Product Description
Enter a World of Intrigue, Adventure, and Fierce
Combat
Product Information
Explore
unseen lands as an epic conflict wreaksdevastation on a scale never
before seen in the Forgotten Realms campaign. Face foes and an uncertain
future in this adventure filled collection that includes two full
version titles.
- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
- Baldur's
Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Baldur's Gate II:
Shadow's of Amn
Welcome to a world of intrigue,adventure and
fierce combat. Every world has conflict. Good and evil. Friend and foe.
Safety and danger. In Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnT, you'll find
yourself between these factions. This epic sequel will immerse you in a
world of intrigue,adventure and fierce combat where your ability to
discern the difference between these sides - with the assistance of
steel and spell - determines your fate. In Baldur's Gate I, you defeated
your evil half-brother Sarevok and prevented your fatherBhaal, the dead
Lord of Murder, from returning to the Forgotten Realms. Now, in
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnT, the stakes have become much higher.
Will you resist the evil within you, and forge a legend of heroic
proportions? Or will you embraceyour monstrous inner nature, and carve a
swath of destruction across the Realms? Your story begins anew in the
exotic southern kingdom of Amn, amidst the opulence of the sinister
capital city of Athkatla. Journey through the fierce,
unforgivingwilderness of Amn, and through the treacherous caverns of the
Underdark, in your quest for artifacts of awesome power and treasure of
inestimable wealth.. even challenge dragons, if you dare. Such is the
life of a legend.
Features:
- Create a new
character or import your Baldur's Gate character into Baldur
Customer Reviews
Several hundred hours of addictive play
Its graphics may be a bit
dated (they were even when the game came out) but if you can look beyond
that, this is one seriously awesome collection. Baldur's Gate 2 has
incredible RPG depth, a strong tactical aspect, and great replay value.
The expansion is bigger than most, and adds significant epic-level
capabilities for your characters.
The game picks up several years
after the events in Baldur's Gate, and continues the plot. If you
didn't play that first game (a shame- go get it) there are a few quick
recaps of the key points. You can play in single play mode, in which
case you make your one main character (or import from Baldur's Gate);
multiplay with just you, in which you can make your whole party; or
multiplay with friends, in which everyone can make and control one or
more characters. In any case, your party has up to six people at a time,
and you can dismiss or add characters at will.
Add to this a
whole lot of classes, including special 'kits' that are akin to 3rd
edition prestige classes (save that you can take them immediately) and
you have a whole lot of room for party customization. There's a host of
NPCs that can join your party, some better than others, but all very
interesting and with unique (sometimes very extensive) side quests. You
can have romantic relationships with some of these potential party
members, and some will even have romances with other NPCs.
Almost
all of the dialogue in the game is spoken, and although there's not
much full motion video, when there is it's well done. The plot advances
through chapters, and there are numerous side quests that take you to
many varied game world locations. The rewards for some of these quests
are awesome, and some of the monsters you'll run into are equally so.
This is where the tactics come in- your party composition is crucial for
winning these big fights. For example, dealing with that red dragon is
going to be exceedingly difficult without some protection from fire and
fear effects. There are also many ways to solve the various problems you
run into. For example, a thief laying some traps in a doorway can turn a
tough band of charging enemies into so much cannon fodder. Then again,
if you don't have a thief or aren't a very subtle type, you can just
fireball the lot of them and clean up what's left with a good
old-fashioned sword charge.
I mentioned earlier that the graphics
are dated. This is true, but it doesn't really detract from the play.
The area backgrounds are actually very nice, though also largely static.
Spell effects look decent, if less flashy than newer games like
Neverwinter Nights. The music and voice acting are also top-notch, and
don't get old even after many times through the game (which is likely to
happen once you get hooked). The latter in particular really lends
character to the people you meet. It's a testament to the developer's
success in this regard that you'll have strongly varied feelings toward
nearly all of the NPCs- just as you would expect of real people.
As
for the story, it is superb. The scope is truly epic, and the side
quests actually interesting. This is more than can be said about much of
Neverwinter Nights, for all of the polish and vaunted expandability of
that title. Though generally linear, the campaign doesn't seem to be
linear. When replaying, though you'll be going to the same places and
doing the same things, the different characters you have along will make
it seem like a different game. There's also a ton of secrets and hidden
areas- you might just find something you didn't see before.
That
said, it's worth mentioning that although there are no official tools
for editing the game, there are unofficial ones. These have been put to
good effect, and there's a host of mods and add-ons available for free
download. There's even a mod that converts the interface to Icewind
Dale's more attractive look (though you must have that game for it to
work) and thus significantly improves the graphics and changes the
somewhat clunky 2nd edition rules to 3rd edition.
I think the
value of this title can be summed up by the fact that I played it
through at least 5 times, which is something I've only done for two or
three other games (the original Baldur's Gate being one of them). Even
if you're not into D&D, don't particularly care for RPGs, and don't
give a hoot about Forgotten Realms, this game comes highly recommended.
The Best RPG EVER on the PC, Play It Before It's
Too Late
Have you ever pulled out one
of those old games that you remember as a classic and while YOU can
still fully enjoy the game, OTHER gamers that have become accustomed to
the current standard for graphics and production value have no idea how
great the game is they're playing? Luckily, this doesn't apply to
Baldur's Gate 2 yet. It still has comparable graphics and the story,
voice acting and brilliant playing engine still make it better than any
RPG on the market right now but that won't hold for long. If you've
never had a chance to play this classic RPG, grab it now before it's too
late! I've played RPG's since the days of the early Ultima games and
Baldur's Gate 2 is probably the best one I've ever played. Now, you do
need to be familiar with Dungeons & Dragons. So if you don't know
how the classic D&D system works, you may not find Baldur's Gate 2
as appealing as I did. It also uses the older D&D ruleset which is
good or bad depending on which one you prefer. Ever since playing (and
replaying) this title, in my mind it has set the bar for RPG's and I
compare all RPG's since to Baldur's Gate 2. The expansion isn't as great
as the game itself but you can't go wrong buying the collection edition
which includes both. Also, if you plan on playing the first Baldur's
Gate, I'd recommend you play it first because it begins the story that
concludes in this game. But you don't need to play the first game to
understand what is going on in the sequel because it feels like it's own
story. Baldur's Gate 2: The Collection is cheaper than current titles
and a better play. If you're and RPG fan that hasn't tried this game,
buy it now, you'll thank me later.
Best.
RPG. Ever
I would even go so far as to
call this the best video game ever. Computer, console, you name it.
Shadows of Amn takes the already high standard set by the original
Baldur's Gate and brings it up to a level of near-perfection. Sure, the
graphics are dated and probably were when the game came out. But as
entries in the Final Fantasy series have so expertly demonstrated, great
graphics do not a great game make.
What makes BG, and
particularly SoA, so good is the gameplay, which I find to be the most
important aspect of a game--followed closely by character and storyline.
All three of which are handled wonderfully in this game and interwoven
to a degree that one can't help but be drawn in by all three.
Previous
experience in any of the D&D universe I believe to be completely
unncessary; before I played BG, all I knew vaguely was that it had been a
popular board game at one time. Sure, I don't understand all the
statistics that go into combat and the armor and weapons and the like,
but the computer works in figuring all that out. And I wouldn't consider
having played the original BG necessary--anyone with an interest could
get into a game like SoA. However, I find it preferable to have played
BG first--not only did it give me greater appreciation for the
continutation of the story of your main character, but it also helped me
in starting out with the gameplay and the controls and so forth--combat
in particular was unlike anything I had previously encountered and took
a while for me to get a hang of; plus the magic system in this game
expands to one so complex and with such potential, I am more than
certain I have yet to fully utilize it. I think the person who
complained that this particular item does not come with a manual has a
fair point; I remember being disappointed when I originally opened the
package to find only the disks and an advertisement for Dark Alliance.
But all in all, it's not too hard to figure out if it's your first time;
and there are multitude of helpful guides, FAQs and walkthroughs that
can be found online.
One of the many things that makes SoA so
great is the way it feels like the creators tried to weed out the dozen
or so minor annoyances of the original BG; annoyances I didn't even
consider to be real flaws until I played SoA. For example, while level
progression takes forever on account of the experience point
distribution system (divided equally among your party members),
experience points come more frequently in this game, and in larger
portions (you can receive them for doing anything from having you thief
successfully disarm a trap or pick or lock, to having your mage
successfully learn a new spell). Plus, BG only allowed no higher than
level 7, whereas SoA has a cap off at about level 20 or so. I also spent
frustrating amounts of time in the inns recovering from battle, and
appreciated the ability to set my party members to sleep until they've
all recovered. And these are just to name a few.
As has been
stated by so many, graphics aren't the greatest--but you've got to
appreciate what's there. There are some truly gorgeous backgrounds--the
elven city and parts of the Amnish city Athkatla (in which the game is
centered) like the Temple District, in particular, contain some real eye
candy. Sure, it's not 3D--but 3D graphics don't guarantee a game as
great as this one.
Sound and music are top notch--the background
noise in particular helping to create the excellent atmosphere. If
there's one thing BG does well, it's creating a genuine
atmosphere--including some that were intense and enveloped me in the
world like no other game I've ever played. Whether it's nighttime in the
docks district hearing the courtesans or daytime in the bridge district
and the call of the merchants--or walking through a forest wondering
whether or not something big and scary is going to attack at an
inopportune moment. And music, like most entries in the series, is used
sparsely--but the tunes are excellent. Most are very area specific,
probably no more than a minute or so, very appropriately composed to fit
that area, and only playing occasionally as you explore a given area.
Some are so good, I would pause the game just to let it finish before I
walked into a building or went on to a new area. And the opening title
music for both SoA and Throne of Bhaal are among my absolute favorites.
Voice
work is the best I've ever heard, wonderfully helping to develop the
already strong characters. It also helps tie into the game's appealing
and unexepected and appropriately integrated sense of humor--which comes
about with such particular characters like Minsc and Jan. (One must
play the game through at least one time with Minsc in your party.) The
absolute best comes from the villain, Irenicus, who comes across as a
genuinely creepy and fascinating character. And the storyline and
gameplay are so wonderfully integrated into the way you develop through
the game, learning both more about yourself, but also about Irenicus,
and how he came to be so interested in your character as a Child of
Bhaal.
Also as others have stated, replay is the best I've ever
seen; not just with the new class choices, but also in the wide option
of characters you can pick from to make up your party--which in turn
also determines some of the sub-plots that are presented and how they
play out. I have yet to discover all the different directions--minor or
otherwise--in which the game can go according to my decisions. And while
I did enjoy the second chapter--in which, should you choose, you can
spend most of it building up experience in the dozen or so sub-plots
presented to you--it was actually in the linearity of the later chapters
when I really got hooked. But that can also be attributed to the
undeniably fantastic storyline.
SoA is the very best that the
series gets, in every way. Sadly, I can't quite say the same for ToB. I
enjoyed it at the start, and was glad to have it to keep going with the
story after the end of SoA, but not very long into the game, I felt like
it had dissolved into combat combat combat. It definitely helped me to
realize that, while combat is a large aspect of what I enjoy about BG,
it's not the *only* thing that makes the game as good as it is.
It
does introduce some fun and interesting new progressions--like the
special abilities you can pick for each party member every time they up a
level. There are also sneaky new things like your enemies sometimes
being able to see you before you see them; and the fact that the game no
longer automatically pauses when you view your map. Both of which foul
up more than one strategy. Plus, you have the ability to transport your
entire party to a pocket plane reality at almost any point in the game,
where you can rest and recover, and also switch around your party
members--with the option of bringing in literally every NPC from SoA.
You also have the ability to bring Sarevok (the villain from the
original BG) into your party, which is practically a must.
The
overall impression I get from this game is that the creators read all
the complaints regarding the experience point cap with the original BG,
and decided to compensate by making a game that was entirely about
gaining experience points through combat, and progressing as high as
they could make it (your characters can reach all the way up to level
40.) It really makes me wish they had decided to make ToB as a sequel,
rather than an expansion--it would've given it more time to develop as a
story as well, rather than just a long series of fights.
Despite
that, I would still recommend buying this particular product--to just
about anyone who has ever considered themselves a fan of video and
computer games. It's worth it alone just for Shadows of Amn, and Throne
of Bhaal brings a nice end to it all. And all of it ultimately
demonstrates why nothing could ever be as great as Baldur's Gate in its
prime.
No comments:
Post a Comment