Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

This game really is an encapsulation of what made 2000s CRPGs great. The exploration, the character and party building options, the spells...all of it makes for a really engrossing experience that I am delighted to have had. My only problem is that, for all the good that a game of its time brings, there remains some of the bad. After completing the second to last fight three times in a row, I have to face facts and admit that there is some sort of bug that simply will not let me advance any further. Thus, I am locked out of properly finishing the game. Disappointing, yes, but it still doesn't take away from the journey.

Is there anything to write about BG1+2 that has not been written before? One thing not emphasized enough is how fun the combat can be! It's tactical and the real time with pause causes a lot of chaos to happen to which one has to react. None of the game that have tried to follow (Pillars, Pathfinder,..) have captured it, in part because they've introduced elements such as attacks of opportunity that make the combat less fun. It's the only game of it's type in which I find it fun to play as a thief, stealthing and backstabbing around, placing traps and being a general nuisance. Do yourself a service and play it with the mod Sword Coast Stratagems. It elevates the game to another level!

Dragon Age Origins was billed as the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate, and even a short time into BG2 you can absolutely see why. I've played BioWare games for a long time and only recently gotten into the BG saga, but it was well worth the trip. BG2 is an improvement on the original in every way, and well worth your time if you love RPGs and D&D. It captures the D&D experience about as well as anything I've played on PC.

One of the classic CRPGs from when CRPGs were king.

You just can't beat the variety and replayability of this game. One of the best to ever do it.