Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

I played BG2 the first time over 18 years ago. Throughout the years I considered it to be in my TOP5 list of all time games. When BG2:EE emerged I was tempted to buy it, but i postponed it because of the bad reviews. However at 4,49€ discounted price I was overcome my reluctance. And I'm glad i did, because this game is still brilliant. Lot of the other comments are about bad and buggy remake, but I'm yet to encounter any bugs. I even installed about a hundred 3rd party mods, and it still works flawlessly. The GUI is fantastic with 4K display, though you need to reconfigure the settings (set scaling and zooming.) It has been pure joy to be able replay this game again. There's even more content with the mods accumulated over the years. It's like old wine that gets better. I used to think that getting older made me lose interest in gaming, but playing these old masterpieces made me realize that it's not me, it's the modern games that have gotten worse.

I've played BG since the early 2000 so I am accustomed to what it is cable of and what not. * For new players: When you are just now discovering this lovely game and have little to no experience with old games BE WARNED! This game does not hold your hand, it does not have intelligent AI or built-in ease of use mechanics/options. This game will absolutely require trial and error to finding solutions that work for you. This is a simple game with quite simple mechanics that are over 20years old. It does not have as many story options or solutions available as modern games and some decisions could very abruptly make party members angry or leave or even fight you. But it is worth it, the story is phenomenal, the music, the NPCs are great. The banter that the NPCs will have with you or to each other is great and fun. Just dive in with the expectation that it will not have many things that modern games do. That's really all there is to it set realistic expectations. * For everybody else: If you've played BG1 or IWD or any game from the around the 2000s then you know what to expect. * General: - The story makes more sense if you start with BG1, but it is not absolutely necessary, but if you are like me and like the attention to detail then it is worth it. - BG2 is a direct sequel to (albeit with a new main story) the previous game and you will have returning characters and references. - The graphics is what it is, there's no way to change that. The art is actually still beautiful, the worst part are the character/npc/monster sprites. Just accept it and enjoy the story. - The closest you get to ease of use or quality of life options are the autopause settings and the AI script that you can put on each of your characters - use them (pause game when trap is detected could save your life). - Mechanically it uses a logic where lower numbers are better: Armor class (AC) 0 or even -2 is better than AC 8. To hit bonus works similarly, THAC0 17 is worse than THAC0 4. ENJOY!

I own the original BGII discs, and I own the GOG Complete version. Currently installed is the Complete version which I modded with the best mods out there. The install is 5.11 Gigabyte. It works flawlessly, there's no missing content (though at my high monitor resolution - at which I am playing the game - the dialogue text is a bit hard to read). The developer of this Enhanced edition may have fixed (most of) the bugs? But if you already own ANY original copy of the game (be it the original disc version or GOG complete), do NOT buy this. Just mod the version you already own. It will take a couple of hours but it will definitely work (unlike this Enhanced edition) and you will have saved a few bucks to spend on another game you don't yet own. One way or another, no developer or any product manufacturer should release broken, unfinished products... which is exactly what this developer did and at the time of release they charged a premium price. Such developers deserve no support from the gamers' community, and I don't care if this version of BG is currently on sale... and nor should you.

Every year I come back and play this game. Of course I start with baldurs gate 1, move on to Siege of Dragonspear, then BG2 and finishing with THrone of Baal. I just love playing through the whle epic adventure with the same character. However, it is when I get to Baldurs Gate 2 that the real fun begins. I have played this game since it released decades ago. This game is pretty much what I consider perfection. Story is a 10/10, antagonist is a 11/10, I've never been a graphics guy, but to me, it's a 10/10 for the brilliant atmosphere and nostalgia. There are so many ways to play this game, and I have solo'd it with a mage, thief and warrior class, and despite this, there are still some questlines I haven't completed, begun or even heard of, despite playing it for pretty much every year since release. Id say this game easily clocks in at 100 hours of content, and that is with ONE play style. If I ever have to make the terrible choice of picking one game that will be the only game I will ever get to play again, it's probably going to be this one. If you are new to the franchise, be sure to start with Baldurs gate 1 Enhanced Edition, and yeah, Bg1 is a lot more hardcore and unforgiving, but stick with it, learn the inns and outs of combat and spells, and quicksave a lot, because when your character makes it over to Bg2, you wont stop playing until the end.

Again, I'm going to try to avoid the whole Beamdog/steam/gog corporate battle, and focus on the game experience. In other words, this review applies to the commonalities between Baldurs Gate II and BGEE II. I found the game difficult, but fantastic. The depth of adventure and experience is incredible, as is the story telling. My main complaint is that every new battle of any significance requires a) losing badly once, b) learning how to win, and c) completely optimizing every member in you party after learning how to win. Whoever thinks of morphing into a mustard jelly and jamming a door to beat trolls, or sleeping in an Inn with a Lich to let the Lich's protections expire. Daystar makes the game fair, but there are no clues that you need it, or how to get it, unless you read lots and lots of online spoilers. I've tried it a few times over the years and have quit, frustrated. I've recently passed through a lot, and am having fun. The writing and depth of adventure is just superb. I think if you go in with high expectations on story and adventure, and are not afraid of research, it is unsurpassable.