| 87 |
Worth Playing
With the deep character growth system in place here I could have been content with twice that amount of game time.
|
| 85 |
Deeko
Though the overall adventure is a bit short and the amount of items and weapons isn’t as great as those found within the console version, the Gameboy Advance version is still a highly polished game and is one that action gamers and RPG fans alike will simply eat up.
|
| 83 |
Game Informer
It's every bit as good as the full-size version, only smaller. More focused on action than role-playing, Baldur's Gate is one fun little fantasy (not in the dirty way) title. [Feb 2004, p.114]
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| 80 |
GamePro
Though its complexity comes nowhere near that of its PC and console relatives, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance steps up and represents for the Forgotten Realms.
|
| 80 |
GamingWorld X
While the story isn’t as captivating and some changes have been made (including stripping away multiplayer), Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance is still more than worthy of the handheld hacker crown.
|
| 80 |
IGN
Even though it's missing a few key elements from the original design it's based upon, namely multiplayer and story cutscenes, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance works out very well in portable form with its fast-paced action, extensive quests, and large variety (and quantity) of enemies to defeat.
|
| 80 |
Nintendo Power
Although characters have the attributes and expendable skill points that you would expect to see in an RPG, the game emphasizes action over strategy. [Mar 2004, p.119]
|
| 80 |
Cheat Code Central
It can be completed in one day or stretched out over a weekend, as long as you don't play through it again as the different characters.
|
| 80 |
GBA Central
Other than EA’s "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," there isn’t a finer action RPG on the handheld. There are slight gameplay and graphical issues, sure, but it doesn’t take much persistence to overcome these, and the positives far outweigh the negatives.
|
| 80 |
GameSpot
It has all of the characters and story events--and a majority of the essential gameplay elements--that made the Baldur's Gate series so addictive in the first place, but now they're all on a highly portable GBA cartridge.
|
| 75 |
Game Over Online
No longer does incorporating the rules of Dungeons and Dragons mean a compromise between fun and complexity. Dark Alliance is a testament that both can be brought to the table -- even to a smaller one that fits in your hands.
|
| 75 |
GameZone
The issues with the camera, no map, long backtracking at times to get to an item shop or safe zone, and bad AI indoors hindered what could have been a really great experience.
|
| 70 |
1UP
The up-close character portraits and overwrought voice acting is gone, but everything else is there -- the mazelike caverns, the glorious level-raising, the seemingly endless array of equipment.
|
| 70 |
Gamezilla!
What really drags this game down is the fact that it uses, reuses, and re-reuses the maps – sending you back through the same dungeons over and over again to collect this key or open that new passage.
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| 70 |
Pocket Games
It would be nice to see the developers expand on this and either make an original action/RPG for the GBA or bring over "BG: DA II." [Summer 2004, p.35]
|
| 50 |
NintendoWorldReport
I did not play all of it, but I did play enough to find AI flaws, get bored, and generally not like it at all.
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| 47 |
netjak
It would appear that the transition from consoles to the GBA has sucked quite a bit of the fun out of the game; ironically, the GBA game seems dumbed-down when compared to its console counterparts.
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