Rating: 
Summary: Same old game, more problems...
Review: I must start out that there will never be a RPG game better than the original Baldur's Gate. The problem here with the sequel is that instead of giving you a quality game, they did what everyone else does in the computer game world and changed it in a bad way. I have no idea where they get the system requirements for this one. I have a brand new system with a voodoo card and the game is very choppy and it sucks. Great, the story line is better and the game is bigger, but it is very frustrating to play whenever combat starts and the screen jumps around worse than the first game. Give me a break, Bioware. Spend all that time making endless dialogue and new spells and such, but when you take away playability then the thing might as well jump out at me from the screen, because it is still going to be no fun whatsoever to play. Buy this one only if you have a big money gaming computer and lots of patience, because it will drive you crazy otherwise.
Rating: 
Summary: excellent game
Review: I would love to just say that ponsolle has no clue how to play BG II. They say "Can't create your own party" but you can create your own party. You can even import your party from BG. They also said "No good save system and if you do save, your portal to the prior dungeon is destroyed when you return AND the entire dungeon has been repopulated." Now I am trying to understand what they mean. It is very simple to save and replay after you die. (and you will die, trust me) The dungeon will only repopulate if you restart it. (there are a few places that regenerate monsters but not many) I did not play the first BG so I came into the game cold but it has easy gameplay and it is just beautiful to look at. everyone is entitled to their opinion but..... whatever........it is a great game....
Rating:
Summary: All encompassing game yet detailed game.
Review: Why is Baldur's Gate 2 being hailed as the year's finest RPG and as one of the best ever? It's because of its seamless integration of every possible RPG element. Here are just a few of the most important things that BG2 does right: 1.) Character creation: Half the fun of an RPG is making that perfect character. A character which reflects your personality and playing style. The AD&D character creation is close to perfect, now that kits have been added to provide even more variety than before. 2.) Questing: The quests in this game are mostly awesome. Gone are the kill and retrieve quests of ye olde RPGs. In BG2, you'll investigate shadowy cults and mysterious murders, traverse the planes of the multiverse to bring lost souls back to their home, or even achieve control of your own stronghold. 3.) Character interaction: The NPCs in this game are beyond amazing. The level of detail paid to each of the 16 NPCs than can join your party is extensive. They have their own personalities, beliefs, and agendas. Some will stick with you to the end, while others will desert, and a few might even betray you. Not only will they talk to you, they will mingle amongst themselves and the one liners that they spout are hilarious. Add to that talking swords and whatnot...it's incredible. 4.) Combat: This game is hard, but not because of unreasonable conditions or overwhelming odds, but because of its realistic balance of power. You'll find yourself doing a lot of planning and preparation for a battle. There's no more mindless hacking through tons of paltry critters. The adversaries in BG2 are tough and smart, and they'll flatten you if you're not prepared. All this makes winning a battle so much more rewarding than in any other game. 5.) Graphics: While this game is not 3D, it still looks great. The artwork is extremely well done and exudes atmosphere from every pore. Spell effects are varied and fittingly impressive. While the lowly 1st level Magic Missile spell may not blow you out of the water, the 9th level spell effects will dazzle you. 6.) Music: The music in this game is varied, appropriate, and never repetitive. It is sometimes haunting and sometimes exultant. It always fits the scene and the mood of the game. Another plus for this great game. I can go on but buy the game already and play it for yourself and experience all of its wonders. You won't be dissatisfied. I guarantee it!
Rating: 
Summary: Baldurs Gate 2, shadows of Amn
Review: Can't create your own party. Have to have one character with silly story and incessant dialog, get npc add ons that one would not use if one could create their own party. About as bad as Planetscape Torment. Even looks the same. How Black Isle can produce good game like Icewind and then something not so good like this is a mystery.
