Baldur's Gate 2

[Saladbar]

How does it hold up 10+ years later?

I've been considering reinstalling and playing through this again, but not sure if it is worth the time. I recently reinstalled KOTOR (which I absolutely loved when it came out), and couldn't really get into the gameplay. It doesn't seem like KOTOR has aged terribly well.

Has anybody played BG2 in the last few years? What do you think? I don't really care about the graphics; I'm more interested in how the other gameplay aspects have held up.

[Arrashi]

Still best RPG ever.

[Anjerith]

It's still very good. The ruleset is sort of crappy in comparison to later iterations but still fun.

[Ratyrel]

Still the most interesting tactical rpg in my opinion and the story is just great. With a few character mods you can even get a bit of fresh air in your party composition. Unlike 3D graphics rpgs I also feel that the graphics have aged quite well.

[XFuzzypeachX]

Still i would say the funnest game ive ever played, best rpg easy, nothing compares. If only they would make more my life would be complete.

[Deleted]

Still best RPG ever.

I second that notion, played it this spring and still love it more than any other RPG.

[Fencers]

Yea, it's my favorite RPG as well. Great story, fantastic gameplay, robust mods, challenging and incredible depth. Just phenomenal.

[Deleted]

In my opinion it's still the best single-player RPG ever made.

And it achieves this without any flashy renderings, movies or other fancy devices.

It achieves all this simply via dialogue and setting.



That said, some elements like the UI, the RPG mechanics etc will feel a little archaic. But that's something you'll just have to battle through.

[Deleted]

Still the most interesting tactical rpg in my opinion and the story is just great. With a few character mods you can even get a bit of fresh air in your party composition. Unlike 3D graphics rpgs I also feel that the graphics have aged quite well.

I agree. The isometric graphic seems to be relying more on artists skills than powerfull engines - besides, graphic isnt always that important in rpg. A great atmosphere can work just as well as a high poly 3d environment. Lots of people enjoyed MUD`s and pen/paper games back in the days - leaving something for imagination arent always bad.

Games like Baldurs Gate and Planescape are abit like good books you can read again and again. Similar games like Icewind dale, Arcanum and Temple of Elemental Evil is abit more action packed without being completely hack and slash. Played Temple of elemental evil (2003)from Troika recently and i absolutely loved it.

[Saladbar]

Thanks. Think I'm just going to go ahead and buy a digital copy from gog for $10. Not sure I want to mess with my 10 year old cds .

Edit: holiday sale, only $5.

[Pachycrocuta]

Not as good as the original Baldur's Gate, but that's just personal preference. And I must echo what others have said about it.

[Cernunnos]

Best Video game boss ever.
Best RPG of all time.

[PizzaSHARK]

Not as good as the original Baldur's Gate, but that's just personal preference. And I must echo what others have said about it.

Pretty simple to play both games and their expansions with the updated BG2 engine. Two different projects do it, BG Trilogy and BGTutu, and both have incompatibilities with different mods. Kinda frustrating, but whatever.

BG2 is still the best single-player RPG ever made, makes Oblivion and Skyrim and all the others look like dogshit. The UI and AD&D 2.5E rules are definitely dated, but they're still functional. Don't run it at a res greater than 800x600, though - the UI doesn't scale up to meet the larger playing space so you end up with itty bitty text and UI.

[Deleted]

Best Video game boss ever.
Best RPG of all time.

Man...this just makes me want to play it again.

In fact, I just ordered it again off amazon.

[Fencers]

Irenicus is one of the best villains in gaming. His motivation is really simple but it works great within the context of the Bhaal-spawn storyline.

[Cernunnos]

Irenicus is one of the best villains in gaming. His motivation is really simple but it works great within the context of the Bhaal-spawn storyline.

David Warner did an amazing job of bring Irenicus to life. His voice, his mannerisms, his warped views, his retorts all makes for a truly great villain.

[Deleted]

Getting some cool mods for it definitely makes the replay experience more refreshing!
You can find a lot of nice mods through the Pocket Plane Group site
Also someone made a Dragon Age mod of the starting area I haven't tried if myself but it looked pretty cool.

[Halicia]

Go for the eyes Boo, Go for the eyes!!!!!

edit ~ the npc's in the Baldur's Gate series are incomparable... such a variety, and yet... they all seemed to 'belong' and have a life of their own. (even if it pissed me off that my drow priestess and paladin got all pissy at each other).

[Grithmir]

It still belongs on top of my personal list of best games ever.

The graphics don't really age because most of it is handdrawn.
Sound/music/voiceacting are still one of the best I've ever heard.
Dialogue and characters are unique and very memorable.
Gameplay is still loads of fun, especially if you play on higher difficulty. (only if you're familiar with the rules and don't cheese it.)
Lots of stuff to do, will keep you busy for many weeks if you're going to complete every quest/dungeon. Hell I even think this is one of the longest games I've ever played.

So yeah, go for it. You won't find many games as superb quality as Baldur's Gate 2.

[Wilian]

Still best RPG ever.

Then I must introduce Planescape Torment to you. BG2 is good, but it's more paraded for it's popularity rather than really beating PS:T