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I thought Icewind Dale was the Dungeon Crawl

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: July 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Ok, most of my gripes about this game come from me being a D&D player. First of all, the max levels you can get in D&D is 30, not 40, and if you're level 40 pretty much the only thing that can hurt you is a god. There were probably a couple hundred mortals in this who could beat you down. Where the heck did they come from? It seems like they gathered every mortal in the .0000005% of the population over level 10 and put them in one region!

Now, a non-D&D gripe, the first 2 BG games were good because they offered a few multiple ways of solving quests. In ToB all there was was dungeon crawling and fighting. They turned the BG series into an action game! Its supposed to be an RPG!! Anyway, if you like hours of fighting unrealistic enemies go for it. If not, pass. Its still fun, just not even close to the first 2.

Lets put it this way. All bhaalspawn have cool powers, its just that yours is to gain 60,000 experience for picking up a rock.

Not just an expansion!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: September 15, 2001
Author: Amazon User

No doubt you, the Baldur's Gate player, thought that mirror image looked stupid. Well now it doesn't, courtesy of an Icewind Dale-inspired tweak to the graphics. This is the least of the improvements made to the last in the series, which has proven the best yet. If it sounds like I'm speaking of this product as a new game, it's because it practically is. The expansion should roughly double the game time of the original BG 2, depending on how much of a veteran you are. In this expansion are yet more fantastic new places, and the monsters to go with them, along with a TON of new stuff. I'm not even going to try detailing all the items, spells, NPCs, quests (etc.) in this expansion, but suffice to say it'll keep you busy for a very long time. One thing the novice player should be warned of, is the difficulty of some of the bosses in the expansion. Being a rather seasoned and cocksure adventurer, I had the gall to set the difficulty up to hard. Well, soon I had it back down to core rules, then to normal, and even once to easy near the end. It's surely a tough game, but the challenge makes you really feel like you've really accomplished something when you get over it. The only thing I didn't like about this game is the fact that it's the last one in the series. That, most certainly, is higly regrettable.

The End never looked so good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: March 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great expansion to one of the best RPGs of all time. I loved this game. I only have one major gripe about it that made me give it 4 stars. When I played BG2:SoA, after i would complete a sidequest and try to talk to the person i completed it for so that i could get the XP, it said he appears busy!! So then i would wait numerous days (completing other side quests in the process) to get the XP i should have gotten way earlier. But other than that it was one of the best expansions to a game ever.

Overall a definite improvement in game quality since the 1st

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: July 24, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Baldur's Gate II's expansion Throne of Bhaal has introduced excellent new features that were absent in ToB's progenitors and even in the great Planescape Torment. First off, dialogue choices in your Abyssal realm amount in the end, that is they are like karma. The more evil dialogue choices you choose, the more you lean toward it, affecting the ending. Where as PT's dialogue choices affected alignment. Its unsettling that even if you were Lawful Good, ToB doesn't check for this and still gives you the option to say basically nothing will stand in my way. Would a lawful good person act like that? Sure if you're roleplaying you can chose the other choicest, but its an eyesore that its even available.

ToB has an excellent pace, it has a few plot twists yes but nothing mind bending. Gameplay is more combat oriented, ala Icewind dale, but then comming from BG I where you had to kill the final boss, well its no suprise. Nothing changed much in that respect. Intimidation doesn't depend on your stats, just on your Bhaal spawn reputation and scripts. You finally get the chance to use resurrection on clerics to help people, thank god. Its annoying it has to be scripted and not availabe as a free choice.

Dialogee choices actually have some different answers now actually, but only on certain npcs. Items have increased many folds, now availabe are ammunition belts, potion cases, and many upgradable weapons. The Flail of Many heads it is! Cespenar was certainly one of the most enjoyable npcs, although there was no chance to converse with the imp, so when the end came to pass, he was just excess junk that didn't need further attention. He was an object, not a sentient being. Easier to destroy an object than to rationalize saving his life. I mean he made all these power objects for me and I can't even save him, thats ludicrous. I can't even warn him.

You're alignment doesn't affect the ending, your choices does. Hrm, a contradiction perhaps, but your alignment doesn't change. Indeed ToB has ended the Baldur's Gate saga rather pleasantly, with a great epilogue section after the game is finished. It gives you a brief history of each character after they left you, different if you have a romance. But I rather felt some characterization was left out in the ending. I would have hoped it wouldn't be another you or me again ,like with BGI Sarevok.

Once you're at the end, you'll know what i'm talking about. Contrary to my expectations, I don't gain any godly powers. And the fighter abilities can only be used 1 per round, so basically you have to micromanage, egads not fighters and mages! I term godly powers as those special abilities that only I have, and none others, perhaps mebe Bhaalspawn. In PlanescapeT, you gained "Spoiler"

Rune of Torment, allowing you to cast a lvl9 spell of torment based on your experiences. Unlimited.

If only they gave me some special abilities, like vampric drain -10s to get hps. But I still have the slayer, eh alot of good it does. It has 100 hps when I turn into it, even though my kensai warrior with 21 con has 220+hp. no cheats. There's no duel of honor, there's no equality of fighting a 6 player party like mines, with actual AI. The Light/Dark planetar has better AI than my cleric and better spells. I can't micromanage 2 fighters, 1 thief bser, 2 mages, 1 cleric. There's no way I can keep track of when every guy's round just ended to get the best out of their casting/potion quaffing abilities. If I let the AI script handle it, I'm basically dead since they override my commands. Some people I know can do it, but if I wanted turn based combat, I would like a dedicated TB, like Arcanum has. Arcanum's AI handles their own party members, but I'm forced to do everything, which wouldn't be bad but I don't know when the rounds end.

