Rating: 
Summary: How is this game possible?
Review: How could they have made this game? It's unbelievable! This is the best RPG I've ever played! I haven't discovered enough of the storyline yet, but from what I've seen it could even be better than Planescape: Torment, and that is no small feat! Torment itself was incredible, but the wide variety of possibilities that one can find within the game makes this a real role-playing game.My few complaints about BGII are the lack of variety in the controllable NPCs, the lack of a run feature, an inferior journal system, and the horrible escape scene. In Planescape: Torment we had a scarred amnesiac with the power of regeneration and resurrection, a winged succubus priestess, a floating skull, a yellow-skinned githzerai, a floating, burning corpse, an animated set of armor, and a half-demon thief. Not only that, but the major non-controllable NPCs seem a lot more interesting that those in BGI and II: Ravel the Night Hag, the Transcendant One, Trias the Betrayer, etc. In Shadows of Amn, however, all the characters seem to look alike. While the PC does have a huge number of character classes to choose from, he or she always looks the same. And the characters are all too small, not like in Torment. The run feature really helped in Torment, if only to help me escape the hundred baatezu in Baator (that was one hell of a battle; thank God for Chain Lightning Storm and Meteor Shower). However, because the battles here occur mostly in tight quarters, and the entire party has to gather at the exit point, I suppose a run feature is sort of useless. The journal system is both better than and worse than the one in Torment. In Torment, the journal updated very often, even when not on quests. In BGII, however, I've played through 24 game-days, and the journal has updated only twice, not including quests. It's also more difficult to keep track of quests. While in Torment the quests were conveniently listed as hyperlinks that you could click on to get an immediate summary, in BGII they are listed entirely, often with separate entries per quest. It takes up a lot more space and makes for a lot to read through. The escape from the dungeon was horrible. It was frustrating to search for those doors in the dark, and those ... flying creatures that spawn in the first room you see are annoying ... and they don't give up any treasure. The beginning sequence with the mage and the main character was good, and the capture scene of him and Imoen was amazingly well-done and smooth. This doesn't detract from the gameplay, however. I'm glad to see that they improved the pathfinding somewhat. In Torment and Baldur's Gate I, I had a ... time micromanaging my characters' movements so they wouldn't get separated just in case we ran into a pack of ogres or fiends. The major battles are also monsters to deal with. In both BGI and Torment I mostly fought non-magic users, and as a high-level mage in both I had absolutely no trouble with them. In BGII, however, almost every major battle involves a magic-user, and it's frustrating ... to have a magic-user cast Confusion or Chaos on your entire party. Here's a tip: if possible save before a battle, then if you die, you can reload and before the battle mind-control any mages with Domination or Charm Person spells. The dream sequences are amazing, and even if I've only seen very few of them so far (I'm sure there are more), I can see that they are already better than the all-dialogue box recollection sequences of Torment. I also love the character development. I can see the NPCs develop as I journey more with them. They speak up a bit too suddenly, but I like the conversations that occur, and I missed this in both Torment and Baldur's Gate I. I'm still wondering whether a romantic relationship will develop. I'm also very happy to see more and more spoken dialogue, especially when compared with Torment, which, even though it had great voice talent, didn't dip into it far enough. The new character classes seem a bit overpowered, but that's necessary for the battles you're going to fight. If I fought these battles with my old paper-and-pencil RPG character, I would have been dead in the first week of game time. My character right now is a 9th level Kensai (I just started, alright?), with mastery in the Katana and mastery in two-weapon style, an 18/92 strength, 19 dexterity, and 17 constitution. While a kensai can't wear armor or use missile weapons, with his bonuses to THAC0, damage, and AC, I don't need any superweapons like Drizzt's Twinkle or full plate armor. 15+ damage per hit, more with the Kai ability on! Just give me a bottle of Oil of Speed, and watch the enemies fall. If you liked Baldur's Gate I, you will DEFINITELY love this. If you liked Torment, you might be disappointed at the lack of variety in the characters, but you will not be disappointed at the gameplay and storyline, and definitely not by the huge number of choices at character creation. And I can already tell you that I'm going to be playing this over again once I beat it, just so I can play a mage instead of a kensai next. 5/5
Rating: 
Summary: I'm unable to even play the game
Review: I'm sure it's a fine game, but I can't even play it. I get as far as the opening intro, and then it crashes. I've sent an email to Black Isle's support address [and recieved a form letter, natch]. I've looked at their customer support site, followed their suggestions, and now am unable even to get as far as the promo video for Icewind Dale. I honestly give up. I shouldn't have to go through this much trouble just to play a game. Do I know anything about my drivers or blah blah blah? No, but I don't think I should. This is not *my* responsibility, this is the responsibility of those developing the game, to make sure it works for whatever's out there [within reason].. not just one or two brands of video/sound cards or whatever [and I've played several other Black Isle games just fine; it's not like I have a crappy computer]. And now that I've worked so long at trying to get this bloody thing to work, I'm not even sure I can return it...
