WotC Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance Video Game Announcement Trailer

An announcement trailer for Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance premiered at The Game Awards on Thursday evening.

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Developed by Tuque Games, the studio acquired earlier this year by Wizards of the Coast, the game will be a sequel of sorts in the Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance action-RPG series for the Xbox, Playstation 2, and Gamecube. This game, however, will go to Icewind Dale and feature four-player co-op as you take on the roles of Drizzt Do'Urden, Cattie-Brie, Wulfgar, and Bruenor. The game is due for release in 2020.

 

[BookBarbarian]

It's a bad looking trailer. I'll also point out I was expecting Wulfgar's long luxurious golden locks, not the same braid every character has in the History Channel's Vikings.

Where is this guy?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The metal they chose to utilize is more like "bro metal" or "chaos metal" than anything else. It's experimental no-wave somesuch, and it doesn't fit.

Yes exactly. Metal can fit in a fantasy trailer just fine. Nickleback Metal not so much.

 

[Hurin70]

This would have been better :

 

[Azzy]

This would have been better :

You had me until the guy that needs Cloraseptic started his impression of a howler monkey.

 

[Hurin70]

You had me until the guy that needs Cloraseptic started his impression of a howler monkey.

I knew that part would turn some people off. That's the only time in the song he does that though. Stick around for the rest; the lyrics are pretty cool (especially if you like Norse mythology). It is about Ragnarok.

 

[oreofox]

I knew that part would turn some people off. That's the only time in the song he does that though. Stick around for the rest; the lyrics are pretty cool (especially if you like Norse mythology). It is about Ragnarok.

I'd listen to a lot more metal if there weren't so many lead "vocalists" that sound like Cookie Monster trying to eat the mic. The music part I quite enjoy. It's when that part inevitably shows up that I lose all interest. Unless I can find an instrumental version of it. Though, it is better than the high pitched screaming ala Cradle of Filth.

I can understand using metal in a DnD video game trailer, as so many people who play DnD (especially those who are the stereotypes) seem to enjoy metal. I had no problem with that choice of music, but the trailer itself... That's another story.

 

[toucanbuzz]

Oh god I hope not... Like Vermintide or Left for Dead with cheap graphics, bad cameras, and wtf, nothing like heavy metal to get you into the setting. Horrific. Games 20 years ago had better trailers and generated more excitement. Who the hell gets paid to make these bad decisions?

 

[Wiseblood]

WotC should run a contest to design a game. Our community has some tremendous skill and talent. I have begun to think that THEY are riding OUR coattails.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Wotc should create a freeware Game Creation System as LittleBigPlanet, Mario Maker or Dreams (by Media Molecule). And 3rdPP could sell their own modules or mods as in DM Guild. And a player could use these "pieces" with the quest/mission/adventures creator to create a new module, and streamers/youtubes would play these modules as a mixture of machinima and game-live show(as Critical Rol).

RPG Maker - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And other could sell "skins", really collection of pieces (hair, armor, costumes, clothing), for example Capcom could sell skins or avatars based in their characters (Street Fighters, Devil may cray, resident evil, darkstalkers).

But the format has to be retrocompatible with future editions.

 

[Mecheon]

And 3rdPP could sell their own modules or mods as in DM Guild

Yeah, uh, noooooooo. You do not know the nightmare that goes down this path

Skyrim tried it. It ended poorly. VERY poorly. Check our Skyrim Paid Mod Controversy for how that went.

Y'know what they should do? Just look at NWN, look at the fact that's remain modded for years, and just do that again. Just give me a ridiculous toolset I can use powerfully.

 

[Coroc]

That song is jarring.

Between that song and a horribly rendered Drizzt (or clone?) cutting creatures up I don't think I could be less interested in a D&D game after watching that trailer.

My eyes rolled so far in the back of my head I was worried they would get stuck.

