Icewind Dale 2 Complete

Just read that modders had made an enganced edition, so just get this gem. I loved 1, loved all the baldurs, and this one is deeper and as good or better than the others. A shame its code was lost and there is not an official enhanced edition, but the game is top notch. Thank me later.

Believe it or not this was my first Infinity Engine(s) game.. even today I have not played most of Baldur's gate II .. :) But I think the criticism this game gets its because most players were expecting , well, BG with its engine and style. The main popular complaints of this game are: No NPCs, linear flow of the game, too much fight. What I see is: No recruitable uninteractive NPC with a couple banters, no overwheling open world, a lot of action. And mostly: D&D 3.5rd edition rules! I also never played Ad&d nor 2end edition.. and I objectively know that 3.5 is simply superior; specially in video games.. i mean here you have clear meaning and fun customization of stats per character feats and no wonder items that "set your XXX stat to YYY". This game is the only real way I see an enjoyable part management of 6. Even recent titles like Pillars of eternity get too fiddly when it comes to customization and items. The last star is due to the inexcusable lengtiness of some dungeons,the unexplicably worse graphics and some oddly untested features like .. Druid's shapeshift forms not unlocking properly (bug) at later levels.

I'm in the minority, that thinks ID2 is superior to ID1. There is much to cover. Graphics - it's pretty obvious that ID2 is by far the best looking game running on the legendary Infinity Engine. That's one of only two comparisons between ID and BG series . Pairing ID with BG & PS:T is frankly unnfair: BD PS:T are more story-oriented, while ID is combat oriented. Music - Inon Zhur made a terrific job. Targos & Kuldahar themes, Shaengarne + Sherincal + Lysara and final battle themes. If Zhur just combined his and Jeremy Soule's takes on the main theme - this would be epic. Story-wise: I agree with eraserparticles, ignatius_reilly, LegendaryStud & Elandryl. Having played both games I think ID2 has the better, more coherent story. Linear story doesn't make a game bad. Actually, the most revered RPGs of old, like Ishar, Dungeon Master, EotB, ARE LINEAR, but no one *dares* to criticise those games for it. To me ID1's story was an incoherennt jubmle of plots. ID2's progression seems more natural. It's good to see that some quests can be dealt with in more than one way. Plus, i think the bosses in ID2 are more memorable. Like others, I absolutely adore 3e D&D. True, more careful decision-makingis needed, but that enables building versatile characters. Battles can be challenging, especially early on. Yet later on some battles can also give a challenge. And there are also two optional epics battles: for the Cera Sumat blade and against Chult portal guardian. Lastly: a wide array of spells ann a customizable UI Window, a welcomed addition. As far as AI is concerned: it sucked in all 4 infinity-based great games (BG, BG2, ID, ID2). There you have that second comparison point. I won't lie: to me ID1 is somewhat meh, while ID2 is great. I hope this review does the ID2 some justice.

I forgot how wonky it is compared to BG2:EE but it's one of those all time classics. Reliving childhood memories with games such as these

The overall plot of this classic game is weak, but then again you do not play it for the plot. The real joy is crafting a party of characters and seeing them progress. The developers did a decent job adapting 3rd edition rules to a video game. If you want an entertaining time-killer, then you could certianly do worse than this gem. Dated graphics and bland plotline kept me from being able to off five stars.