IWD II announcement

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 1:31 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLACK ISLE STUDIOS ANNOUNCES ICEWIND DALE II

IRVINE, California, February 4, 2002 - Black Isle Studios, the role-playing
game division of Interplay Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: IPLY), announced
today that a sequel to the award-winning computer role-playing game Icewind
Dale(tm) is currently in development and will be distributed by Vivendi
Universal Games in North America. Icewind Dale(tm) II is scheduled to ship
to retail on May 28, 2002.

Icewind Dale II is being created internally at Black Isle Studios and offers
more of the classic dungeon crawl experience, using the Dungeons & Dragons®
license from Wizards of the Coast. Based in part on the series of books by
New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, Icewind Dale II will
amaze players with new monsters, spells, and areas to explore within the
popular FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign setting.

Icewind Dale II expands upon gameplay elements found in Icewind Dale,
offering players the ability to hone their combat skills and achieve even
more powerful possessions, spells, and experience. Icewind Dale II hosts a
large variety of new weapons, armor and magical items and features all the
spells from Icewind Dale and its expansion Icewind Dale(tm): Heart of
Winter(tm). Additionally, Icewind Dale II includes over 50 new spells such
as Executioner's Eyes and Aegis, bringing the total to over 300 spells.

In addition, over 100 new special items can be found in Icewind Dale II's
elevated "Heart of Fury" mode, first introduced in Icewind Dale: Heart of
Winter. This challenging mode enhances the game's replayability by allowing
players to face intensely difficult and strategic battles with their high
level, battle-hardened characters.

A generation after the events in Icewind Dale, a grave new threat has arisen
in the North; a threat that seeks to cut off the Ten-Towns from the rest of
Faerûn in a bitter power struggle. A vicious horde of goblins, orcs, and
bugbears have gathered beneath the mysterious banner of the Chimera and are
attacking the port town of Targos. The town of Bremen has fallen, goblin
raiders ride the plains, and a stream of refugees are fleeing southwards to
Bryn Shander and beyond. Fearing that they will be overrun, Targos has sent
out a call for all able-bodied adventurers, soldiers, and mercenaries to
sail north to stand with the town's defenders against the encroaching horde,
and it's up to the players' small band of adventurers to save Targos from
destruction. Yet nothing is as it appears and as the shadow of the horde
falls on Targos, the players find themselves drawn into an escalating
conflict that plunges the region of Icewind Dale once again, into war.

Icewind Dale II makes use of a heavily modified version of the award-winning
BioWare(tm) Infinity Engine, originally developed for the Baldur's Gate(tm)
series. Modifications to the engine include a variety of features originally
developed for Baldur's Gate(tm) II: Shadows of Amn(tm), including
dual-wielding, class kits, new classes such as the Sorcerer and Monk as well
as 3D technology developed by BioWare. Icewind Dale II introduces new class
kits like the Mercenary, Giant Killer and the Dreadmaster of Bane among
others, plus new sub-races including the Drow and Tiefling.

Black Isle Studios, the creators of the Fallout(tm) series, Planescape®:
Torment(tm) and the Icewind Dale saga, is proud to bring Icewind Dale II to
Windows® 95/98/ME/2000/XP-based computers. More information on Icewind Dale
II can be found at http://icewind2.blackisle.com.

Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) and the
worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop role
playing game categories, is a leading developer and publisher of game-based
entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the
nation's largest specialty game retail chains. Producing both the
Pokemon(tm) and world's best-selling Magic: The Gathering® trading card
games, the company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanic of trading
card games. Publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons &
Dragons games, family card and board games and electronic media products,
Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world's leading fantasy and science
fiction book publishers. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of
the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London,
Beijing and Sydney. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the
company's web site and electronic retail store at http://www.wizards.com.

Black Isle Studios is a division of Interplay Entertainment Corp., a leading
developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software
for both core gamers and the mass market. Interplay currently balances its
development efforts by publishing for personal computers as well as current
and next generation video game consoles. Interplay releases products
through Interplay, Shiny Entertainment, Digital Mayhem, Black Isle Studios,
its distribution partners and its wholly owned subsidiary Interplay OEM,
Inc. More comprehensive information on Interplay and its products is
available through its worldwide web site at http://www.interplay.com.

