Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn

Rating:
Summary: a clone of the first
Review: this game is a clone of the first. let me tell you it sux. the gameplay is exactly the same there are no improvement on graphics and it is very predictable. also your character starts out less powerful then the others. basically it is predicatble,stupid,and not worth the money. if you want better forgotten realms games go for icewind dale or the original baldurs gate. but dont go for nwn or bg2

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the best RPG in the history of RPG's!!!!
Review: I've had this game now for about a year and just beat the game. I'll tell ya, it's an incredible game! There are endless things that you can do in this game. The frist great feature is that u can create your character. Unlike many games where you get stuck with a boring premade character. In Baldur's Gate, you can decide wether your character is mlae or female. What type of race you would want to be(Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Gnome,Dwarf,Halfling, and Half-Orc). Then you get to pick you class. There are also many different things to pick in that. That is one of the best qualities of the game. The gameplay is also awesome. Over 100 different spells to chose from. Multiple lands to go to. Unexpected twists and turns which will completely take you by surprise. There is also many different things to do other than to just kill Irenicus. There are also many side quests for you to do. There are also many types of creatures.

The storyline is great, but the weapons and armor are another story. There are tons of different types of weapons. Some typical, some magical. Each weapon has either a description of how it became or just what it is. You can also get many types of armor. You can also get cloaks, robes, girdles, gaunlets, rings, amulets, sheilds, and boots. All of the catergories have some magical items in them.

I will sort out the pros and cons:

PRO:
1 THE GORE! You can make the creatures body parts fly all over the screen. Of course you can turn it off.
2 Many types of weapons, armor, and spells.
3 Different types of creatures to fight.
4 Multi play!! You can play with other people!!
5 Many shops and temples to go into.
Those were some of the pros. I would run out of space if i listed them all.

Cons:
1 Memory!! If you do the full installation, it takes about 2500mb
2 Each area has to load up.
3 If you decide to go on a slaughtering streak, it may affect some quest to where it cant be completed.
4 Lots of talking. Its not bad but not good.
5 I can be very frusterating.

This is not a game for people that can't read very well. Most of the time key things are scripted. Some times voices will actually say stuff but not to often.

I hope this helped you. If you are a hard core RPG fan and have about 100 hours to spare, buy this game!!

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: Baldur's gate 2 is the best game of all and it will be the best forever.I played the others D&D based games , the ones before and after the realease of BG2 , like neverwinter nights , and I still think it is the best.The system of battles is perfect , you have full control of the actions of your characters , so you can find the best strategy for victory.Lots of intersting characters make this game unforgettble.BG is a great game and BG2 fixes all the few mistakes of the first game.I don't expect to play a better game in my life.BG2 is the best game ever.It is impossible to turn better what is perfect , that is why the games after BG2 are not as good as it is.Be sure , no other will be.

Rating:
Summary: SIX STARS
Review: This game is brilliant. Incredible voice acting, a rich and captivating plot, and great interaction with NPC's. The graphics are fine, not "spectacular", but graphics alone are not what make a game fun. This game is like a Tulkien novel for the PC.(The soundtrack is also the best I've ever heard for a PC game)

But beware, if you are are a gamer that only likes hack and slash and action fighting, this game is probably not for you. Although this game does have good combat, it's largely story based.

Rating:
Summary: one word: awesome
Review: i played the game so far for 60 days in "game time". Suffice to say that its the best roleplaying game i have ever played of any pc or console roleplaying game. The story, the settings, dialogue, the deep strategic gameplay makes this game a complete package.

Rating:
Summary: Bad reviews? WHAT???????
Review: Seeing a 1 star review of this magnificent work of art is enough to make the baby jebus cry. The only consolation I see is that every bad review *seems* to be coming from the point of view of very offbeat gamers with strange tastes.

My background in RPG gaming: Some D&D first edition (way back when), Atari's "Adventure," lol, Zelda (if that qualifies, and we are moving through time here btw, if you hadn't noticed), Final Fantasy series up to 5 (yeah beat me with a stick, I haven't played the best ones yet," Baldur's Gate 1, Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, Baldur's Gate 2, Morrowind, and I am sure I'm leaving lots out.

Anyways, my conclusion after years of gaming with RPGs, and plenty of other types of games (Age of Empires, Warcraft, Rogue Spear, etc):

Baldur's Gate was the most entertaining single-player game ever made for the PC, UNTIL Baldur's Gate 2, Shadow's of Amn, which from what I've seen so far (and as I said, I play Morrowind, the latest biggie up to this date), holds the throne of all RPG computer games to DATE.

Now lest you think I am just a fanboy of Black Isle Studios (the game's makers), I am not a huge fan of the BG 2 expansion, Throne of Bhaal. Don't get me wrong, I do like the expansion, but it hardly adds a jewel to the crown of BG 2.

Baldur's Gate 2, Shadows of Amn, is, when measured against any other single-player game made for the PC, the single best game ever made up to the date of this post. This is my opinion of course, and I'm sure there are plenty who will disagree with such a strong statement, however I stand by it with all the love I have for PC games, and that's alotta love, ladies and gents.

In other words: I reccomend this game. Big time.