Rating:
Summary: The best computer game ever (and I'm not kidding)
Review: It is quite likely that Baldur's Gate II (BG2) will go down in history as the first computer game to move into the realm of "art" and be looked at in the same way as the great Volkswagen commercials of the 1960s have become "art". Yes, BG2 is a game, but it embodies such a depth of knowledge, the challenges are so real and complex, the story is so rich and engaging, it really is a lot like living through and creating a very good fantasy novel. Some basics: I've played games and computer games since the mid-70s. At this time I own more than 200 computer games so I am well versed on the subject. I will state categorically that BG2 is the most interesting, well put-together, beautiful and satisfying game I have ever played. It has now pushed aside previous top games (in my list) such as: Planescape Torment, Fallout 2, Fallout 1, The Bard's Tale, and Diablo. What is so good about this game? How about the visual display with beautifully drawn screens showing nearly everything you could want out of a High Fantasy game, from dark haunted forests to the inspired architecture of the Dark Elf city (the Drow if you want to be picky), complete with their spider-shaped beds. My single favorite spot in the whole game is the Temple of Ilumater. Not much happens in this place but visually it is such a treat just to visit it and watch and listen. Speaking about listening, how about the soundscapes that were created for each area. Each area has its own sounds. In one place you hear the hub-bub of a city in the day and then, if you visit it later, at night, the sounds are different. For scary, how about the weird crashing noises you hear as you move through a deserted stone temple; or the deep thrumming sound you hear as you make your way through a long deserted magical sphere? How about the richly entertaining characters you add to your party? From the berzerker ranger (Minsc) and his gleeful (though not entirely rational) yells, to the cynical comments from the Dark Elf cleric (Viconia), to the starry-eyed innocence of the elf maiden (Aerie). Some of the character interactions are laugh-out-loud funny (especially between Misc and the Gnome (Jan Janson) who is trying to steal away his pet hamster!). Some interactions are thought provoking, others are emotionally moving. How about the battles you fight against the mightiest creatures imagined? Yes, the first time you see a red dragon, you are thinking "can I really fight this thing? It is bigger than a house!" Or when you first attack a beholder and are quickly turned to stone or disintegrated or charmed? These are the ultimate monsters in this game, the sort of monsters you dreamed about one day besting if you ever played Dungeons and Dragons. And here they are, in their full power and danger. Yet you learn the monsters weakeness, you learn to utilize the powers of the people that you command and finally you will be standing on a dead dragon's head, cleaning his smoking black blood from your blade. This is truly the stuff of dreams made real. In closing, I will say again: Baldur's Gate 2 is the finest game that has ever been created and I find it hard to believe that it will be bested by any game currently in development. Future games are all going to be "3-D" and visually, they won't be able to compare to BG2, at least not for several years. Making games like this is hard, hard work. The people who created this (Bioware in Canada) were inspired and I don't think we will see this sort of inspiration again for a long time. Enjoy it now, there's nothing better. -- Colin Glassey
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Baldur's Gate II is by far the most involved RPG I have ever played. It's also one of the best. I have been partial to Planescape as my favorite RPG of all time since I played it earlier this year. After completing this game, I have to admit that it does more than give Planescape a run for its money. It's a much longer game, it has just as good a storyline, and it offers more action and multiplayer to boot. The guys at Bioware really know how to craft an RPG, and this one is going to be an instant classic. It will be one of those games you will remember for years to come. If you enjoy RPGs, this is an absolute must have for your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Sequel? More like expansion pack!
Review: I bought Baldur's Gate 2 with high expectations because the first one was great, but suffered from a slow plot line. Well, after I did the full install, which took up 2.4 gigabyes on my hard drive, my ears were blown off my skull by the sound quality of the opening movie. It sounded like it was coming out of a home entertainment theater center! The process of character creation was familiar, and a new race, the half-orc, in introduced into the game, along with many extra character classes. I choose to be a druid because of their ability to shapeshift, and I started out. There is also a tutorial, but veterans of the first one need not use it, and in a second, you'll find out why. It was soon after I started that I got a sense of extreme deja vu, and worse, ennui. This game looks EXACTLY the same as the first one, and the interface hasn't changed at all. You still have to pause the battle ever so often with the space bar, and you still have to run around everywhere looking for stuff and clearing out the map. I didn't like all the reading and all the wordy and useless decisions of the first one, and not only did I get a decision-making session as soon as I entered the game, but also, a few minutes into the first level, I was treated with a small library of at least 20 books that, in order to fully understand the game, I must read thoroughly. That was about the time the ennui set in. Sure, a little reading is okay, but too much boggles down the game. I wouldn't call Baldur's Gate 2 a sequel, because most sequels have different appearances, interfaces, etc. I would venture to say that this game is more of a mission add-on for the original Baldur's Gate, because while yes, it does have a different story and a few new monsters, the graphics, interface, weapons, and many spells remain essencially the same. So, I gave it three stars because it's the rating that I gave the original. If Baldur's Gate 3 ever comes out, I have a suggestion...don't be scared to CHANGE something about Baldur's Gate because of what happened when Sierra changed King's Quest 8!
