Baldur's Gate 2 review: Is Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition an RPG that's worth playing in 2021?
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Welcome to our Baldur's Gate 2 Review. Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition is the quintessential medieval fantasy game and this why...
As part of our Road to Baldur's Gate 3 series, I took on the challenge to play and review this Dungeons & Dragons classic RPGs.
Here are our previews reviews of the series:
Baldur's Gate: • Baldur's Gate review: ...
Baldur's Gate, Siege of Dragonspear: • Siege of Dragonspear r...
This is a computer RPG review, it's not meant to comment on the D&D ruleset or on how well the game implemented it in its mechanics. This review is for a non RPG specialized gamer who's maybe hyped about Baldur's Gate III because of the trailers and footage of BG3 he or she has seen and who has maybe played Larian Studio's Divinity Original Sin II.
There are many games you could play in preparation for Baldur's Gate III: Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate Siege of Dragonspear, Baldur's Gate II Shadows of Amn, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale Heart of Winter, Icewind Dare II, Neverwinter Nights 2, NWN 2 Mask of the Betrayer, NWN Storm of Zehir. If you only have time for one or two of these... should Baldur's Gate 2 be one of them?
Hopefully our review will help you decide. We still encourage to watch videos on baldur's gate 2 gameplay.
This review is based on a criteria that assigns weights to aspects of the game that are particularly important for me. It is not meant to be the ultimate truth about the game. Classic Role Playing Games are my favorite video game genre for a reason and there are a few things I expect from them... You can check our system of categories in one of our early videos.
• And this is how we rev...
Not only worth playing, but the experience will be overall better than with most recent RPGs.
Hard disagree.
Truly the golden age of CRPGs.
@@Arkansym A great deal of recent RPGs are still just ripping off core mechanics that BG1 and 2 introduced. The OG is still untouchable.
@@stephenc.4319
Again. Hard disagree.
@@Arkansym Care to elaborate?
I remember getting it the week it wad released in the 90s, and the pure living, breathing top-down world, with it's constant background noises of birds, weather and let's not forget, the chattering and murmur in the cities w the bars, guilds and castles, was amazing. If u have not played it, get it now. Gaming history.
Still very much worth playing today.
Yes. One on the best, if not the best, rpg ever
Aye totally agree love this game 😊
Baldur's Gate 1 is still best in my mind... But 2 is definitely close 2nd
don't be shy... the best.
By far my favourite rpg series and baldurd gate 2 and throne of baal are my all time favourites!!
Fallout 1 > Baldurs Gate 1, Baldurs Gate 2
Such a masterpiece I cant understand why a large studio doesn't do a remaster of this gem.
I was very happy to see Beamdog had released enhanced editions for modern operating systems a few years ago. Oblivious to this until last year I immediately purchased and am still enjoying my trip down nostalgia lane.
It is pretty much perfect already, the community did a lot for the game though. they fixed some unfinished quests, and added enhancements and features. They've also worked on the translation of the massive dialogues (and branches of) so people from different nationalities could enjoy this masterpiece. It only because of this community that beamdog picked it up to enhance it. Baldur's Gate 3 is a game of its own with the same brand name, and it tries to do the same that Baldur's gate 1 and 2 did, which was to port the current D&D ruleset to a PC platform, but my heart still belongs and will forever be with BG2 (I'll play the crap out of BG3 though)
I’d pay 60 for this with good graphics in the same style as diablo 2 resurrected
there’s really no need for it. beamdog did some improvements, and maybe there are still some bugs to work out, but there’s no reason to completely remake it, because it works well and is beautiful as is.
@@TheDarthpsi I'm of two minds about BG3. On one had, Larian does good work. They make games on par with old Black Isle. Still, their games feel very different. I'll play it when it gets its full release, but from what I've seen it's extremely well made but just not quite a BG game in style.
Voice acting in this game is genius. The way Irenicus delivers some lines is straight up chilling.
Yup, they did not skimp on the actors budget here it seemed, something they more than not do nowadays.
One small comment on the strongholds: there are more than 3
Fighter, Barbarian, Monk, Blackguard: Ruling the de'Arnise Keep and Lands
Ranger: Ranger-Protector of the Umar Hills
Paladin: Paladin Stronghold Duties (join Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart )
Cleric: Cleric Stronghold (Temple)
Druid: Heeding the Spirit of the Grove
Mage, Sorcerer: Claiming the planar Sphere
Thief: Thieves' Guild Stronghold
Bard: Running the Five Flagons playhouse
This is incredible! This makes we want to go back and play as a Paladin a Bard and a Ranger. There's just so much content in BG2. It's a colossal piece of work.
Yes, I thought there were more than 3 strongholds available! It's been a while.. The Bard stronghold quests are ridiculously fun.
I really enjoyned all of those quests except thieves' guild. It was short and not interesting. At least I got Edwin in the end.
It's still better than the newer CRPGs, the atmosphere, the beloved characters and followers you meet, the music is a blast.
And Boo, go for the eyes boo, go for the eyes. Best one liner in games still to date 😊
I mean...it's very middle school lolsorandom humor but at least it's endearing. Larian's writing is a joke in comparison.
I find the replay value outstanding and I always do all the side quests every play through. The music throughout the game is always amazing. I get lost in it.
On point
There are just so many possibilities for replay. Several characters have exceptional dialogues, and the interplay between some of the NPC characters makes it worth trying different party configurations for each playthrough. Minsc and Jan Jansen are hilarious!
