Interplay, as is to be expected, had a strong showing of role-playing games this year. Neverwinter Nights, BioWare's on-line recreation of pen-and-pencil gaming, should let players create and host their own modules starting this winter. A pre-defined campaign with 60 hours' playing time will also be included for those who want to start the game that way. As they did last year, the graphics look very nice, complete with lighting and spell effects. The game should be playable on a 300 MHz system, but you'll probably need closer to 600 MHz and a GeForce 2 card to get the full experience.

The point-and-click scripting system and level designer appear to be extremely easy to use and fairly powerful. The dungeon master can also make most changes during the game, to make a tough level suddenly get easier before all of the players are killed off, for example. Given the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons license and BioWare/Interplay's success thus far, this game is likely to be a hit. It will definitely be interesting to see what sort of modules come from players' imaginations.

Click above for more screenshots

Interplay's Black Isle Studios will also be bringing the Fallout skill system to a new fantasy world in their upcoming Torn, scheduled for a Winter 2001 release. The game will use the Lithtech 3.0 engine, so it will be in full 3D with real-time combat. Not only is Black Isle using Fallout for its skill system, but it is turning to other well-liked aspects of its other titles -- expect an epic story as in Torment, large monsters as in Baldur's Gate II, and even the random treasures from Icewind Dale.

Black Isle has apparently created a detailed backstory for the entire Torn universe. As the name suggests, Torn is a world that was once whole but was divided by its Architect into four pieces -- a world of order, a world of chaos, a metaphysical world, and the normal world that your character inhabits. Even though Torn takes place on only one part of the "real" world, parts of this story will be revealed in the first game, as the other three worlds affect your own. Future games may visit other areas of the real world or even other worlds altogether.

As to the game itself, your character will be an unlucky sort of fellow who brings misfortune everywhere he goes. You soon walk into a war (or maybe cause it through your curse), and the game picks up from there. You will have six races to choose from -- even the typical elves are drawn in a rather unusual style. The game can be played in single-player mode, with computer-controlled companions (as found in Fallout), or in cooperative multiplayer.

Ordinarily, I'd be quite skeptical of any game described as a cross between such diverse titles as Icewind Dale (largely a pure dungeon crawl) and Planescape: Torment (a fairly story-heavy game), but if anyone can pull that combination off, it's Black Isle.

Click above for more screenshots

Also somewhat surprising was Interplay's PlayStation 2 game Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Dark Alliance is based on the Dungeons and Dragons license and is set in Baldur's Gate, but it's also been simplified quite a bit for console play. You will probably be limited to three pre-generated character types, but if time permits, a few other characters may be added. The game will take closer to 30 hours or so, instead of the hundreds of hours needed for a game like epic Baldur's Gate II, and will also offer a cooperative two-player mode.

In spite of these concessions to console play, Dark Alliance looks very impressive. Maybe it's just a little detail, but I had to admire the game's water effects. Not only do characters create ripples in bodies of water as they move, but the ripples also reflect quite realistically at the water's edge. Spell effects and other graphical details look equally good. If the gameplay is as good as the graphics, Dark Alliance should bring an enjoyable Baldur's Gate experience to the PS2 this fall.