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Dark Alliance 1&2 are my favorite D&D games of all time. I will never forget farming bosses and reloading with my friends sitting on the couch as a kid eating Pizza Hut and Mt Dew. I also LOVE Champions of Norath...I wish we could get a modern version of all these games. I am so sad we do not have multiplayer in the re-releases.

Champions return to arms had that lizard shaman that could get to insane levels of health regen.

champions return to arms was literally my all time favorite PS2 game, god tier game, easily one of the best of the consoles life

Champions of Norrath will always have a special place in my heart. It got my mother into gaming and we spent so many hours in coop together.

Champions of Norrath was awesome and I would kill for a remaster. Playing it co op with the boys back in the day was great but I'd be happy to just to play it at all now.

One thing you missed in dark alliance by only playing through once was some special interactions with certain bosses based on playing different classes. For instance the drow has special dialog when talking to the elf player character. Note that the interaction is, if i remember correctly, based on player 1 when playing multiplayer. Though it could also be based on which player triggered the cutscene, i dont honestly remember for certain. Also both baldur's gate and icewind dale are part of Faerun, an expansion to dnd (if you look up a map, icewind dale is in the north west corner and baldur's gate is about halfway down the coast. Even the newest dnd movie that came out last year is set in this world). Drizzt, the dark elf ranger in icewind dale is a secret unlockable character in baldur's gate 1&2 due to his popularity within the forgotten realms novels. The legend of drizzt began with the icewind dale trilogy in 1988 by R.A. Salvatore and now is currently 39 books long.

Champions was my introduction to RPG loot and gear and that's remained one of my favorite genre/gameplay loops to date.

10:24 - the gelatinous cube is an iconic D&D monster. All of the enemies are straight out of the Monster Manual, so I can't really agree that they're out of place(except maybe for the disPLACER beast ha-ha gettit?). 33:20 D&D has many settings - the most popular one is the Forgotten Realms. Baldur's Gate is a city from said setting and Icewind Dale is a region north of this city. All Dark Alliance games are set in the D&D universe.

Champions of Norrath and Return to Arms are my favorite action RPGs of all time. They are really great PS2 game in general. A while back I posted in the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance Steam community, asking how likely it would be that the devs would ever make a remaster of Champions of Norrath, and the answer seemed to be that they were interested in doing it but licensing issues made it very unlikely that it would ever happen.

Snowblind's engine made a lot of nice games. You should've mentioned the amazing water physics, highlight of that engine!

you forgot Demon Stone - its pretty good for its age

Champions of Norrath hits my nostalgia so hard.. i was 5 or 6 playin this on my sister ps2.. id give anything to go back that time tbh

These games are like comfort food for me. There is something very zen-like, mashing your way through dungeons while collecting loot and grinding levels. There are two more games from SOE that look and play like the Snowblind Studios games: Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom for PS3 and Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade for PSP.

You're supposed to use the jump as traversal in dark allegiance 1 & 2! If you're not jumping constantly, the enemies will catch you!

The first dark alliance game was hard AF The difficulty spikes when you reach the graveyard section.

Champions of Norath was the first game I pulled an all nighter for! Back then I had never even had an energy drink. Me and my friend drank a 2L of RC and made peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Good times!

Champions 1&2 were my favourite back then. No game had such creative classes like Va Shir Berserker or Lizard

My man my man! 💪🏻 Finally you made a review of these! I still own copies of BG: Dark Alliance 1&2, Champions of Norrath and Return to Arms on PS2 and play them through almost every year 😅 absolutely love them, so many childhood memories that makes these games to me LEGENDARY! Thank you for this review 🙏🏻

These games have a special place in my heart. Sitting down with my entire family using the 4 way controller spilter and playing champions of norath. I remember my dad found an exploit to duplicate our best gear and we were all rich.

I think showing a slime and saying "enemies feeling out of place." when in DND the gilantenous cube you show, is in a prime example of a place you'd expect to find them might be a little over sight.

Dark alliance was a masterpiece man. You can still play it today and it would feel fresh. A timeless game

Just because I'm that guy, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and Dungeons and Dragons Dark Alliance actually take place in the same universe, that is, the Forgotten Realms (aka, the dungeons and dragons universe). Baldur's Gate is a city-state in that world, situated on the Sword Coast, which is south of Icewind Dale.