I played a ranger with the kit that allowed me to make traps. I had Yoshimo in my party so with his bounty hunter traps we could place a lot per day. One of my favorites memories is the time I camped out by a red dragon for a couple of months while laying traps every day. Eventually I talked to it and picked a fight. As soon as it went hostile my traps triggered and it suddenly had more holes than a Swiss cheese warehouse. My least favorite memory is losing the shadow jailer key and therefore being unable to recruit Mazzy.
I'm playing it right now =)
I remember getting this game when it just came out. It felt so overwhelmingly large. But you know...20 years later I'm getting the hang of it.
I have no idea how long I've played this game. My steam version of Enhanced Edition has 500+ hours on it.
Everyone should play it
Beat bg1 a year ago and started 2, it’s an improvement in every way. I really like the magic system, story (irenicus is awesome), huge enemy variety and the quests that actually feel like quests
I agree. I finally beat Bg1 this year after owning the game for around 6 years. I have started BG2 and I love it. I miss exploring the map like you could do in Bg1 however the density in BG2 definitely makes up for it. It is a superb game
Still get goosebumbs from that music. Bridge district and SHadows of Amn theme
My 1 word answer: Definitely. It's got a timeless charm to it with the isometric graphics and the gameplay is still quite good. I'd have taken the step of converting THACO and AC to bigger is better given it's a linear transformation Attack = 20-Thaco and AC = 10 - AC, that could be an option in the menu given it would be purely aesthetic
My only complain about this video is that in the end, when you approach the voice acting, you don't show Irenicus' incredible speeches!
David Warner's voice acting is such a work of art, anyone who never heard it should definitely check it out.
(this is to say, great video!)
He had such a few lines, but yet I never forget any of them. So memorable.
"You will suffer! You will all suffer!"
BG1 and 2 are still my favorite CRPG ever. They have a permanent place on my hard drive.
I don't see myself removing them anytime soon either.
It never gets old. Timeless masterpiece!
Only thing better than playing BG2, is playing BG1, then Siege of Dragonspear and after that BG2 as a same character, while you have developed a deep bond to other characters along the way. Epic journey!
I hope to be able to do that after I finish Planescape Torment (which I'm really getting into now:)
I was attached to Xzar and Montaron - maybe a bit too much, I've been distrustful of Harpers for the longest time... Supposedly new lore for these two old companions :)
This is an incredibly immersive game. You wouldn't think that an old isometric game could be so atmospheric and immersive, but Baldur's Gate 2 excels at this.
It will be worth playing till the end of times.
I'm a bit conflicted by the sound effect score in this video, tbh.
There are lots of small parts here that tend to create a beautiful and effective soundscape mosaic.
Like the weapon hits, they're usual low-pitched and a bit muffled, they deliver a punch but don't distract you much.
And some of them are just so satisfying, like that low thump of an arrow hit across a long corridor.
The magic sounds shine here. Those haunting echoed incantations are beautiful. Magic effects here have neatly designed high-pitched sounds that make your skin tingle and almost let you feel the air tear apart with elemental might. And I've never felt a magic sound in other games as awesome as the Magic Missle trigger here. I remember filling my lvl 1 mage book with those just for that badass sound.
Most of the magic effects have a little alien music vibe to it that en masse turn into a beautiful and weird chaotic cacophony of fantasy battle with lots of mayhem and people exploding.
And when that chest trap springs, you can realy feel it in your guts =)
Love the review otherwise.
Really dig the approach to highlight the storytelling examples, as this is the game title that has lots of engaging and really deep side quest stories.
Baldur's Gate as a whole is a great gaming experience, there's too much to love in the series, it's a classic by its own merits but it's not whithout flaws, you nail the feeling of being tested in knowledge about mechanics, but also you need complete hindsight and very complex lyouts of your run every time, what I mean by this is that if you flow with the pace that the game encourages the player to play you can easily get cornered into impossible situations via poor party composition or lacking items/spells, I can undestand try and error is somewhat woven in the fabric of how this game should be played but it helps little to the frustration of getting TPK'd by spells or abiliities that the player can't possibly be aware of.
Despite being my favourite game of all time I can't recomend it to people that can't or won't commit to the full experience, time and knowledge of the rules and mechanics but having that kind of commitment (80+hours) it's a well worth experience.
I think I'm a decent RPG player. Not an ace player by any means, but good enough to feel confident choosing a difficulty greater than normal in most RPGS for my first play-through (though sometimes I get my ass handed to me on a plate when I do that). And I didn’t have too much trouble 90% of the time with either Baldur’s Gate or Baldur’s Gate II (or its expansion which is significantly more challenging). My party had tanking, healing, DPS, crowd control, enhancement, magic and physical damage covered and also means to get rid of most negative statuses without having to reload, change spells and go at it again. But… those fights in which NOTHING worked, because the bastard was simply immune to everything except THE ONE thing that works, grind my gears… I don’t think that’s good design… but again… that’s my take, I know that some other fans love it.
As for your comment of not being sure whether to recommend the game to people who can't or won't commit to the full experience, time and knowledge of the rules and mechanics… I agree to some extent with this assessment. I can see newcomers or twenty year-olds bailing out for various reasons. This series (and I make this extensive to Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale 2) is “gate keepy” in its very nature and will punch you very hard in the face if you’re a newcomer who’s easily put off by complex combat mechanics with a hefty learning curve. But I also think even the most casual of players… if he or she is the least a bit interested in the genre, and liked newer games like Pillars of Eternity, Divinity Original Sin 2 or Pathfinder kingmaker (most of which are tributes to BG2) … HAS to like Baldur’s Gate 2 or at least acknowledge that this is the ultimate daddy of CRPGS XD.
