Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition announced. The atemporal classic masterpiece is back.

[Cyan]

This atemporal, unforgettable game is going to be launched this year again, set to arrive this summer with some improvements over the original and the collaboration of some of the authentic creators of the first games.

Specific details about the planned platforms are yet to be announced. I created the thread in this forum because it's where I usually participate in, just in case it is going to be launched for consoles too. I really hope so! I don't know how well are going to be translated the controls of the game to a console version.

Even new players will find the game very interesting and attractive. It's probably the best RPG ever made, along with Planescape Torment and Arcanum, in my opinion.

Had I to include J-RPGs here I'd mention FF VII and a couple others JRPGs, but they have a different style -more about good fighting evil, more defined characters (though less customization), less choices & consequences, and generally great stories in many of them-. But yes, a different style.

Apparently, the game won’t be simply a remake. Brand new content is being developed specifically for this new version, apart from a graphical overhaul using an updated version of the Infinity Engine. The Enhanced Edition is also set to include the expansion pack Tales of the Sword Coast.

I only played Baldur's Gate 2, which is the pinnacle of the series but the original was a masterpiece on its own already.

Baldur's Gate is a game from what I would call the golden age of gaming. The game that can make people like RPGs, maybe forever.

Lots of choices, lots of decisions, very interesting characters, a world who really takes into account the personality of your character, lots of possibilities...

The 20 something year old inside me (from when I played it first) is extremely excited and happy right now about this news.

You can visit the official website here:

http://baldursgate.com/

It was down hours ago when the new enhanced edition was announced, now it's working fine.

Here it is an excellent, very well written retrospective article published in Eurogamer days ago:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-04-retrospective-baldurs-gate-1-and-2

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Is it coming on XB360 or PS3?

 

[Cyan]

Is it coming on XB360 or PS3?

It hasn't been confirmed yet, but my greatest wish is that it will come out to consoles too, because I couldn't run it on my laptop -although it runs Baldur's Gate 2 in its original resolution and the old graphic assets just fine-. That's why I opened the thread here.

If you, as a moderator, see a reasonable probability of this not happening or developers confirm it won't arrive on consoles, then your choice about what to do with this thread is welcome, whatever the outcome.

Developers said they will keep people updated on a weekly basis from now on.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Good thing it isn't a sequel. Otherwise I'm sure they'd remove the stats, remove dialog choice consequences, make it more action oriented, drop inventory management, streamline skills to be less RPG and more action, possibly make it first or third person, remove or reduce customization of party members, etc... Bleh. I'm too cynical.

That said, it's nice to see them doing a modern version of the classic. Unfortunately I won't be buying it even if it's absolutely faithful to the original in all but graphics. Bioware isn't getting a single penny from me.

Regards,
SB

 

[Sigfried1977]

Why boycott a company when it's doing something right for a change? I know quite a few people who refused to buy Rayman Origins because it's a Ubisoft title, and Rayman Origins is probably one of the most exemplary releases of 2011 in terms of how the customer was treated. No dlc, no pandering to the casual crowd, flawless game design, huge amount of content. It was a love letter to jump and run fans, and people refused to buy it because of Ubisoft's stupid DRM on PC? How stupid is that?

 

[AlphaWolf]

Does bioware have anything to do with this release at all? Other than contributing former bioware staff. Would buying this product give bioware any more money than not buying it?

 

[manux]

Interview with the makes + some talk about kickstarter+version 3.

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition/1220929p1.html

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Oh hell, looks like I jumped to conclusions without reading that night. Ooops.

Not being done by Bioware at all or even published by EA. While Atari certainly doesn't inspire me with a lot of confidence, I'd be willing to give this a shot.

Oh, and a kickstarter for a proper sequel is interesting. I just put in 100 USD for the Wasteland 2 kickstarter though so I'm going to hold off on that for now. Or maybe I'll pledge the min amount for it when they put up the kickstarter page.

Regards,
SB

 

[liolio]

I reinstalled it around a year and a half ago and I could not really enjoy it. I could not get used to the fixed camera and after having playing games based on more recent D&D rule set it felt a bit obsolet
Still I'm excited by this news.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Yeah I'm wondering how they are going to handle the D&D aspect. As WOTC doesn't generally allow non-licensed developement of games based on D&D. Does Atari hold any publishing rights with regards to the D&D brand?

