Rating: 
Summary: Great Game, but Flaws for my computer brought it down.
Review: This game is a great expansion to the first, but my computer had many problems with it. First off, our arrows would blur and crash the computer and this would get so bad we had to reinstall it. I loved the story and the scenery was great, but the lack of random areas to explore was a slight dissapointment. I would recomend this to anyone with a good computer.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: I got this game two months ago and I have got half way throuh it yet! It's extremely big. There is three new classes since Baldurs Gate (one), Barbarian, Sorcerer and Monk. my favourite class is the Kensai. It's an fighter who is an perfect swordsman. Buy this game now, you be disapointed.
Rating: 
Summary: A great role playing game ... but beware if you are a novice
Review: I started playing BG II without having much experience in BG I, so this might be useful for those who have not lived and breathed BG for the last 2 years. I love the game, but it will take some extra learning to grasp some concepts since you start at a pretty high level. In particular, you will have to do some homework to understand the mage and priest spells. Luckily, there are good online guides. Otherwise, the game is awesome. The graphics are superb, and I really like the way different stories get intertwined during the game. Even if there is a main story line that you are supposed to follow there a plenty of large and small quests that you can do to take a break from the main plot. The balance between smarts and pure battles is pretty good too. I am looking forward for BGIII and NW!!!
Rating:
Summary: Tied with Icewind Dale as the Best RPG of 2000
Review: First, and this has been said by other reviewer's, this game is HUGE. I remember reading that someone had finished the game in around 40 hours--I honestly don't see how this is possible. You have multiple sub-quests which are actually essential to the plot as they give you the magic items you need to confront the deadly monsters you'll encounter; you have the main plot quests which eat up tons of time; you have specific quests (called 'stronghold quests) which are given to each main-character class; you even have NPC-specific quests you'll only get if you join a certain organization or keep a particular NPC in you party for a set period of time! So--as others have said--be prepared to spend quality time with this game. Secondly, the NPC's themselves are much more interesting. They actually have personalities now, are aware of your gender and can even start a romance with you if you treat them as they want to be treated (obviously you need to act differently with Aerie-the winged elven cleric/mage than you would a Drow priestess). Thirdly, the monsters are much more challenging and interesting. They react intelligently now and caste devastating spells which can reduce your party to mush in seconds. Even if your party is powerful--and they will be--you'll need to plan your combats carefully to avoid the dreaded 'hand-falling-into-dust' cutscene. Black Isle has really done a great job on balancing the combat's here. Lastly, the new classes that have been included have added even more replayability to an already highly replayable game. In addition to the barbarian, sorcerer and monk which were added from the 3rd edition Dungeons and Dragons rules, you chose from over 15 speciality classes (off the top of my head; fighters can be berserkers, magekillers; thieves: assassins, bounty hunters; clerics: cleric of Lathander, Talos, Helm; paladin: Inquisitor, Cavalier, Undead Slayer; ranger: archer, etc. etc.) to further customize your game. Now for the problems, and there are some. First, and this is not a problem with the game per se, is the fact that it uses 2nd edition D-and-D rules which means it suffers from some of the illogical conventions that that game has set up (clerics not using edged weapons, for example). Secondly, it does have some bugs--I couldn't complete the Nalia quest because she was apparently reduced to free-floating atoms somewhere in the game world when I wasn't looking and I was never able to find her again. There is a patch out on the Interplay website (www.interplay.com) which should fix some of this stuff though. But other than those two small points, if you're a fan of RPG's and don't mind using the outdated 2nd edition rules (and even if you do), this game will definitely give you your money's worth.
Rating: 
Summary: Baldur's Gate 2 is a little iffy...
Review: It's been about a month since I picked up Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, and I'm not that impressed. It starts you out in a dungeon that is a little boring and not very intriguing. It also takes about one or two real-time days to get out without help from a strategy guide. Once I was in the second chapter, I was a little more satisfied but not enough. The game is huge, but it's size makes it almost impossible to finish all of the mini-quests that are hidden throughout the land. The graphics are also a little blurry especially since it has that sort of Diablo-type overhead view. Anyway, that game was a little fun and would recommend you to buy it only if you are a die-hard Baldur's Gate fan or if you are REALLY bored.
Rating: 
Summary: Down Hill
Review: The story is just to far fetched.Too sci-fi,it went from being a kind of middle aged based game to becoming sci-fi with graphics worst than the first.The portraits are worse,the icons you can barley even tell what it is.Just a lack of animation all together.Its one big dissappointment.