I remember playing it for the first time in 2000 as a dumb teenager with no understanding of D&D mechanics or the game's meta, and I managed to complete it with the heavy-armoured tanky Paladin Cavalier protagonist.
But if you know the meta and OP classes, you can easily solo the entire quadrology.
@@TheFatMob But you miss out on having companions!
@@TheFatMob I love the cavalier subclass! It's pretty much all upside over the unkitted paladin with only the small drawback of no missile weapons. I also like paladins as the main character in general due to the interesting narrative conflict it creates. You're trying to be a good person, a gallant hero of justice, but your very nature pulls you towards evil and slaughter. Dunno its always appealed to me
@@TheFatMob when I got this game as a teen (37 now) I had no idea what I was doing and what the game was about. It took me many tries over a long time to finally get the grasp of it. And then I understood how good the game actually was. It was my first real rpg. I played final Fantasy and diablo before, but that was the closest thing compared
if u have never played this game do it! just be prepared for a bit of a learning curve but honestly figuring out all the spells and enemy types is what makes it so fun and im still learning new things any time i play. yet to find an rpg to do any of the things this game does well and its been decades!
@17:30 there are 8 possible strongholds.
De'Arnise Keep - Fighter, Barbarian, Monk, Blackguard
Ranger Cabin - Ranger
Room in the Order of the Most Radiant Heart - Paladin
Room in Temple - Cleric
Druid Grove - Druid
Planar Sphere - Mage, Sorcerer
Five Flagons Playhouse - Bard
Thieve's Guild - Thief
I've always thought Irenicus had the best voice acting of any video game villain ever.
he allways sounded familiar like mayb he voiced other baddies in that era
John Warner famous movie and TV show bad guy appeared in many things.
That is because he does 🙂
Totally, he made such a peculiar portrait for the character.
Irenicus's voice acting MADE that game, among other factors. I skip through a great deal of the dialogue on my playthroughs, but I always listen any time he gets voice lines. The depth he gives Irenicus is really something.
This is a fantastic review of the legendary Baldur's Gate 2! Hopefully new players will be inspired to take a plunge into the Sword Coast.
Must say, I disagree about Jon Irenicus -- he is one of the all-time great fantasy villains. What he wants, and why he's fixated on the player, is superb.
Also, to rebut the 'restriction' of using classes (e.g., thief, fighter), it does feel old school, but BG1+BG2 deliver game play depending on the class of the player. It's a key purpose to having companions. And playing as a different class, or alignment, or race, is essentially a different game.
Anyway, those are quibbles on an enjoyable video essay that brought back a lot of feels. Subbed and looking forward to more of your work.
Thanks a lot man! and welcome
I visit the Sword Coast when i run Dragon of IcespirePeak on my Dungeons and Dragons sessions ( tabletop ).
I loved this game so much that on my like 3rd play through back in the day I decided to rent a bunch of Arnold movies and cropped an entire Arnold track for all your PC talking points. When you steal something, "Money that's what I need. Money." Going into battle - *Predator Roar*
It was a great game that I played the hell out of.
"It is time for more ... experiments." - Irenicus
"AHHH WE ARE ALL FRIENDS NOW! YOU, BOO AND I! Hamsters and Rangers everywhere REJOICE!" - Minsc
"HELM'S BEARD! I do not believe THIS! All my life I've worked for the Order. CURSE THEM ALL!" - Anomen
This is THE western RPG and THE ultimate depiction of a deep (A)D&D campaign in a video game.
I expected 10/10 for the music. I am glad those ratings are just your opinion!
Well of course! this is all my opinion, I don't think it's a 10/10 but it's pretty darn close. There are a couple of soundtracks in the games that I'm going to play as part of my "road to Baldur's Gate III" that win out in the soundtrack race by a nose in my estimation.
the music in amn
I would give 17 out of 10, just for the iconic intro OST 😂
simply the best rpg ever made. So, yes, still worth. When you have good storytelling, well written characters, good voice acting, the game is basically immortal.
Because Divinity Original sin 2 was one of the best crpgs i had ever played i got excited when Larian Studios got the rights to BG3 so i decided to start Bg1. I played through 1 and 2 in about 2 months and replayed them a couple of months after that. They are terrific games once you get in to them. Not going to lie, the first 2 hours or so i had to force myself to play due to being so unfamiliar with "real time with paus" combat. The closest game to that system i had played before was KOTOR1+2/Dragon age:origins but after those two hours, the time just flew past
This is exactly right. Baldur's Gate II will take its time to draw you in ( I don't think it necessarily has to do with the combat) but once it does it's a non-stop powerhouse of epic fantasy adventuring.
The opening of BG1 is extremely slow and clunky. The studio was quite new at that point and was still finding their groove. So yeah, you made the right move in pushing through it to get to the gold. I'd say BG2 is a better introduction to the series for anyone considering jumping into it for the first time.
@@stephenc.4319 when replaying the two games i was less bothered by BG1 opening. The laboratory in BG2 is so dull
@@debrickashaw9387 agree, Candlekeep is much more entertaining than initial prison/ labyrinth in BG 2
Yea with games like these you have to get back into the appropriate mindset. I'm not into real time with pause either...I find it difficult to properly understand the impact of each action ect.. But the world of baldurs gate is so engaging.
