User Reviews (21 - 31 of 219)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

All encompassing game yet detailed game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: October 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Why is Baldur's Gate 2 being hailed as the year's finest RPG and as one of the best ever? It's because of its seamless integration of every possible RPG element. Here are just a few of the most important things that BG2 does right:

1.) Character creation: Half the fun of an RPG is making that perfect character. A character which reflects your personality and playing style. The AD&D character creation is close to perfect, now that kits have been added to provide even more variety than before.

2.) Questing: The quests in this game are mostly awesome. Gone are the kill and retrieve quests of ye olde RPGs. In BG2, you'll investigate shadowy cults and mysterious murders, traverse the planes of the multiverse to bring lost souls back to their home, or even achieve control of your own stronghold.

3.) Character interaction: The NPCs in this game are beyond amazing. The level of detail paid to each of the 16 NPCs than can join your party is extensive. They have their own personalities, beliefs, and agendas. Some will stick with you to the end, while others will desert, and a few might even betray you. Not only will they talk to you, they will mingle amongst themselves and the one liners that they spout are hilarious. Add to that talking swords and whatnot...it's incredible.

4.) Combat: This game is hard, but not because of unreasonable conditions or overwhelming odds, but because of its realistic balance of power. You'll find yourself doing a lot of planning and preparation for a battle. There's no more mindless hacking through tons of paltry critters. The adversaries in BG2 are tough and smart, and they'll flatten you if you're not prepared. All this makes winning a battle so much more rewarding than in any other game.

5.) Graphics: While this game is not 3D, it still looks great. The artwork is extremely well done and exudes atmosphere from every pore. Spell effects are varied and fittingly impressive. While the lowly 1st level Magic Missile spell may not blow you out of the water, the 9th level spell effects will dazzle you.

6.) Music: The music in this game is varied, appropriate, and never repetitive. It is sometimes haunting and sometimes exultant. It always fits the scene and the mood of the game. Another plus for this great game.

I can go on but buy the game already and play it for yourself and experience all of its wonders. You won't be dissatisfied. I guarantee it!

This is Definetly a Classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: June 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Baldurs Gate 2 Shadows of Amn is an amazing role playing game that has action packed fighting while mentaining a plot that is so involving and deep that you will be glooed to your chair. Personally I have always loved FPS and not really ever been into RPG'S. I bought this game because I wanted to expand my pc game taste and try new things. At first the game was rather challenging, but once I got into it, I almost never stopped playing. The spell effects and backrounds for each level are magnificent, but the characters lacked the detail and 3D acceleration of the spells and backrounds. The actual gameplay of this game is shear briliant. The pause and chose your strategy method is amazingly fun, but complex at the same time. I have to note that the sound in BG2 is literally perfect. The music and voice acting is above top notch for a PC or Console game. With the music adding to your experience you will find that this 200+ hour RPG is an amazing game. Weather you usually like RPG's or not, I strongly recommend this game.

An RPG experience not to be "Forgotten"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: July 11, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is one of the best overall games I have ever played. As an old school "pen & paper" RPGer I was very impressed with the game play of Baldur's Gate II. I am happy that these style of games are produced. I highly recommend this game to any one that wishes to lose a few monthes of their lives playing this incredible game.The story was engrossing, the graphics were awe-inspiring, and the combat was brutal. I did find that the system requirements were over stated, as I played the game with a Pentium 200 and a vidoe card from 5 years ago.

The best RPG... ever?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: May 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The original Baldur's Gate is what turned me on to PC RPGs. Always a fan of console RPGs, I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked it up. What I got was a game that seemed to address every problem I'd ever had with other RPGs. The world was deep and engrossing, the characters superbly realized, the combat fun and strategic, and the story and sheer volume of content allowed me to do many things in whatever sequence I wanted. Take all of that and make it about three times better, and you have Baldur's Gate 2, in my opinion quite possibly the finest RPG ever crafted.