I'm an elder millennial and I still have my original copies of BG: dark alliance 1 & 2 and norrath 1 & 2 for my PS2. All still working, glad I took care of it. They are still some of my favorite games. Naturally, I instantly fell in love with BG3, granted I play that on PC. Also, shout out to the Jak and Daxter series for PS2; they are very sentimental to me :)

I played both Champion games religiously growing up. Me and my siblings played multiplayer for hours on end

I NEEEED, Champions: Return to Arms to get a remake.

Champions return to arms is one of my all time favorite games..been playing it on and off for nearly all its existence now :D big favorit

Dark Alliance 1&2 hold special places in my heart! Still got to get around to playing Titan Quest. Excited for the upcoming one. Great vid

Oh I remember the tavern owner !

Clicked after seeing Champions in the thumbnail :D . One of the seminal games of my childhood !

I was about 12 when Dark Alliance 2 came out. I could not stop playing the thing, did multiple playthrougs, would drag anyone I could for a good co op. Absolute nostalgic. Wanted to get the remastered but I didn't like how they overpriced it.

You did it! 🎉🎉 im so stoked to watch this. I knew you'd get around to these games eventually. Champions RTA is a certified hood classic, still play it sometimes with a friend of mine.

The cubic jelly is not "out of place", it is a classic D&D creature

All these years I never knew ever quest was part of the DnD world. Just thought one of the artist did drawings for both

I measure these game’s tight basic combat against every ARPG. Precise hit boxes and dedicated blocking 👍

Small correction. Both Baldurs Gate and Dark Alliance take place in the forgotten realms universe so the final game on your list is in the same world.

18:39 Ok, I let it slide the first time, but now I must comment... The Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath games were not Infinity Engine games. Infinity Engine was the engine behind the PC original Baldur's Gate I and II, and also Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. The Dark Alliance engine, used for Dark Alliance I and II, and also Champions of Norrath, Champions: Return to arms and Fallout Brotherhood of Steel was called, surprise, surprise, Dark Alliance Engine. There were other games in a very similar vein, but I don't think they used the same engine. Dungeons & Dragons Heroes, some weird ARPG Justice League game and 2004 The Bard's Tale, which was precisely a satirical piece of Dark Alliance at the time.

Man, I got a LOT of enjoyment out of the Dark Alliance games back in the day. Especially couch co-op. But it's insane and nearly criminal they're demanding $30 USD for each one, with no improvements. And they never really go on sale - I check pretty regularly.

i'm fairly confident that on PS2 you could play as your Champions of Norrath character in Champions Return to Arms. drop-in co-op was also a really cool feature that me and my brothers made use of as teens.

Dark alliance, PS2, introduced me to RPG and how truly fun a game could be, beautiful graphics, tons of items and skills, co-op, great voice acting, just an absolute diamond that I'll always love. And I realize I have a lot of nostalgia for the game but it really was enthralling to me. First co-op game me and my brother played for days on end, every chance we got. I would love to try the second game. Didn't realize they remade it for PC so I'll be sure to check it out

The Norrath games are so much fun, I'm a bit biased as an Everquest player but I was gutted when DA 1&2 were re released but not the champions games. I'd pay good money to play online multiplayer again on those...

I played the hell out of Dark Alliance 2 - Champions of Norath and Champions return to Arms. I can still remember me and my brother playing together every weekend when we were little boys. (btw 3:58 is Risen BGM Island at Night?)

It's crazy how good the character models look in BGDA1 compared to Neverwinter Nights, a game that came out 1 year later! In NWN they look blocky, the faces are static and they are literally ham-fisted.

Thank you for making this video. It's absolutely spot on! For a really fun play through, try the tiger berserker class on call to arms, that class was pretty out there compared to the other classes and made playing in the brink of death a whole new game. Im lucky enough to have a few of these titles still on ps2, howevere im fearful to play them in case i damage them!

Dark alliance is the first game I remember playing. My dad and I used to play together after school. I’m 25 now and have played a lot of games. Playing dark alliance with my dad is still the best time I’ve ever had with video games.

With the last game. It wasn't sluggish imput. It was server lag. Very bad server lag even on offline mode

Dark Alliance 1&2 we're integral games from my childhood. My brother, best friend, and I used to get down on some DA. Reloading and running back to that end Golem for the Onyx Sword lol They also made a Fallout game in the same engine. It's like Dark Alliance but with a Fallout coat of paint.

