Rating: 
Summary: A Review for those Non-AD & D folks
Review: I'll state from the outset that my background in RPGs is limited. Sure, I had friends who would gather together on Friday or Saturday nights to play pen and paper D&D, but I was never among them. Occasionally, however, I did enjoy playing computer-based Role-playing games (the three Bard's Tale adventures).I say all this in an effort to convince non-AD&D people or non-RPG players out there to give Baldur's Gate a chance. Yes, AD&D rules are numerous and complicated (I have no idea, for instance, what 6D+4 means), but don't worry too much because the computer takes care of all this for you. Essentially, you'll encounter enemies, you'll push your spacebar (to pause the action) and point and click, directing your party members how and whom to attack. The computer calculates all the die-rolling stuff. You just sit back and watch the blood fly. This is not to say, however, that BG is a brainless game. In fact, you'll learn quickly that "Fools Rush In" if you don't think about battle strategy. Put simply, Baldur's Gate achieves a perfect balance: it both satisfies hardcore D&D folk who have long clamored for an accurate PC RPG experience while also not scaring away newbies. This is not to say that BG doesn't take some learning. The manual is thick and at times confusing (particularly in how to memorize spells). There are lots of options in BG, so you'll have to become familiar with the game interface and inventory system. Be prepared to spend several hours just getting comfortable with how the game operates. Also be prepared to die a lot in the beginning. Once you've mastered the controls, this game gets addictive, and fast! BG is now an older title, and with BGII having been out now for over half a year, the original is currently a bargain bin purchase. I bought my copy through an online auction for eight bucks. Those eight dollars provided me with six weeks of constant gameplaying. Most action games can be completed in less than a week, but BG was vast and involving. The world is huge and sprawling, side quests are seemingly infinite, and replay value is a bonus. So why four stars? Well, like many people, I have my subjective, nit-picky problems. First, the pathfinding is pretty weak. It's mostly okay when you're out in the open, but in dungeons, the pathfinding is flat-out horrible. I barely escaped the Firewine dungeon alive because whenever I'd get into a battle and order my commands, my party members would then stupidly go off in six separate and unexpected directions. Second, although the world is huge, it does get tedious trudging across the BG map. At times, the game can feel like a chore to explore that unnamed wilderness section that's located leagues away from where you truly need to go only because, well, you feel there might be something interesting there. Third, going up levels takes a long time. Don't get me wrong, I realize that going up levels shouldn't be too easy to accomplish, but it's kind of disheartening to only be a level seven fighter at the end of the game (because there's an experience point cap of 89,000) with thirty-odd hit points. Either raise the cap or make level limits a bit lower. Lastly, although hardcore gamers may love the myriad spells, weapons, and potions, I felt there were too many. Your party members don't have many slots for carrying items, and all those items you find during your travels (potions in particular) become annoying (should I use such-and-such potion immediately? should I save it for a big battle? should I sell it and make money? should I simply leave it behind). Still, despite the quirks, I've never been so deeply involved in a PC game, and I'm looking forward to my next purchases: Icewind Dale and BGII.
Rating: 
Summary: CLOSEST TO AD&D
Review: THIS IS THE BEST GAME I HAVE PLAYED. ESPECIALLY SINCE I LOVE AD&D SO MUCH. THIS IS THE CLOSEST TO THE ORIGINAL IDEA THAT HAS COME ALONG. I AM GOING TO BUY THE OTHER BALDER GATE STUFF TOO. HOPE YOU HAVE AS MUCH FUN WITH IT AS I HAVE.
Rating: 
Summary: Good game, but obviously fodder for BG2.
Review: Although Baldur's Gate was great years ago Ice Wind Dale, with almost no new innovations, shows its age. That doesn't mean it's a bad game. However, it feels dated, and it's obvious that BI Studios was hoping BG fans would continue to look past its GUI shortcomings in favor of authentic AD&D rules and a good storyline (ala PS:Torment). The fact that the average rating is high means that it worked. Gameplay can best be described as Baldur's Gate on Fast Forward. Although the storyline is interesting (ala Salvatore), it is so linear that there is almost no room for really "living" in this world at all. Players will remember that starting up BG on a daily basis begged the question of "where should I go today?". Not so in IWD. You are directed to proceed step-by-step through the game from one goal to the next. The overall hack-n-slash feeling of IWD will appeal to different players. Personally, I lost interest in the hundreds of dialogues involved in PS:T and was eager to play a BI game that didn't force me to spend hours and hours reading text. At the same time, with today's technology, one would expect that the little dialogue that is present should be voiced-over. But it isn't. Although the cut-scenes are well done, the meat of the game feels quite archaic. Overall, IWD gameplay is very similar in many ways to BG. Although BI tried to fix the pathing, it is still poor -- albeit better than BG ever was. There are more spells, and more levels. But again, the inability to really "live" in IWD makes leveling higher rather a moot point. It just allows you to finish the game. Money is rather worthless since there is no thriving economy. All in all, I'd have to say nothing "jumps out" at you in this game to make it special. It feels like a stop-gap between BG and BG2. Graphics, although well done are disappointing for the simple fact that 640x320 resolution is just ridiculously low for this day and age. Thankfully Heart of Winter fixes this problem, but even 800x600 is too low. The 2D graphics are a bit clunky on my PII450/Geforece system. I had this same problem with Planescape. How is it that I can run a complex FPS 3D game at 50FPS, and run some isometric 2D program that bogs at 20FPS when 15 objects are on the screen? It's just proof that BI's graphics engine is way out of date -- even though they keep trying to improve its effects to cover up how old it seems. Ambient sound is very good, as in all BI products. Sound tracks are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: best game ever
Review: I first saw this game in the store and it looked pretty good. Then my brother borrowed it from a freind and we could not get it to work the cd was scartched so we bought a cd cleanor we were able to load it on then but it kept jamming. Then eventually I decieded to buy it and it was worth it. For one thing it has a great story or plot. The second thing is this is a fantasy rpg which I tend to like and it is hard to find a really good one nowadays. I only have one complaint about it and that is it takes to long to move aroundad, then you have to get used to the battles and the way they package the game is annoying to get through. But other then that it is the best game ever. Oh yeah here is a tip if you buy it don't keep the cds in the cd case they get scratched that way.