As well, Baldur's gate used D&D 2.0. D&D 3.0 or 3.5 would be fantastic. D&D 4.0 would suck donkey gonads.

Or if they'll just stop calling it D&D 2.0 and go with a generic system based off the open licensing of the 3.0 and 3.5 open framework. Or just make a new system.

Regards,
SB

 

[Ninjaprime]

Yeah I'm wondering how they are going to handle the D&D aspect. As WOTC doesn't generally allow non-licensed developement of games based on D&D. Does Atari hold any publishing rights with regards to the D&D brand?

As well, Baldur's gate used D&D 2.0. D&D 3.0 or 3.5 would be fantastic. D&D 4.0 would suck donkey gonads.

Or if they'll just stop calling it D&D 2.0 and go with a generic system based off the open licensing of the 3.0 and 3.5 open framework. Or just make a new system.

Regards,
SB

Dev blog posts seem to confirm D&D 2.0 rules are in tact from the original. I'm not mad, would prefer it over the oversimplification of newer rules, though it does have some archaic mechanics that I wouldn't miss. (THAC0 lol wtf)

Still, I like all the old school rules nuances. I like that they actually let you roll for stats. Little old school details like that, that are fun to me.

 

[liolio]

I would be pefectely fine with the rule used in Ice wind dale 2. It was a bit more rich but would still be close enough to original gameplay.
I came to thinl about it but there are a lot of games that could be reissue. Editors have plenty of greatgames that could see a refresh ( no to mention games that missed greatness and could be fixed).
That's a bit OT though still speaking of turn based rpg there is quiet some games that could be reissue.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

So magic is completely gimped then? I don't remember it in BG. In NWN the mage classes were utterly useless.

 

[Ninjaprime]

So magic is completely gimped then? I don't remember it in BG. In NWN the mage classes were utterly useless.

No, in 2e magic is god at the high end, so much so that casting classes level slower and reach lower level caps to account for it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Thread moved from console forum.

 

[itsmydamnation]

Thread moved from console forum.

from the forum for boys to the forum for men

 

[Malo]

Thread moved from console forum.

I was wondering how Shifty ended up in in a Baldur's Gate thread so quickly, here I was about to tell you all to be gone back to your pit of foul stench you call the console forums.

 

[Moloch]

So magic is completely gimped then? I don't remember it in BG. In NWN the mage classes were utterly useless.

Um how? I found Mages utterly overpowered

 

[John Reynolds]

Trent Oster claimed that since they have the source code they can do a better job than the widescreen mod for the Infinity Engine that's been out for years now.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I was wondering how Shifty ended up in in a Baldur's Gate thread so quickly, here I was about to tell you all to be gone back to your pit of foul stench you call the console forums.

I've played plenty of PC games, TYVM Including Baldur's Gate and NWN. It was around 3D and PS2 that I turned to the Dark Side. As an interseting note a friend and I were both playing Baldur's Gate when another friends got his PS2, and that's why he bought Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance as his first game. I found the direct control of BGDA much more entertaining than the point-and-click of PC games. Yeah, I know. Short attention span and shallowness are the hallmarks of the console gamer.

Um how? I found Mages utterly overpowered

The ridiculous limitation of magic in DnD, with the limited spell numbers, and weapon and armour options, made a mage a complete sissy early on. Seriously, you'd have to go to sleep for 8 hours to regenerate your two or three spells, then go into combat with zero armour and puny weapons hoping your spells would hit, but when they did they did less damage than a decent sword and there's always a chance they'd fail and you'd do zero damage. If the magic was potent early on then the other limitations would be balanced, but instead the magic users were at a disadvantage in every single way.

I only experienced high-level mages on test levels I made, where I could level up quickly and try out the different spells, and they never really shone through. Perhaps at high level with awesome spell, they could do damage beyond any other class especially crowd-control on mobs, but the limitations meant you'd have trouble getting there. As part of a group you could play a mage and piddle about uselessly for the first 10 levels, but for actually getting out there and saving the world, the mage classes were not a good choice IMO. A Paladin was my preferred class, having potent magics and physical prowess.

I can't remember how BG characters worked and what development options. I actually found the CD in the loft and was going to give it a replay, but only had the second CD...