Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

I just recently completed this game and it's nice how they incorporated many of the changes that were in Baldur's Gate II into this game such as kits, half-orcs and so on. Sure you could probably get those same functions with mods, but it's nice to be able to just install the game with those features already there. Speaking of mods, you can still use a whole bunch of mods. I used the tweaks anthology from gibberlings3.net to customize the game to my tastes, and I'd probably recommend the same for most players. Incorporating things from 3rd edition like mages being able to wear armor albeit with a spell casting failure percentage is pretty awesome. As for the story itself, it's still the same great story from before. I do wish there was a better postgame. Once you get to a certain point in the game, it just doesn't feel right to be going off and doing sidequests after the return to Candlekeep. The whole Tales of the Sword Coast expansion would really be better suited to being played after defeating Sarevok. I'd much rather do that than play Siege of Dragonspear, but that's another review. Once you defeat Sarevok that ends the game, so you can never get back to those other quests if you didn't complete them beforehand. Some of those quests are pretty difficult, thus the increase in level cap. That would be a feature that would definitely help out this game in my opinion. One other small, minor quibble I'd like to add. They redid all of the movies in this game. Maybe it's just me, but I'd like the option of being able to view the old movies from the original release after completing the game. Long story short, if you are a fan of the original game and/or AD&D, you can't go wrong getting this version of the game.

Disclaimer: I played this game for the first time in 2019. I beat the game on "core rules" in 2019, and have played it off and on since, trying to beat it on harder difficulties. Graphics: B. Even for an older game, I don't mind the graphics in Baldur's Gate. It is easy to tell what objects are meant to represent, and considerable effort was obviously put into backgrounds. Of course more modern games have better graphics, but these get the job done. Combat mechanics: A. I feel that from a game mechanics perspective, Baldur's Gate accomplished what it set out to do. Combat is surprisingly flexible and manageable for a party-based RPG. Character creation: D. While I like the wide range of races, classes, skills, and attributes, this concept of clicking "reroll stats" can turn into a major time waster. "Well why shouldn't I just sit here and click re-roll untill I get nearly perfect stats?" Indeed. That is the logical thing to do, the problem is that doing so is tedious and completely unnecessary. I would have greatly preferred a "pool of numbers" to allocate rather than rolling dice. This is a legitimate way of creating characters in the tabletop version of D&D, and it removes this feeling of being "cheated by chance." My advice is to not spend too much time on character creation if you just want to experience the game for the first time. Expect to die semi-frequently no matter what you choose. Story: C. The main story is decent, but there are a lot of dumb side quests. Music, sound effects, voice acting, and cut scenes: C. While not terrible, the same short music clips loop throughout the game. My advice is to simply turn off all sound and listen to music you actually enjoy in the background. All of the dialog shows in text, so you aren't missing anything. Replayability: D. I didn't find any difficulty level above "core rules" even remotely enjoyable. Overall: Recommended for a single playthrough on "core rules."

A classic RPG. I starting playing it for the first time a couple of months ago. It can at times seem archaic and unforgiving but give it time and once you get into it, the experience is wonderful. Puts a lot of modern games to shame with it's emphasis on a rich and rewarding combat experience based on the AD&D rule set. It's well worth while familiarising yourself with the rules before starting the game as they will help with understanding the stats system. There are quite a few mods which will improve the game. The gibberlings3 have some nice mods for the game. As a add on the Siege of Dragonspear adds more to the story. Now onto BG2. I found the game to work flawlessly on Linux so a big thank you to BeamDog for investing the effort in the Linux port.

I have been quite satisfied with this purchase. Unlike NWN's "enhanced" edition with game-breaking bugs, this actually feels like a step up from the original game, in spite of some challenges. The additions enrich the game and some elements are working considerably better than in the original game. The challenges include the occasional crash (no particular pattern) and graphic issues. I am playing on my laptop, connected to a regular computer screen, but it requires a kind of trick to actually display this particular game on the big screen (closing the laptop and using ALT-TAB to get out of the game before it finishes adjusting to the new screen size - which will result in black screen - then returning to the game, allowing it to adjust to the correct resolution to display it on the big screen). Even after reinstalling it and trying various tips I found online, I couldn't get it to start up normally without first having the laptop open. Some of the additions seem a bit awkward or king of forced(pressure to be "politically correct" or "inclusive"), but at least it's generally really well implemented. I feel this is actually a step up on the original and deserves a good rating, in spite of the problems.

Baldur's Gate 1 leads you through a world where everything seems ordinary while also conveying a constant potential for the extraordinary. It puts you in the role of a nobody, who compelled by mysteryous reasons, is forced to leave his cloistered life. And so it goes: you're unexperienced, vulnerable and clueless, roaming through a land that is as broad as you are free to explore it. Your relevance in this world is evident — you're the protagonist after all —, but you know nothing about it and will affect your surroundings initially by means of small, trivial deeds — but also the occasional heroic ones. The game is slow-paced, almost disorientingly vast and rather empty, but its emptiness makes every discovery intriguing and every encounter suspicious — a child looking for a pet may or may not be what it seems. Still, in spite of its vastness and vagueness, the game feels very organic, nothing's ever out of place. The story does not want to be ambitious and this is where it shines. You'll mainly face the everyday problems of common people, some of whom have been affected by a major local political and social crisis. All of them contribute to bring life and credibility to this universe you're set into. And eventually the plot will scale. Companions are very simplistic and lack greater dept, but being archetypal they're easily understandable and relatable — the loyal childhood friend, the young warrior who seeks only justice, evil wizards and greedy thieves. Much like everything else that seems vague about the game, their simplicity is meant to be completed by the player's imagination (this is a roleplaying game, after all). Beamdog's Enhanced Edition made the game playable without the need of mods, while also adding new content, which not at all offends the original game. It's true some of the encounters are forced upon you, but Baldur's Gate II is full of forced interactions. The new characters add variety to the game and are very likeable. A lovely videogame.