Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

Buy this game and play it.

[h1][b] TLDR: The definitive classic CRPG with a legendary villain, vast world, and deep stat-based storytelling, though aged AD&D mechanics and severe mage balance issues remind you this is a 25-year-old game. [/b] [/h1] [h1]PROS: [/h1] ➕Classic CRPG gameplay ➕Tons of class/race/stat options for builds ➕Stat-based dialogue ➕Deep lore and excellent narrative [h1]CONS: [/h1] ➖Advanced D&D (2nd Edition) is IMO not as fun as 5E ➖Some balance issues - Any mage is usually overpowered ➖Some clunky/dated mechanics - inventory/movement/UI ➖Restrictive keybinds - can’t change binds like quick save (Q) to F5 [url=https://steamcommunity.com/id/Synikx/recommended/228280?snr=1_5_9__402]My review for Baldur’s Gate 1 (BG1) here.[/url] I should mention that my playtime is short simply because I’ve played BG2 numerous times and didn’t want a full playthrough, just wanted to check out BG2:Enhanced Edition on PC. [h1] [b] Content (Game world/Narrative) – [9/10] [/b] [/h1] The game world is a rich and deep fantasy world consisting of many areas, all from the top-down perspective. Improving from BG1, there is much more diversity and fleshed-out areas full of many quests, secrets, and exploration. This is a great game world. The narrative is very good and continues after the events of BG1. After defeating Sarevok, you are immediately kidnapped by Irenicus, one of the greatest antagonists in gaming history, What follows is an adventure to rescue your friend from a mysterious faction by choosing to align with other factions. You’ll have to make difficult choices and complete quests to further your goals. Aside from the narrative, there is also a vast amount of lore, not only from the side of BG1, but from the world of the Forgotten Realms and the Sword Coast. [h1][b] Gameplay (Mechanics/Difficulty) – [6/10] [/b] [/h1] The gameplay loop consists of completing quests, and going from one quest to the next, in typical RPG fashion. The mechanics are largely a continuation of BG1 - you start off at a higher level than BG1 since this takes place immediately afterward. While the mechanics consist of deep RPG progression and often tons of reading, there is still the issue for me personally that AD&D (2nd Edition), has just simply not aged well, often creating a cumbersome and confusing experience. It also doesn’t help now that the levels have progressed further that any mage class is just ridiculously overpowered. Seriously, all the best builds in the game have some form of mage multi, dual class, or are just a sorcerer. There is some severe balance issues here. Issues aside, I think that BG2 has slightly better mechanics than BG1, because in BG1 it can very much feel like an incomplete experience with not reaching a very high level. In BG2, you start around the same level you ended at in BG1, so things pick up the pace very quickly and full of much more exciting class aspects (even if most of them are mage-related). The game can vary in difficulty, but there is a wide enough range of options to make it work, from Story to Very Hard. [h1] [b] Graphics (Quality/Technical) – [6/10] [/b] [/h1] Again, I believe the graphics are a slight improvement over BG1, but not so much of the engine, which remains the same, but because of the diversity in the areas. There truly feels like much more freedom and a type of vastness with BG2 that BG1 simply lacks. I would say the fidelity is still only around PS2-era, but the improvement in scale make BG2 feel like a better experience. Technical side, the game ran fine for me with no issues. I didn’t notice any bugs, but I also didn’t play for very long. 1440p @ 240hz | installed on SSD [h1] [b] Audio – [7/10] [/b] [/h1] Good music and much more voice acting. This is a solid experience. [h1] [b] Replay Factor (Longevity) – [6/10] [/b] [/h1] I think there’s much more replay value in BG2 than BG1, due to the fact that more class options and builds are available with the higher level. [h1] [b] Final Verdict – [8/10] [/b] [/h1] Baldur’s Gate 2 (BG2) is the definitive classic CRPG, even more so than BG1. While BG1 is a good game and all, BG2 takes the formula to the next level with a massive increase in the scope and size of the game. But there are certain aspects of the game that has not aged well after some ~25 years, namely the Advanced D&D mechanics. The AD&D, or 2nd Edition mechanics is probably my biggest negative, one that is thoroughly fixed with BG3 moving to 5th Edition. I’m not the biggest fan of AD&D due to the severe balance issues with how mage classes are leagues above anything else in power and any good build is going to have mage jam-packed in it for forced use of defensive spells like Mirror Image or Stoneskin. But aside from the aging mechanics, you’ll find a CRPG that defined the genre - a great story full of stat-based decisions that will influence how your game goes. This is an easy recommendation if you enjoyed BG1, and a maybe get it on sale if you’ve only played BG3, as I can understand how some of the mechanics here can be dated. [h1] [b] Recommend? (Price) [Y/N] [/b] [/h1] [h1]Yes[/h1] $20 is a good price considering the amount of content can run you to ~60 hours easily. That said, this is an older game, so it does go on sale for ~$3, which is a steal. You can find my curator page here: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Synik_GR