If you want to see everything there is to see, and do everything there is to do in the Forgotten Realms, be prepared to drop at least 100 hours into this game. It's that big. Of course, you can stick to the main storyline only and complete the game in less than half that time if you want to, but for die-hard role-players like me, this game is a dream come true. After completing the dungeon in which the game begins, you find yourself in a gigantic, wide-open world with dozens of quests you can take on or ignore as you please, in whatever order you prefer. Of course, there is a certain amount of linearity to the game, but there are always enough extra options available to offer you a great deal of control over how your characters progress. Moreover, the inclusion of all this extra material makes the world seem more real, and not just a stage that's been set for you to carry out one pre-set task.

The NPCs in this game are interesting, well-drawn characters, and often quite funny as well. There are 20 NPCs to choose from, and you can have up to six characters in your party at any given time. Most of the NPCs are new, although some favorites from the original Baldur's Gate return, like Jahiera and Minsc. The characters are distributed nicely among the various alignments and classes available in the game, so that you'll be able to form a well-balanced party no matter what your style of play.

Anyone who played the original Baldur's Gate will recognize the character creation system, which allows you to build your protagonist however you'd like. This time there are many more classes available, as well as specialist kits within the primary classes, who get various bonuses and penalties that allow you to customize your character even further. Many of these come from the D&D 3rd Edition rules, even though the gameplay mechanics themselves are more akin to the 2nd Edition rules. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't worry about it. This game is far more complex than, say, the Final Fantasy series, but you don't need to know how the D&D rules operate to have an incredible experience with Baldur's Gate 2. The instruction manual explains everything you need to know.

Finally, let me talk about the combat in this game. You control all six of your characters in realtime combat, and you have tons of options on how to do it. Each NPC has an array of AI scripts available to him, and you can select whichever you like to govern how that character will behave in combat. Whether you want someone who charges in and engages the enemy in melee combat, someone who hangs back and uses his ranged weapons whenever possible, someone who supports other characters and heals them if necessary, or any number of other options, you can do it easily. You can also control all six characters manually, which is how I prefer to play. If doing that in realtime sounds a little daunting, you can use the game's auto-pause settings to create a more turn-based battle system, which might be more familiar to some.

Your characters start at about 7th level -- which is where they finished in the original Baldur's Gate -- so combat will be very interesting right from the start. Particularly, if you enjoy making heavy use of magic in battle, this game will keep you enthralled from beginning to end. Mages can become obscenely powerful in this game, and can develop an arsenal of hundreds of spells. You can summon demons from another plane, disintegrate your foes instantly, or even stop time. Fighting an enemy mage is a tricky proposition, and requires a good deal of strategy and foresight. If you rush in heedlessly and attack everything you meet, I hope you like dying, because you'll be doing a lot of it.

For example, there are literally dozens of spells that provide a mage with one form of protection or another. They might shield him from certain kinds of weapons, or from certain types of magic, or render him invisible, or create a clone of himself, and so on. High-level mages can use a spell called Spell Sequencer that lets you cast up to three spells ahead of time, then activate them all at once later on. You can also use a spell called Contingency to automatically cast a spell once a certain condition is met. Thus if you engage an enemy mage in combat, he might instantly raise four or five different barriers around himself, before you can do anything. Before you can kill him, you have to figure out how to strip away each of those layers of protection. It can get complicated, but that's what I love about it. You can go into a battle and get completely and hopelessly slaughtered, then go into it again using a different strategy and configuration of spells, and crush your enemies mercilessly. My party in BG2 had five characters who could cast mage spells, because I love this aspect of the game so much. This is by no means a mindless game. The battles will challenge you every step of the way.

Combine all this with an intriguing and immersive world and a particularly strong story, and you have a role-playing experience like none other. Baldur's Gate 2 has yet to be equaled on the PC or on any platform, and you're doing yourself a huge disservice if you miss it.

