Baldurs gate 2 enhanced edition: Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition on Steam

Review: Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Destructoid

Baldur’s Gate II holds a pretty special place in my heart. It was easily my favorite RPG from my younger days, and to be honest not much has changed since. Classic Dungeons & Dragons gameplay combined with wonderful characters and writing is a simple recipe for a timeless classic. Visually, however, this timeless classic has certainly aged.

And so steps in Beamdog with Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition. Just as with the first game, this Enhanced Edition looks slightly better, plays the same, and has some extra goodies added in. Whether or not it’s worth the entry fee is up to you, though.

Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition (Mac, PC [reviewed])
Developer: Beamdog/BioWare
Publisher: Atari
MSRP: $24.99
Release Date: November 15, 2013 

So, Baldur’s Gate II. Chances are, if you’ve ever looked for recommendation for classic RPGs, this game has come up in some way, shape, or form. The story begins with the player’s character waking up in a cell and being as forgetful as ever, only to soon after break out and be reunited with some familiar friends from Baldur’s Gate. Personally, I think that Baldur’s Gate II is a better story than the first game, but an argument can be (and has been) made either way. Regardless, it’s a wonderfully written plot with some of the most memorable characters of all time.

But let’s talk about the Enhanced Edition. While the gameplay remains untouched, the game does now run in widescreen with a new user interface (the same as in BG: EE), which really makes the game much more convenient to run. And for players who feel the new UI makes the game feel cluttered, there is an option to hide the sidebars. Yes, you could buy the game for cheaper on GOG.com and then install mods to achieve a similar effect. Whether or not that is worth your time and effort is a personal decision.

Three of the new characters from the first Enhanced Edition also make a return, alongside a new character, Hexxat, a thief with mysterious motives and a mysterious past. How mysterious! Just like the other characters, Hexxat doesn’t feel out of place, but also could be skipped completely with no real loss. The PC version mentions something about “purchasing” characters, but they seem to all come included with legitimate copies of the game. I’m assuming this is something for a future iOS/Android port, but this is unconfirmed at the moment. (UPDATE: Official word from Beamdog mentions that the iPad version has the additional characters for purchase, but they automatically come with the PC version)

The original game, Shadows of Amn is bundled in with the expansion Throne of Bhaal, and the Enhanced Edition also includes “The Black Pits II,” which is just like The Black Pits from BG: EE. The Black Pits is a gladiator arena to truly test the player’s combat skills against waves of increasingly difficult enemies. Surprisingly, this mode has some really solid writing as well, and fits in nicely with the source material. There’s also an easy-to-use multiplayer system included, which is really one of the best ways to play the game.

The in-game models still appear a bit muddy, so while looking at the game it may seem far from “enhanced.” I also experienced some sound popping while the cutscenes were playing, but never while actually in-game. It’s the smaller things that really make the bigger impacts though, like increasing the stack size of items which prevents players from having to constantly deal with stacks and stacks of arrows taking up inventory space.

The best way to describe Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is that it’s very convenient and nice. It’s convenient and nice to not have to install a handful of mods on the original version in order to get it to look not terrible. It’s convenient and nice to have small quality-of-life things added that new players won’t even notice while Baldur’s Gate veterans will likely welcome them with open arms.

All the convenient and nice additions in the world wouldn’t matter though if the core game wasn’t so damn brilliant, which it still is. Baldur’s Gate II lives up to its reputation as one of the all-time best RPGs, and if you’re looking for a no-fuss way to play it, Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is exactly that.

Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Enhanced Edition

Includes all downloadable content and expansion packs Over 200 hours of combined role-playing adventure

Forced to leave your home under mysterious circumstances, you find yourself drawn into a conflict that has the Sword Coast on the brink of war. Soon you discover there are other forces at work, far more sinister than you could ever imagine…

Since its original release in 1998, Baldur’s Gate has set the standard for Dungeons & Dragons computer roleplaying games. Customize your hero, recruit a party of brave allies, and explore the Sword Coast in your search for adventure, profit… and the truth.

