[Oblivion437]

One of the only missteps, and this is something that I can only relate in relative terms (equivocated statements for headache induction) to other games...

Well, the game is flat out impressive. Few games get me totally interested from the start, and hold my attention long enough that outside factors are the determinate in my stopping play.

The misstep is mainly in certain subtleties, the kind of flaws that are the outgrowth of a particular design ethic, rather than a flaw in presentation. Certain interface problems, visual problems, integration problems, the sort of thing you can't get rid of without compromising what makes something essentially unique. Thankfully, these flaws are missteps, minor, and even trivial in comparison to the sheer effectiveness of the overall presentation.

That said, the atmosphere is indeed well-constructed. However, it can't stand in league with the best of them, namely such classic atmospheric thrillers as the System Shock and Thief series, and Deus Ex (just Part 1, Invisible War was a low-down dirty shame) which achieved atmospheric immersion on a level that far exceeded the demands of other genres. The labor necessary to craft such raw tension, fear, paranoia and straight up terror is much greater on that level, and the success is admirable.

That Icewind Dale achieves a sense of panorama while at the same time achieving intimacy makes its success all the more memorable.