[2Wycked]

Baldur's Gate was first released in 1998, on the heels of the wildly successful first installment of Diablo. RPG's in PC gaming were its death throes at the time and Diablo helped greatly revive the genre, but Baldur's Gate brought the complete package: action, character development and plot.

The first Baldur's Gate was a great game for what it is. Graphics and the game engine were top-shelf for its time. What set it apart was its plot, characters (Minsc, anybody?) and its character development system.

However, we would not be talking about this game had it not been for its sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows Of Amn, which blew the doors off gaming at the time.



The game had it all: gameplay, plot, side quests, character development and interaction and an overarching storyline from the first game.

The game was finished not in a final third game, but an expansion of the second game, known as Throne Of Bhaal.



This expansion wrapped up all-too-quickly, but was still a highly satisfying game. The ending was poignant - especially for the characters from the start.

Here is Minsc's ending. Almost brought a tear to me eye (It has been many years since I last saw this clip - is that beta?)

Regardless, I think this is one of the best video games series out there to this date. Very few games have spun such a gripping narrative with engaging characters and a great balance of story-telling and action.

2Wycked Verdict? 10/10

[Paracelsus]

MINSC WILL LEAD WITH BLADE AND BOOT! Boo will cover the details.

Only regret with the game was that you couldn't get to fuck Nalia and that it was even possible to fuck Jaheira, but other than that it was awesome from beginning to end.

[Soothesayer]

For ten years I thought Ultima 7 was the pinnacle of RPG gaming... until Baldur's Gate came along. The writers of BG2 (who are sadly absent these days at the Bioware offices in Edmonton) like the early Fallout devs knew what "choices and consequences" meant and not only that, helped me develop character voice for my novels. I learned more about character voice and development from playing this game ten times over (yes!) than spending fifty grand on a four-year degree in writing.

Ironically enough, I learned the most from the characters I hated most: Edwin the evil mage who I simply could NOT finish the game without who delighted in calling my fellow team members SIMIANS at every opportunity and picking fights with that goody-two-shoes knight Keldorn and the hammy-loving Minsc. But putting up with his Red Wizard superiority complex bullshit prevailed in the end.

Then there was Aerie the whiny brat (easily a 9 if you have an elf pregnancy fetish) and though a tad subserviant, offered to carry my spawn into battle and cover my ass while I cut down the goblin hordes. But she was not better than Viconia, the best Drow lover ever created--a whip-wielding BDSM she-bitch from the Underdark whom I fell in love with and who at the very end said to me, "So, my terror of a man...shall we conquer all upon your divinity?"

The real shame is that Bioware is now a shadow of its former self. Most of the writers of that glorious game have moved on to greener pastures and so now we have male homos in Dragon Age who constantly berate us for not chasing after man ass and glorifying "strong independent" (feminist) leads. Retch! Give me good ol' Aerie or Jaheira any day of the week over anyone in Mass Effect 3 or Dragon Age. They knew their place.

I have high hopes for Pillars of Eternity and Witcher 3: Assassins of Kings to take up where Baldur's Gate 2 left off. If there is any justice in Heaven, those games will surpass BG2 (if such a thing is possible!)

RIP Bioware...

[Paracelsus]

(01-09-2015 02:30 AM)Soothesayer Wrote:  

Ironically enough, I learned the most from the characters I hated most: Edwin the evil mage who I simply could NOT finish the game without who delighted in calling my fellow team members SIMIANS at every opportunity and picking fights with that goody-two-shoes knight Keldorn and the hammy-loving Minsc. But putting up with his Red Wizard superiority complex bullshit prevailed in the end.

Honestly I never used Edwin because I always played Team Good, but didn't the party get some vindictive pleasure back when he became Edwina for a while there?

[Tactician]

He's holding a hamster. He is welcome here.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

Amazing game, both I and II. So much replayability, just the right amount of difficulty, awesome visuals (for that time), music and audio (who can ever forget that MIIIITAAAAAH----MORTIIIIISSSSS or an Abi Dazlim's Horrid Wilting being cast)...

Amazing.

[Menace]

Got it and played until 4 am the first night. The glory days of Bioware. Legendary series of games. I bought every one, including the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment, another masterpiece. I have all the original boxes and CD's actually.

You can play the updated Baldur's Gate Enhanced on iPad and PC now. I think it's $10.

[infowarrior1]

I love how you cannot remove Minsc's Hamster from his inventory.

[rottenapple]

I lost about 2 years of my life playing the bioware games, must've finished BG and BG2 atleast 3-4 times each, with different legal and illegal mods everytime, such depth in games is unseen now. Still storywise Planescape Torment trumps all, it incorporates so many phylosophical and psycological elements, a game that challenges beliefs, incredible.

Let's hope Pillars of Eternity and the Planescape follow up can revive some of the series. I can see myself going through an epic marathon of all these games in 40 years when im retired and society has collapsed :-).

