Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition Reviews
The enhancements aren't quite ready for prime-time, but Baldur's Gate II remains one of the greatest RPGs of all time and an unsurpassed D&D experience. The improvements to the interface are fantastic, and if the new content gets the final wax-and-polish it deserves, it will be too.
I know that Baldur's Gate 2 is an incredibly well-loved game. I get that. I love the original X-Com, but I understand that if some walked into that these days (even an updated version that was cleaned up) it would be very hard to enjoy. This is more of a warning to people that have no experience with Baldur's Gate 2. If you have not played this before, perhaps you should check out the first one. Maybe importing a character and knowing the rules and world a bit would have alleviated many of my frustrations, but as it stands, I don't see the appeal.
Baldur's Gate II is not a game to be missed. With an epic story, memorable characters, hundreds of hours of dungeon crawling, questing and adventuring, Baldur's Gate stands tall among the classics.
An excellent opportunity for those who loved the original to play it again, but newbies will need the patience of a saint to survive the complexity of its gameplay.
One of the best RPGs of all time returns. This new edition succeeds not because of any enhancements added by Beamdog, but because the game BioWare created is still as strong as it ever was with only dated design and mechanics holding it back.
The new content is fun and adds to the experience, but let's not forget that we're talking about Baldur's Gate II here. While balls-hard and requiring a lot of patience if you're prepared to take it on you'll discover what is arguably the best and deepest RPG of all time, that many people believe represents Bioware at their peak.
Baldur's Gate 2 is one of the greatest RPGs ever made, and despite a few bugs, Enhanced Edition is best way to play it.
It's hard, it's obtuse. It's big, it's beautiful. It's cruel, it's arbitrary. It's an adventure.
As a classic RPG with some of the best writing and purest example of D&D mechanics in a videogame you really need to play this, but as a 'remake' this needs more work to be worthy of the same praise as its older brother.
Baldur's Gate II retains some familiar flaws, but this enhanced model is one more reason to revisit a classic role-playing game.
The only meaningful thing separating the two versions is the inclusion of new characters and quests, and those additions aren't quite strong enough to make Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition an easy recommendation.
If you're a fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to play this game. Keep in mind that it's not easy and that the governing system isn't for everyone; however, get past that, and there's a classic that compares to any behemoths of the genre even today. Just don't blame me when you find yourself stuck in the first area; this game is hard, and you will be better for playing.
Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition makes some improvements to what is one of, if not the, best RPGs ever made. That said, it may not have done enough to warrant the extra cost when compared to simply buying the original.
Having said that, it is still an outstanding pickup for anyone looking to get into an RPG with a little more teeth than they're used to, and a rejuvenated, reinvigorated return for those old dogs remembering how much fun they had the last time around.
As a piece of RPG history, it holds up reasonably well, and gives players another opportunity to enjoy this deep game. However, those experiencing it for the first time will be well served to do some research before diving in.
The original game is a classic. The "Enhanced Edition" is a near-clone, with some additional content. If you haven't played it before, or would like a deep RPG to put on your tablet, this is a good buy. It is $20 for the Enhanced Edition vs. $10 for the original + mods (some assembly required) – give these guys your money so they can make "Baldur's Gate 3".
All the convenient and nice additions in the world wouldn't matter though if the core game wasn't so damn brilliant, which it still is. Baldur's Gate II lives up to its reputation as one of the all-time best RPGs, and if you're looking for a no-fuss way to play it, Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is exactly that.
While Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition still has the same award-winning content, even adding a little bit of extra stuff, the game is unfortunately still outmatched in today's arena.
There's no doubt that Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is a product of its time, but there's also no doubt that it's an absolute classic of the RPG genre. If you're a fan of classic games, pen and paper Dungeons & Dragons or even just of BioWare in general and want to take a look at some of their first forays into the RPG genre, then you really should be picking up Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. It can be a little difficult to get used to (I play quite a lot of RPGs and it took me a good chunk of time to get the basic mechanics down) but the story you're treated to, as well as the element of nostalgia, makes the effort utterly worth it.
Anyone who loved the original Baldur's Gate through Throne Of Bhaal should of course pick up Siege Of Dragonspear despite the flaws.