Rating:
Summary: What an Experience.......
Review: This Game is really nice....very good graphics, and plot...keeps you thinking as well as on your toes....I've played it for over 150hrs, and still have a ways to go...My experience has been very fun and challenging...a must buy!!!!
Rating:
Summary: God This is a great game but...
Review: For all I have played this game it is just superb. The problem is that it crashes evrey 15 min. I guess i'll have t wait for a patch. All other games on my computer never crash so I ma quite disapointed. I hope interplay will test more carefully next time.
Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than the First!!!!
Review: Baldur's Gate 2 was more then I hoped for. I loved playing Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast, and couldn't wait for the sequel. Old characters from the first game return along with so many new ones to choose for your party. There is much more dialogue between characters in this game compared to the last. New items and spells make this game a must for anyone who is even slightly interested in playing a role-playing game. I love the new character kits, which make your characters unique and more specialized. The story line branches off from the main quest to give you more side quests and optional adventures. There's even a chance for your character to fall in love with another party member if you play your cards right. Overall this game has been so much fun and I hope they make a third!
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, though not perfect.
Review: As a die-hard BG and IWD fan, there was no question as to whether to purchase this title or not. It has its strengths and weaknesses, but the former definitely rule. First of all, you'll have a host of new items and spells to choose from, many of which never made an appearance in BG or IWD. You'll also be able to choose character kits that will make the game quite fun to play more than once, if just to see how they work. The battles you engage in will be far more challenging than anything in the original, due primarily to the fact that you start at a high level. Complex interaction with NPCs makes for many more plot twists than either IWD or BG, and will reward you with unique quests depending on who is in your party. On that note, there are many special abilities that NPCs or character kits have, which have never been seen in a computerized D&D game to date. For those that enjoy puzzles and convoluted plots, there are plenty to be found. For those that can't stand the mere thought of such, you can simply blast your way through to the finish and ignore it all. Additionally, some items you find will come in pieces, and you will need to find all the pieces to forge them into a whole. They are quite worth it once you're done. The backgrounds, as always, are splendidly detailed, though a few locations have been 'recycled' from BG and Tales of the Sword Coast. You'll also see some very impressive monsters in the game, including dragons. On the downside of things, the spell effects are not far improved from BG. New spells of course have new effects, but the old ones will look drably familiar. I find myself wishing the producers had used Icewind Dale's beautiful spell effects in place of the old ones. Additionally, the paper dolls and avatars have been modified slightly. Some might disagree with me, but I personally think they look stupid. They really should have stuck with the old ones. Though a few of the enemies you'll run into are impressively constructed, I can't help noticing the general lack of such enemies as compared to IWD. If you're looking for eye candy in battles, you might be disappointed. The game is also a tad bit easy to finish, likely due to the lofty levels you can push your characters to. Last of all, you're going to have to (GASP) use your brain to get out of some places, and turning down the difficulty won't do anything. You might want to get a guide if puzzles aren't your thing. All in all, I highly recommend this game. It is worth buying, and then some. At the least, you'll spend a long time playing it, and you won't be disappointed when done.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars without hesitation!
Review: An exceptional game and even better than the original, that's usually not the case with most games. I have only played and owned it for about a day but I know enough to know it is very intriguing and the NPC party members are improved over the BG I game. The class kits are wicked, like has been said before, as they inhance your lvl 7/8 character to even greater ablilties. I have only just become familiar with AD&D rules but I enjoy creating and re-creating and experimenting with different class/class kits. There is even the incentive to play a boring paladin because of the kits. Cavaleir, a much better and more knightly sort than the plain paladin, is the character I'm playing now. I also like swashbuckler and the ranger. Yes you can use two wheapons in this game, any fighting character can become a master in two wheapons. And it looks really cool. No drow option but one joins your band. This game is action-packed as well as a good story and character developement. As for the action part battles can become long frequent and tedious like in the first BG if you don't have carefully planned scripts for each character(including you). Fighting band after band of weak monsters is pointless, let the PC handle part of it. You can jump in for adjustments. I recommend finishing BG 1 if you haven't already because once you've played this you'll never want to play BG 1 again. BG III should be the best yet if things go like they are!
