Editorial Eurogamer: Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 Retrospective

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Baldur's Gate; Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn; BioWare

Riding on the wave of hype surrounding the impending release of Bioware's Mass Effect 3, Eurogamer's Paul Dean looks back at the first two role-playing games that Bioware made.

I didn't imagine it could live up to its hype. I'd long since lost interest in the PC's role-playing games, which had become either tedious dungeon crawls, spreadsheets of magic items or action-focused bash-'em-ups. ... I rolled the game's dice. I built a character. Then, I found myself standing outside the door of a Tudor-style inn, the wind brushing the trees and birds singing as the most beautiful music I'd ever heard in a game began to play. I stepped through the doorway. I spoke to the innkeeper.

"MY 'OTEL'S AS CLEAN AS AN ELVEN ARSE," he bellowed.

Everything after that is a blur.​

Or rather, the two role-playing games that made Bioware into what they are now.

While Baldur's Gate set my inspiration alight, its sequel forever changed the way I looked at roleplaying games, at the characters within them, at how they do (or don't) solve their problems. At the climax of Baldur's Gate 2, my adventuring party took a moment to speak with me, to reflect on all that we'd done together and to tell me how they felt about me. It caught me entirely off-guard, a moving moment with a horrible sense of finality, as if I'd never have another chance to speak with my companions again. No video game had ever engaged me like this before.​

After all, emotional engagement is what Bioware do best.

 

[Black]

the wind brushing the trees and birds singing as the most beautiful music I'd ever heard in a game began to play. I stepped through the doorway. I spoke to the innkeeper.

How surreal.

Everything after that is a blur.

That explains everything.

In 20 years, DA1 and DA2 will be remembered as BGs are remembered today. Because that's all they are.

 

[Bruma Hobo]

This one is better http://nocrisisyet.blogspot.com/2008/09/pc-heresey-baldurs-gate-sucks.html

 

[Kjujik]

Both Baldur’s Gates were good games. Nowhere near Fallout, but still good. Tactical combat, fun gameplay and a decent story.
But what Paul Dean writes about emotional engagement is a bit over the top. The writing in Baldur’s Gate was ok, but to say that the companion waifu’s/husbandu’s departure left emotional scars sounds awfully creepy.
Then again

My late teens had me trapped in a soul-crushing job in a nowhere town, losing all my friends to universities across the country. It was the toughest time of my life, and sometimes the saddest.

That would explain why most of BioDrones demand cheesy Harlequinesque romances. And seeing where they come from, I can’t blame them.

Also

For me, BioWare's best work is that which most closely reflects its first two role-playing games - and it has failed somewhat wherever it has strayed from them.

At least he had the decency to admit that Bioware was going down the drain ever since and not fully join the PR hype about how awesome and deep the new games are.

 

[Zed]

This one is better http://nocrisisyet.blogspot.com/2008/09/pc-heresey-baldurs-gate-sucks.html

He couldn't get past the mage assassin at Friendly Arms. Is that why some people think the game is bad? They suck at games?

To me, BG2 is the best game of all time. That Eurogamer article is ridiculous though.

 

[Volrath]

Does Black have a sixth sense about Baldur's Gate threads?

 

[Krash]

To me, BG2 is the best game of all time. That Eurogamer article is ridiculous though.

Then Bioware released NWN. I mean what the fuck?

 

[Roguey]

Warner dominates what is not only my favourite moment in the game, but my favourite in any since. A guided tour of a spellcaster's asylum, a haven for the magically afflicted, is almost one long, indulgent and interactive cut-scene.

My favorite gaming moments are also cutscenes.

At the climax of Baldur's Gate 2, my adventuring party took a moment to speak with me, to reflect on all that we'd done together and to tell me how they felt about me. It caught me entirely off-guard, a moving moment with a horrible sense of finality, as if I'd never have another chance to speak with my companions again. No video game had ever engaged me like this before.

Torment did it before and better.

 

[Morkar Left]

Then Bioware released NWN. I mean what the fuck?

I was disappointed, too. But to be honest for what they wanted to do they succeeded. Better than any other developer before. Just SP was shit and the artdirection (except combat animations).

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

If you don't like this game, why are you posting in this thread?

 

[Quetzacoatl]

This one is better http://nocrisisyet.blogspot.com/2008/09/pc-heresey-baldurs-gate-sucks.html

He couldn't get past the mage assassin at Friendly Arms. Is that why some people think the game is bad? They suck at games?

To me, BG2 is the best game of all time. That Eurogamer article is ridiculous though.

I never understood what was so hard about the mage assassin.

 

[Kjujik]

I never understood what was so hard about the mage assassin.

If you rush in for a melee attack without using any tactics, the chances are you will get killed. Some ‘tards tend do that sort of thing. That said, I tried this approach a few times and if properly executed a fast attack with strong fighters before the assassin manages to cast any spells works equally good as some complicated strategies.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

If you don't like this game, why are you posting in this thread?

Because I don't like this game.

 

[Quetzacoatl]

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

If you don't like this game, why are you posting in this thread?

Because I don't like this game.

Yet you feel compelled to post in BG related threads just like our good buddy Black.

 

[Surf Solar]

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

You are back.

 

[Excidium]

Can't get more overrated than Baldur's Gate.

 

[Lagole Gon]

Shit article about brilliant games.

Too bad docs fucked up their priorities and changed nice addition (emotional engagement) into shitty main (/only) feature. KOTOR = the very definition of decline.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

You are back.

If you don't like this game, why are you posting in this thread?

Because I don't like this game.

Yet you feel compelled to post in BG related threads just like our good buddy Black.

Because if we don't post in them, it will look like BG is universally loved game that is the best thing since sliced bread and gets unanimous 10/10.

 

[Melcar]

Oh, another one of these. The fuck is up with this shit?

 

[MMXI]

I'd long since lost interest in the PC's role-playing games, which had become either tedious dungeon crawls, spreadsheets of magic items or action-focused bash-'em-ups.

Fuck you.

Sometimes I wish I had a .txt file with my opinions on games and arguments backing up them that I could copy-paste with minimal effort.
Baldur's Gate being mentioned is one of these moments.

Oh yeah. "Fallout has more combat options than Baldur's Gate II and is therefore more tactical. I'm not counting spells. And I'm not counting multiple party members. Yes, just a single fighter, but with no once-per-day items equipped. Yeah, and no HLAs either."

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

"Fallout has more combat options than Baldur's Gate II and is therefore more tactical. I'm not counting spells. And I'm not counting multiple party members. Yes, just a single fighter, but with no once-per-day items equipped. Yeah, and no HLAs either."

So, after arbitrarily stripping almost all combat options the remaining ones are less than in Fallout. Interesting.

 

[Kz3r0]

Shit article about brilliant games.

Too bad docs fucked up their priorities and changed nice addition (emotional engagement) into shitty main (/only) feature. KOTOR = the very definition of decline.

Maybe they took a good look at what all those Baldur's Gate mods were about.

 

[Black]

Does Black have a sixth sense about Baldur's Gate threads?

You bet! My senses were all tingly and I knew something is up.

 

[curry]

Can't get more overrated than Baldur's Gate.

PS:T