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For
the last several weeks my life has been on hold. I
cant exactly pinpoint my most recent shower. Last
Tuesday maybe. I have forgotten to eat. My living room has a smell. Days and nights have run together, and Ive
been terribly happy the whole time because the cause of my self-neglect has been Baldurs
Gate II: Shadows of Amn. Yet again
Black Isle Studios and Bioware are responsible for a game of such consistent quality and
unparalleled excellence that I sound like Im under contract, but this is an amazing
game and well worth the hyperbole. For those of you
unfamiliar with the Baldurs Gate story, BGII takes up right after the battle with
Saravok in the original. On your way from the
city of Baldurs Gate, unknown assailants lie in ambush, and you wake to find
yourself the subject of experiments undertaken by an unknown mage. The immediate goal is escape, but you soon find
yourself trying to locate and confront this mage as well as define yourself in relation to
your pedigree as one of the offspring of the god of murder: Baal. BGII features a much darker storyline than the
first game. You have the option of being as
evil as you want (unlike the BGI) and much of BGIIs tension comes from its
psychologically driven narrative. The single most
important part of the game is character creation and, if you took a look at my First Impressions piece, youll know that this
is a complex and in-depth process. You have
the option of playing not only one of the traditional Dungeons and Dragons classes (mage,
fighter, ranger, thief, etc), but of selecting a character kit (the kensai, stalker,
swashbuckler). BGII uses an updated version
of the Dungeon and Dragon 2nd Edition rules and with the 3rd Edition
rules already out, some RPG purists may find characters limited or otherwise dated. However, the inclusion of kits adds so much depth
to the process that I think such criticism immaterial.
Additionally, the monk, sorcerer, and barbarian classes have been added and
as each different class gets their own optional stronghold quests as well, I think you
can sense the immense replay value as you try out different kits/class combinations. Also improved over
the original is interaction with Non-Player Characters.
Now NPCs have quests specific to them and interact with each other in
interesting ways. They fight, argue, and will
disagree, sometimes vehemently, with ethical standards of other party members. They recognize your sex and various romance
possibilities have been included. There are
16 NPCs that can join your party from Keldorn Fircam, an Inquisitor, to HaerDalis,
a tiefling Blade and you will want to play with all of them in order to explore the
side quests they make possible. Each has
extensive scripting which results in well-rounded, believable characters. Ive mentioned
quests twice now and that is the single biggest improvement in BGII. The main storyline takes about 60 hours, but there
are up to 300 hours of gameplay available in optional quests. BGII is massive. While most quests in BGI were of the FedEx variety
(getting items for NPCs), BGII asks you to spy, plant evidence, catch criminals, and talk
reluctant divas into giving one more performance. BGII
isnt as text heavy as Planescape: Torment, but the level of complexity coupled with
the sheer number of quest opportunities makes every replay of the game a new experience. There is always something overlooked. Some surprise.
Some situation to play differently. Gamplay hasnt
changed much from BGI. It is still in a ¾
isometric view, but now various pieces of the interface can be hidden and can be run at
800x600 resolution. Additionally, the
configuration utility is excellent, allowing the game to be tweaked with a high degree of
specificity. Under the hood, the infinity
engine has been update to support 3D accelerators for some animations/effects (although I
got better performance by turning acceleration off).
In my opinion, the infinity engine is such a great way to run party-based
adventures (giving the gamer the ability to interact with the terrain and move party
members individually while still providing the performance advantages of primarily 2D
graphics) that the lack of fully 3D environment didnt bother me. However, after
seeing a game like Sacrifice, I have to admit that BGIIs graphics are adequate at
best: a trade-off to play-ability. They have
been improved, more frames of animation and better spell-effects, but this really isnt
a game about eye-candy. While many of the
settings are beautiful the temple of Lathander and Talos come to mind
nothing comparable to the visual excellence of Quake III is evident. So while attractive, BGII doesnt have the
immersive beauty of other 3D games. However,
the BGIIs soundtrack is strong and voice-acting is superb. It looks like a lot of work went into sounds
effects as well as vocal performances, which result in moody landscapes and nuanced NPC
dialogue. What I like the
most about BGII is the vast number of variables that increase the replay value. Not only are there a large number of optional
quests with multiple outcomes, but different characters markedly changed my style of play. Ive put in over 50 hours with several of the
class/kits and each one is a new experience demanding different strategies as well as
different party configurations. This is an
RPG at its best in which a good portion of the fun isnt simply in finishing
the game but in determining what sort of character you will create in getting there. And in a period when the crappiest game costs as
much as the best, BGII delivers so much in proportion to its cost that you come away with
an incredible bargain in terms of the cost to time-spent-playing. |