Well done

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I would rank this game one full star higher if not for a few bothersome things:
1) Iomen won't shut up (I don't CARE about NATURE! SHUT IT!)
2) The incesent FMV sequences whenever you sleep that cause this game to be a:
3) HARD DRIVE HOG!! 1.47gb is redicoulous! I unistalled this from one of my PC's and put three games in it's place with space leftover.
4) Somewhat heavy on the micromanagement
5) Learning curve for beginners or those unfamiliar with AD&D play (Like me)

Things I like:
1) Really cool soundtrack (I wish they'de put out a CD, in fact)
2) Lots of neat-o weapons and spells to mess with
3) Good graphics for an RPG game
4) You can make party members go away (Unlike the very similar IceWind Dale, which I also own)
5) Stable game. I've done all sorts of things in this game that should have caused the Blue Screen of Death to appear, but BGII chugged on.

All in all, I like this game. I only wish that it had been tweeked a little to decrease the learning curve and rather steep hardrive requirements.

To say it's the best would not be nearly strong enough

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: December 25, 2001
Author: Amazon User

"There were no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful."
-J. R. R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Truly, I cannot, I simply *cannot* express in words how good I think this game is. But I shall have to endeavour to somehow share it with you.

BG1 was simply truly very good, in nearly every way. But this one... if BG1 were The Hobbit, then this would be The Lord of the Rings; it can hardly be called just a "sequel", more like the first one has turned into a little prologue. BG1 is not exactly lacking in things like character interaction, plot and dialogue, but now it seems like it was, because BG2 excels in those areas to an incredible degree, while retaining all the best parts from BG1. Besides of that, the graphics are basically the same only better, the game play has been improved in numerous ways and all the sounds and music are at the very least great but often much, much better than that.

Starting with the less important parts: the graphics are beautiful, probably a lot more so than if the monsters and things were 3D. A mild annoyance is that for example fiends look nearly all the same. The characters' "paper doll" pictures look a bit silly on the inventory page but good on the main screen. There are loads of interesting new items, spells, monsters, locations and special abilities. The music are just great. The battles are more interesting than in BG1. The "pathfinding" AI still [the opposite of "blows"], although now the characters can push others aside unless they're doing something important at that spot, which helps a great deal.

But, as if that all wasn't enough (it would be, really, and the game would be awesome with only those changes), the story-related elements in BG2 are just, like, I mean, wow! The NPCs had kind of personalities in BG1, but those rarely affected anything or showed properly; now all the important characters are worthy of R. A. Salvatore himself (and the less important ones include ones by him). Perhaps the best of them all is the villain; he is a completely disgustingly sick individual, whom the player cannot help but hate more than life itself, so to speak (more than one would hate Jar Jar Binks, even *slightly* more than I hated Abdel Adrian). Definitely the best villain anywhere, ever. You may ask what good there is about a character who is so terribly Bad, but then you are forgetting that he is supposed to be the PC's mortal enemy and so forth. He is. I could use his name as a strong swearword.
All the NPCs that can join your party also have more personality than most people you meet in real life. They may disagree with your choices, start fighting with each other, have philosophical discussions, just comment on events, anything. The best part is that they (some of them) can have romances with the PC. For me, this was probably the best part of the game; just what I needed (she was just too good to be true... and hey, what do you know, she wasn't (being just a game character, that is). My usual luck. Not that it still wasn't an emotionally very satisfying experience.), and it was used later on to add extra dramatic effect to some of the events of the game - at one point I was completely losing my nerve, and felt a quite ecstatic sense of relief when the situation was finally solved.

And, partially related to the NPCs, the voice acting for important characters is bloody excellent and there's so much of it that one gets the impression that if the main character wasn't custom-made by the player, all the speech could be acted (now it's impossible, since the actors cannot know the name/sex/race of the PC beforehand). The dialogue texts are like from a (very good) book.