Rating:
Summary: The Standard for All Future D & D Gaming
Review: This is by far the most exciting D & D gaming experience you can possibly own. The adventure is in your control, add who you want to your party, go where you want. The Baldur's Gate Series allows an unlimited amount of sub-plots to go on, and you determine whether you care to do them or not. You are after all a GOD!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Epic
Review: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is the follow up to the succes Baldur's Gate, and it is improved in every way. If you beat Baldur's Gate you have the opportunity to import your character from that game and thus continuing with the same character. Character creation is now offering more opportunities, adding more character classes, like monk, sorceror and barbarian, on top of those you get so called "character kits" which you can add to the traditional professions like Wizard Slayer and Beserker(for fighters). All of these kits have their pros and cons, so study them careful before deciding. If you choose to start a new character you will start with 89.000 experience points(which was the cap in the original Baldur's Gate game). This will give you a level between 7 and 10 depending on class. One thing that I miss is more character portraits. You only get the same bunch that you got in the original game, and it can be a bit annoying, but that is a minor thing.
The game takes off more or less where the original game left off. The character wakes up, trapped in a cage in some underground dungeon, and getting introduced to your captor. Escaping the dungeon is a pretty easy task, and once out of the dungeon, the plot picks up quickly.
Apart from the main plot there are a mass of cool subquests, and unlike Baldur's Gate, there is ALOT of experience points to be had completing those. You can decide for yourself how many of these you will complete before moving on with the main plot.
Alot of NPC's from Baldur's Gate reappears in this game, although they have cut out the less least attractive ones. Alot of new NPC's have been added too. In SoA they really worked on the NPC interaction in the group, there is a good deal of in-group conversation between the different NPC's which makes the game come to life. Another neat feature is that you can get a romance going with some of the female NPC's in the game, which adds another element. The game is obviously more high powered than the original. You will be able to reach levels between 16 and 19 depending on class. The AI is greatly improved over the original, and you wont have anymore of those annoying episodes where one character is blocking everyone else, trapping them inside a room. The graphics are also better than the original.
If you liked Baldur's Gate you will definately like Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful Hints
Review: Alright, there are enough reviews saying this game is awesome, and of course thats true. I did notice at least one that said there was a problem with only being able to create one character, thereby wasting the huge capacity for variation on multiple characters.

Solution: never EVER play single player mode. Always play in multiplayer mode. You can have a single player type game using the multiplayer mode and create and control all the characters! No more "Well I don't like you guys anymore, I'm outa here with all my cool equiment hahaha cya!" Or, "I'm an evil cleric with a bad reputation and you really need a cleric but you're gonna hate me the whole time I'm with ya." Anyways... the multiplayer protocols to choose from vary, pick Serial or IPX or TCP-IP if available (I forget if TCP-IP is an option, Serial should work whether you have a cable or not because the point is not to actually play a game with someone else if you want to play alone, and remember to install the IPX network protocol if you choose that one). Yay, now you can have your very own private "multiplayer" game and create/import characters for every single one of the 6 available player slots.

I love the ability to customize character biographies, as well as the journal you can actually write in, making your own notes or bits of personalized story as you go along. My party has my old character Elric who soloed BG1, some new characters I made up to go with his plot line, and two npc's for kicks and variety, Minsk (sp?) the owner of Boo the incredibly cute Space Hamster, and Aerie simply because I needed another healer and she does eventually stop whining (hehe). The storyline of Elric the Eternal Champion (see books by Michael Moorcock) puts an interesting twist into the child-of-a-god plot line BG1 and 2 present, creating a world interesting to me personally and much more immersive than just a run of the mill created character. And the game throws in little quirks like Aerie's flirting with Elric (since the main character is a male) and I already had a love-interest character for him in my party, so hence I was faced with trying to tell Aerie to back off while not completely hurting her feelings (which is hard to do!). And this is a game? *Laughs*.. more like a living story!

As a thought, another problem mentioned in other reviews was the game crashing, and I do believe the Windows blue screens of death come from a partical effect which can be turned off. I haven't actually played this game in a while due to being terribly addicted to Diablo II (dang you expansion...) but the blue screens do get old. So check out the video options, tweak em a bit, and see if it helps.

So far I think the best part of BG2 is the very open ended feeling to the massive amount of side quests (if you can call them that) including the ability to procure your very own Keep that you can make money off of (raise taxes or what have you) and do the good ol' settling of disputes among your underlings. Does the thief your guards caught die, or will you give him a second chance? And if you let him live, do you tell the victim "tough cookies" or pay him out of your own pocket for the goods stolen? There is a very tangible sense of decision making and power in this game along with the characters feeling alive and real, not just sprites on the screen. Like you could walk into your computer screen and be in a believable medieval world surrounded by loyal comrades ready to embark on the next great adventure.

Fun times 8)

Rating:
Summary: THE Epitome of Video Games
Review: This game is simply said, the best. While every game has it's pros and cons, one is hard pressed to find some holes in this one. With an epic story line and side quest after side quest after side quest, you will never be short of adventure. With Stronghold quests, character kits and love to find you will have no problem finding originality in each character. Sucking you in from hour one and keeping you stuck six months later, you will keep coming back for more. I am currently on my sixth different party, and I still can't wait to play again.

The graphics in this game are the only thing that annoyed me. They are outdated. That being said, they are good enough to keep you from getting bored. The interface is the same as Baldur's gate, which is a great system for AD&D games, so I have no problems there. There are a seemingly endless roster of monsters, keep you from getting tired of fighting the same thing time in time out, which has been the downfall of many games including Pool of Radiance IMHO.

This game really sucks you in, with twists and turns in the storyline it is perfect for the intellectual gamer and enough action to keep that savage side appeased. There are soooo many character interactions and options its no wonder this game is HUGE. The Baldur's Gate Series has to go down as not only the greatest PC RPGs ever but one of the Greatest PC games of all time. If you like PC games, if you like Fantasy or if you like D&D/RPG. PICK THIS UP!!! Not only will you not be dissappointed you will be thrilled out of you mind. Oh and I'd pick up the Throne of Bhaal expansion as well, you just cannot find another game out there that comes close to this.