An Excellent Computer Role Playing game (Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn (PS))

Member Name: SimonCook

Product:	Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn (PS)
Date:	20/06/01 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great atmospheric graphics and sound, Large world to explore, Massive game play

Disadvantages: Not always certain whether a quest is too hard., Real time combat can be difficult to control

I have now had this game for several months and after completing many quests I am still fairly low level and have much to do to save the world. This show that this game can be played for a long time!

History
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A year or two ago, AD&D lovers were given a game that began to cater for their role-playing needs. Based in the Forgotten realms world, Baldur’s gate provided gamers with an in depth role-playing game that was graphically excellent and massive in scale. With the amount of time required to finish the game, and the ability to take on many quests and sub quests the game was very successful and set the standard for similar games. Although it has similarities to games such as the Ultima series the game play, graphics and sound far surpassed anything that had come before.

The game play meant that you could essentially play this game several times as you choose which characters join your group and you decide which quests to take on and which not to. This gives the game lasting appeal and longevity.

This was a huge improvement over early Atari ST and Amiga games that used the AD&D rules (e.g. Azure Bonds etc.), and bought the genre into the mass market as it allowed not ‘statistical’ people to enjoy an excellent fantasy adventure game.

Baldur’s gate II.
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On the surface the game engine doesn’t seem to have been changed much. The initial graphics are similar, the sound quality similar and the gaming system is the same. However, as you begin to delve into the game you start to notice the small changes and improvements that set this game above Baldur’s gate.

You have total control over the graphics, sound and playability. You can change many variables to make the game quicker, easier or quieter! The changes are very intuitive and provide the user a great deal of control to get the game exactly how they like it. Baldur’s Gate II has g
iven the user a higher resolution to play with while still allowing for the standard resolution that many users with older computers will use.

The gaming system
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If you are not really interested in the gaming mechanics then skip this section. I will give an overview of the system, as the initial choices you make regarding the character you play with are very important.

Using AD&D standard rules, the game instantly appeals to millions of people around the world. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D) is perhaps the most widely used role-playing game (RPG) in the world. Using a combination of various dice, a whole bunch of statistics and many rules that try to emulate the real world, the player feels they are immersed in a real world.

The game enables you to create your character quickly and easily. However, the more you read about each different skill, class or attribute, the better chance you have of creating a decent character. The initial setup can be very important and affect your overall game.

You can choose the race of your character. Some races have advantages and disadvantages and it is important that you select the race that is right for your intended character. (Some races are better at magic and some are better at fighting, therefore it is essential to read all the tips and the manual at least 199 times before starting!)

You can select a class for your character. In the original game you were restricted to classes such as fighter, mage etc. Baldur’s Gate II has introduced the idea of ‘kits’. i.e. for each of the main classes there are sub classes. E.g. fighter has three additional kits – one being a wizard slayer. These kits not only give your characters more skills and advantages but also enhance the role playing experience.

Each kit gives the character special advantages and disadvantages. E.g. the wizard slayer is especially good against wizards.
When fighting a wizard this character can cause the wizard to fail when casting spells.

Each character has six statistics. These range from strength to charisma. Based on the character you choose it is important to assign good values to the most important statistics for your character type. (e.g. a warrior will need a high strength). It should be noted that you can keep on re-rolling the dice until you get very high statistics. However, a true AD&D player will only roll the dice once and accept what he has been given (Yeah Right!!!). You can adjust your stats once you have accepted a roll, e.g. you can move points from charisma to strength. You should think this through thoroughly as you never know when charisma may be better than strength!

Skill ranks play an important part in the game. As your character progresses through the game, you will gain additional skill ranks to use. The more ranks you place in a skill (e.g. short sword), the more proficient you are with that skill and the more bonuses you get.

I will deal with the combat in a later section, as this is a very important part of the game.

The sound and graphics
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Baldur’s Gate II has improved on the graphics of the original in several subtle ways. Firstly, and perhaps most obvious, it know supports 800x600, and with the better graphics cards allows for 3-d acceleration giving better performance and smoother graphics. Less obvious are the effects that happen, Some of the spells have stunning graphics giving you more of a feeling that you are actually casting the spell. The general scenery seems to be a little clearer, making it easier to see in the dark and dingy dungeons. The movement and animation of the characters is also very good. It is the subtle things that really make the game stand out; the rain and snow etc; the washing hanging. Etc. These little subtleties do not really add to the game play but really enhance the worl
d you are exploring.