Otherwise, the plot is ingenious; you start in a situation where you have little choice as to what to do, but soon get to go anywhere, almost as much as in BG1 (where that side was a bit exaggerated anyway), at least until a certain point where the plot draws you into it again.
#A tip: when you get to the point where you're supposed to get 20,000 gold, and you already have 15,000 or more, don't go anywhere outside in Athkatla, except at the gates, if you have any unfinished business to deal with.#
The plot also involves numerous surprises, truly effective dramatic turns (see above) and temptations (I gave in to not a single one, but I won't say it was easy). If you can truly take the role of the main character, the experience is amazing, like reality but better. Even without that, it's at least as good as BG1.

I am running out of space, but one final thing: the "novelisation" "of" this game [the opposite of "blows"]. It is the lousiest book ever, like the reverse of the game. 'Tis a bloody insult, that's what it is. I do not consider myself an atheist because I think I do not have enough belief even for *that*, but I would still like to call it a sacrilege, except that the word is not nearly strong enough. Avoid at all costs. (See my review of it for details.)

PS. Play BG1 before this one.

Great Game Bad Problem

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 21, 2000
Author: Amazon User

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.

Baldur's Sequel - A Work of Art.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm sure it will be debated whether it was a smart move for Black Isle to end the saga that is all things Baldur's Gate. For the fans I'm guessing the answer to that would be a unanimous NO!! Such success must end at a point I guess - "All glory is fleeting" don't they say? A shame nonetheless.

This game is what all sequels should aim to be. The on-going story of our brave hero unravels with amazing clarity and thoughtful precision. Many refinements have been made to the original gameplay, scope, look and feel of BGI to create BGII. The result is amazing, and for me, truly satisfying.

If I were asked to name the one best point in the game - it could only be one thing. Your character's arch nemesis has to be one of the all time classic Bad Dudes. The development of Jon Irenicus must have been a deep passion for whomever was responsible - and they did an outstanding job. This dude gets under your skin. He epitomises everything that a boss should. Good luck against him - he ain't all candy!!

A nice reminder appears throughout the game from time to time, goes something like this - "Even though our hero doesn't need to eat - YOU DO! We don't want to lose any dedicated players..."
This couldn't be nearer the truth...many late hours you will spend in unravelling the enchanting mysteries of BGII - SOA. My condolences to any partners in a relationship - you will take a back seat to this...

I enjoyed the Baldur's Gate saga immensely, would not hesitate in recommending it to any gamer who enjoys a combat/quest style role playing adventure with awesome graphics and amazing re-playability and will certainly have each installment at the forefront of my collection.

Be A Card Carrying Member of BGA

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: December 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Overall: Yes, I'm a member of Baldur's Gate Anonymous, too. And I couldn't be happier about it. In short, this is a totally killer game.

TECHNICAL:

-- With adjustment using BG2's configuration program, game is playable even on a 200mhz PC
-- Few bugs without patch. Can't find any bugs now that I've installed the patch.
-- Loading time: happens often and is about 30 seconds long on a 450mhz p2.
-- Needs LOTS of HD space

Ah, if only it were always this easy. Okay, fine. If you want the full install (makes loading time way shorter), then the game takes up an ungodly amount of space. (2.5G, I think. Not sure.) But if space is of no concern, then you've got it made. Loading time can be a pain in the butt, but it isn't really that big of a problem.

GRAPHICS:

-- Nice, beautifully drawn 2D scenery.
-- Bird's eye perspective.
-- Import your own character graphics/sounds!

If you are in it for groundbreaking graphics, BG2 may not be for you. Don't get me wrong... the graphics are pretty good but they aren't revolutionary. Buildings and areas are drawn with meticulous care. Black Isle definitely took their time plotting and planning this wonderful little world. Funny thing: architecture of buildings is quite different in different areas. Niiiice touch. Be that as it may, I suspect Black Isle spent more time and effort developing the story and gameplay than worrying too much about graphics. Good choice. After a while, you don't notice the pretty little pictures, anyway.

