Black Isle Studio Announces Icewind Dale II

Big fans of the Infinity Bioware Engine, 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons and kick ass CRGPs will be happy to know Black Isle is developing another edition to the already incredible list of games available, Icewind Dale II.



You can bet we will bring you any new information about my favorite type of Game by one of my favorite game developers, Interplay/Black Isle. Just keep a watch out for the new icon on the right. —>



The announcement came out three days ago from Interplay/Black Isle and it looks like a kick ass game. Click read more for the complete Press Release from Interplay. IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — 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.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19991130/IPLYLOGO )


Icewind Dale II is being created internally at Black Isle Studios and
offers more of the classic dungeon crawl experience, using the Dungeons &
Dragons(R) 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(R) 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
Executioners Eyes and Aegis, bringing the total to over 300 spells.


In addition, over 100 new special items can be found in Icewind Dale IIs
elevated “Heart of Fury” mode, first introduced in Icewind Dale: Heart of
Winter. This challenging mode enhances the games 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 Faerun 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 towns defenders against the encroaching horde, and
its 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 Baldurs
Gate(TM) series. Modifications to the engine include a variety of features
originally developed for Baldurs 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(R):
Torment(TM) and the Icewind Dale saga, is proud to bring Icewind Dale II to
Windows(R) 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 nations largest
specialty game retail chains. Producing both the Pokemon(TM) and worlds
best-selling Magic: The Gathering(R) 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 worlds 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 companys 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 .



Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Baldurs Gate, FORGOTTEN REALMS, the
FORGOTTEN REALMS logo, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, the AD&D logo, Wizards of
the Coast and the Wizards of the Coast logo are trademarks of Wizards of the
Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used by Interplay under
license. Black Isle Studios and the Black Isle Studios logo are trademarks of
Interplay Entertainment Corp. The BioWare Infinity Engine and the BioWare
logo are trademarks of BioWare Corp. Exclusively licensed and distributed by
Interplay Entertainment Corp. All other trademarks and copyrights are
property of their respective owners.

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