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

(01-09-2015 05:12 AM)Menace Wrote:  

Got it and played until 4 am the first night. The glory days of Bioware. Legendary series of games. I bought every one, including the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment, another masterpiece. I have all the original boxes and CD's actually.

You can play the updated Baldur's Gate Enhanced on iPad and PC now. I think it's $10.

Trust me, it's not worth it. The new content was really disappointing, not to mention SJW-infested.

[Felix88]

No mentioning of Baldur's Gate is completed without:

http://youmustgatheryourpartybeforeventuringforth.com/

Just because

[BortimusPrime]

I remember Vicky was the only realistic romance dialogue path I've seen in a Bioware game, having been made before they started SJWing plots like in Faggin' Age or Ass Effect.

You actually have to game her in the dialogue, negging her and responding to her shit tests until she breaks down at which point you reinforce the positive behavior with affectionate comments.

Actually being able to fuck up the dialogue by acting like a pussy and screw the romance was a nice touch.

[Thoroughbred]

(01-09-2015 05:12 AM)Menace Wrote:  

Planescape: Torment, another masterpiece.

The best game ever made.

There is a sequel in the works:
https://torment.inxile-entertainment.com/game

[Cr33pin]

I played the ones on PS2 can I still hang out here and nerd out with you guys?

[Paracelsus]

(01-09-2015 06:35 AM)infowarrior1 Wrote:  

I love how you cannot remove Minsc's Hamster from his inventory.

Not hamster. Miniature Giant Space Hamster.

[booker.t]

An absolute classic of a game series. They just don't make them like this anymore.

[rottenapple]

(01-09-2015 09:02 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  

I played the ones on PS2 can I still hang out here and nerd out with you guys?

I'm sorry but we have to draw the line somewhere.

[jayyrod1]

Just got BG2 enhanced, will I still have a weekend?

[El Chinito loco]

I didn't even play BG 1 first but I remember buying BG 2 winter 2000. I was as sick as a dog in college one day and drove all the way out to Pasadena to get this but played the fuck out of it. I don't remember too many plot details but I did have a wizard as the main pc and a super powerful group at the end that basically annhilated everything with time stops.

Thanks for the nostalgia though..

More things I remember from 2000:

CNN going crazy over Y2K

Millenium celebrations worldwide.

I saw my first 720p widescreen HD TV playing dvds.

Monster massive was the biggest EDM festival (and predated the current commercial EDM craze by 15 years)

Everyone was doing E like a motherfucker.

Girls were nowhere near as cunty

[Paracelsus]

(01-10-2015 09:14 AM)jayyrod1 Wrote:  

Just got BG2 enhanced, will I still have a weekend?

[Krusyos]

Any suggestions on getting into this game and similar ones? I only started gaming seriously around 2010... because of that I was raised on excellent 3D graphics. I tried Planescape Torment, but couldn't bring myself to go past the first section of it. I am having quite a lot of fun with Heroes 3, though.

[eradicator]

(01-10-2015 11:26 PM)Krusyos Wrote:  

Any suggestions on getting into this game and similar ones? I only started gaming seriously around 2010... because of that I was raised on excellent 3D graphics. I tried Planescape Torment, but couldn't bring myself to go past the first section of it. I am having quite a lot of fun with Heroes 3, though.

planescape torment is really shitty for the first few hours, but it starts to get good quick, but you have to like reading tons of text on screen.

PST is a game of paradoxes: a robot who is becoming human, a succubus who helps people instead of devouring their souls, a brothel with no sex(brothel of slating intellectual lusts), a fallen angel, a malevolent demon that is cursed into only doing good deeds, and of course a hero who wants to die but can't.

If you decide to try again, go to the smoldering corpse bar, talk to Candrian and ask about planewalking, this one conversation gives you a richer conversation than you get in most entire games. All you really need for a party is dakkon and morte, you can add more people, and they can be pretty colorful.

I liked the sensate stones, the pillar of skulls, the fortress of regrets, and the rest.

the fallout franchise is also excellent. new vegas is fantastic, pick it up on a steam sale

[Laurifer]

Wow surprised to see a thread like this! My respect for the forum grows even more.

Bioware games took up much of my childhood, is that good or bad?

I played through BG 1 when I was a kid but never finished it, made it all the way to balders gate too!

Now I have a procrastinated 3 year long play through of BG 2 going on. These games are like reading a long novel, slow and cozy.

I'm a big fan of the ice wind dale series too. I'd love to see a modernized version of the same engine and some new releases someday.

[BortimusPrime]

(01-10-2015 11:26 PM)Krusyos Wrote:  

Any suggestions on getting into this game and similar ones? I only started gaming seriously around 2010... because of that I was raised on excellent 3D graphics. I tried Planescape Torment, but couldn't bring myself to go past the first section of it. I am having quite a lot of fun with Heroes 3, though.

Play Zork and then when you play Baldur's Gate the fact that it has any graphics at all will make it seem fancy.

[Felix88]

I currently playing Baldur's Gate 1 and I just killed Minsc again since I find him annoying as fuck, what a satisfying feeling, to bad he didn't explode into chunks.