Baldur's Gate

[Zidane007nl]

Does anyone here ever played a Baldur's Gate game? It's a well known RPG series created by Biohazard which is based on the Forgotten Realms-settings of the game Dungeons & Dragons.

I only played Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance I + II, which are hack-and-slash RPGs. I red that those are not true Baldur's Gate games, since they differ with storyline and gameplay. I still liked the games, they were a little short though.

[Brindley]

Had Baldur's Gate 1, 2 and the expansion for 2. It rocked so much! I only ever completed it once, but I played all the way through with a Dwarven Barbarian. He was hard as nails!

...created by Biohazard...
The company was called Bioware ;)

[Tharrick]

Meh, they weren't too bad.

Still preferring pen and paper, here :P

[Zidane007nl]

Oh, I played Baldur's Gate II also once (bored from a friend), but it was on my old PC and it ran really crap. Maybe I'll buy it when I see it sometime.
The company was called Bioware ;)Ment Bioware, but confused myself with Biohazard. :P

[a_nirvana_fan]

Yeah the Dark Alliance series is truly amazing, a very unique game with lots of cool stuff to do, the character levelling up and buying skills is really good.

Theres also 2 Baldurs Gate games for the PC which are completely different to the PS2 series, its more of a point and click than a Hack N Slash, its a really fun game to play, nice sharp graphics and gameplay is excellent.

[BloodHound]

the baldur's gate gamesa really rock but is hard too play on normal but thats just good i think i'm gonna play with the Hardcore D&D rules one day on Baldur's Gate 2

[Dr. Aeyze]

<3 Baldurs Gate games muchlies

Not much for the Dark Alliance ones on PS2 but the RPG games on PC are great, if you liked those you might want to look into other games by Bioware such as Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale (both of which are similar to the BG games) and Neverwinter nights (and soon Neverwinter Nights II I believe)

[Tharrick]

Icewind Dale (both of which are similar to the BG games)
Because both the ID and BG games are the forgotten realms setting, and running on t'same engine and by the same company :P

[Dr. Aeyze]

Icewind Dale (both of which are similar to the BG games) Because both the ID and BG games are the forgotten realms setting, and running on t'same engine and by the same company :P


XP which is sorta what I was getting at there.

[Zidane007nl]

Last week I've bought the Baldur's Gate 4 in 1 boxset on the internet for cheap and today it arrived! Of course I started with the first Baldur's Gate and I must say it's a cool game so far. And that for seven years old, I'm impressed. :)
I just had the little prologue.

[RoccoTemplar]

i want to play baldur gate too

my cousin have but he dont give to me ><

[mikefoo]

its hard to get used to playing...I can't resist cheating and getting the best item early in the game

[Traz]

I've yet to play any of the original Baldur’s' Gate titles on the PC (though I did ensnare a copy of them all via Ebay some time ago.) but I do really like the Dark Alliance titles to which I play on the PS2 and the Xbox respectively. I love the Forgotten Realms setting as a whole, so it makes sense that I enjoy these games. Being able to unlock Drizzt Do'Urden in this fist Dark Alliance title was an awesome touch, and having him appear yet again in the second instalment was pleasing, though the surprise that the famous assassin Artemis Entreri was also a hidden playable character was just 'to die for'.

I don't mind the hack and slash element, as the familiar beasts that you for so long read about in novels set in the realms of Faerun and the locations that you visit make it worthwhile. Besides, I find the battle system interesting enough, despite how overdone it is. It's a shame that the company behind these games went bankrupt, and that there's very little chance that we'll see a Dark Alliance III. The Champions of Norrath titles seemed ample salvation, but it's just not the same...

[Idomis]

Last week I've bought the Baldur's Gate 4 in 1 boxset on the internet for cheap and today it arrived! Of course I started with the first Baldur's Gate and I must say it's a cool game so far. And that for seven years old, I'm impressed. :)
I just had the little prologue.

