Baldur's Gate

[Breakdown]

Obviously there's some sort of controversy going on about an expansion or something, but I've never actually played the original game, so I'm tempted to give it a go. I was wondering is the Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate any good? I read a couple of reviews saying there were a few bugs, have these been resolved?

 

[The Philistine]

From what I remember the bugs from the original EE were mostly resolved, not sure about BG2 though.

 

[09philj]

I have the original on disk. If anyone can tell me how to install it on Windows 10, that'd be great. (Yes, I've tried compatibility mode)

 

[Dreph]

It is still pretty solid and worth playing for the story at least, which is strong. Most of the "bugs" have been fixed, but they screwed up some of the characters for no real reason. If I recall correctly Khalid was changed to a two weapon fight from sword and shield, because "reasons". Considering his portrait has a shield on it makes it a really odd choice.

Anyway... Nitpicks aside it is still worth playing, just ignore any of the new characters they added in as they are generally written worse than the rest. Oh... and always bring Minsc.

 

[The Madman]

So here's the gist of it:

Pretty much everything that the Enhanced Editions do for Baldur's Gate there are mods that also do. Higher resolutions, sharper UI, new companion characters, added dialogue, quests, etc. Thing is that's a lot of modding, moreso than some people want to have to do, so for those that would prefer to just install and play the game the Enhanced Editions are honestly just fine. They were a bit buggy on release and weren't compatible with some of the best mods available, but most of my favourite mods have since been ported over and the devs have done a respectable job of patching the EE up to a higher standard of quality. The BG1 NPC Project mod for example I consider amazing and has been nicely ported over to even take advantage of some of the new stuff the Enhanced Editions provide.

So if you're feeling up for some tinkering and want a more customized experience modding the original base game is the way to go. If you want a more simple install and play approach then the Enhanced Editions are your best bet.

Either way Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 are amazing games, some of the best rpg ever made in fact, regardless of which version you play.

I have not tried this new expansion yet myself and can't speak for its quality however, I'm talking purely about the original series here.

 

[Potjeslatinist]

but they screwed up some of the characters for no real reason. If I recall correctly Khalid was changed to a two weapon fight from sword and shield, because "reasons". Considering his portrait has a shield on it makes it a really odd choice.

Eh? I haven't come across this, even with BG1 upgraded to BG2's system. My Khalid is still whimpering behind his shield.

just ignore any of the new characters they added in as they are generally written worse than the rest. Oh... and always bring Minsc.

True dat, on both accounts.

Anyway OP, it's a fantastic, classic game with lots of neat adventures and wonderful characters. It's very stable now and highly recommended.

But ignore the Dragonspear expansion. Its writing and its environments are atrocious compared to the original. You can really see where it's original content and where it's Beamdog's nonsense. It's quite jarring.

 

[Dreph]

but they screwed up some of the characters for no real reason. If I recall correctly Khalid was changed to a two weapon fight from sword and shield, because "reasons". Considering his portrait has a shield on it makes it a really odd choice.

Eh? I haven't come across this, even with BG1 upgraded to BG2's system. My Khalid is still whimpering behind his shield.

Just checked and I appear to be incorrect. I could have sworn they changed that and my spouse was complaining about it, but anyway apologies for the incorrect information.

 

[Breakdown]

I looked on GOG and the enhanced edition is currently on sale and cheaper than the original version, so I'll probably get it.

 

[Mister K]

I looked on GOG and the enhanced edition is currently on sale and cheaper than the original version, so I'll probably get it.

From what I remember, after April 27th Enchanced Editions of both BG and BGII will contain original versions also.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Aye OP, definitely recommend them. I'll confess I never played BGI, but you don't have to play it to figure out BGII (or you can just read the wiki if you get lost).

But anyway, fantastic games. They balance the ability to have tons of freedom to do what you want, create the kind of character you want etc. with also having great characters and storyline, which is something very few games do successfully.

Only complaint I can think of (and maybe this has been fixed with the enhanced edition) is that if your main character dies, even if you have resurrection spells or potions and have other party members alive, it's instant game over, which I always found really dumb.

 

[Fat Hippo]

Only complaint I can think of (and maybe this has been fixed with the enhanced edition) is that if your main character dies, even if you have resurrection spells or potions and have other party members alive, it's instant game over, which I always found really dumb.

Nah, that's still in there, unfortunately.

Spoiler: Story spoiler

I suppose they left it in because you are the child of Bhaal, and death would release your divine soul back into the throne, or however that works. They should've just said fuck it and gotten rid of that in my opinion though, lore or not.

As a recommendation to the OP: if you start with BG1, get ready for a relatively punishing game. It's low-level D&D, which means everybody has almost no HP at the beginning of the game and dies very quickly. Save a lot, because you will need to attempt some fights multiple times due to unlucky attack rolls. Don't be ashamed to cheese fights, the game isn't really what I would call "fair" all the time anyway. And at least for the first few levels, give everyone a ranged weapon, and don't be ashamed to run away while firing at enemies. It's almost the only reliable way to kill creatures like ogres and bears without losing a party member.

I'm telling you this because a lot of people have bounced off this game, and while I love it, some things have aged poorly. So I hope with these basic tips, it will help you get into the meat of the game, which I do think holds up. I'm replaying Baldur's Gate II myself at the moment, and it's still fantastic.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

The enhanced edition did fix some bugs and make some QoL tweaks, but it also updated the engine to run on modern OSs without issue, support widescreen and large resolutions and so on. If you have the original, you could go the BG TuTu route with BG2 as well. I played it this way and think it was the most enjoyable, consistent and immersive experience of the game I've had.

Surrounding the controversy of an expansion ostensibly aimed at "bridging the gap" between the events at the end of 1 and the start of 2, BG TuTu has a cutscene and is so smooth, I couldn't tell there was a break.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

The game gives me tunnel vision headaches. Some people have said it might be epilepsy, but no other game I play induces such effects.