Rating:
Summary: EXACTLY RUNS OVER DIABLO II
Review: To speak shortly, that's the real rpg game we're waiting for!!! Also, this shows us how a superb quality game must be , NOT AS DIABLO II DISASTER...
Rating:
Summary: Great Game Bad Problem
Review: Baldurs Gate 2 is a wonderful game. It remains true to the standards that a real time AD&D junkie could ask for and does it well. Now the problem It does not work with Windows M.E. and anyone whom has purchase a computer of a certain type knows that it ships with M.E. installed. The game will run for a bit then just keeps getting Slower and slower. The only thing to fix this is to drop out of game to windows and restart the game again. At this time there is no fix for this. Like I stated Great Game Bad Problem.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overall, with just a few minor problems
Review: If you liked the first one, then you are sure to enjoy this sequel. The storyline is excellent, similar if not quite as deep as Torment. Additionally, you get to import your character from the original and modify with kits, etc. Some characters from BG1 were also added, blending a nice sence of history. Some other aspects which are enjoyable are seeing your characters progress to quite powerful levels as the game progresses, and also to visit some of the legendary sites mentioned in Forgotten Realms lore. The depth of character develpment is a great addition from BG1 and IWD, with the 3d edition weapon proficiencies and classes (the monk is cool) being a nice touch. A few detractors are on the software side. Alot of people complain about lags and glitches, but I have seen very few of these. I have a PII 266 with a vodoo3 and have very few crashes. Additonally, I have a full install of the game, and experience very little lag. If you don't have the space for a full install however, you might want to pass this by until you have a larger hard drive. Overall, an excellent RPG. I can't wait for NWN and BG3.
Rating:
Summary: Rock-solid FRPG gaming
Review: Once again, Bioware has refined the art of PC RPGs. Its first offering, Baldur's Gate I, was revolutionary in producing a real-time 3rd person party-based RPG. Icewind Dale refined the engine and game mechanics to produce a much more well-crafted game, but without the character development of the original.Baldur's Gate II is better than the best of both of these worlds. As far as plot and character development goes, BGII leaves BGI in the dust. Picking up where BGI left off, your main character is immediately thrust into the center of a plot by an evil wizard fascinated by your inborn powers. However, this is far from the only plot. A multitude of side quests flesh the game out. In many of these quests, other characters in your party figure in as much as the main character; these sorts of interactions add richness and depth to the story. The only drawback here is that to experience it all, you have to re-play the game as a variety of character classes with a variety of different parties. Whether you'd like to replay such a long game just for the nuanced differences is a matter of taste. While many of these side quests are simple find-the-item or kill-the-monster types of quests, many of them exploit the full potential of the plotline, the Infinity Engine, and the AD&D rules. They illuminate the backstory for the main character and party members. They give your character the opportunity to set up a stronghold, a high-level perk for AD&D characters, and they actually pull it off rather well. The fact that much of the experience you gain in the game comes from completing these quests means there is far less menial monster-bashing than in other RPGs-- there are still plenty of critters to hack up, but you're always doing it in pursuit of a clear goal. Most of the quests are also tests of your ingenuity, requiring clever tactics and utilization of the variety of spells, items, and powers at your disposal. (A favorite dirty trick of mine, useful in some, but not all cases, is casting a Cloudkill into a room and then closing the door. It's especially useful when you can recharge a wand of cloudkill by selling and repurchasing it-- which also works on Rods of Resurrection). My only gripe (as an old-school adventure gamer) is that only one of the quests I have come across requires anything like the sort of side-thinking creativity you'd see in Zork or King's Quest... But not getting completely stuck for days at a single plot point is a plus. Bioware also tweaked the engine to improve gameplay, game balance and variety in tactics. Spells have been balanced by counterspells, far more than in dice-and-paper AD&D. A multitude of subclasses ("kits") allow your characters to specialize in more ways than the simple fighter / thief / mage / cleric system. Combat tactics have been expanded to allow everything from unarmed to two-weapon specialists. Containers keep inventories from becoming cluttered with gems or scrolls. The adventure journal, while still not as well-structured as Might and Magic or Planescape: Torment, is still much improved. The automapping function now includes tool-tip style map notes. Also, for the most part, tedious retreading of steps on an already explored map is reduced. In all, I'd recommend this to anyone interested in Fantasy RPG's, from Final Fantasy to Might and Magic to Ultima.
|