BG2 is my favorite game alongside Heroes of might and magic III. I think i have spent like at least 10k hours on playing it over the years to perfection. Atm i am running a somewhat evil party with a Blackguard Paladin as main. Finished off Irenicus yesterday and now playing ToB. There is so much replayability value. There are mods which make the game even more challenging (never knew they would make the battle against Demogorgon even harder). I suggest to always have a 2nd save because you never know when a gamebreaking bug is going to occur. Sometimes you don't get one in 3 consecutive runs, but happens on the 4th one. The most bugs I encounter are usually romance bugs when the dialogs just won't appear, but you can fix that with the console.
I beat this game, but I now know that I barely scratched the surface in terms of quests and stories. I plan on replaying it!
You can play it at least three times and get completely different experiences. I didn't even go for an evil party, and I played three times and it felt like I played three different games. Please do play it again. You won't regret it.
I bought the EE on Xbox and played through it again. I did as many companion quests as I could find I'm chapter 2. I was a fighter/cleric/mage. I did the Cleric stronghold quest. I think if I play through again I will be fighter mage.
Great video, every homage to this masterpiece of a game is never enough. This is the perfect port of a boardgame system to PC. While the character models might not be the greatest thing ever made, the scenarios and buildings have come to stay. They always impress me to this day. The music is exceptional and fantastic and the relationship you create with your team mates is unprecedented, no game did it this good before, and a lot of games today still can't do it. I can't get enough of this game, and I play it today with the same enthusiasm I played when it launched all those years ago.
I am playing it on a loop since the release. My favourite game by far (and yes, I also play DnD)
it was 5 playthroughs before i found out there was an underwater city part. i always took the portal xD.
Baldur's gate is always worth playing. Anytime.
Aged much better than say Neverwinter Nights. Only played relatively recently the Bhaalspawn Saga including Siege of Dragonspear. The best way to play this game is to go by timeline order, and Throne of Bhaal, while rushed somewhat, should not be skipped.
The game is on sale right now on steam for 3.99
also on sale on gog, that's why I searched up this video lol
Probably the best CRPG ever made. Don't get me wrong, there have been some excellent RPGs released in the last 10 years or so, but BG2 is on a whole other level.
*edit- meant to say last 20 years, not 10.
No. No, It's not. I can't understand how anyone can have this much bias.
@@Arkansym Its not bias its called an opinion, those things are subjective you know. What would you consider to be the best RPG? I really liked the BG series and the other infinity engine titles (Planescape, IwD) but in my personal opinion I don't think there is an RPG I have played and enjoyed more the classic Fallouts (1 and 2).
@@Arkansym Ok, tell me then, what's the best CRPG ever made that completely surpasses BG2?
Fallouts 1&2 definitely second from the top, just right after BGs
@@fr0wz Fallout 1 and 2 are definitely up there with BG2, I would also include New Vegas up there also with the two originals.
Sure! any time, any year, any decade. Best of the best BG2
Funny enough I'm playing it again in anticipation for Wraith of the Righteous. Baldur's gate solidifed my love for western rpg so yeah it's definitely worth playing and this is coming from a guy who only played it 2 years ago.
The absolute best RPG ever made. It is a piece of art.
i agree.
although it is true that the characters do not have as much customisation as in newer rpg games, managing 6 characters is quite complex already and I almost appreciate the simplicity. I found the new rpg games a bit too complex char wise, and I have to spend many hours even before playing the game to research builds for every class, which can be really tedious and boring
I bought this game when it came out. I already was a big BG1 fan, and BG2 made my nights shorter and my school grades lower. I was litterally sucked into it. And still am, i got a switch for this reason (and skyrim).
It is worth playing. I'm still on my first playthrough of BG1, but based on my experience so far, I'm sure it's worth it.
Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 are the consumption of your own imagination. The perfect games, of you invest the time
Got 1 and 2 a few years ago and have hundreds of hours on them. Just goes to show it isn't rose tinted glasses or nostalgia. The classics are classics for a reason and modern games need more than just good graphics to compete.
I just picked up the second one on steam during the summer sale and started it and I’m already in love ❤️
Best deal ever then, as you can easily sink 150 hours into this one.
Baldurs gate 2 is always worth playing. I play it every few years. granted nostalgia is a big factor
The only game saga that made me rethink my existance and happy sad shocked so many emotions...and im telling you this game is fuckn way past legendary and the most emersive and epic journey i have ever been on in a game it is amazing 👏
Yes it is!
Dear god was this beautiful! Thank you for sharing it. You so have my like, comment, and sub!
Also, only 253 subs? HOW??!!!
Wow. Thanks man. It's comments like this that keep me going. I see that you're a fan of Fallout. I've been thinking of re-visiting the two first games and reviewing them.
@@YeOldEntertainment Can't recommend them enough, the first two Fallouts are 2 of the best games ever made.
@@Fallout2Forever I know. I'll eventually tackle those as well.
BG1, BG2, Icewind Dale 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2 plus all their expansions, lovely memories of my dad and I co-oping these when I was a kid. Bloody Lovely classics
Love you style, subscribed instantly now.
Maybe Baldur's Gate III will be a disappointment, maybe not, but it made some of us revisit these old time D&D classics. That alone is a victory in itself. Man what tour-de-force of medieval fantasy epicness! Thanks for subscribing by the way! I hope you'll continue to like these reviews!
@@YeOldEntertainment yeah I haven't played the early access of bg3 yet. But I'm just afraid it's divinity original sin with a forgotten realms coat of paint
@@tbone9474 It seems that way, doesn't it? Some people who've played the early access have mentioned that. But I try to avoid reading/watching too many reviews as I don't want my own opinion of the game to get spoiled.We'll have to wait and see.