The sound has greatly improved from the first version. A unique ‘environmental’ factor can be used which gives the game an eerie quality as voices echo and seem distant in caverns. This can make it quite hard to hear at times, and although it can initially be cool , I did soon turn this feature off. Perhaps on better graphics cards this effect will be excellent.

The voices are very good and seem to be good actors. I find it funny at times when one of the characters complains about having to do something. It reminds me of the time when I used to role play on a table!

The interface.
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Although not much different from the original game, the interface is very easy to get used to. With a combination of standard icons that represent all the main areas of the game, ranging from your Journal, your backpack, and your spells to the all-important ‘Save Game’. Additionally, there are additional ‘Quick’ icons that are generally icons that can command the active character. These include a section where you can add a ‘Quick’ spell or a ‘Quick’ item. This also includes a ‘Quick’ button for your characters special abilities; e.g. thieves will be able to pick locks; some characters have the special ability of shape changing, etc.

There is also an expandable text box that details all recent conversations and is extremely useful.

With the use of your mouse it is possible to do most things. The interface becomes important while in combat and moving. As you travel around and your mouse moves over things, they will often be highlighted indicating that some kind of action can be done. E.g. opening a door, speaking to a Non Player Character (NPC) or attacking an enemy.

Combat
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Combat can be done in two ways. The first way is turn based, and this is perhaps a good way for new players to get used to
the rules. This also makes it easier for you to cast spells from your other characters. This option should be used for complicated battles that require a lot of thought and much magic use.

The second way, and perhaps the most fun way is to fight in real time. You essentially click on the enemy and attack. Based upon the characters attacking and how you have set them up (you can set them to defend attack, cast spells etc) they will fight on their own. You can take control of individual characters and cast spells, fight or run as you see fit. This is much harder to control than the turn based method and I find it difficult to control what spells I cast while ensuring that my spell caster isn’t being killed! It does get the adrenalin running though!

The combat is easy and quite often quick. Sometimes you can a little overwhelmed by the amount of enemies and you can quickly lose track on the health of your characters. I advice you to save often so if you lose a major character you can quickly resume a saved game.

The combat uses standard AD&D rules. Each character has a THAC0 – this is essentially what you need to role on a dice to hit Armor Class zero. This THAC0 gets better as you increase in levels and skills. Additionally the chances of hitting someone will reduce if they are wearing armor, as they will have a different armor class, and the THAC0 is adjusted to take account of this.

Magic works slightly differently, you have to role to cast a spell. If successful, the opponent roles a saving role against the spell.

Luckily for you, the computer takes all the monotony out of the combat by dealing with all the statistics.

For those that struggle in combat, it is possible to make the combat easier; conversely for those of you who like a challenge you can make the monsters even tougher than the AD&D standard.

Quests etc
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Baldur’s Gate had many unrelated quests th
at didn’t really give you a feeling of working towards a goal. However, in Baldur’s gate II you are immediately immersed in the plot. You have been captured and are undergoing some bizarre experiments. Luckily for you, you manage to escape and your initial quest is to free your friends and get out of the building. (This took several hours to do and really highlights the scope and size of the game)

As you play the game you meet characters who will tell you more about what is going on and give you additional quests. So far, after a month or so of playing, the quests have kept my interest and have helped me to get a feel for the game and the overall plot. The game is vast and will take many months to play. It is possible to take many different routes to the ending, e.g. you could save the world, or you could help destroy it!

The only problem I have with some quests is that you can often get a quest that is way out of your league and it is hard to know this! I have lost many characters this way and had to resort to loading an old game and finding an easier game. This has wasted much game time.

Perhaps the best way is to stay in one area until you have completed all the quests for that area (e.g. the initial city) and then start on some of the other quests you have gained in different areas.

Conclusion
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Baldur’s Gate II is an impressive sequel to the original Baldur’s Gate. It has improved on many features from the original game and becomes a more enjoyable and easier to play game. Those of you who have never played before need not worry as this is a completely self-contained game and the initial dialogue will allow you to find out about your past.

BGII does allow you to import characters from the first game, but I find that with all the additional kits available I preferred to start the game with a new character.

Summary: