Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition

Last updated

Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition
BGIIEE cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Overhaul Games
Publisher(s) Atari
Beamdog
Skybound Games (consoles)
Series Baldur's Gate
Engine Infinity Enhanced Engine [1]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleaseWindows, OS X
November 15, 2013
iPad
January 16, 2014 [2]
Android, iPhone, Linux
December 16, 2014 [3]
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
October 15, 2019
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is a remaster of the role-playing video game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and its expansion Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal . The game was launched on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition features new content and widescreen compatibility. [4]

Contents

The remaster was developed by Overhaul Games, a division of Beamdog, and was published by Atari. The release includes remastered versions of the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and its expansion under an enhanced version of the Infinity Engine, known as the Infinity Enhanced Engine. The game was released on November 15, 2013 on PC [5] and on the App Store on January 16, 2014.

Gameplay

For all editions, the game follows 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, licensed by Wizards of the Coast. The game features much of the same updated gameplay presented in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition , [6] [7] with the same updated (including cross platform) multiplayer, which allows players from different platforms to play with each other.[ citation needed ] Major changes to this game's presentation include its higher resolution and widescreen viewing modes to enhance gameplay. [8]

The iPad and Android versions present a radical departure from the original interface, with the multitouch screen allowing for gestures that can result in zooming in and out. This is to allow for larger text and more focus on enhanced detail. Tablet versions also allow for users to swipe between screens, eliminating the use for tabs. [8] Ex-Bioware employee and creative director for the enhanced edition Trent Oster said: "When I describe playing a Baldur's Gate combat scenario to someone, I use the analogy of a football playbook. ... When you think about Baldur's Gate in this light, the iPad makes so much sense. In fact, I think Baldur's Gate is almost the perfect game for the touch interface—it was just released a decade early". [9]

Plot

Setting

Set in the Forgotten Realms continent of Faerûn, Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition takes place in the nations of Amn and Tethyr. As with the original Enhanced Edition, all locations from the original production are present as well as new locations. Depending on the characters recruited, up to thirty new locations can be accessed.

Characters

While the original characters of Baldur's Gate II return once again, the Enhanced Edition brings back the new characters introduced in Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition - Neera the Wild Mage, Dorn Il-Khan the Blackguard, and Rasaad the Monk - who are once again recruitable, with two additional new characters, unique to Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition - Hexxat the Thief, and Wilson the Bear. Each, like before, have a personal character quest that sees the player travelling to new locations, both in Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal; the latter involves the characters bringing a close to their personal stories. Much like the previous game, all of new characters from Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition are once again available as romance options.

Story

The general plot of the game remains relatively unchanged, aside from the sidequests added in due to new characters. The largest new plot feature comes in the form of The Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay, an optional and standalone story which acts as a sequel to a challenge mode present in the previous Enhanced Edition. The mode pits players in gladitorial combat against such creatures as Mind Flayers, Githyanki and Demi-Liches.

Development

Beamdog was in negotiations to get a contract for the first two Baldur's Gate games from Atari and Wizards of the Coast for approximately fourteen months before they were allowed to start working on the Enhanced Editions. Beamdog also needed to get a license to use the Infinity Engine from BioWare. Upon development, the decision was made to make the game available on the iPad. [10] Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition was slated for a 2013 release for both the PC and iPad. [1] [11] Nat Jones was named the official art director for the remasters, [12] with senior Dungeons & Dragons writer Dave Gross also joining the team. [13] Sam Hulick composed new music for the game. [14]

Developer Trent Oster revealed that the Xbox 360 version for either remaster was canceled because the controller was not a good fit for the Infinity Engine. Wii U version was also cancelled due to their negative experience with Nintendo while developing MDK2 HD . [15] Sony contacted Beamdog about making both remasters available on the PlayStation 3, but nothing came out of it. [16] Sony and Beamdog were unable to negotiate a price required for funding the redesign of the game, [17] due to differences in controls and the UI between the PC and PlayStation 3. [18]

The development of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition was initially put on hold in June 2013 due to legal issues with Atari [19] before the resolution of the contractual and legal issues was made on August 15. The game was ultimately released in November of the same year. [20] [5]

Skybound Games, a division of Skybound Entertainment, released the remastered version to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 15, 2019. [21] [22]

Reception

The game received positive review scores from most of the critics. On Metacritic, it holds an aggregate score of 78/100 for the Windows version while the iOS version holds an aggregate score of 70/100. [23] [24] Ryan Cartmel of the online magazine Hardcore Gamer gave the game a 4.5/5, saying that with its epic story, memorable characters, hundreds of hours of dungeon crawling, questing and adventuring, Baldur's Gate stands tall among the classics. He also said that due to its improved visuals Enhanced Edition will attract modern gamers. [28] Patrick Hancock of Destructoid gave the release a score of 8.5/10 calling the remaster and the additions "impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding it back". [25] Brett Todd of GameSpot gave the revision a review score of 7/10 praising the new additions to the game. [27] Leif Johnson of IGN gave the game a review score of 8.3/10 praising it for the improved visuals and new additions. [29]

Related Research Articles

<i>Baldurs Gate</i> Franchise of fantasy role-playing video games

Baldur's Gate is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The series has been divided into two sub-series, known as the Bhaalspawn Saga and the Dark Alliance, both taking place mostly within the Western Heartlands, but the Bhaalspawn Saga extends to Amn and Tethyr. The Dark Alliance series was released for consoles and was critically and commercially successful. The Bhaalspawn Saga was critically acclaimed for using pausable realtime gameplay, which is credited with revitalizing the computer role-playing game (CRPG) genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BioWare</span> Canadian video game developer

BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zeschuk. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American publisher Electronic Arts.

<i>Planescape: Torment</i> 1999 video game

Planescape: Torment is a 1999 role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows. The game takes place in locations from the multiverse of Planescape, a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy campaign setting. The game's engine is a modified version of the Infinity Engine, which was used for BioWare's Baldur's Gate, a previous D&D game set in the Forgotten Realms.

<i>Neverwinter Nights</i> (2002 video game) Dungeons & Dragons video game

Neverwinter Nights is a third-person role-playing video game developed by BioWare. Interplay Entertainment was originally set to publish the game, but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Infogrames, who released the game under their Atari range of titles. It is the first installment in the Neverwinter Nights series and was released for Microsoft Windows on June 18, 2002. BioWare later released a Linux client in June 2003, requiring a purchased copy of the game to play. MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003.

<i>Icewind Dale</i> 2000 video game

Icewind Dale is a role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and originally published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows in 2000 and by MacPlay for the Macintosh in 2002. The game takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting and the region of Icewind Dale, and uses the 2nd edition ruleset. The story follows a different set of events than those of R. A. Salvatore's The Icewind Dale Trilogy novels: in the game, an adventuring party becomes enlisted as a caravan guard while in Icewind Dale, in the wake of strange events, and eventually discover a plot that threatens the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale and beyond.

<i>Baldurs Gate II: Throne of Bhaal</i> Expansion pack

Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is a 2001 expansion pack for the role-playing video game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. It adds a multi-level dungeon called Watcher's Keep to the game and completes the main plot. There are several new weapons, a higher level cap, a further refined Infinity graphics engine, and new class-related features and magical skills. The novelization of the game was written by Drew Karpyshyn and released in September 2001.

<i>Baldurs Gate II: Shadows of Amn</i> 2000 video game

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the sequel to Baldur's Gate (1998) and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Like Baldur's Gate, the game takes place in the Forgotten Realms—a fantasy campaign setting—and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. Powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, Baldur's Gate II uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist, while the others are certain characters recruited from the game world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minsc</span> Fictional character from Baldurs Gate

Minsc is a fictional character in the Baldur's Gate series of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video games developed by BioWare. He originated from the pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons sessions held by the lead designer of Baldur's Gate, James Ohlen, and was expanded upon by the game's lead writer, Lukas Kristjanson. His video game debut was in Baldur's Gate as a companion character who can join the player's party. He also appears in the sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the expansion, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the 2015 game Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, the 2023 game Baldur's Gate III, as well as in promotions relating to the titles. Minsc is voiced by Jim Cummings in his original video game appearances, and by Matt Mercer in Baldur's Gate 3.

Icewind Dale is a role-playing video game series developed by Black Isle Studios. It is set in the Forgotten Realms Icewind Dale region, but takes place decades before the events described in R. A. Salvatore's books which made the area a part of Faerûn.

<i>Baldurs Gate</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Baldur's Gate is a fantasy role-playing video game that was developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on a player-made character who travels across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions.

<i>Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance</i> 2001 video game

Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a 2001 action role-playing video game developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment subsidiary Black Rock Studios for the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox consoles, with High Voltage Software handling the GameCube port, and Magic Pockets developing the Game Boy Advance version. CD Projekt was developing a version for Microsoft Windows, but was ultimately cancelled. In 2021, a 4K port of the game was released for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skybound Entertainment</span> American multi-platform entertainment company

Skybound Entertainment is an American multiplatform entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gaider</span> Canadian writer and game designer

David Gaider is a Canadian narrative designer and writer. He was the lead writer and creator of the setting for the role-playing video game series Dragon Age.

IdeaSpark Labs Inc. is a Canadian video game developer founded in 2009 by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster and former BioWare lead programmer Cameron Tofer. Beamdog's distribution service was launched in July 2010.

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is a remaster of the 1998 role-playing video game Baldur's Gate, developed by Overhaul Games, a division of Beamdog, and published by Atari. It was released for Microsoft Windows on November 28, 2012, with additional releases between 2012 and 2014 for iPad, OS X, Android and Linux and most recently for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch on October 15, 2019. The remaster combines the original game, Baldur's Gate, with its expansion Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, retaining the original elements from both, while including additions, a separate arena adventure entitled The Black Pits, and a number of improvements some of which were imported from Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn.

