Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

Although I hate Beamdog wholeheartedly I can't deny that this version is great for everyone who just can't stand searching for any additional fixes when playing old games. I love Baldur's Gate and consider it to be one the best RPGs so it's good that there is a studio that keeps these gems alive. I wish only that Beamdog would lower the price for these games cause it's ridiculous that 20 year old game with essentially little to no visible upgrades has a price of a new game. I think that selling crap like portrait packs should be boycotted cause it shows how greedy they are. This is a studio that didn't create anything original and these poorly written characters from ee are weak attempt to do so. I recommend playing this version if you don't have an original or don't want to spend some time making it playable on new systems. Buy only on sales or by any other means because screw Beamdog an their greedy policy

Playing BG1 Enhanced Edition in this days and age, after the release of BG3, is tough. The game Real Time With Pause renders every fight chaotic and boring and lacks the tactical and impactful strategical choice offered by Turn based game (as is the paper RPG), the 2nd edition of Dungeons & Dragons hasn't aged well compared to the much better 5th edition. Turns, Rounds, Hours, no cantrips for mage, characters who can't physically put a weapon in their hand, strict weapon proficiency making every character a bore as it can't use more than a very very specific type of weapon, physical projectiles to shoot if you want to use a projectile weapon (good luck using Crossbows with how rare bolts are). Got a magic short sword but you have dagger proficiency? tough luck, wait for a magic dagger to drop. Hopefully you didn't choose one of the archetype where scarcely any magic item exists. And irrelevant that your archer has shot a couple of stacks of fire arrow, all dropped from the same enemy type, next time a stack drop, they won't know what it is. You'll have to either identify them again, or run in a store and pay 100 gp for someone to do it for you... So how do you enjoy this, not so timeless classic in a modern age? Well for one, once you get around all the clutter, and I'd advise at the very least a save editor such as EE Keeper to allow you to workaround some of it (like the proficiency issues or the identify spell), you can get a lot of lore from all this. Discover the characters that made it to the end, and overall re-discover the sword coast. It's not all leisure and pleasure in 2024, but it sure can be played. Now, as to the remaster itself, it's good enough and serviceable. Much improved if you buy Siege of Dragonspear, as not only does it come with a DLC, it also comes with a revised UI that is way more compatible with our time. I'd sum it up saying this is a game you want to play to discover (or re-discover in my case) the classic between 2 BG3 runs.

This classic has a griping story a excellent soundtrack and almost infinite variety in classes items and branching paths. the drawback is the game engine is sometimes clunky and in some places limited. the final act is a bit uninspired . that said it still better than most of new games, compeling and greatly replayable. overall still in the top. 9/10

Yeah, I know it's golden classic, I remember the hype when it was released back in 1998. I respect Beamdog efforts to make it playable on modern computers. But by any modern standards this game is tedious and full of bad design. Huge square maps without any interesting encounters or useful loot, repetitive combat which is either "ready your bows and kill five gnolls to get astounding 100XP" (99% of encounters) or "reload the encounter where you've been pwned before, precast anything you've got and pray to the God of Random Saving Throws". Most classes are useless; until the BG2: SoA had been released everybody played Fighter dual-classed to Mage. Most NPCs are weak, some can be recruited as an inseparable couple only, evil NPCs leave if the party reputation is too high (yeah, criminals prefer to be known as such and love to be attacked on sight, right?). The eponymous city consisted of 9 square maps, and some of those maps are divided into two parts by city wall, just because designers were too lazy to place the city wall between maps, not across them (and to reach the other part of the same map you have to leave the map and approach it from another side). I played the BG: EE once as a part of EE Trilogy and would hate to do it again. Play BG2: EE instead, it's much better in every aspect. If you miss those stat-increasing tomes from the first game, use EE Keeper to add those 8 points. If you want more and better combat, play Icewind Dale instead. If you want to roleplay, play Planescape: Torment. This game is like some movies everybody calls GOAT and nobody watches.

It's the best game out there.