Rating: 
Summary: It was the best game back then...and it still is!
Review: I admit, the nowaday's games have impressive graphics, sound and gameplay and all that crap. But BG is still my favourite game all time (BG 2 is great too, although I like the first one more). Alot of people think this game is boring, and bad combats and all. Those people just couldn't beat the game I suppose without using cheats. Most people are in for the combats and the fighting, those are the same people who think this is a boring game. The best thing of this game are the large maps, the beautiful enviroment but especially the dialogues (you schould read them, it adds alot to the game). I also like this game because there is no pressure, you don't get depressed with it. There are no time-limits, you can play the game as long as you want. I did every thing on the game, also did the minor things that have nothing to do with the important things you have to do to finish the game. It took me 2 years (I don't play like 24/7 you know...) to get in Baldur and finish the game. Aftyer that I was hooked on BG 2, wich I almost finished, but I just wasn't skilled enough. To all the spoiled kids, go play your GTA San Andreas and your Halo 2 or other stupid games wich are just to heavy for a normal computer. Play Morrowind if you want the bad version of Baldur's Gate, but this is truhly the best game ever made. Modern games don't even come close. The only that came a little closer then the rest is Unreal Tournement (I know, it's a whole different type of game), but I got to boring after a while. This is a game that's fun because of what it is, not because of the graphics or something else. Although my copy is broken these days and I'm looking for a new one, but I can find one, maybe I schould buy it back on Amazon.
Rating: 
Summary: I guess you had to be there....
Review: I bought this game having heard great things about it. Good gameplay, great story, etc. To be honest, Baldur's Gate isn't very good.The gameplay is terrible. I have played some great pausable games, like Freedom Force and Knights of the Old Republic, but clearly, these games benefitted from people seeing the mistakes made in BG. (Its sort of how people might not like the Beatles, but have to accept they're important. I'm in that situation with Baldur's Gate. Although, out at the same time was the brilliant Fallout 2, so whatever. But moving on...) The combat quickly degenerates into try to keep your party members from wandering where they don't belong and getting killed. Or being overwhelmed by ridiculously overpowered monsters that finish you off instantly. Poison is balanced poorly in the realtime system. Correction. Not balanced at all, quickly killing the victim. The random encounters they give you are ridiculous. Wyverns? You end up dying so often taht you just reload and reload until you can arrive at your destination without encounters. Shops also don't stock up well, if at all in the early cities before reaching the Gate, so that you often find yourself unable to buy supplies to stay fighting.... which makes the afforementioned random encounters even more ridiculously unfair. The voices are really, really annoying. I don't deny the coolness of Minsc and Boo, but the voice gets annoying quickly. Actually, all of them get annoying fast. Especially since the speeches get repeated so much. Example, a bandit attacks and he gives some stupid speech. Two seconds later, in another room, another bandit says the same thing. I played the game with sounds off myself. The music is also extremely silly. Melodramatic like in a bad film. Then again, I guess maybe that's why people liked this game so much, the excessive heavyhanded melodrama. As for the story, you end up tracking letter after letter. I don't mind reading, but frankly, it seems like letters are all you use in this game. I might be wrong, since I couldn't finish playing it, the game was poor. The story sounds interesting on paper, but in pratice, eh. Its nothing that interesting. I think Arcanum, or Knights of the Old Republic (ironically, also by BioWare) have much more interesting stories. At least, they keep you entertained anyhow. The other thing that I didn't like in this game, and its no one's fault actually, are the dated 2nd Edition D & D rules. Not BioWare's fault. That's what was available. I guess to appreciate Baldur's Gate you really had to be there. The first "good" RPG in a while, and it sold well. Even this isn't true... Fallout was released in '97, and for all its faults, is still a great game; Fallout 2 came out in '98, and once again, its much more enjoyable that Baldur's Gate.
The problem is that now we're getting too many run of the mill CRPGS, all with generic pseudo-medieval fantasy settings. I have nothing against pseudo-medieval fantasy settings. I love the Temple of Elemental Evil. I'm just concerned that once people get bored of the medieval fantasy stuff, CRPGS will stop being made. I think the end of the trend may be near, personally. Also, I think we've seen enough of the Forgotten Realms. We need an Eberron CRPG. Or at least one set in Greyhawk. Back on topic, I just don't think Baldur's Gate is all that people make it out to be.
