BG Enhanced Edition Rambling Review
I have played BGEE first soon after its release, and... it was not very good back then. It was not exactly broken, since I was able to complete The Black Pits module without much problems, but the game had numerous bug, lacked polish in some aspects and interface changes made for an unpleasant experience, especially since I was so used to how the game had always looked and felt. However, it did sow some promise when it came to engine improvements - the original (and GOG release) does not work well with modern CPUs and always puts load close to 100% on the core where it is running - even if the game is only showing main menu. This did not happen with Enhanced Edition, so I had some hint that Beamdog can actually be competent when they want to. I have decided to put the game away and check it later, since nowadays games seem to be never finished on release and see patches months and even years after release.
Thanks, but I do not do Early Access.
That later turned out to be almost
four years later. (That is how much time I have for games these days
). In the meantime, Beamdog managed to patch BGEE multiple times, release BG2 EE, patch that too, release IWD EE, patch that one also and then announce and release an expansion to BGEE called Siege of Dragonspear. While I ignored most of these events (after all I was not going to restart my LP by moving to BG2 EE), that last one grabbed my attention, and I had decided to give the Enhanced Edition another go. And I was pleasantly surprised.
They have even changed the title screen.
While the game is still not 100% bug free (which one is? Tetris?), and contains some hard-to-explain quirks, it plays really, really well. Many of the long-present bugs have been fixed (you can finally wear ankheg plate together with a ring of protection!) and new interface is actually very comfortable to use and allows to easily locate relevant information. A good example is character screen, which is now divided into tabs, so everything you want to know is just one click away. Larger and higher-resolution fonts are nice to have too.
Combat Stats tab displays detailed breakdown of Armor Class, among others.
Some of the improvements I did not even realise I wanted until I got them. A simple thing like separating spells from different levels in the quick-cast bar turns out to make a lot of difference in the heat of the moment, when your eyes are searching for that one specific spell icon. THAC0 and damage numbers in the inventory screen will probably always look out of place to me (since I am so used to the traditional BG1 inventory), but they are very useful too. I do not know which of these improvements come from Beamdog and which are a result of fan feedback, but I applaud the devs for including them either way.
New spellbook screen is just straight-up better than the old one.
What is also worth noting, the game runs really, really well, finally taking advantage of all that computing power we have gained since the release of the original. System requirements of Enhanced Edition are obviously way higher than the original (for example, Steam lists 512MB RAM as minimum, while the original needed... 16MB), but could not be called high by anyone who bought even a low-end a PC in the last ten years. This game literally runs on anything, including the cheapest netbooks and tablets you can get (and yes, you can play on a touchscreen, even though touchscreen controls are not native like in the iOS and Android versions). And last, but not last, loading times are extremely fast, especially compared to the original version which tends to take its time even on a SSD.
This is how long it takes to load a saved game in BG:EE on a fast hard-drive (not an SSD).
It is not all strawberries and ice-cream, though, because BG:EE still suffers from some unnecessary annoyances. First of all, new companions are pushy - they initiate dialogue and try to force their way into your party, unlike the original ones who politely wait until you talk to them. I know that devs are proud of their work and want the player to see it, but I still found that irritating (at least you can tell them to go away, and they obey - watch and learn, Imoen). I mentioned no game is 100% bug free, and I am impressed that the game allowed me to import a completely broken Throne of Bhaal character and did not crap out, but I still encountered more bugs and glitches than I would have expected during my four-hour playthrough, although they were all minor and easily ignored. Also, I do not like the new look of dialogue screen and found it a pain to operate (and take screenshots of). Also, the less said about the The Black Pits adventure module the better - it is not worth your time, unless you seriously cannot get enough of Infinity Engine's combat system.
I like the use of colour, but do we really need that last line displayed twice?
What about all the unnecessary streamlining? Does Baldur's Gate really need pop-ups informing us about new quest and tl;dr summaries of what to do next for people who do not read dialogues in their RPGs? (No, it does not.) To be honest those only bothered me in the most superficial way possible, and can all be turned off in the options to suit anyone's playstyle, so no complains here. What bothers me more is that the new highest difficulty setting called Legacy of Bhaal not only spoils the game's plot twist with its name, but is also more annoying than truly challenging, since it boosts enemy levels and HP beyond any reason, prolonging every combat and breaking many spells and abilities in the process. There are better ways to do this, Beamdog.
You can customize to your heart's content.
Some of the streamlining is arguably for the better. While I have always enjoyed the organic nature of Baldur's Gate journal, finding information in it was always a nuisance at least and a time-eating chore at worst, depending on how recent it was. New journal is more akin to something we will find in a modern game (but also classics like Fallout or Torment), except it looks better than most attempts (in my opinion) and still keeps a separate tab for random not-directly-quest-related information gathered on the journey. Nicely done.
I like the new journal. Also: 900 gold, hell yeah!
I have not played
Siege of Dragonspear yet, because while I appreciate Beamdog's technical improvements to the game, their content creation skills have not given me much confidence so far (*cough*blackpits*cough*), so I need time to convince myself it will be worth it. However, if - or rather
when - I play Baldur's Gate again, it will definitely be the Enhanced Edition. This will not be true for all people, especially those who enjoy the game only heavily modded, but for me this is definitely the superior version, and its advantages outweigh disadvantages by a large margin.