SOUND:

-- Good music. You won`t be humming these tunes for days afterwards, but they fit the game.

GAMEPLAY:

-- You have one major quest and a myriad of miniquests that pop up *everywhere*. Really nicely done.
-- Free control over how you act. Be a jerk. Be a hero. It's seriously up to you.
-- Structured, yes, but not so firmly that it interferes too much with your free will.
-- Hint: Save a lot
-- High replayability factor

The first part is a tad on the slow side, but it makes up for it big time later.

CHARACTERS:

-- Customize your character from the gender, class, race, biography, and more!
-- Customize your very picture and sound!
-- Creepy bad guy. Who *was* the fellow who came up with the major baddie? I don't know whether to congratulate him... or run for my life.

Read the manual. Be acquainted with the ins and outs of each of the races/classes before you choose. It will save you a bit of heartache later on.

BG2 allows you to import not only a portrait to be used in the game, but also sounds! Really neat. I wish more games did this. In fact, not only are you encouraged to roleplay during this game, it actually seems to work better that way. Roleplaying will keep your decisions consistent and that will help you in the long run.

FEMALE PERSPECTIVE:

-- Ability to choose female as player's character

-- NPCs and situations do react to gender.

Not only can you choose to be female in this game, NPCs will act as though you are one. Dialogue depends not only on the decisions you make, but also your gender, as well. In fact, I would say that this is the first game I've ever played where they succeeded in making the main character actually *feel* like she was a female. Really great if you are seriously into RPG... and if you are reading this, I am assuming you are. *grin*

All isn`t perfect if you choose to play a female character, though. Quests, NPCs, and events are more detailed if the main character is male. A few times, NPCs will even call you "Sir", only to refer to you a moment later as "Milady". Males even get a better romance thing going on (what's with *that*?). In all honesty, though, Black Isle's commitment into making this a more femme character-friendly game shows. Females even get the opportunity for romance... (although the fellow will probably inspire more death-threats than fantasies). As far as RPGs, BG2 is definitely the best one I've come across when it comes to feminine perspective.

MULTIPLAYER OPTION

Since my internet connection is terrible, I haven't explored this facet, yet. Therefore, I can't comment on this... but know that the option for playing online with others is there.

CONCLUSION:

Baldur's Gate 2 is doomed to become a classic. It's addictive. It's HUGE. It's put together extremely well. This is roleplaying at its finest. BG2 is quality, quantity, and a darn good time all rolled into one, reasonably-priced package. If you like RPGs, then Baldur's Gate 2 belongs on your shelf.

One of the best RPGs I've ever played...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: October 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Final Fantasy? Good, but not great.
Diablo? Not even worth mentioning.
Divine Divinity? Good, but not really noteworthy.
Planescape: Torment? The only game better than this.

Baldur's Gate II has it all.

Beautiful landscapes. Detailed locations. Absorbing gameplay. Realistic characters. Twisted enemies. Entrancing music. Tens of thousands of items, both mundane and magical. Hundreds of spells.

Seven races. Eleven classes. Many sub-classes. The ability to change your class later or start with multiple ones. Skills. Stats. Resistances. Proficiencies. In short, nigh-on ultimate control over the customisation of your character.

Barbarian? Sorcerer? Perhaps a Monk or a Bard... and unlike Neverworking Nightmares, you can actually have a party! Six characters and up to five summoned creatures at a time makes for a mini army to challenge your enemies with (and believe me, you've got a lot of them).

See that demon there? He's after you. Emphatic Manifestations of the hatred of a bunch of worshippers chasing you around temples dedicated to dead gods. Character-specific curses. Turnip-obsessed Gnomes.

And through it all, your god-blood is as much a curse as it is a blessing, for there are quite a few plot twists revolving around your father...

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions