Baldur's Gate 2: The Ultimate Collection

Customer Reviews:

Older game, still very entertaining
As others have said, the graphics are dated but the storyline and structure are not.

A few other reviewers stated that there was no manual and no reference card included in this collection IN PAPER FORMAT. They do, however, exist as PDF files in the "BG2 Manual" folder of disk #1. I prefer the printed manuals as well, but for the game plus expansion and bonus disk I paid only $13.77, including shipping that took 3 days. In other words, I can live without the printed manual when everything else works out in my favour.

I purchased from "playongames-com" from within Amazon's site, first time purchase from them. Well boxed, fast delivery, and arrived in an original box (still sealed). What deal.
--2006-08-21

Baldur's Gate 2
Very playable and fairly easy to learn; perhaps a little constrained in what you can do, but a nice balance of characters and styles. The graphics are a dated but the action is good and the story line -- as far as I have gotten -- is interesting.
--2006-08-19

Addictive Fun
I remember playing the original Baldur's Gate many years ago and loving it. Since then, technology has obviously advanced a lot, and I have enjoyed playing many of the modern games. However, none of today's games seem to have the same charm as Baldur's Gate. So, when I decided to purchase Baldur's Gate 2, I somehow knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

I'll just list what I feel are the pros and cons...

PROS:
- It has an intricate plot that will keep you entertained. In addition to the main quests, there are tons of sub-quests to keep you busy. A self-updating journal keeps all your quest information organized.
- You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to arranging your party and creating your own characters. There are plenty of unique characters you can recruit and you can dismiss party members at anytime. You can import images for your own personal character portrait.
- The amount of items (weapons, armor, potions, scrolls/spells, gems, etc.) is incredible. You'll certainly never be bored with this aspect of the game. The item illustrations are very beautiful and detailed. The item descriptions are also interesting, and usually little stories within themselves.
- The game scenery is nicely intricate. I really enjoyed the designs of the towns/buildings and landscapes. The character portraits and brief cut scenes are also well done.
- LOTS of different monsters/creatures to battle. This challenges you to come up with different fighting strategies, because the creatures have different weaknesses.
- The soundtrack is pleasant.
- The dialogue is always clever and often amusing.
- Personally, I feel you have more control over the characters and storyline in this game, than in others. You can plan and initiate your attacks in pause mode, you can control the actions of up to 6 party members, and you always have several dialogue response options.

CONS:
- Well, obviously, the graphics are dated. However, that doesn't make it any less fun or beautiful. I've enjoyed Baldur's Gate more than some of the most graphically advanced games out there. It is, after all, a fantasy game, and I personally believe that some things should be left up to the imagination of the player.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this game as much as I have!
--2006-07-22

Yeah, its that good.
Baldur's Gate II and its expansion pack may collectively form the best game that was ever created. Sure, the graphics are not the greatest. Sure, antiquated 2nd edition rules are used. Sure, some of the puzzles are corny. Sure, there are some annoying bugs. The game is not flawless, but it is infinitely replayable and almost as addicting. I don't know what it was in this game, but the moment that I beat it the first time around, I was immediately tempted to start another game with a radically different party and with radically different objectives in mind. Through this review I will try to identify what it is in the game that makes it so... um... good!

The story line is good. Now, many a gamer will say that story matters in gaming just about as much as accordions matter while hunting. I will say that those unfortunate souls are wrong as a good story is often the most important aspect of the game. For example, look to Icewind Dale II. The storyline was lame and so was the game. The story follows shortly after the first Baldur's Gate game, in which you as a child of the Lord of Murder must choose which path to pursue. Ok, it might not sound that great from here, but you're a freaking God in this game, thus you can do a lot of things that are pretty great. The expansion pack focuses even more on your divine powers.

The game is hard (especially if you play on insane mode, and downloaded various tweaks that made the game more difficult, as I did), but not too hard. Some battles will have you stuck for a little bit, but fret not. You can always go and do something else and gain enough experience to make short work of a formerly impossible battle. This is probably the greatest aspect of the game. You don't have to do most things in order and can do them whenever you feel up to the task. You do not have to follow the straight and narrow path, but can instead follow any path which will get you to where you want to go. And if you don't want to go into an entire area, then often you will not even have to do this.

Now, I already spoke of this game's addictive properties, but let me stress the intensity of the addiction. Every night when I went to sleep at 4 AM (playing this game of course, in this way, the game is a lot like cocaine because time just stops mattering), I would think about when I would wake up to play the game again (typically around 8 AM). When my friends would come over to hang out I would be angry that I would have to open the doors to let them in. Many of them threatened to format my harddrive and remove the game. But, the most dangerous element of the game is this. This game was not even on my computer, but rather on the computer of my brother who lives in a different state than I do. I would be addicted to it for a few weeks, then would return and face terrible withdrawal in my own state.

Yeah, its that good. If you are the type who thinks that graphics are more important than game play and everything else that makes computer games good, then I am sure that there is something better for you out there, but for the rest, I suggest playing this game.
--2006-07-17

One of the best games I've played
I've been a big fan of ADnD as my cousins, friends, and I have played it numerous times. I've wanted to play an ADnD computer game so my cousin recommended Baldu'rs Gate 2. At first, I had to get used to the functions and how to control things, but once I got the hang of it, it became very addiciting. Since, then, I've become a big fan of other ADnD comp games such as Neverwinter Nights and Icewind Dale. Great game, lots of fun, great story. Wish I played Baldur's Gate 1 before, but I'll play it sooner or later.
--2006-05-11

- Vivendi Universal