First up, thanks for the reccomendation Ziroc - I'll remember Champions of Norrath and shall ask around about it for future gaming sessions with my bro!
Second, cheers to Ivellis for answering all my questions about Dark Alliance II.
Ironically, as it turns out, my brother couldn't wait another week so we rented it just this weekend gone....and finished it in two days! I couldn't believe it to be honest, but perhaps after playing the first, we were more intuitively prepared and handled the game mechanics much easier. Admittedly, it was only on normal however, I was hoping it would be a little bigger.
My brother played the Barbarian (he's 13 and more of a console gamer, though I have been introducing him slowly to some classic RPGs) and I played the Necromancer. I was going to play the rogue or the cleric but wanted to have the difficulty of all the spells to cycle through and of course to contrast my brother's melee skills. DA II featured some insane powergaming - I remember levelling up after killing only two or three goblins! Still no real puzzles to speak of either, so that was a bit disappointing.
Comparitively, I think basically they are same game with some minor advancements in the sequel in the quest weaving area. I felt that despite the Gem/Rune weapon upgrades being a welcome addition, they were akwardly implemented and gave me nasty flashbacks to Diablo II. For example, what description is more imbued with power you think, Superior or Imperial? Whilst logically, one might guess superior (by its meaning alone) this isn't true for the game.
So a more detailed identification process within the game itself would have been beneficial.
Thankfully once again though the boss fights were always quite enjoyable as a tactical multiplayer experience. The chimera and manticore for instance gave some classic AD&D creatures a decent presence in the game. The greatest section overall for me personally, was probably the thematic RPG Elemental Plane roaming quests for Jherek which linked up quite well. Some lovely landscapes to explore and the AIR plane in particular, was very surreal and fun to wander, jump and float around in . [img]smile.gif[/img]
But generally, my adult RPG loving brain has been disappointed with these games due to the legacy of meaning and depth that the BG PC games have.
I doubt I could really play Dark Alliance I or II as a single player game just as I can't play diablo anymore for that same 'hollow' feeling kind of reasoning.
Cheers,
Cerebrodragon
P.S
If anyone has any multiplayer game reccomendations for my brother and I, feel free!