Josh Sawyer Interview & Icewind Dale II MPEG

There’s a brand new interview with Icewind Dale II’s lead designer, Josh Sawyer, over at IGN PC. In addition to that, they’ve also posted the first MPEG from the game, which shows off some nice in-game footage. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

IGNPC: How do you think your own approach might be different from other games (Pool of Radiance or Neverwinter Nights for instance) that have used the rules?

Josh Sawyer: I think the emphasis of our game is different from both Pool of Radiance and the upcoming Neverwinter Nights. Icewind Dale 2 is a combat-oriented dungeon exploration game. There’s a lot of role-playing in Icewind Dale 2, but the focus is clearly on creeping through ruins and fighting hordes of baddies. The rules we have implemented have all been geared towards making those experiences more fun for the player. And, unlike Pool of Radiance, which did a pretty decent job of implementing the letter of the rules in a turn-based environment, we’re ignoring those aspects (like attacks of opportunity) for an experience that is similar in pacing to Icewind Dale and Baldur’s Gate.