Rating:
Summary: A good game that falls short of being a great RPG
Review: Of all the RPGs I've ever played, this one probably falls out of my top five: Ultima 7 (parts 1&2), Ultima Underword (1&2), Fallout, Torment:Planescape, ... What those games had in abundance that this one lacked a bit was story and character development. Everything seemed spread a little to thin... and you would expect that - they made the game world so big with so many areas that they sacrificed the details that are needed to flesh-out the story and develop the characters. A mile wide and a foot deep. With most of the characters, you talk to them once (give them a few lines), and then you either kill them, or they leave, never to be seen again. This is one of the most linear-playing RPGs I've ever seen. Generally, no matter what you say to an NPC, you'll get the same result - they'll even give the exact same lines in response. Conversations in this game have absolutely NO bearing on the course of events. It's totally irrelvant. There are very few choices in determining what path to take.. it's all pretty much set... you end up in the same place no matter which way you turn. Everything is spelled out for you. While playing this game, most of the time I felt like I had about as much leeway as a train on the tracks. It's true -- you can go off to many other quests away from the main goal, but I actually found that to be detrimental to the main story and kind of annoying at times. When you're trying to rescue your soul from and evil wizard who has gone on a murderous rampage, finding someone's lost dog, or even hacking trolls in the hinterland just doesn't seem that important. I think they should have spent more time concentrating on the main story rather than the multitude of smaller, side-quests. The problem solving aspect of the game shouldn't provide a challenge to anyone over the age of 8, usually asking you to collect some items and drop them off somewhere - running chores. Those riddles too were real mind-benders. I'd say that at least 70% of the time I spent playing Gate 2 was spent on combat, going through auto-pause step by step, dying, and reloading. Most of the big battles are absolutely brutal. Thank God for auto-pause. I would have never been able to finish the game without it. This made the game a bit tiresome at times, where it can take half an hour or more to win a battle without half of your characters dying. I was also a bit disappointed in the ending.. what was the point of doing all that stuff? That's the first time in the game where you have a real choice to make - do you choose good or evil? Will you pass the test? Will a bad choice come back to haunt you? Well, again, in the end, it doesn't matter. When you're done, Jonaleth bursts through the door as the slayer, you kill him, you're resurrected, and that's the end. No matter what you did in Hell, whether you were a good guy or bad guy, it makes no difference. And what's with the statistic increases? Who cares if you're immune to +1 weapons... it isn't going to do you a damn bit of good against Jonaleth. Some of the others may help a little for the final battle, but I still fail to see the point. While the game has some flaws and has a fairly flat, linear story, it's still worth a look. There simply aren't that many RPGs out there, and you take what you can get. For an unexperienced, younger RP gamer, this should give many, many hours of play, giving a real bang for the buck. For someone who's been playing RPGs (on paper as well as the computer) for some 15 years, I didn't get as much out of it as I would have like to. It could have been more of a challenge -- in terms of getting you to think. But, overall, a good game, not a mindless hack like Diablo, and probably worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun, but some minor issues
Review: If I could, I'd give this game 4.5 stars. It's very immersive and the depth and complexity of the story leads to some great game play. Just getting started in the game is alot of fun because you have so many options to choose from. I've also found the quests and goals in the story to be more varied than in Baldur's Gate, which makes it all the more interesting and more fun to play. Granted, I am a fan of fantasy, so this is biased.
However, I had alot of trouble installing it. I have a 3dfx Voodoo 2 and it's never given me troubles, but this game won't accept the non-certified OpenGL drivers. So I play without 3D acceleration, which is fine. I don't notice too much difference in the screenshots posted by Interplay with what I see on my computer.
A second issue I've noticed is that with a PII 233, the path finding isn't very good and you may find yourself doing alot more micromanaging in movement than expected. That's really the only noticeable issue with having a minimum specs machine to play on.
Still, this game is one of my favorites and I think with its replayability, it will be for some time.
(Also, I didn't really understand what the Collector's Edition had that made it different. Later, I discovered that the extra CD in the Collector's Edition contains two additional stores where you can buy expensive but very powerful magical items. Might have been useful info when I was deciding which to buy.)
Rating:
Summary: Almost as good as Diablo 2
Review: I am an action lover. Seriously. My absolute favorite game is Soldier of Fortune so enough said. When i played a demo of Baldur's Gate 2, I was skeptical at first. How could this beat Diablo 2? It doesn't but nothing can beat Diablo2 in that category. This comes pretty close though. First of all, the graphics are very good and the monsters can be pretty big (Note: Bigger=Harder). The game's plot so far is very scary. You wake up in a prison, losing all your memory. The sacry part is your teammate thinks that experiments have been done on her. Spooky! Thanks to the fantastic dialouge and voice-acting, the situation is much more terrifying than it really is. Now onto gameplay. The gameplay is quick and simple, but the inventory isn't as easy to use as in Diablo 2. The game has a button for everything, whether it be talk, pull a lever, or go in to combat. Speaking of combat, it can be pretty overwhelming at first, but there are a number of options that can make it a snap. YOu can turn down the diffuculty or, if the situation comes up, try "resting". That will put you to maximum health and make the game a whole lot easier and more fun to play. Also, the interface is likely to help you in a ton of situations. One example is when I had to turn off this machine. I moved the mouse around and an icon came up. When I clicked, it turned off! (Note: I am only in the beginning of the game, so it could be easier or harder when you continue). This game is not perfect. This game's length make epic too short of a word. I like depth in my games, but 150 hours alone with no quests! GOODNESS! Also, the variety of things you have to do in the very beginning of the game are tedious. Still, this game is very fun. (My review should have 4.5 stars). Thus, look into this game and see if its for you. And if you do buy it, get a strategy guide too. I've got a feeling it will come in handy.
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