Dark Alliance II is still an addictive spark of a game the storys much deeper now, and there are dozens upon dozens of new levels to explore. Still, you can’t fault Interplay for not fixing what aint broken. And why are we still limited to two players? Thats a flaw in the previous game. The sense of deja vu here is undeniable, especially since the Gauntlet-like gameplay is repetitive by nature. Theres a new item-creation system (see sidebar), you can switch weapons quickly with the control pad, the cameras a bit less ornery.and thats it. You can count all the original features here on one hand. It’s just as fun as the original Dark Alliance, but legitimate improvements are scarce. Thats why Im scratching my head on why Interplay broke out the II for its latest bash-em-up. Stick a Roman numeral on the end of your new games title, and players start to expect certain things: better gameplay, fewer annoyances, and more entertainment value than the original.
