Section8
Cipher
Look at Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. Sure, they weren't great, but at least they tried.Every game after those, dumbed down and hyped to hell.
And Baldur's Gate wasn't dumbed down and hyped to hell? Huge Baldur's Gate banners were all over the Gamespy network for years prior to release, there was the usual pre-release PR fest, and then a bunch of fawning, hyperbolic reviews. For instance:
So is anything wrong with it? Well, surely not the great sound, the excellent music, or the unique multiplayer system that lets you group together with friends to play through the entire game. The multiplayer adds an element of group cooperative playing that emulates the 'real life' role playing experience many of you are familiar with. It really resembles the feel of a youthful Sunday spent with a group of pocket protector possessing friends slaying dragons and accosting nubile female thieves wearing exotic furs. This is new to the RPG market, and the first title to offer both a comprehensive single player and multi-player game.
The only thing that aggravated me was that in one town there was a peasant named Noober.[...]
Baldur's Gate is, simply put, the best computer representation of Dungeons and Dragons ever made. It includes every set of rules that even the most rabid fan could hope for while staying focused enough to appeal to those who have never played the pen-and-paper game before.
Even with the best engine in the world though, Baldur's Gate couldn't have gotten far without a terrific storyline.
Interesting enough, the guy who wrote those last couple was later hired as the PR guy for Fallout Tactics.
Or then there's the pressrelease:
#1 Most Highly Anticipated New Game, 'Baldur's Gate,' Ships!
December 21, 1998 03:16 PM
IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Isle Studios(TM), the role-playing game (RPG) division of Interplay Entertainment Corp. IPLY announced today the release of "Baldur's Gate(TM)" the number one new game title in pre-sale activity at certain mall-based stores. Electronics Boutique, Babbages and Software Etc. as well as independent consumer surveys have all reported tremendous interest in the game. The title is in the duplication process, and will begin shipping to software retailers nationwide today on five CD-ROM's for Windows(R) 95/98-based computers. "Baldur's Gate" was developed by the Alberta, Canada-based software company, BioWare Corp., and will support up to six different players in its Internet-based multi-player mode and also provides for an excellent solo play experience.
"Every quarter, GameSpot researches the PC titles market, to identify which titles are most in demand among the millions of users who use the site each month," noted Jon Epstein, president and CEO of GameSpot Inc. "Baldur's Gate has consistently climbed up the ranks since we've been tracking the game. And now, in our most recent November 1998 survey, when asked to name which title they would purchase next, our users wrote down 'Baldur's Gate' more than any other title published in 1998."
Black Isle Studios and Interplay attribute the anticipation of "Baldur's Gate" to the enormous gameplay area (five CD's and over 10,000 scrolling screens) and also the promise of a true Advanced Dungeons & Dragons(R) experience for both novice and seasoned role-playing gamers alike. Several mall-based stores reported a near frenzy for the release of the game.
"'Baldur's Gate' is definitely one of the most highly anticipated and long-awaited games of 1998. We've had very high pre-sale activity on it, and it should be a great title to end the year with," commented Bob McKenzie, director of purchasing for Babbages Etc.
"We are extremely excited about the fact that we will have Baldur's Gate to sell in 1998. We think gamers are going to be very happy that Black Isle Studios and BioWare were able to complete the game and get it out on the shelves before the end of the year," added Jerry Madaio, vice president of merchandise in Electronics Boutique's PC division.
Set in the Sword Coast region of the popular Forgotten Realms(R) AD&D campaign setting, "Baldur's Gate" takes the player on a visually dazzling adventure. It brings to life the grand traditions of a true AD&D role-playing game experience for the personal computer through cutting-edge art and loyalty to the AD&D rule set. The story begins with looming economic strife and mysterious murders terrifying the local residents of the city of "Baldur's Gate." This causes local leaders to point the finger at the neighboring nation of Amn. War seems imminent, and the player's character is thrust into the dangerous regional conflict to unravel the mystery with a party of adventurers.
Interplay Entertainment Corp. is a leading developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software for both core gamers and the mass market. Interplay currently balances its development efforts by publishing for personal computers and current generation video game consoles. Interplay, a proud member of the IDSA and Consumer Product Council, releases products through Interplay, Shiny Entertainment, Tantrum, Black Isle Studios, Interplay Sports, Flat Cat, its affiliated labels and its wholly owned subsidiary Interplay OEM, Inc. More comprehensive information on Interplay and its products is available through its worldwide web site at http://www.interplay.com.
Sound familiar?
Every game after Baldur's Gate 2 was all a giant MacGuffin quest.
And what was Baldur's Gate?
- Go to Friendly Arm Inn.
- Go to Nashkel. Kill "boss" at end of mine
- Go to Bandits. Join Bandits. Kill Bandits.
- Go to Cloakwood. Kill "boss" at end of Cloakwood mines.
...and that's about as far as I ever got, due to a combination of terminal boredom and frustration. About the only appreciable difference I can see between Baldur's Gate and later efforts is the open world, and as I understand, that was pegged back in Baldur's Gate 2.
Every game after Baldur's Gate 2 was dimbed down either with a teleport stone, unkillable party, or other such nonsense. Also there has been less and less non-combat options from the already few. It seems like lead design or something changed hands after Baldur's Gate 2....hence Neo-Bioware.
I only see a further progression and refinement of the ideals that made Baldur's gate a huge step down from Fallout. Baldur's Gate was a poorly conceived hodge-podge of ideas. Bioware borrowed extensively from existing games without any real consideration of why something worked or what made it work. It was a Frankenstein's monster that presumably held appeal for you since it borrowed ideas that you liked.
However, as Bioware have become better at what they do, they've shed the legacy aspects of their games. Each game since Baldur's Gate has been more focused on the hallmarks of Bioware games - mass-market appeal, accessibility, ease of completion, effective use of timesinks, immutable narrative, visuals and hype.
That's exactly why the "revival" of the genre that Baldur's Gate supposedly represented is horseshit. It just paved the way for similarly shallow games masquerading as RPGs.