Champions of Norrath is such a memory for me. Playing that game with my dad or brother on PS2 "Can't carry anymore"

Champions return to arms was my childhood. Found a ps2 copy for about $80

Did you use Risen music for this? I just started playing Risen for the first time recently and I think I recognize some of the music. Speaking of that, I can't beleive I didn't try Risen sooner. I'm a huge fan of Gothic 3 and playing Risen now really feels like I'm getting more of what I like about Gothic 3 that I haven't gotten from any other game. But it also makes me wanna replay Gothic 3 again. xD

The Dark Alliance games were fucking incredible

some champions return to arms classes peak at different times. the dark elf gets better once it can finally raise an undead army it's other skills are just going to keep it alive. the wood elf is god tier almost from the start though. the wizard is built for the back line because their skill damage doesn't seem to scale. berserker is like an lower grade wood elf. the shaman is interesting with the knock back skill they get and a pet. however the high elves are just strait healers with low damage numbers. the only reason that high elves are stronger than wizards is because wizards dress in silk and can't carry a 2 handed mace.

Great video! I still regularly play through both Dark Alliance 1/2 and CoN 1/2. Few times you made the distinction between Dark Alliance 1/2 being set in Bakdurs Gate but Dark Alliance 3 being set in Dungeons and Dragons, just wondering what you meant with that distinction since Baldurs Gate is a city in the Dungeon and Dragons universe.

Champions of Narath is part of Everquest, not Forgoted Realms.

I hope they do a pc port of Champions like they did to Dark Alliance.

Ysuran the necromancer in DA2 and the Erudite wizards in Champions are so fun to play. Very different playstyle than melee. Also, the magic archer classes are very fun, hail of arrows clearing hallways is very satisfying

You played some great games ! Besides the new Dark Alliance, where they managed to integrate the microtransactions really annoyingly, but forgot to finish the enemy ai

My wife rarely plays video games but we both played the first Dark Alliance together and it was very fun. She still occasionally mentions it now, which makes me wish there was an equally simple ARPG for the PS5. She doesn't like violence in games but killing rats, slimes and skeletons with fantasy weapons and magic is perfectly ok. Dark Alliance was very cheesy too, and that definitely-not-serious story telling also appeals.

I got to play the original dark alliance games when they came out, and then a couple of years ago a friend who is into retro gaming had Champions of Norrath, which we were really excited about because I grew up playing Everquest and I had introduced him to it. We had a blast on Champions of Norrath, and it made me want to get the sequel and the EverQuest RTS to see how they were.

man i loved to play Champs! good memories

I still have the Dark Alliance 1 and 2, and the two Champions of Norrath games, and still play it from time to time. Great games. Could say that it is one of my favorites on the PS2, but the thing is, that PS2 has soooo many great games that the list of "favorit" games is longer then "didnt like that". ;) Either way, they are realy good if you want that RPG action adventure looting feeling. After playing BG Dark Alliance 1 for my self, I then had the fortune of playing all these with a friend, in co-op. Even playing the first game once more. It was a blast and was mush more fun then singel player. Probably played thrue these games once with each character/class and played thrue on each difficulty, and in Champions of Norrath games, tried almost both good and evil side with each character. Even the secret character in "BG Dark Alliance 2" (Drizzt, famous D&D character). Extra note: I also played that spin-off "Fallout" game for the PS2, called "Brotherhood of Steel". It is in the same style as these games. It is though not in lore canon, and a bit jank. But still fun if you like these types of games, with a friend. And btw, in Champions of Norrath you can be up to 4 player in co-op. Never tried more then 2 though. But that sounds like some straight up arcady action stuff. Cheers.

0:45 Each of the Baldur's Gate titles; are set in the Forgotten Realms, a 'DnD universe' as you put it. 33:23 again, same thing. Icewind Dale; like Baldur's Date, is a place extant within the Forgotten Realms.

Dark Alliance 1/2 are such classics. Good memories

20:30 when the Elex Soundtrack hits

Dark alliance, one of my faves of all time! good memories playing with my bro and dad

dark alliance is set in the Forgotten Realms, same setting as bg and bg dark alliance games.

Dark Alliance 1 also has a gamecube version, I played that one together with friends and my brother so many times ^^ Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel was also made with this engine and is really good if you're also a fan of dark alliance. It also introduced a lot of imagery that would be copied to fallout 3 and beyond :)

I think the hard and normal mode for dark alliance is meant to be played as new game plus. You can import characters and continue levelling them.