As far as I'm concerned, Baldur Gate 1's fun rating is ~70% of that of BG2. The problem with BG1 is that available tactics to low level parties are extremely restrictive. Even with 2 decent tanks (Fighter, Cleric), party obliteration is frequent. A lack of useful and interesting spells (Magic Missile, Fireball, Stinking Cloud, Animate Dead, healing spells) adds to the humdrum. The only strategy that works for me is sacrificing tank THAC0 for AC, relying on one archer and two Mages to nuke (read: Magic Missile). If you get the chance, pick up Edwin, Kivan, and one other Mage (possibly your main). You'll find that not dying every 4 seconds more than makes up for the hardcore abuse your F4 key (first spellslot binding for MM) will get.

BG2 introduces character versatility. Dual- or multi-classing is viable, and a broader selection of abilities and spells rounds out almost every class. No matter what the situation in BG1, MM + archer backup was the best way to get out of it. In BG2, you can do pretty much whatever you want. Party requirements include nothing, and it's interesting to note that even recreating the classic BG1 party results in a spectacular fun increase.

A list of things that make BG2 more fun:
-Solo-Character Games: Thieves and Sorcerers (maybe Mages) can play solo
-Thieves: Thieves finally have enough Thief points to properly lay traps or ***BACKSTAB*** (hint: play solo Assassin)
-Party Composition: Play however you like, without sacrificing party slots for boring meat shields or boring nukers.
-Variety: More than 1 nuke spell, many enemy types
-Walking Speed: While BG1 really makes you feel like you're trudging along, as any good adventure game should, the time it takes to go anywhere is beyond frustrating.
-Personality: BG2 includes NPC banter and subplots, such as romances and NPC quests (I highly recommend Edwin's Nether Scroll quest). BG1 NPC's seem so cardboard.
-WAY MORE

Now, for anyone like me who can't stand the BG1 engine (including interface), there's a program out there to help.
http://www.pocketplane.net/mambo/index.php?option=content&task=blogcategory&id=143&Itemid=98
^Link

BG1 Tutu is a conversion mod, which allows BG1 to be played using the BG2 engine with all the benefits. These include better visuals, new races, new classes, new kits, and all the improved gameplay fixes. This mod is the only thing that prevents me from gouging my eyes out while playing BG1. The only downsides are the rare bugs (read up on the Beregost bug), and the fact that BG1Tutu can't import your regular BG1 saves. But as long as you own BG2 and don't mind beginning a new BG1 game, install EasyTutu and you'll enjoy BG1 a ton more.

And for the love of everything holy:

DARK ALLIANCE IS NOT A BALDUR'S GATE TITLE!

The only reason it was given the BG prefix was to capitalize on the real Baldur's Gate's success. The Icewind Dale games have more in common with BG than the Dark Alliance abominations. There is no, no, no, no, no similarity between Dark Alliance and BG. Do yourselves two favours. Firstly, disassociate Baldur's Gate from hack'n'slash, and then invest some time in the real thing.

[LanceVarsconi]

I have BG1 and BG2, both with expansion packs, for PC.
BG1 has this certain charm that I've grown fond of...I don't know what it is either. Though in terms of character development, I prefer BG2.

Even so, I've been part of the "modding community" for a while...fans making extras and add-ons of all kinds for other fans. Even tried my hand at it a little... It's fun enough, but after that, the unmodded game seems somewhat bald. Plus, I've learned that both games are absolutely loaded with bugs and errors, and Bioware can't be bothered to fix them. Their latest "patch" only addresses maybe 10% of all the bugs. The fans are working on it, though, but it takes eons to finish everything....once they do, I'm sure BG1 and BG2 aren't played that much anymore. I was there when BG2 turned 5 years old, go figure.

After all that, both games ended up in a box in my closet, gathering dust. I've played enough BG to last a lifetime.

[Zorgan]

loved BG2, still didnt finish it but im getting close now hehe

indeed BG on PS2 shouldnt be called baldurs gate, i realy liked the game though, had much fun with my nephew playing it in 2 player option

[jiros]

I only played Baldurs gate 2, haven't found the time for completing it yet.