Baldur's Gate
Rating:  -
I baught this game for the second time, and i was hooked!... i would play this game for at least 8 hours a day, completely neglecting everything not involved with the game, i'm not kidding. And now, the Pros!!!!
1. Excellent story-line, [pulls] you in, puts you in a head lock, and refuses to let you go.
2.Excellent interface, easy to learn, unless you play diablo.
3.The spell system for this game is awesome,tons of spells, a bunch of schools of magic.
4.Vast game!... if you do everything, it totals around 100 hours!...
5.Each character has his/her own personality, and reacts to situations differently(such as when Khalid panics and runs away like a little girl!...)
And, even though it sounds like it's bad, these aren't horrendous, the Cons!...
1.the graphics leave a little to be desired, but if you don't have good gameplay and story, then what good are all the flashy graphics in the world gonna do you?
2. the character movements are a bit jerky, liker they're all descendants of the TinMan.
3.If you misdistribute the thief skills, you can count on missing a lot of goodies that are in locked crates.
Basically, if you want one of the best RPGs ever, based on second edition DandD rules, buy this game. It's a bajillion times better than diablo and it's equally stupid sequal combined. Those games have almost no plot, they are a disappointment to all games, and should be destroyed for even calling themselves RPGs.The plot is awesome to Baldur's Gate, you can do whatever you want, complet a quest, don't complete one, it doesn't matter, but you pay the price. And hey, in what other game can you kill anyone you want, including hookers. And in what other game can you give dead cats to little girls? Huh? If you haven't played it, buy it for the whole 20 dollars they sell it for, and you'll see what i mean. When you beat it, their' an expansion, a sequel, an expansion for the sequel, icewind dale, an expansion for that, and the soon to be released icewind dale 2. All of these games you can import the same guy into. Buy it!...
Rating:  -
I had VERY high hopes when I ordered this game due to a number of the reviews that I read. However, after installing and playing the game, I was somewhat let down and I find that I'm not excited about continuing the adventure. Don't get me wrong this is a fun game but in light of todays advanced graphics, sound and storylines, this game just seems a little outdated.
I found a very frustrating aspect to the game seems to happen when encountering a new creature. At the initial encounter, I was hardly able to do any damage and I would usually be killed very quickly. However, after restoring from a previous save point, then attacking the same monster....I would prevail without an extremely difficult fight. This seemed to happen over and over again.
Anyway, here is my rundown of the pros and cons.
Pros:
-The game is huge and will take a lot of time to solve.
-Character creation and development has depth.
-Large number of magical items.
-Seems to follow the D&D rules closely.
-Adventuring decisions impact future interactions and character moods.
Cons:
-Character level progression is slow!
-The game is extremely hard even on the easiest setting.
-The numerous restores from save points gets old fast!
-Small inventory for each character requiring you to leave numerous items in dungeons or in the wilderness.
-Accumulating gold for weapons, armor and health potions is very difficult in the beginning.
To me, this game is like a bad movie that you continue to watch in the hopes that things will get better. However, just like the movie, things have not gotten any better and I'm now a little frustrated. Although I have had some fun playing, I was not able to become imersed in the story and I will probably stop playing. If you enjoy challenges, you might like this game more than I do.
Rating: -
OHMYGAWD! This game is sooooo addicting and fun. I feel like a pimply faced teenager again rolling dice in a freind's home long into the summer nights, playing D&D. The RPG concept has been captured so very well in this game. If you are a D&D freak, you will LOVE this game. Black Isle RULES!
Rating:  -
Baldur's Gate was the game that mannaged to blow new life into computer roleplaying games. For those of you not familiar with roleplaying games or the AD&D rules, here is a short introduction. You start out with creating your character, selecting a race(dwarf, human, halfling, gnome, elf and half-elf)and a profession(Fighter, mage, cleric(priest), ranger etc, etc). Then you roll up your ability scores each representing one physical or mental ability (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma). After creating your character you start the game in Candlekeep, a keep located on the swordcoast famous for its library. You are an orphan raised by your ward Gorion. The start of the game is easy and not very challenging, but it does give you time to get into the game mechanics and there are several tutors in Candlekeep that can give you advice on the game. I will avoid going into any further detail about the game plot as it will ruin the joy of the game.
The game itself features a linear story line, but with a lot of subquests, some minor and some larger. There are plenty of areas for your party to explore, but beware, some of the areas might prove more than you can handle in the lower levels! As the plot thickens and you find out more about your background and the powers working against you it becomes more interesting, and you find yourself working towards the grand finale.
The graphics are fine, considering the game isn't new anymore. This is truly an entertaining game with only a few flaws(flaws that I only noticed after playing Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn). The character interaction in the group is almost non-existant, and it would have been nice with a little more in-groub dialogue. There are plenty of characters that you can have join your group...almost too many. Sometimes you are really have doubts about who you want since you are limited to a total of 6 members(including yourself). Even with the limited NPC(NonPlayerCharacter) interaction most NPC's are still very different and have good developed personalities.
The main plot is really good, intrigue based, although it seems that at some point you find yourself a bit "lost" in all the subquests and explorable areas there are, that you almost lose sight of the "real" goal of the game.
That said, it is still a great game. Most importantly it mannages to get the AD&D "feeling" to the computer, almost like the real thing. The AI does not always work as it should though, and you might find your characters blocking your path, so you are suddenly "stuck" in a small area and need to reload. This can be annoying, but knowing the danger of this happening can help you avoid it.
A note, this game is very different from games like Diablo and Diablo II, none of which were true roleplaying games. If you are looking for a way to hack and slash your way to glory this is not the game for you. There is a need to interact with other people during the game, and the way you behave and answer them will affect their reaction towards you, unlike Diablo where everything is a monologue. If you ever played and enjoyed tabletop AD&D, this will almost certainly entertain you. If you never tried AD&D this might just get you introduced.
I propably would have given this game 5 stars, but since I played Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, I have chosen to limit myself to 4 stars, as there are a lot of things that are enhanced in SoA.
Rating: -
It certainly is the best game I've ever played. I started reading the books, and then I heard about this game coming out, so I thought I'd give it a try, and I love it. I've played it several times through. The variability within characters, quests and areas, and the way the game is setup is absolutely wonderful.
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