There are other RPGs that do specific things better than Bioware's Baldur's Gate 2/Throne of Bhaal. Amongst the other Black Isle infinity engine games, Planescape has a more original setting, and slightly more interesting story. Other RPGs do a bit better at establishing an explorable open world and non-linear storyline. Temple of Elemental Evil is probably the very best implementation of the DnD combat rules in a tactical dungeon crawler. But while they might have their bright spots amongst weaknesses, none of those games does as *many* things as well as Baldur's Gate 2/TOB. From story, characters, combat, depth, content, explorability, role playing opportunities and player choice, graphics and music, BG2/TOB fires on all cylinders across the board. It is a perfect storm for RPG lovers that not even Bioware has completely matched since. Although a bit more conventional than Planescape's story, BG2/TOB features a sweeping, epic fantasy narrative with a great villain, memorable and endearing characters, and a richly detailed fantasy setting. While not completely open ended, the game is so packed with so much optional content (potentially 200+ hours possible, all told) that can be experienced in different ways, it really feels like an open living world for most of the game. It has many different opportunities for player choice and good/evil decisions, and can support many different experiences in subsequent play-throughs. It has perhaps the most polished interface and combat experience of any of the Infinity engine games, with lots of epic, highly tactical encounters requiring clever strategic thinking to survive. It also has far more combat depth than previous Infinity Engine games, featuring a ton of different possible character races, spells and abilities, classes, dual and multi-classes, and customization options. Exploring different characters and different party makeups will keep you playing and replaying the game for quite some time. While a somewhat dated looking 2D game, BG2/TOB is still a great looking and sounding game. The beautiful 2D pre-rendered backgrounds, and ambient sounds make for a very immersive gameworld. The game features a wonderful musical score, and oozes art from every aspect down to its interface and loading screens. Options for higher "unsupported" screen resolutions mean BG2 has aged a bit better than earlier Infinity engine games. One of the few downsides for some people, is that the game is based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons second edition ruleset, which can seem a bit quirky to those with no previous DnD experience. It comes with a huge manual detailing the combat rules and spells, with lots of tables listing the effects of various stats, that may seem a bit overwhelming for players not used to that much depth in more recent RPGs. But it is precisely that depth which will keep you coming back for more. BG2 continues the story of the characters from the original Baldur's Gate, allowing you to import your characters. If you want to get the most out of BG2, you will play BG first. However, it isn't strictly necessary, and BG2 makes for a great story and game even if you don't. If you do, keep in mind that in many ways Baldur's Gate is a more primitive experience than BG2, so don't judge the latter by the former. Baldur's Gate 2/TOB has given me lots of joy and replays over the years, more so than any other RPG, and there are *still* things I haven't tried out. I hope it gives you the same.