Rating:
Summary: Sadly Lacking
Review: You may love it now, but five years from now you'll wonder why you cared. Shadows of Amn is an attractive but stupid companion, a vacuous bubble-head that is nice in the sack but grows boring when you find that lover who has no head lice. BG2 has flaws and is an imitation of long ago published modules for AD&D. Modules B-1, D-1, and a few others went into the making of this "unique" game. Supposedly the coders and designers are in love with D&D and that makes it better, but to be quite plain, most of the wonderful D&D spells weren't present, and this game fell far below Darksun CRPG in intelligence and imagination. The new character classes were repetitive when they weren't useless. Berserker was the same as Barbarian, the Druid kits sucked, Blade and Swashbuckler should have been condensed into a single class, Skald and Jester were useless, Assassins had an ability anyone could develop, Archers were not powerful enough to compensate for their deficits, although Undead Slayers and Blades were interesting. The Dragon Magazine archival cd (for the IBM PC) presents many interesting character classes that were better constructed than most kits, and this was with unmalleable old first edition D&D. The Jester, Barbarian, and Archer classes from Dragon Magazine were far better done in those ancient pages than in this lame brained CRPG. Graphical and audial beauty were indeed present, but as to a poetic fantasy and artistic integrity? There wasn't any. Five years from now you will be muttering, "The graphics were so typical, the music was nice but repeated so often..." The game is filled with programming errors, unfinished areas, and poorly considered plots. It all seemed as if developed and designed by marijuana befuddled high schoolers, except for the art and music. My advice is wait til Neverwinter is published, and bombard Black Isle and Bioware with complaints about their lack of creativity and intelligence in design.
Rating:
Summary: A must-buy for any fan of Baldur's Gate!
Review: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn was a much anticipated game. Most of my friends have played through Baldur's Gate and Sword Coast, as well as PlaneScape Torment, and were waiting anxiously for II to come out. Was it worth the wait? The creators of BG2 have definitely learned from the previous games. The graphics are gorgeous, with a lot of the detailed textures and special effects that we've come to expect. Gameplay is smooth and uses the same interface as the other games - intuitive and easy to learn. You can even hide the interface if you wish. The game carries along the storyline from BG, and you can import your old characters from the first game. Your friends are still there - even if you happened to kill them off or abandon them in BG. The game developers learned from Planescape - BG2 is very open and epic in feel. None of this linear do-this-now-do-that nonsense. The role play is also great, and the options available to your character at any point are quite comprehensive. Non-player intelligence is boosted in this game - people aren't as likely to get stuck behind a tree or next to a door. In general, BG2 is a great improvement over the original BG, and a worthy follow-up. If you enjoyed Baldur's Gate or Planescape Torment, definitely pick this up and play through. With its higher optional resolutions and enhanced graphics, this also bodes extremely well for the next RP game these guys choose to make!
Rating: 
Summary: Wasn't very happy with this game
Review: After reading all the excellent reviews for this game I thought I would give it a try. After many hours of trying to get myself to enjoy it I just gave up. Now, I know that this is an RPG game, but personally I find the pace of the game to be much to slow compared to some of the other RPG's that I've played in the past. Also, I highly recommend reading the manual before you play or you will be completely lost. I'm sure many of you out there like these challenging games, but I just thought I would give a different perspective about what to expect. Some aspects of the game I DID like are the graphics. Beautiful scenery and settings throughout the game, and some cool effects with certain characters as well. I also liked the opening cutscene. My advise is only buy this game if you are really into RPG's otherwise I would stay away.
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