. I like the DA games just fine. They’re very different from the BG RPGs; other than setting they don’t have much in common. The DA games are fun hack/slashers.

[AbsolutSurgen]

It was fun in the day, but I can't imagined that it has held up.

[XxEvil AshxX]

This game was my first experience with a dungeon crawler ARPG back on Gamecube.

 

So who owns Champions of Norrath nowadays? I mean, it was SOE but they sold them off years ago. Did they retain the IP? I want to say no, because Everquest was rumored to be going multiplat, though nothing ever came from it. Plus, the PS3 game from them was Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom which was pretty much the spiritual successor to Champions.

[Chairslinger]

1 hour ago, GameDadGrant said:

Interesting. What about the sequel?

 

 

 

Which sequel do you mean? It got kind of convoluted with the rights and different companies making different games. And they all mostly sucked. There was Dark Alliance II by Black Isle. It kept the name, but it was meh at best.

 

The "real" sequel to Dark Alliance was Champions of Norrath, imho. Didn't have the licensing, but it was made by Snowblind, the dev who made the original Dark Alliance. It "felt" like Dark Alliance and added a lot more content.

 

I think there was even a third game in there that got released because of licensing bullshit, but it was even worse than Dark Alliance II and 20 years later I can't remember it's name or the whole story about it's release.

 

If you are talking about Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 that have been remastered in recent years on PS4 and Switch, those are PC games that have little to do with the hack and slash ARPGs in the vein of Dark Alliance.

[nublood]

 Wow, out of nowhere. One of my favorite games of all time. And I’d love to replay the Champions games some day. But I’ll definitely replay this. Haven’t played this game in many years. Thanks for the heads up  

 

[GameDadGrant]

4 hours ago, Chairslinger said:

 

 

 

Which sequel do you mean? It got kind of convoluted with the rights and different companies making different games. And they all mostly sucked. There was Dark Alliance II by Black Isle. It kept the name, but it was meh at best.

 

The "real" sequel to Dark Alliance was Champions of Norrath, imho. Didn't have the licensing, but it was made by Snowblind, the dev who made the original Dark Alliance. It "felt" like Dark Alliance and added a lot more content.

 

I think there was even a third game in there that got released because of licensing bullshit, but it was even worse than Dark Alliance II and 20 years later I can't remember it's name or the whole story about it's release.

 

If you are talking about Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 that have been remastered in recent years on PS4 and Switch, those are PC games that have little to do with the hack and slash ARPGs in the vein of Dark Alliance.

Yeah I guess Dark Alliance II, then. I’ve never played either, despite owning both years ago. Thought maybe I could make up for it in HD, but seems like it will be the first one only.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Watch this outsell the new Dark Alliance

[Bacon]

1 minute ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

Watch this outsell the new Dark Alliance

I mean, the new games looks kinda bad now that you can really see the gameplay. I don't even like computer-ARPGs and I think I'd rather play this.

 

Also, it is fucking weird how ARPG can mean both shit like PoE and also Dragon's Dogma, and then shit like Tales of. 

[number305]

10 hours ago, Bacon said:

I mean, the new games looks kinda bad now that you can really see the gameplay. I don't even like computer-ARPGs and I think I'd rather play this.

 

Also, it is fucking weird how ARPG can mean both shit like PoE and also Dragon's Dogma, and then shit like Tales of. 

 

It is pretty disappointing what they did with that game.  I was very excited when it was announced... and now that you can see what they made I really wish they would have just put a generic name on it.  When it does not sell it will be a reason to not revisit Dark Alliance again for a long time.

[Greatoneshere]

So Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance will get a PC release (a no brainer) and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is on the table for a remastered re-release.

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-05-11-baldurs-gate-dark-alliance-2-re-release-on-the-table

 

Note, Dark Alliance was developed by Snowblind Studios (now defunct), who went on to make similar games Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest and Champions: Return of Arms. Dark Alliance II was developed by Black Isle Studios (responsible for these remasters - they made Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1+2). The game Evil Ash is mentioning is the Untold Legends trilogy of games, which was developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and is unconnected to either the Dark Alliance games or the Champions games.

[XxEvil AshxX]

59 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

So Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance will get a PC release (a no brainer) and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II is on the table for a remastered re-release.

 

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-05-11-baldurs-gate-dark-alliance-2-re-release-on-the-table

 

Note, Dark Alliance was developed by Snowblind Studios (now defunct), who went on to make similar games Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest and Champions: Return of Arms. Dark Alliance II was developed by Black Isle Studios (responsible for these remasters - they made Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1+2). The game Evil Ash is mentioning is the Untold Legends trilogy of games, which was developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and is unconnected to either the Dark Alliance games or the Champions games.

 

Yeah the Untold Legends game doesn't have anything to do with Champions. But if you play it, it's totally Champions.

 

Snowblind developed Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance for multiplat, then made Champions of Norrath and Champions II for SOE.

 

SOE published both the Champions series and the Untold Legends series and you can totally see the similarities.

 

The question still remains, does Daybreak Studios (formerly Sony Online Entertainment, which went indie) still own the Champions IP? I'd love a Champions remake or remaster. They were gonna make Everquest 3 once upon a time, so i would think so?

[Greatoneshere]

15 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

 

Yeah the Untold Legends game doesn't have anything to do with Champions. But if you play it, it's totally Champions.

 

Snowblind developed Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance for multiplat, then made Champions of Norrath and Champions II for SOE.

 

SOE published both the Champions series and the Untold Legends series and you can totally see the similarities.

 

The question still remains, does Daybreak Studios (formerly Sony Online Entertainment, which went indie) still own the Champions IP? I'd love a Champions remake or remaster. They were gonna make Everquest 3 once upon a time, so i would think so?

 

This is all correct - an accurate breakdown. The games aren't connected, but in terms of genre, etc. they very much are similar. According to what I saw online, Daybreak Game Company still owns, develops and publishes EverQuest so the rights to Champions probably would be with them since Champions is a part of EverQuest. Not sure in terms of who has the rights to publish remasters or remakes of the two old games by Snowblind though could be wrapped up in more rights wrangling than just owning the EverQuest IP though. But probably they have it.

 

Though it doesn't look like Daybreak has been doing anything with the license. They haven't touched their own old Untold Legends trilogy and it looks like all they do these days is maintain and update Planetside 2, a game from 2012, and Z1 Battle Royale (H1Z1), a game from 2018. If they aren't interested in Untold Legends, I doubt they are thinking of Champions at all, sadly.