Rating:
Summary: This game smoked my social life!
Review: I recently purchased this game with the expansion at the store for 20 bucks. For that price I couldnt go wrong, what with all the great reviews about it. I had a few problems after the installation with some "assertion errors" but the online troubleshooting sites helped me out. It turns out that the problem was mine, not the game's.
Anyway, at first, I wasnt sure how much I would really like this game. I thought it might have the tendancy to drag on. Actually, I have put some time into it and now I am so engulfed with this game that I have been staying up until wee hours in the morning with it. Theres is always something to do, somewhere to explore, people to help out or kill. Theres so much going on that I have yet to even come close to the city of Baldurs Gate! Ive been content with traveling elsewhere. Thats part of the beauty of the game. The fact that it doesnt force you to do anything in any order or, like most games, force you to go to area A, find object B, kill Boss C, proceed to area Z, etc. I like the fact that I know there is trouble to the south in the mines, but I feel like hanging out in the hills, looking for an insane mage. Ill get to the mines later.
Everytime this game is played it will be different depending on your choices. While im waiting for Baldurs gate2 to be shipped with the expansion, I might as well roll up a totally different character, play the game in a new sequence, and recruit the NPCs that I told to get lost the last time around. Ill take Brage to the Garrison of the Flaming Fist so they chop off his head and give me the bounty instead of giving him shelter in the church.
In short, the game is fun. It has been making me decide to stay in on nights that I should have gone out with friends. I was disappointed that it had no paper manual, but 20 bucks for this game is well spent. The manual is on disk one anyway.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!!
Review: I usually don't play many Role Playing Games (RPG), but when a friend let me try his edition of Baldur's Gate I was hooked on the fantasy series for life. Let me explain why I chose to start playing the highly-addictive game. 1. The graphics are excellent. You won't see many games with the type of graphics this game has. Yeah there are a few RPGs with decent graphics but they don't compare to this. 2. The game play is simple. Even for me, a novice (at the time), the game was simple to understand. It would be like playing Diablo or Starcraft to a sense. Once you started playing the game more and more, you start to understand the real concept of the game, and then you can start to build you character and learn the more advanced, complex elements of the game. 3. This game is for anyone who has ever wanted to know what it's like to be a knight, or an elf, or even a gnome. It has many different characters. They are all useful in their own unique way. Well I better wrap this up, so here's the last reason why it deserves 5 stars. 4. Last but not least, this is the game that started the BIG RPG push. Yeah we have Final Fantasy for playstation, and don't get me wrong that itself is an excellent title, but c'mon. That's for Playstation not the PC! This is the mother of all RPG's for the comp. If you love RPG's you should have this title in your collection. This is the one that started Baldur's Gate II, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, and finally, The new smash hit, Neverwinter Nights. With out this game and the slew of A.D.&D. and Forgotten Realms games before it we would be still waiting for the right RPG to come along. Well that's my review. Go out and buy this game. It is well worth the $$$ I paid for it and more.
Rating:
Summary: Great game
Review: I've played a few RPG games, and I have found that the Baldur's Gate saga is one of the best. You get to customize your own character and there are endles quests (some much harder than others). The graphics are very cool and the settings are amazing. The story line is intriguing and keeps you coming back for more. Disadvantages include bugs and characters abandoning your group or turning on them. My best advice for these problems is save often and save under many game titles. I would suggest this game to both new and old RPG fans. I'm still enjoying it.
Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic game for new, or experienced, RPG fan
Review: Other than playing RPG games with dice and paper in my teens, I haven't done much with the genre. Earlier attempts to bring RPG's to computers were weak. You either couldn't go many places or get into a redundant loop of similar situations. Baldur's Gate has neither problem, at least for a while. Terrains are very nicely done, although the program does show its age here. Also, the sounds of each environment are very nice touches, as is the map which unfolds as you explore. Interactions with inhabitants also add a nice touch with many informative tips (and some humor) to be found. Although the manual is a .pdf file, that should not be a discouragement in this case. The interface is quite simple and intuitive and the first mission includes a tutorial to get any player ready to stike out into the many places around Baldur's Gate. The last HUGE plus is the unveiling of a bigger story surrounding the hero/heroine. All adventures include little pieces of that puzzle, adding even more enjoyment to the game. The only reason I give it 4 instead of 5 is that it lacks the higher resolution and other bells and whistles that newer titles can boast (it needed to be able to be run on computers when 400 MHz was fast!). For the price, it will be hard to find as much enjoyment! A bargain and an excellent game all in one!
Rating:
Summary: Great Game
Review: This game is deep in every way. It is true that it is definatly not a hack and slash game, but that is it's trade mark feature. If you are an avid Diablo or Final Fantsy fan you will probably not like this game a whole lot. If you play Diablo then play this game you will not find many similarities. They do both have the scrolling game screens and you can get awsome equipment. The story line is quite good and you have alot of freedom. You can choose to follow the main storyline and do some of the numourous side quests or you can just play for fun and kill everyone in the entire game. You can be a nice young man or an evil backstabbing women it is all up to you , you can do anything you want , there are no rules. Once you play this game one time you will play it many more times , I guarentee, it never gets old and is a great overall gaming experience!
Rating:
Summary: This game saved my life
Review: This game saved my sanity. Several years ago I was unemployed, living with my brother, and not having any luck with the job search. To lift my mood, one of my brother's friends brought this game over and suggested I play it to take my mind off of my "troubles". I had played the old Wizardy games as a teen geek but had not touched a computer game in more than ten years.
I fell hard for Baldur's Gate. It really opened my eyes to just how far computers games had advanced. Many people credit this game with saving the CRPG genre. I agree. What often gets lots in all of the commentary is the characterization. To this day I remember, "I serve the flaming fist" and "go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes." Yes, this game has been surpassed. Some of the graphics and such has become outdated. Other games make inventory management easier. But I don't believe that for the pure joy of playing through a story any game since has beat this game. The only game that may have come close is Planescape: Torment.
After playing BG I went on to purchase BG II, Planescape: Torment, Divine Divinity, Wizardy 8, Morrowind, etc. Because of my busy life I have stopped playing video games. But there is always that touch of nostalgia.
I urge you to play this game. It is not perfect by any means. But it is the grand-daddy of them all and won a slew of awards for a reason. It is great!
Rating:
Summary: A classic!
Review: This is a great game. Its an epic and engrossing adventure. Its one of the best RPG's of all time. If you like RPG's you cannot go wrong with this game. You start out as a level 1 character (you get to pick among all the base AD&D 2nd edition character classes) and you have to work HARD to gain a level. By the end of the game you will be lucky to get to level 7 and every level you advance is a real accomplishment. This is not a Diable style hack and slash, it requires and incredible amount of strategy, tatics, long term planning, and plain good luck. This is a classic AD&D game that comes as close as the computer can to the tabletop experience. You get drawn in and truly feel like your a part of this world as you play. You'll lose a lot of sleep over this game. Buy it and enjoy! Say good bye to the loved ones and they won't see you again for months.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Dungeons and Dragons-style role-playing game
Review: This is a true rpg masterwork. You can fully customize your character (race, alignment, class, gender, abilities, etc..) and equip him/her with all sorts of weapons, armor and spells. The game is in top-down view, giving the player the ability to see everything around. One of the greatest aspects of the game is the freedom you have. You can be heroic and go good deeds and commit no crimes, or you can be downright evil and break down people's doors, kill the inhabitants, and rob them of their meager gold and things. The game will become harder if you choose the latter path, as your reputation becomes horrible and merchants will charge you much more for goods, and the guards will constantly be after you. Also, if you have clashing alignments in your adventuring party, they will always insult, and sometimes try to kill each other. The most difficult aspect of the game is gaining experience and making your party stronger. Eventually (years of real-time playing) you can create a character and a party that can slay dragons, instead of being killed by lowly monsters like Gibberlings and Hobgoblins. Overall an excellent game.
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