Rating:
Summary: A great game, I play it over an over again :)
Review: When I first picked it up, I thought it would end up just being another throw away. I WAS WRONG ! fun game, your actions change the story an how others will interact with you. Download a few "add on " utilities for this an you will become a GOD.....lol I would have given this a 5 but they need to change up that ending a bit......kinda goes to fast. :(
Rating:
Summary: Still Smoking!
Review: It's been about 3 years since this monster role-playing game came out and it's still in most people's top ten. This game totally redined the RPG once again like only the people at Interplay can do. Extremely detailed in every way possible. Graphics, sound, atmosphere, wilderness, monsters...there isn't a bad thing to say about this. Best of all, it has an engrossing story line that makes you want to keep playing (without sleep) for hours to get to the next chapter. A wonderful achievement!
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't get any better than this.
Review: If you intend to buy this game, I would like to point out there's an error in the manual. It says To install: 1. Insert the CD. It SHOULD have said: 1. Buy half a year's supply of canned food, quit your job, break up with your girlfriend and ask your mum to look after the cat - just don't make any plans, OK? 2. Insert the CD. This has got everything you'd want from an AD&D game. It's a big campaign with a very large country that it does feel it takes a week to travel across. Just the feeling of this really big area to explore with lots of subplots hiding in the shadow makes this game an all time classic. And with a quite good general plot running through it, it's as close to real roleplaying as it can get. The graphics are average, but you won't notice. This is good!
Rating:
Summary: The 411 on Baldur's Gate
Review: Bauldur's Gate is the game that we all look to as the standard in computer Live-Action RPG's. You could never tell that you are playing with the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons rulebook right on your PC. This game is for every one who has ever thried to play an RPG but found it to boring. You can choose a character from one of 7 different races, and then choos one of 14 different character classes all with their own special abilities and weaknesses. You roam in the Forgotten Realms world to conqure evil (or be evil if you like, but that game is much harder) wit up to six people in a multiplayer game or by yourself wit 5 other NPC's (nonplayer charichters.)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent game!
Review: After this game I played Diablo.Diablo is not a bad game,but Baldur's Gate makes it look like Pong.This is the best AD&D game iv've ever played (and I play a lot). Baldur's Gate is about a kid (played by you) who grows up in Candle keep,under the kind tutelage of his foster father,Gorion.After a couple of years growing up,Gorion wants to move away.You don't know why.In about 20 minutes into the game (that's how long it took me)Gorion gets killed in a horrid battle by mercenaries.You must avenge him.But,after traveling and making friends (and making enemies),you find out your dark secret. Very addictive game.Yet the computer was going through hell.That's the only problem. Buy this if you liked Lotr!(Lord of the Rings)!
Rating: 
Summary: I'd give a review of the game -- if it worked
Review: I can't review the actual game itself. See, when I got the package, it was in perfect condition. As was the box. However, Interplay decided that 20 cents was too much to spend on a jewel case, and 3 cents was too much to spend on a sleeve. So they put the disks in what has got the be the saddest excuse for a CD container I've seen in my life. This... thing... had paper edges that almost looked like they were designed to scratch the CDs. They don't actually hold the CDs in, though, and they fall out if at all possible. Of the five CDs, ALL of them were visablly damaged, and two were IMO seriously damaged. On top of the scratches, the first CD had some sort of mark on it which I later found out to be some sort of substance on the CD, not a scratch. I neither know, nor care what it is. Despite trying to repair the CDs, the installation CD still freezes my system if I try to install it. If Interplay can't design a working BOX, I have my doubts they can design a half-way decent GAME.
| 