Well the song was fitting, although the trailer could have also been for the unrated version of a Diablo sequel. What was positive, was that no extravagant visual effects pronouncing the mundane actions (hitting opponent wit ha sword or arrow) were present.
Anyway this is for the young generation, to much going on to fast there for my taste, and yes I do play games where you still need quickness as well as a good build (DDO, LOTRO)

 

[Coroc]

oh, setting, story, characters, all the things that actually matter.

LOL “death metal”? Have you...ever listened to any metal? That isn’t what death metal sounds like.

That was hardcore bro metal, along the lines of garbage like Five Finger Death Punch.

And it’s a trailer. Why are you worried about verisimilitude in a game trailer?


lord I’m glad that dnd grognards aren’t who will determine the success or failure of a dnd video game.

I like good death metal, sure that was none, but In flames and FFDP also have very good songs.

But in fact the metal song was the thing most refreshing on that trailer imho. Does that reduce my grognard level from 9000 to 8500 now?

And, Whelp when I was young in 1983 I listened to Metallica and Slayer in the local rock disco when no one even knew them. Plus I did play guitar in amateur metal bands. So do not dare to start a discussion on music with me

Btw. what song would you recommend to use on that trailer instead? Ministry /Just one fix ?

 

[Dausuul]

Btw. what song would you recommend to use on that trailer instead? Ministry /Just one fix ?

For that trailer? I think any of these songs would be appropriate:

James Taylor, "Close Your Eyes."
Rolling Stones, "Paint It Black."
Xylo, "I Don't Want To See You Any More."

 

[Hurin70]

I'd listen to a lot more metal if there weren't so many lead "vocalists" that sound like Cookie Monster trying to eat the mic. The music part I quite enjoy.

That's cool; I know the growly vocals aren't for everyone. There are many styles of metal with more traditional vocals, like Iron Maiden.

My favorite band of recent years is The Sword, which has more traditional vocals. They also produced several songs about Game of Thrones years before the TV series. Here's one of their most popular songs:
Their fantasy-inspired songs on that same album are:
--To Take the Black (GoT)
--Maiden, Mother, Crone (GoT)
--The Frost Giant's Daughter (R. E. Howard)
--The Black River (Howard)
--Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians (nothing, it just has the most epic title ever).

 

[SpellJammer16]

Something like this would have worked for me

 

[generic]

[Humour] I think something like this would have worked rather well.
bmbmbm - black midi

 

[BookBarbarian]

I would have gone with this:

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I would have stayed away from metal for a trailer. Its always too divisive. Too hard, not hard enough, too much growl, not symphonic enough, doest sound like this and that etc.
Fact is, the game is as marketed much for the old school fan of older DA games than to the younger one who have no idea who Dio is So I would have gone with a more modern song that resume the characters/actions that we see in a way listener could relate and project themselves as character into the adventure on the screen.

Remembering the trailer of Dragon Age 1, who went with This is Was from 30 second to mars, I think this song
would make great sense, when you look at the lyrics as it describe what the Companions of the Hall went trough while being really close to the experience of a D&d player that has lived a hundred character lives in beautiful adventures, from its youth to now.

and, well....Jared

 

[Nebulous]

You had me until the guy that needs Cloraseptic started his impression of a howler monkey.

Yep. He opened his mouth and I clicked NO

I like these guys. Iron Maiden made a music baby with Jethro Tull.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I like good death metal, sure that was none, but In flames and FFDP also have very good songs.

But in fact the metal song was the thing most refreshing on that trailer imho. Does that reduce my grognard level from 9000 to 8500 now?

And, Whelp when I was young in 1983 I listened to Metallica and Slayer in the local rock disco when no one even knew them. Plus I did play guitar in amateur metal bands. So do not dare to start a discussion on music with me

Btw. what song would you recommend to use on that trailer instead? Ministry /Just one fix ?

Any number of songs by Unleash The Archers, or Cellar Darling, many songs by Opeth, Turisas (Stand Up and Fight would be perfect) or if we want something similar to that more accessible vibe we could use Alter Bridge, Black Veil Brides (In The End would work well).

And that’s not even getting into using metal musical elements as part of a more classical score, as in the Dragon Age trailer I posted earlier.