I've played a few hours of Dark Alliance solo on normal, and it was HARD as the dwarf character. The lack of abilities and resources make the experience really challenging, but not in a fair way, as enemies take forever to die, while I get two or three hits before touching the ground.

I beat both Dark Alliance and Champions with a cousin and damm, Champion bosses were so freak hard to beat. I remember one final boss that was when you play in the evil side and he is like a angel warrior, 2 hits yo dead.

Brother I have been waiting for you to do Champions of Norrath

You could also try out drakan 2. It is very similar to those games but from a classic third person perspective.

Call me crazy but I enjoy much more the PS2 games era than Baldurs Gate 3. Also Untold Legends on PSP is very similar to this style of RPG

there was also Lord of the Rings: War in the North

dark alliance is one of the nicest couch coop games even today.

I love Champions of Norrath and Champions: Return to Arms. I really need them to PC. My biggest problem was the slowdown issues on both of these on PCSX2. Also, as some people mentioned, you should try the 2 Untold Legends games that have been released on PSP. They are really good for that handheld.

I rember playing Dark Alliance 1 on the Xbox with my older brother when we were kids. Never finished it since all our controllers broke and we havent found any since. Such a shame

I think Bard's Tale also used the same engine, and you can now play it on iPad. Would be cool if they make the same for these games. Also Demon Stone another really good D&D game, I feel you need to check it out if you're not already

I still got my original copy of Champions of Norrath to this day and never once could pass the character screen when I tried to pay on my modded ps2 back then. It just couldn't load, even tried returning it and the store didn't accepted. Looking now at the disc... it's all scratched because of the pass of time 😢

I played both the Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance and the "new" one. I missed the two Champions, but I'd like to try them.

So the biggest question here is - which of these games are available and worth playing today? Whether via emulator or re-release? And when I look back at these games now, I'm seeing modern ARPGs like Titan Quest, Diablo, etc. Which are more available these days

Champions of Norrath brings back good memories 😊

I love Champions returns to arms, i remember playing it with 3 friends when i was like 9 years old and we still remember all of our characters, i had a barbarian max level nad deleted it in front of my friends because i already completed all the game had so it was epic, greetings from Argentina

An interesting topic for a video, there are also a couple more arpg's based on DnD like: Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes for the OG Xbox and Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (from the developers of LoTR: The Two Towers) which were pretty decent.

I played every game there.

These games are best played with a friend. Also the 1st game had a special level with drizzt do urden. You could enter a cheat code where he says " very well let the cheating begin "

old-school voice actrors are amasing.

Bard's Tale was the best - humor and gameplay that was more than mashing buttons. BG Dark Alliance on Game Boy was great too.

I played Dark Alliance 2, Champions of Norrath and Champions: Call To Arms. I wish somebody would make an "Dark Alliance/Champions"-like action rpg!

Baldurs Gate takes place in the same universe as all these games, including Icewind Dale that being the Forgotton Realms Campaign Setting (Except Champtions of Norrath, which is a Everquest Spinoff). Acually I wouldn't call Champions of Norrath a spirtual Successor of Baldurs Gate even if it loosely uses a D&D class system, like many other games do. Pillars of Eternity is probably known as a closer Spirtual Successor and thats what they based their kickstarter campaign on which brought back the CRPG games.

In BG1, you're more or less supposed to play Hard with an Imported Character from Normal that already has some levels or gear. Playing on Hard is super difficult otherwise. You can manage with the Mage, but melees really suffer. They did the same with the Champions Games, but added the Level Restriction in those.

Champions of Norrath has exactly the same portal system as Diablo. You can use it in the pause menue

Alyth SENT me when I was a kid playing DA..

20:27 Ultima Online should be the first commercially successful Mmorpg.

Loved Champions of Norrath

Countless hours playing BG 1&2 and both Champions of Norrath… ^^

Didn't Snowblind also work on Lord of the Rings: War in the North?

Baldur's Gate is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe too...

There was an Xbox exclusive called D&D Heroes that was very similar too. I don't think you can legitimately find it on PC, though. I liked it. Played it back in the day on OG Xbox along with BG:DA 1 and 2. Never played the Norath games, though.

I had such high hopes for dark alliance 2 after playing the first one till me and my brother literally wore out the disc from over use and it DA2 was so bad that I don't even think we finished it.