Dave Gross is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.

<i>Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition</i> 2014 video game

Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition is a remake of the Black Isle Studios 2000 role-playing video game Icewind Dale and its expansions Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter and Trials of the Luremaster. Enhanced Edition was developed by Overhaul Games, a division of Beamdog, and published by Atari for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android.

<i>Baldurs Gate: Siege of Dragonspear</i> 2016 video game expansion pack

Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is an expansion pack for the role-playing video game Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition developed and published by Beamdog. The expansion is the first new original content to the Baldur's Gate series released after more than 10 years, and its plot takes place between the events of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. Gameplay remained similar to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, although a class, companions and areas have been added. Siege of Dragonspear received mixed to positive reviews by video game publications who appreciated the return to the franchise after a long hiatus. It received backlash from some consumers who criticized the general quality of the writing and the introduction of a transgender non-playable character.

<i>Baldurs Gate 3</i> 2023 video game

Baldur's Gate 3 is a 2023 role-playing video game developed and published by Belgian game developer Larian Studios. The game is the third main installment in the Baldur's Gate series, based on the tabletop fantasy role-playing system of Dungeons & Dragons. A partial version of the game was released in early access format for macOS and Windows in October 2020. It remained in early access until its full release for Windows in August 2023, with versions for PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S releasing later that year.

References

  1. 1 2 "Baldur's Gate remaster press release". Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Baldur's Gate II -- Enhanced Edition - iPad". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  3. ↑ Purchese, Robert (December 12, 2014). "Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition Android release date". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  4. ↑ Stephen Burke (March 15, 2012). "New Baldur's Gate Title Announced, Servers Go Down Instantly". Gamers Nexus. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition PC and Mac Release Date Confirmed, First Gameplay Trailer Now Available". Cinemablend.com. August 30, 2013. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ Gilbert, Ben. "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition arrives this summer [update: more news!]". Joystiq. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  7. ↑ Kaszor, Daniel (November 28, 2012). "Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition sets out to find a new modern audience". Post Arcade, FP Tech Desk. Financial Post. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Lee, Tyler (March 28, 2012). "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition for iPad detailed further". Ubergizmo. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  9. ↑ Murray, Bryan (July 1, 2012). "Creating Baldur's Gate for Touchscreen". Empire . Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ Matthew Hawkins. "'Baldur's Gate' headed to iPad later this summer - Ingame on msnbc.com". Ingame.msnbc.msn.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition IPad announcement". Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Announcing Nat Jones as Baldur's Gate Art Director « Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition News". Baldursgate.com. April 19, 2012. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Dave Gross joins as writer for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition « Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition News". Baldursgate.com. April 26, 2012. Archived from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Sam Hulick scores music for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition « Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition News". Baldursgate.com. May 10, 2012. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  15. ↑ "How Nintendo can improve digitally". TrentOster.com. April 21, 2012. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Twitter / TrentOster: We have no plans to do a console". Twitter.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  17. ↑ Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition headhunted by Sony Archived November 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , November 15, 2012
  18. ↑ Kee, Edwin (December 31, 2012). "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Considered For PS3 Release". Ubergizmo. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Beamdog Hoping For Baldur's Gate III Despite 'Legal Hell'". Rock Paper Shotgun . June 24, 2013. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is back on sale, patch details coming soon | News". PC Gamer. August 16, 2013. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  21. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (February 7, 2019). "Walking Dead creator Skybound Games will publish Beamdog's classic RPGs to consoles". Venture Beat . Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  22. ↑ Dellinger, AJ (May 30, 2019). "Six Bioware classics are coming to consoles this fall". Engadget . Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Corporation. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  24. 1 2 "Baldur's Gate II:EE for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Corporation. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  25. 1 2 Patrick Hancock (January 10, 2014). "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition Review on Destrcutoid". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  26. ↑ Paul Dean (December 11, 2013). "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition review on Eurogamer". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  27. 1 2 Brett Todd (December 17, 2012). "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition review on GameSpot". GameSpot . CBS Corporation. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  28. 1 2 Cartmel, Ryan (November 17, 2013). "Review: Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
  29. 1 2 Johnson, Leif (November 27, 2013). "BALDUR'S GATE 2: ENHANCED EDITION REVIEW". IGN . j2 Global. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  30. ↑ O'Reilly, PJ (October 14, 2019). "Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Editions Review (Switch)". Nintendo Life . Nlife Media. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  31. ↑ Musgrave, Shaun (March 3, 2015). "'Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition' Review – One Of The Best CRPGs Ever Is Now On iPhone". TouchArcade . Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  32. ↑ Brown, Chris (November 25, 2013). "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition review". GamePlanet. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  33. ↑ Andy Chalk (November 17, 2013). "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition Review on The Escapist". The Escapist . Defy Media. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.