The most perfect RPG ever. Period.



Genre: RPG
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Black Isle, RPG division of Interplay

Gather 'round my friends and hear the great adventures and ordeals I have faced in the Great Region of Amn. Dragons, being Faeruns oldest and most resilient species, I have fought and slain, bristling cities I have visited and although unintended, I have been in the middle of good and evil, righteousness and corruption. The foul stench of the creatures that reside in dark and dank dungeons and keeps is still befouling my blade. Even other realms not connected with this world, I have seen and witnessed. Alliances and friendships were forged and scars were afflicted and deepened. Hear'ye, to the tales of Reaper and his party.

And I've only reached chapter 4.
450 hours of gameplay. A lie? Perhaps a bit exaggerated, but BG2 indeed is a HUGE game.

The recent success of RPG's is already quite known. And we all know Baldurs' Gate was that first spark that really got the whole thing going. And now, BG's sequel, Baldurs' Gate: Shadows of Amn (BG2), is finally upon us.

Although most of you who are reading this article probably know how BG2 works, allow me to enlighten the "commoners" amongst us, being also hack&slash RPG lovers (Diablo, Nox).
First and foremost, NO BG2 is not a more complex hack&slash game. The game is much more than that. Based on the Forgotten Realms universe (usually unified with mages, warriors, faeries and so on) BG focuses more on the bigger picture: character relations, plots, quests, complete freedom of movement, more fantasy yet more realistic, in other words: a much richer and deeper universe. This complexity also comes with a set of rules, to be precise a relatively spot on version of AD&D 2nd Edition rules. Although many mechanisms are processed by the game, certain things must be understood to play the game in its fullest. I'll spare the details, since they are all exquisitely explained in the game's manual. How time is depicted, how spells work and how attacks, damage and armor are interpreted in the Forgotten Realms universe, are examples of such rules.
Scary huh? Don't worry, you'll master them in no time, and when you gradually do, the game just gets better and better. I myself am a Diablo 2 player and quickly adapted to BG2.

A game starts with the creation of your character. Here you determine your exterior features (race, sex, colours, voice) and your class and qualities. You can be a fighter, paladin, mage, thief, or Dual -or Multi-Classes, etc. Too much to list. In BG2, several subclasses are added: a Stalker is for instance a ranger who cannot wear armor better than studded leather, a Cavalier is an improved Paladin without the ability to use missile weapons, and so on. After that, the game starts and you're off. During your quests you can add NPC's to your party which allow new quests and relationships. Off course there is a main quest, but there are also many subplots you can pursue.
And here is where we discuss the game's length. It is indeed a huge game. After 2 weeks of practical non-stop gaming (approx. 8 hours day) I got to chapter 4 but I almost completed all subplots in (the huge) chapter 2 WITHOUT walkthrough. I don't know how many chapters the game has, but I'm sure there is a chapter 7, so…

I won't tell anything about the story, since spoilers really screw games like this up, hence the reason why I will deprive myself of the use of any tips, faqs or walkthrough whatsoever (perhaps only to complete that ONE subplot for THAT particular sword). Suffice it to say you have travelled south after your win over Sarevok and the knowledge that you are a child of …some god (hey, there are many who haven't played BG1 yet!) to the region of Amn with its main city, Athkatla. Again you have an archnemesis: an extremely powerful mage out for you(r …)

Concerning graphics, not much has changed. The interface too has remained pretty much the same of BG1. Or so it seems. Important updates have been made to the ever-popular Infinity engine.
You can now change to 800x600 resolution. This really is a big difference: you now have a further view, enabling you to even better plan your battles and tactics. Resolutions can even go up to 1600x1200, although unsupported. 1280x1024 for example gives a huge part of an area, but is too distant from the characters, making them too small and giving you the feeling you're playing an RTS. OpenGL is also supported now, enabling smoother scrolling, colour transitions and improved magic effects. Also, it is possible to increase the gamescreen by hiding the various panels of the game. This creates a cinematic feel and makes the surroundings even more enjoyable.

The sound has become even more ambient in comparison to its predecessor. Marketplaces are filled with activity, dungeons are dark and lurking, countryside scenery is rustic and peaceful. Nothing much to say about sound-effects: swords and other nice medieval weaponry ricochet of armour, a fatal blow will reduce an ugly orc into an even uglier pile of meat. A pity though is that still not all voice casting is spoken. Indeed many conversations add up greatly to the depth of any game, especially in a hardcore rpg like this. I guess it would take up to much precious data storage space. BG2 already is printed on 4 cds (minus one install cd).

One more thing I'd like to mention are the great magic effects, magic in general and the battle process. It's wonderful to rev up a party before a battle with party-supporting spells (Bless, Strength of One, Barkskin,…), then set your party in an appropriate formation, then let melee fighters catch the fire while in the back archers and magic users let loose all their fury on the enemy. Baldurs' Gate was the first game to offer such superb strategic role-playing combat, and BG2 perfects it. Even more powerful spells are added, and more powerful weapons and items add a wide range of effects on characters.
Nasty commercial trick though is that some of the highest level spells are just 1 level higher than the level limit. "You can import your BG2 character to Neverwinter Nights". Nasty.

EP sez:

The general reason why Baldurs' Gate has become such a success is the perfect combination of hardcore AD&D elements, decent presentation with great graphics and music, excellent depth with intriguing relationships with NPC's, and great sidequests, stories and weapon's descriptions (remember jumping up and down getting the Carsomyr Holy Avenger as a paladin?), great magic spells and battle sequences with the perfect pause option. Main difference with BG2 is that literally everything is better. I really can't say more. It's the perfect RPG in every way. Period.

© 2001 Erwin's Pages
Erwin "Reaper" Husin

Score

Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 8,5
Sound & Music: 9
Addictiviness: 9,5

Overall: 95%


Links:

> BG2: Throne of Bhaal Review

> Official BG2 Site
> Bioware
> Interplay/Black Isle