Onyx · Post by **Onyx** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 1:58 pm

For those of you who did read what "fable" posted, there is a part saying.... new sub-races including the Drow and Tiefling.

Now how many of you out there are going to play as a drow?

We might need a new thread for this.

Onyx

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 2:53 pm

I can't wait until this comes out!!! Oh man, I'll never get away from the computer!!!

Onyx · Post by **Onyx** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 2:58 pm

Originally posted by Sojourner
I can't wait until this comes out!!! Oh man, I'll never get away from the computer!!!

SO, what's wrong with that?!? LOL

Onyx

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Mon Feb 04, 2002 9:57 pm

I can't wait for this come out either.

Did anyone notice that one of the new spells is Aegis?

Additionally, Icewind Dale II includes over 50 new spells such as Executioner's Eyes and Aegis, bringing the total to over 300 spells.

Kayless · Post by **Kayless** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 9:06 am

Originally posted by Sailor Saturn
I can't wait for this come out either.

Did anyone notice that one of the new spells is Aegis?

Coincidence or conspiracy? You be the judge.

Onyx · Post by **Onyx** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 10:10 am

Originally posted by Kayless

Coincidence or conspiracy? You be the judge.

Next thing you know, we'll have new spells called : fable, Buck Satan & Xandax.

NO disrespect guy's

Onyx

cheesemage · Post by **cheesemage** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 11:05 am

Hooray tis a wonderful day, I just hope they will have a gold dragon in it.

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 11:40 am

I think, if anything, they should have a spell called Xyx.

Robin_Hood · Post by **Robin_Hood** » Tue Feb 05, 2002 2:53 pm

Oh man, is this great news or what!? I just hope it will have an atmosphere equal to IWD...it was amazing. Let's hope the composer is as good as the previous, the soundtrack is unbelievable.

Onyx · Post by **Onyx** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 3:50 am

Originally posted by Robin_Hood
Oh man, is this great news or what!? I just hope it will have an atmosphere equal to IWD...it was amazing. Let's hope the composer is as good as the previous, the soundtrack is unbelievable.

It's got to be Jeremy Soule, who did all the previous stuff.
He's music is the best.

Onyx

Kayless · Post by **Kayless** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 4:53 am

Ditto to that. Icewind Dale's main theme was so cool that they used it for the Neverwinter Nights trailer that came with ToB. Of all the D&D games (IWD, BG, PS:T) Icewind Dale is my favorite.

Onyx · Post by **Onyx** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 7:56 am

Have you guy's yet visited the official IWD II site.
I WANT IT NOW

Go check it out, new races, classes, beasts,..., sigh.

Onyx

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:00 am

Originally posted by Onyx
Have you guy's yet visited the official IWD II site.
I WANT IT NOW
Go check it out, new races, classes, beasts,..., sigh.

Onyx

Yeah, I checked it out. That game will certainly be worth the wait, I just hope the wait isnt' very long!!

Onyx · Post by **Onyx** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:08 am

Originally posted by Sailor Saturn

Yeah, I checked it out. That game will certainly be worth the wait, I just hope the wait isnt' very long!!

me too

Onyx

DraySkullan · Post by **DraySkullan** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:52 am

New Spells

Yeah, Aegis is bad, and I also like Executioners Eyes.

Skinbeard · Post by **Skinbeard** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 10:54 am

Soule is working on the music but he's not the main composer.

As stated by Darren Monahan:

"Actually, Inon Zur of Throne of Bhaal fame is scoring this incarnation. Mr. Soule is part of the project, however, in that he and Inon have been working together to keep the great feel and mood of the original game's music alive in this game."

The music in ToB was good, but not Icewind Dale good. I hope Soule has a big influence on Mr. Monahan...

DraySkullan · Post by **DraySkullan** » Wed Feb 06, 2002 11:54 am

I'm also very interested in the arcane rogue