Running on an upgraded and improved version of the Infinity Engine, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition includes the original Baldur’s Gate adventure, the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion, and all-new content including three new party members.

Product Specifications
Product ID 137841
Brand Name Skybound Games
GameStop Exclusive No
UPC 811949030870
Genre Action
Publisher Name Skybound Games
Developer Name Beamdog
Franchise Dungeons & Dragons
Product Height 0.37
Product Weight 0.1
Product Length 4.46
Product Width 3.54

General
Product Specifications
Brand Name Skybound Games
GameStop Exclusive No
UPC 811949030870

Gameplay
Product Specifications
Genre Action

Fandom
Product Specifications
Publisher Name Skybound Games
Developer Name Beamdog
Franchise Dungeons & Dragons

Dimension
Product Specifications
Product Height 0. 37
Product Weight 0.1
Product Length 4.46
Product Width 3.54

Ratings & Reviews

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rated 5. 0 out of 5

C Renzelman

Verified Purchaser

2 years ago

Loved this game when it first came out. The controls are a little clunky, but being a port to console that can’t be helped much.

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Baldurs Gate 1/2 Enhanced Edition

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rated 5.0 out of 5

Casey1979

Verified Purchaser

2 years ago

Great transfer of the original classic! I haven’t played BG2 yet, but am excited to work my way through. Controls take a little getting used to if you are familiar with the PC version, but overall, an excellent way to keep the BG memories alive!

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***** classic

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rated 5. 0 out of 5

Troggy

Verified Purchaser

2 years ago

It is a classic title that i’m hoping get’s an update and remake to modern DND systems.

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Perfect

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rated 5.0 out of 5

Zanto

Verified Purchaser

2 years ago

Loved playing the original on PC now get to relive it again.

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Ah the memories!

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rated 5.0 out of 5

Robotears

Verified Purchaser

3 years ago

I loved these games back in the day and thought I would pick up and run threw again. The controls actually work pretty well for an isometric RPG on a console.

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Questions & Answers

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Is this the same as Baldur’s gate dark alliance for the gamecube?

Chris38253 years ago

A

:

I bought it hoping it would be and am sad to say the least.  This game conforms to the more turn based dnd style of play as opposed to the slasher dungeon crawler it was on GameCube.  Would not recommend buying if you expect it to play like the old console versions

Skadoosh2153 years ago

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Does this come with a manual? I bought a new «open» copy and there was no insert or manual in the case.

MikeAZ2 years ago

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The extended edition of Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2 games is announced.

Games, movies and interesting events

Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn box art

Classic 90s RPG Baldur’s Gate will be released in a deluxe edition this summer, according to developer Beamdog. According to , the studio previously promised fans something new on the game’s teaser site. nine0003

There was a counter on the resource that counted down the time until the announcement, but soon the site could not withstand the influx of visitors and became unavailable, so the details of the announcement are still unknown. As it became known, the site was soon restored and presented the extended edition of Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2.

« Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition are created on an updated version of the Infinity Engine with a lot of modern improvements ,» it says in advertising. nine0003

Beamdog, the studio behind MDK 2 HD, said in an interview that the deluxe edition will not just be an update to the original game.

« We have the source code for the original game and are working on a major update to ,» he explained. « On new and unique content created with love for the series, following the tradition of the original developers of .»

It is not yet clear on which platforms the updated Baldur’s Gate will be released — writes . nine0003

161.97.168.212

Read more on our website about: Baldur’s Gate | Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn | Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition

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Beamdog is working on a new RPG

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Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition for Linux, Android and iPhone will be released on December 16

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Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition returns

This morning, for those who were worried about the fate of Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, we received good news from the head of Beamdog and Overhaul Games Trent Auster. He thanked the fans of the game for their patience and said that the studio was able to resolve …

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