Game News Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition has a release date, available for pre-order

[Infinitron]

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

As you may have heard, the folks at Beamdog finally managed to resolve their dispute with Atari (or whatever's left of them), and their Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is back on track. Now it has an official site, with a trailer and a pre-order link. Here's the trailer and a summary of the enhanced edition's new features:

The Bhaalspawn Saga, Enhanced.

• The Final Chapter - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition includes Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the epic conclusion of the Bhaalspawn saga.
• Four New Party Members - Bundled with the PC and Mac versions and available as DLC for iPad and Android, four new characters can join you on your journey. At the behest of his dark patron, Dorn Il-Khan plunders and defiles the Sword Coast. Hunted by Red Wizards, Neera the Wild Mage evades and disrupts the Thayans at every turn. Exercising his growing combat mastery, the monk Rasaad yn Bashir leaves his former allies to hunt the dark figure that corrupted his brother. A mysterious thief in service to mysterious master seeks powerful artifacts from across the globe. Recruit them, use their powers, and uncover over 30 new locations.
• The Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay - Explore the tactical depth of high-level Dungeons & Dragons combat. Undermine your captors and prey upon their weaknesses while you dodge traps and battle for your life against Demi-Liches, Mind Flayers, and Githyanki.
• Easy Multiplayer - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition makes it easy to find, list, and join multiplayer games, even while behind a firewall.
• Widescreen and More - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition features full widescreen support, remastered area artwork from original renders, and a host of other interface and gameplay improvements.

BG2EE will be released on November 15th this year and will apparently cost $25, up from BGEE's $20. How many bugs do those extra five bucks buy, Trent?

 

[Volrath]

Incline is over. Everything is shit.

 

[80Maxwell08]

How are they 4 new characters when 3 of them showed up in the last enhanced edition. Yeah they are new to the game but unless the plan was for them to disintegrate after BGEE people were expecting them to return. Not to mention bragging about widescreen as if there's no way to do that right now along with remastered artwork when their last attempt at that blurred everything?

Also $5 more dollars. When their track record is 2 enhanced editions with more problems than the originals.

Fun fact the android version of BGEE still isn't out yet and they are talking about BG2EE.

 

[Infinitron]

My favorite part is that they decided the Black Pits needs a sequel. o_O

 

[JarlFrank]

There already is an enhanced version of BG2, it's available at GoG and the patches are on various fan sites.

 

[aVENGER]

How are they 4 new characters when 3 of them showed up in the last enhanced edition.

The thief mentioned at the end of the announcement is the fourth character.

 

[Volrath]

Ignored aVENGER

 

[hoverdog]

 

[Zed]

There already is an enhanced version of BG2, it's available at GoG and the patches are on various fan sites.

even unpatched original will be superior to this.

this is like adding shit to an otherwise fine stew.

 

[Infinitron]

remastered area artwork from original renders

aVENGER Where'd they get these?

 

[aVENGER]

remastered area artwork from original renders

aVENGER Where'd they get these?

Same place we got the rest of the BG2 assets.

 

[Excidium]

I'm glad I don't care much for BG series in the first place.

 

[Infinitron]

remastered area artwork from original renders

aVENGER Where'd they get these?

Same place we got the rest of the BG2 assets.

So, only BG1 assets were missing...and this is actually an HD version?

 

[bloodlover]

In b4 every game using Infinity Engine is getting a "remake". ICWD next year?

 

[80Maxwell08]

How are they 4 new characters when 3 of them showed up in the last enhanced edition.

The thief mentioned at the end of the announcement is the fourth character.

That is not what I was trying to say in any way. 3 of the characters aren't new. There is only one new character here.

 

[Drowed]

Four New Party Members - Bundled with the PC and Mac versions and available as DLC for iPad and Android, four new characters can join you on your journey.

Oh boy, here we go again.

 

[Blackguard]

How are they 4 new characters when 3 of them showed up in the last enhanced edition.

The thief mentioned at the end of the announcement is the fourth character.

You guys are doing awesome work. The trailer looked awesome and the new UI seems really well done! Pre-ordered.

 

[hoverdog]

How are they 4 new characters when 3 of them showed up in the last enhanced edition.

The thief mentioned at the end of the announcement is the fourth character.

You guys are doing awesome work. The trailer looked awesome and the new UI seems really well done! Pre-ordered.

Ignored Blackguard.

Where do all these morons here come from?

 

[MicoSelva]

My favorite part is that they decided the Black Pits needs a sequel. o_O

Another glorious LP awaits.

 

[Lord Trousersnake]

Playing BG:EE was a bit like watching too much extreme porn. Once the curiosity value fades you're just left with the sordid, depressing reality. And stretch marks, scars, yeast infections.

 

[Amn Nom]

$25? Lol, I'll just boot up my GOG version and go through that again.

 

[Dorateen]

Easy Multiplayer - Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition makes it easy to find, list, and join multiplayer games...

... or create your own custom party members so you don't have to deal with the four new NPCs or bioware-written companions that have the emotional depth of a high school soap opera.

At least, that's how it worked in the original.

 

[Junmarko]

I think worst of all, is that they are not refuting credit given to them by new comers of the series, who are praising them for "One of the best RPGs they have played" and "Can't wait for the sequel" - not realising that it is a 15 year old series. Beamdog are a bunch of shameless hacks. Charging $25 for this should be considered a fucking crime.

 

[Coriolanus]

NPC interactions (Viconia, Edwin, Keldorn etc.) were the best thing about the original.

 

[Stabwound]

This is an even bigger cash grab than BGEE since they were already working with the BG2 version of the Infinity Engine. The amount of work they did on this probably amounted to writing a script to convert a couple of things from BG2 to their updated version of the Infinity Engine and adding some bullshit with their new NPCs.

But, does this mean they actually had the original art assets of BG2 this time? Or did they just blur filter it all?