I recommend Throne of Bhaal for everyone that has followed the saga of the Prophecy of Alaundo, or just those who bought BG II Shadows of Amn. It is a good concluding sequel that shows the development team learned something, but not enough. Charisma works to barter for rewards, but is useless in most cases. Wisdom and Intelligence affects the powerful Wish spell quite well. Dialogue text appears over people heads, so you don't have to go up to them and pretend they actually want to talk to a complete stranger about the gossip of their world. I don't think they would be that friendly in a siege, they should just ask who are you. Everyone seems to know me for some reason. Just makes my character feel more stupid when I finally realize how much information was withheld from me.

Since I'm nearing my 1,000 word caps, let me say this for those Planescape Torment fans and those hoping for some innovating concepts to be introduced. ToB basically tailores good combat+good objects+dungeon crawls+1 town for a base+ high level abilities+new spells+some fancy scripts+the only end for the Gate saga. There are more, in the game, find it when you play it. No ability to Lie/tell Truth like in PT. I do not determine my alignment based on Chaotic/lawful behavior. I'm being greedy as Lawful Good, no alignment change. No I can't converse with my companions, they're mute or something. Jan at the end was hilarious, just great, great comedian. Get Jan in party at end to see what he says, like a shocker. Intelligent solutions don't occur if you have Wis/int of 18, I guess the protagonist is just too big and dumb to outthink other people. Although 1-3 creative solutions are in the game. I hope you take my review to mind, rather than heart. ToB could have been great, greater than Planescape Torment, but... it lacks quality of emotion and depth of interactivity.

Best Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 06, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have to disagree with almost every dissent I've read about this game. This is easily the best expansion I've ever played and is high on my list for best game ever.

Some have said this is too hard: I have certainly not found this to be the case. It is appropriately challenging, but there is no challenge in the expansion that is unbeatable. In fact, with a little creativity (and exploitation of the mediocre computer AI) some of the should-be-hard fights get easy fast.

Second of all, there is plenty of voice acting. Thankfully, it's not overdone. If anything, it can be a little longwinded. The party members have some new dialogue each and spend more time talking to eachother, and the NPC's you'll meet have new and interesting things to say... if they do occasionally ramble on for a bit, it is forgiveable.

All and all I'd say this is a fine conclusion to a series I was very sad to see finally end.

Awesome game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you are at all interested in RPGs, they don't get any better than this one! The graphics, music and animation are great. The voice character acting was one of my personal favorites! There are many different colorful characters, worlds, and quests in this game. You also have to use your mind, personal leadership skills in addition to battle strategy. So it's much more than a hack and slash game. However, it's probably not a good game for younger players because of it's intellectual depth.

Well....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

One thing that gets me is that whenever I get around a Black Isle product, I have to buy it. I have definately not been disappointed. This expansion kit is definately worth it, but if you go too attached to character and NPC conversations, you'll be disappointed here. The graphics and story line continue to be first rate, but it seems as though BI went back to the BGI format as far as interaction and NPC freewill in BGII:ToB. There also seemed to be a problem with continuing the game from BGII:SoA into ToB. There was a big problem continuing with the party at the first of the game, and some of the graphics tend to slow the game if your processor isn't top-notch. It seemed as though BI rushed this a little. The expansion pack is a worthwhile buy as long as you are interested in more adventure and level gains and didn't get too attached to character interactions and conversations from SoA. B+

Fun, though leaves some problems

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you are going to buy this game you will need to go to Baldurdash's page and download some of the things on his site for it. You can increase the difficulty of the battles (actually makes for a truely epic and HARD final boss) and also fixes some plot points that were removed (Imoen's bhall taint finally manifesting, Saravok dialogue options).

The quests in this game are definately a challenge, and for the most part very fun. The biggest problem is that there really are not any side quests worth talking about. The plot is very see through, I thought, and really you don't see many new things that will take your breath away.

With that said the game does have its merrits. If you like BGII and don't mind a more liner plot then you will love this game. The addition of feats allows everyone to continue getting stronger and helps remove the problems of a ceiling for fighter types (after all, once you get to a certain point you just always hit).

The ending battle, when not modified, is not too terribly difficult. On the other hand, the modded end battle is definately not for those who are easily frustrated as you will most likely try and fail many MANY times.

If you want a definate ending to the game then you should give this game a try. However, if you don't feel to strongly about it then consider avoiding it since it is pretty much just more of the same. Don't expect a plot that will draw you into what is going on.

Slammin'!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 19, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Is this the End? BG2 Throne of Bhaal concludes the saga that began with Baldur's Gate. My character has grown from a milk fed wuss to a near god. The graphics rock and the story line pulls the player along. I can only hope that Neverwinter Nights can acheive the same level.

Excellent but not without flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 27, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Dont get me wrong, this is an excellent, quality expansion.

The graphics are great, the story is excellent, high level abilities? Gold!

So, instead of repeating what has already been said, I shall point out the flaws I see.

1) Lack of dialog. Is it just me or does this game remind you of Baldur's Gate one? Sure there's dialog but it makes little diffrence (with the exception of the "deva" chats ;) ).

2) Some of those battles are UNBELIEVABLY hard. Your 50 hours comes from reloads. Lot's of em.

3) Not enough side quests. I KNOW it's an expansion but after BG2, I was expecting a bit more side quests in this expansion (yes, yes....Watchers Keep. I wanted more than that!)

All in all, an excellent expansion and unlike every other Infinity Engine expanions, this one is actually worth your money!

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