@@YeOldEntertainment It is the same engine but with a lot more DnD actions to preform. DOS2 with more freedom essentially.
I loved this game on PC years ago. Enhanced edition is sitting in my backlog.
I know ya gave companions a high score but just a side note: Whatever class you pick (fighter, mage, paladin, druid w.e) has a possible "stronghold". A stronghold being Nalia's Keep for example or the dude you pick up in Uilmar Hills, he is the wizard stronghold and it goes on.
Second side note: You can romance 3 of the female companions (Viconia, Aerie, Jahiera) and 1 male (Amoen) to which one of them actually ends with you reproducing (possible all but I know for 1 at least :D)
Thanks for the review :D
And thanks for your comment. Yes someone pointed out that there five. That's how huge this game is. You can play it three times and don't even get to snatch all the strongholds.
I have played lots and lots and still surprises come. a few examples 1. attack the shadow thieves on return from the underdark and an indestructible character with an anagram of King Arthur chases you around. 2. If you have Viconia and she reaches high level she repels paladins 3 easy way to beat black dragon in Suldanessalar dump all your gear and can bribe with whatever gold you have and collect gear later.etc
Recently have been emulating old PS1 Final Fantasy games on pc.
So maybe im the type to enjoy this one.
Ill try!
Thanks
I sort of disagree with the notion that leveling is the measure of progression in an rpg, atleast the ones similar to Baldur's Gate. Sure, it is a pretty important factor in your character's strength and ability, especially for spell casting classes gaining access to new spells or feats is pretty neat. I have no doubt that spellcaster and thief-characters have the most exciting leveling in BG, but in these old games the big measurement of progress has always been gear. Sure, in tabletop roleplaying games your character gaining a level is cool and I prefer 5e D&D and Pathfinder's leveling over 2nd edition AD&D's system all day every day, but gaining access to cool items is what makes people delve into dungeons and kill dragons and that is clearly what the focus has been put on. And since there is no level requirement to wield any item in the game it seems to me that a character's level has never been the primary goal of progression. It's a different form of progression and you can have your preferences as to wether you prefer skill trees and customization over claiming gear and chosing your style in accordance to that, but I wouldn't call one or the other the difinitve measure of progress. Imo putting points into a skilltree to boost my defense is about as interesting or less so than finding a dope ass shield that mathematically does the same thing, and ideally you get both interesting leveling and meaningful gear but I find that a lot of games fall short on either end of that scale.
Thanks for leaving a comment. It really helps. On to the point then. None of what I say in these videos is meant to be "the definitive measure" of anything. These are just my opinions about the things that work/don´t work for me. And I don't think items in Bg1 are particularly great. For example in the latest playthrough that I did for this video for the enhanced edition, I rolled a Dwarven Defender and I focused on war hammers. I did quite a bit of exploration and dungeon crawling and found only two half-decent war hammers in the game.
Also when a character creation interface is as rich as this one... I automatically expect to come back to skill part of it when I level... as I did in Arcanum, for example. It didn't happen... I didn't like it... and that's that.
@@YeOldEntertainment regarding specific weapons there is a lack of options at points (especially with niche weapons, fuck ton of swords, very little halberds etc.), true, but I was more speaking to items in general. They do way more interesting things to your character. BG for example has stuff like the boots of speed, a cloak that transforms you into a wolf, amulets and rings you can activate to shoot magic missiles or cast shield or charm someone etc. so my point is that there is a lot of stuff your character can gain via items that (to me, also just my opinions :D) feel like progression and that are outside of the nowadays almost expected skill point system.
In an RPG it is actually a fact that leveling of some sort (character/skills) is the measure of progression. This is because while many characters can use the same gear, they cannot use it as effectively at all (2x swords with grandmastery, maxed two weapon fighting and extra half APR from level 7 and 14 of a fighter for example, will be much better than a thief using it). This is the only key element of an RPG actually.
Gear progression is an action/adventure mechanic, where your progression entirely comes from equipment and various items that you find while exploring and your character doesn't become more skilled from day one, it just have more tools to play with. Take Zelda ALTTP for example (or any zelda game really). There is no difference between a 3 heart character and a max heart one wielding the golden sword or the bow. Even hearts are items. In an RPG, you would be able to use those weapons more effectively with various progressive passive abilities (any kind of passive, skills or attribute progression).
I replayed it just to use necromancy to bring to old wizard that dies early on back to life. But never worked 😳that would have been to cool.
Good video, but unfortunately you are factually incorrect about Nalia’s storyline.
You can refuse Nalia’s request to join your party, yet promise to help her out and experience the D’Arnise stronghold quest line.
Also there isn’t only 3 strongholds in the game. All player character classes get their unique strongholds once the relevant quests are complete, though only the fighter stronghold (Nalia’s castle) is extensively polished and fleshed out with subsequent quests.
The point of that part of the video was to make it clear that there are large chunks of the game that depend on your decisions. This was "factually" nit picky.
I replay BG2 at this moment while waiting release of Wrath of the Righteous.
Atually it is my sixth or seventh replay but only second for EE. But i remember how fascinated I was after I found this game. It was my second cRPG after Fallout 2.
So basically the two best RPG's were your first experiences. Hard to top that!
The answer is yes considering I just played thru 1 and 2 lol
Nice! Then Icewinde Dale is up next!
If they could do a remake of the baldur's gate series keeping it the same as far as the story and D&D ruleset and gameplay but update the graphics add more voice actor lines and maybe some cut scenes, I would die happy. Basically after the studio making Baldurs gate 3 gets done with it have them do a remake of 1 and 2. But because 1 and 2 are such masterpeices they would have to make damn sure not to take any unnecessary artistic licenses and change things with it or fans would be up in arms with pitchforks and torches.
I don't kown why, but this game, it's so big that, I'm feeling a bit overhelm about it. It's not like I buy it when the dinosaurs still being on heart in fact, I bought both games like 4 or 5 years ago and playing currently BG2. But between the complexity of BG2 and the simplicity of BG1, I prefer the simplicity. Both are great, I can't deny about this, but BG1 let you to experiment more about classes and it's less demanding about time and investment, and also, it leave you to explore "freely" without unlocking trivial quest. (between brackets the word "freely" because some places you need to go trought the main quest)
have 3 full playthroughs of the game, most recently last year. And i'm the type of gamer that plays a game once and is done with it. Quite probably my all time favorite game.
I bought BG2 back in 2000 when it was new and the hype was crazy. I even edited the AI to be more to my liking. I made it about 60 hours in, to the end of chapter 3...........and my HDD died. Lost ALL of my progress. So in 2005 I had finished college and had time to catch up on things. So I started BG2 again, I set it aside for a bit and for only the second time in my time being into computers my HDD died and I lost my progress. BG2 takes so much time I just don't have it in me to play it a 3rd time lol.
Yeah took me like 4 tries and almost 10 years of owning the game to beat it.
Absolutely Spot On Review.
Came Through the BG 1, Eons Ago, and Enjoyed it Thoroughly.
Now, as You Indicated, getting Ready for the BG 3 .But Wait. Missed out on BG 2.
OK Better Find it and Have a look. Currently 60+ Hours, into the Game, and Love Every minute of it.
Many thanks Your Review. Perfect. 👍😊🙏
Wow, thanks man! I'm glad you liked it. If you're just discovering this series now, you might want to check out Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights too. As you might have seen on our video titled "Our Road to Baldu'rs Gate 3" there arere views on the way for those too, so stay tuned!
Being constantly high on acid since 1999 is the only valid excuse for missing out on BG2 for so many years after having played BG1! Glad to hear you finally redeemed yourself though :)
I played through several times when first released (in 2000). Got the EE, spent 65 hours on the damn thing and I'm only just out of Chapter 2. Still a stunning, brilliant RPG, just as good 20 years later. Skyrim is about the only thing that beats it in terms of scope and number of quests.
Maybe in amount of quests... but I had to force myself to play through Skyrim. While ambitious and immersive, I don't think Skyrim is in the same league as Baldur's Gate in terms of story & lore, never mind companions.
@@YeOldEntertainment Definitely not. In volume, yes, but in character, no.
The only point I find myself completely disagreeing with you on is the leveling stuff. I love the leveling in BG2, and I'm honestly getting sick of a lot of more recent cRPGs throwing extra stats and skill trees at you every single level. To me that stops leveling up feeling like real milestones and just that sort of background 'ding' of getting a level in an MMO.
I think the difference really is that the decision on what your character and how your party synergises together (and it is a party game for sure) really happen very early on in character creation. This may seem that you're forced into a role blind but unlike some other games I find it hard to really screw yourself other in the BG character build. You can play as anything and learn the game. Then you can replay as a different class and try out some other things, swap around party members. The replayability of BG2 makes it all work and honestly if the game didn't have that kind of replayability then yeah the leveling system would be trash.
I've played through PoE, D:OS and more recently Tyranny and I gotta say I just don't find leveling up in those games as much as a milestone as it felt in BG2. Hitting those levels with proficiencies or unlocking a new tier of wizard spells really felt great in BG2, and the fact that it's a set upgrade at a set time never took away the joy of leveling up.
I personally prefer proper turn based combat over real time with pause so that's always bothered me in baldurs gate and PoE, but even so.. Baldurs gate 2 is incredibly atmospheric and a game of rare quality.
My brother and I played through Baldurs gate 2 some years back, and I played a shapeshifting druid (whatever they're called) and man.. those old rpg systems are so strangle paced sometimes... My character would improve her werewolf shape every few levels, and everytime it happened I'd feel incredibly strong.. then my power would gradually falll away as we progressed through the game but my form didn't improve.. up untill the level the form would be upgraded again and I'd feel powerful ^^
BG2 is always worth playing 🤟
Fond memories... Every 2 - 4 years I`ll come back to play the entire series and with every new playthrough I`ve got the some compfy feeling back as I`d played it for the first time back in 2000. Still got the booklets, maps... I prefer this kind of game anytime!
For sure!
Simple question, simple answer...yes.
i have over 1200 hours between both BG1 and BG2.
from replaying different paths and experimenting with different classes.
that isn't even including Icewind Dale which i have also played through.
i will likely add more hours in the future as well.
Never tried EE too few new things tho i probably will soon. Game is freakin awesome even its in the trashy 2nd edition, love 3rd edition. Completed original BG2 with various main chars and groups, with and without tons of mods and expansion(including IWGate full bg2 with expantion converison mod for IceWindDale aka 3rd edition). Also completed it solo with Monk, Fighter/Mage/Thief(both with Rolles), Keenmarker(insane OP archer mod), Wildmage(with wildmage set items mod from some of the hardest bosses like Kangaxx). Some of my fav playthroughs hands down Region of terror! Kinda buggy but all the way awesome mod. Meet Drizzt as playable char in Irenicus dungeon and go on a mission to free the Companions of the halls and add them to the team (the whole bunch Wulfgar, Bruenor, Katti-Brie and Regis) and facing a massive drow conspiracy and ofc Artemis and Jarlaxl. Tons of content and nice items(sadly groups iconic items sux). BG2 with 2 main story lines and Drizzt party, doubles the content and the fun o.O (well thers also downsize no mage and cleric in the group and u have to play paladin to use Carsomyr)
PS bg2 is the game that 20 years ago in my late teens pushed me to learn english one word out of the paper dictionary and one quest at a time, so i can dive into the story, the chars and the adventures! That ofc caused quite a few sleepless nights being busy chasing the basketball and the girls anyways lol
With all my knowledge of the game i would like less freedom and more str8 sequence of events like in IWD or NWN2. Its not normal to go from fighting imps in Irenicus dungeon straight to go pic Carsomyr and then Ring of Gaxx(i mean those r fights for just before or even after Underdark where 9th lvl spell Freedom is introduced), or trying and reloading hundreds of times to steal ring of regen and ring of ram but i cant help it . Well on higher difficulty there are some other steps 1st or abusing the bugs but its generally the same. Some bug spoilers ahead! Also item duplicate filter would be nice cuz 2x Ring of Lavoc, RIng of Ram and RIng of Gaxx r quite usefull and hard to resist, not talkin console shit here just creative stealing and looting the same item. Or Crom Faeyr Cromwells crafting bug so u can keep both the gloves and girdle and the complete hammer, same with red dragon scales if u have Rolles installed lol
All games are trying to stack up to BG2. No one has topped it yet
Aesthetics, music, atmosphere, scale of adventure -- these are categories in which Baldur's Gate II even as of today defends the throne of the gaming olympus.
It's true that some aspects of the game didn't age that well; the mechanics, lack of choice in character progression (for some classes at least).
Baldur's Gate II is also, arguably even more so than its predecessor, very much a game in the tradition of the 'reading games'. The amount of reading and research (particularly with spells if you're unfamiliar with AD&D rules), might not appeal to some people.
Nevertheless it is the artistic quality of he game that elevates it above most games published to this day, despite its technical or mechanical problems. No game has ever been or will ever be perfect.
But in several ways, despite its flaws, Baldur's Gate II made a very respectable bid for perfection, and it's a definite must-try for anyone to this day.
P.S.: How could you not give music 10/10? Domain of the Dragon, which you teased in your video, is probably the best track ever released for a computer game. Even most of the others, the romance themes, the tavern songs, the Athkatla songs -- they're very distinct and of incredible quality.
Even after 20 years, most of those songs stick in your mind. They truly hold up to the test of time ... beyond mere nostalgia. While other successful RPGs have great soundtracks (ME, any Jeremy Soule work, DOS[2]), most of them don't hold a candle if you consider their *entire* soundtrack in terms of quality. The only one I can think of is maybe Morrowind, which is a rough work in some ways (schedule-related) but overall brilliant. A disadvantage that plagues Morrowind's OST in contrast to BG2, however, is that while the songs are outstanding in terms of melodic leading, themes, and scenic painting, they are overused -- and their fade-off is rather clumsy (a fault that still plagues Skyrim).
Other great OSTs, take the ME saga, have the problem that -- while the overall OST is scenic and harmonious (in the sense that it fits the visual medium ) -- the individual quality of the tracks isn't quite up to par. Some tracks rise above the rest; some due to emotional reasons (Vigil), some due to genuinely good composing (Suicide Mission or the Illusive Man). But overall, i think most of the last installment (ME3) fall in to the former category and thus -- essentially -- are only *good* by association of strong emotional motives. Even some of my favourites (like Vigil) could arguably be counted among those. They're good compositions, but they only *excel* if you remember the game.
BG2 has a genuine, musically great soundtrack, which, despite their own acclaim, the likes of ME, DOS, and many other games can't compare to.
Suit first time here got me hooked without any interruptions.
Definitely subscribed awesome video ❤💯💫
Thanks man! welcome aboard
Great video, and considering this game is only $4 on Steam right now. I think I’ll give it a try.
Thanks for the comment, man! Absolutely do! And give it time to sink in.. it takes some time to start firing on all engines.
Give it a try. It is AMAZING.
I've recently replayed BG1 and imported the character to BG2 and I'm currently playing it.
Hope it's going well and you are patient 🤪
I believe this to be my favorite CRPG of all time, #9 in my all time favorite list, about even with Morrowind and while fundamentally better than oblivion and Skyrim, I love the Elder scrolls just as much
22 years later and still possibly the greatest RPG game ever
Minsc is one of the most memorable characters ever!
A den of stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinking evil
@@YeOldEntertainment cover your nose boo... we will leave no crevice untouched!!
Things come in bundles. I started my eight (I think) playthrough yesterday, after 15 or so years. And second video that popped up is this one. Makes me paranoid.
Anyway, liked it.
Hehehe It's the youtubes mate... I had nothing to do with it XD
3 strongholds? theres... thief(thieves guild hall)... fighter(de'arnise keep)... ranger(ranger cabin)... paladin(order of the radiant heart)... cleric(3 different ones actually based on alignment)... mage(planar sphere)... druid(grove) and bard(playhouse) strongholds
This game set a precedent. I have it and all the expensions.
Now was a real perfect review. lol, I'm at chapter 4 right now and I'm just in love, as I already said. When you mentioned the writer I got why. Mass effect 2 and Divinity 2 was the most perfects plots and the cast of character that I have ever seen on an electronic RPG. Every time I hear" the 'WE're all heroes, you and boo and...I !" I laugh hard, so funny! It's a blessing that I finally playing this masterpiece. At the time I divided my time with the consoles, and on PC I stayed playing diablo 1 and 2.
Oh my! You're in for a treat! I can understand that feeling! I missed out on so many timeless classics during the 2000's for various reasons... and now that I'm playing some of them for the first time... I'm awestricken at how freakin' good they were (and still are) As for BG2... I did play that one 20 years ago. And if I'm honest... there are a few things that they botched in this enhanced edition, but also many more new things that they nailed. That phrase you mention "WE're all heroes, you and boo and...I !" works for me, but the one that had me cracking a laugh EVERY time as "A den of stiiiiiiiiiiiiinking evil". So much passion behind that "stinking" XD.
@@YeOldEntertainment Definitely man!! that one(stiiink evil) works every time as well lol, lol! My huge backlog finally got some drop last year with the worldwide lockdown. Maybe I will not play all *checklist of your journey to the BG3, But some of them I definitely all in. I really thinking about another journey on Divinity OS2. So glad I found your channel! keep going, man.
@@YeOldEntertainment Oh I'm playing the GOG version by the way! (BG2 Complete). I read somewhere that was an experience near to the original, so it seems that's true enough.
@@nigazallucard Wow thanks! I will (I will try at least).
BG best top 3 game ever...definetely best CRPGever....
This reminds me of that time, waaaaayyyy back....
Ok Jan
Im done with Baldur's gate 1 and Siege of the Dragonspear. So excited to play this!
This is the best one, hands down.
Funny how RUclips suggests this video to me while I'm currently in my second playthrough in 2021 ;)
I won't be the one to complain about it XD.
22:25 combat really represents the epicness of Baldur's Gate, once you start casting spells to this music. The clipping sucks, but yeah. I think what they did to casting spells sounds is absolutely a masterpiece. I wish such chants would be incorporated into more games.
Playing it right now, 2nd playthrough (1st one was in 2001), it’s even better than 1st time, totally worth it.
Baldur's Gate 2...... Still the best game ever.
BG 1 and 2 were my first RPGs and they remain my favourite RPGs. I still play them to this day. Of course, there are great modern RPGs like Witcher 3, Divinity 2 and Kingmaker. They are great games, but none of them has brought all the ingredients together - and then sprinkled a bit of magic on top - quite so successfully as BG.
I should add, though, that the Siege of Dragonspear expansion was abysmal and not worth anyone's attention.
Specially BG2. I don't think any game has brought ALL the ingredients, as you say, from that one.
@@YeOldEntertainment Yes, BG2 especially.
YES IT IS, I DISCOVERED BG A FEW YEARS AGO AND ITS NOW ONE OF MY FAVOURITE GAME/SERIES ALTOUGH I STILL DONT UNDERSTAND HALF OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN A FIGHT, ( mostly the 2 lol ) BECAUSE OF BALDUR GATE I HAVE READ EVERY BOOK OF DRRIZT AND ELMINSTER THANKS TO BG AND I LOVE FORGOTTEN REALMS, didn't try bg 3 for obvious reasons
and i'm reading other book of course , i have started murder in halruaa and the trilogy and i so far, it's really great
I saw that Drizzt is apparently back in the new Dark Alliance game... but I saw the gameplay footage and I think I'm going to pass. As for Elminster and characters like Volothamp Geddarn, the fact that they appear through out these games (Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights) is the hallmark of a truly epic saga.
Dude check out Mivsan_NT's excellent completionist playthrough of the saga if you wanna learn what's going on when it comes to fights and game mechanics. It's really long but it's really worth it imo
From 2000 onwards to 2022... BG2 remains unbeaten.
(Dragon Age Origins came close)
Couple things before watching this video. Yes it is worth playing now. I'm not hitting that like button because it's perfect right where it is.
That Drew Barrymore profile picture for Nalia still messes with me. I can't not see Drew Barrymore
Hahaha. Yes, she looks like Drew Barrymore.
The first 2 baldur's gate games were fucking awesome. I had some fun playing as a neutral good blade kit bard who has a knack for being agile in fights and cast spells to change to the tide of battle and can identify items without an identify spell. Another favorite is the lawful evil blackguard and holy fuck is this kit awesome. It gets even better when you get a blackguard exclusive sword that does more damage to good aligned npcs. I am a fucking nightmare to vampires who try to level drain me as they crumble before my terror. Ahem! Sorry...got too immersed there and I promise I am not a murder hobo.
Haha. Got scared for a moment there.
@@YeOldEntertainment and that's the thing about this game and 1. I am too immersed as my character that I feel I am going through a story book.
Best RPG ever confirmed.
Man I love the graphics! Remind me of Heroes of might and mafic 3 and 4 graphics.
I saw this and dark alliance on the Xbox store, which one is the newest or would you recomend getting? I like these types of games but no idea of the timeline of them. Thanks
Are you talking about Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance which came out recently? or Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance that came out in 2000's something? (of which there is a sequel). Well Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is terrible. Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance is a decent game, but the experience is completely different from Baldur's Gate II. Dark alliance is more action focused. Baldur's Gate II is a (perfect in my opinion) blend of combat (with real time pause mechanics) story and exploration. For me there is no comparison, Baldur'sGate II is hands down the better game, but it all boils down to the kind of game you want to play. I would say, check out some gameplay videos. (Eltimar has a full play through of Baldur's Gate II)
@@YeOldEntertainment I was talking about the one that came out in 2000, yeah the new one is horrible. Thanks man I’ll get baldurs gate 1 & 2 enhanced edition then.