Is the new content worth ANYTHING?
These and other questions will be answered in this review :D
Information:
Type: good old cRPG
Specifications: a toaster will do fine (with exception of the ones with Intel graphic cards)
Release date: 28.11.2012 (FINALLY)
Developer: Overhaul Games
Distribution: Beamdog (very little to no chance of additional options)
Costs: 20$
First of all: IF YOU DON'T LIKE TO READ, GO STRAIGHT TO "THE GOOD". And the review contains SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
IF YOU PLAYED VANILLA BALDUR'S GATE, then SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH.
But, on the other hand, if you read this, there is a huge chance you at least heard about it. The adventures of you, and the companions you will meet on your way. Then, it was epic. An story that you could totally immerse into. And it made that effect only using worlds. The combat system was also good. If you like to think, and plan every move, you could always pause each second. In which you will learn quickly how a bad father can make your life an hell on earth with tons of people trying to kill you. That's for the plot you need to know. I won't say, that it sounds awesome. But that is only my short version of the tale. The writers that created the story have done a much better job then me. The used an well known fantasy world. Created a story that brings that place to life, more than an above-average game master could have done. That's what you get: a rich world, full of adventure, worth every second spent on it. So, if you did not play Baldur's Gate, just stick to the idea that this is an Enhanced version of an masterpiece.
The new main menu
So, I won't write about the story too much, let's focus on what has Beamdog changed in this piece of the old glory days of cRPG's. Baldur's Gate was quite a beautiful game at the time of it's release. It didn't have 3D graphics, but the places you visited during your journey were great-looking. Nope, I got that wrong, THEY STILL ARE great looking. Not only that, the character models which were, without any doubt, the worst part of BG's graphical side, were changed to their counterparts from Baldur's Gate 2.
The new and the old: BG 2 models in BG:EE
Also, the interface has gone through a quite intense facelifting. Namely, the inventory and character screens, which now show our chances of hitting, the damage we can do, bonus hit points per levels, and so on. Also the paperdolls that show what your character is wearing have been improved. Mostly these changes are slight, however they make your characters look great.
The new inventory screen
Also, one thing worth mentioning: Overhaul has made new cinematics. The change of style is rather disturbing, however it all depends on your taste. Some call it a little too comic-book like. Decide yourself. Just watch the intro, right below.
If you looked closely on the screenshots up to this point, you could seen a few things you haven't seen before. Most importantly, it's the "Black Pits" option in the main menu. When you click it, and then select to start a new game, you will see... something different. Instead of creating a single character, you can create a whole party. Then you see your team landing on a arena, and having to fight monsters. The plot? Nearly nonexistant. The difficulty? Rises with each battle. Fun? Hell yeah, as long as you like to fight and think how to fight. For me, it was an ideal way to relax after an annoying day at my college :D
The Black Pits
However, not everything is great. The game was supposed to be released at summer 2012. Yet Overhaul has changed the release date to 28 November. The official reason was the need of extended bugfixing. I don't know what kind of bugs they were fixing, but they created a few more... A ton more. For the first three days a major part of players couldn't launch the game. The other half had lots of graphical glitches, in game bugs, such as an lack of abillity to add one of the new characters to the party. The only thing that saved the devs from being eaten alive by the community was the quick patching they have done. But still, the game was fully playable by the start of December. Yup, that's one cold summer I got...
The Good- it came out
- the story is left untouched...
- ... except for the new characters, which are good. And they fit good in the canon Baldur's Gate
- stress reliever "Black Pits" add-on
- graphical rework (taken from BG 2 and added some extra touches)
- lots of old bugs repaired
The Bad
- Lots of NEW bugs at launch
- ... which was delayed for an eon.
- the extra areas introduced with the bonus characters could have something more than the character sidequests
The Verdict - PLAY IT
If you played Baldur's Gate when it came out, you can buy it. First, to have a great remainder of the good old days. Secondly, because the bonus content and overall game improvements fix all the flaws the vanilla BG had. And most of the newly created bugs are fixed by now.
If you didn't played this game earlier, do it now. Because the story is worth it, and beats somewhat 90% of the games released today. And also you get a pain-free visit to the museum of gaming. And the visit will be long and worth it's every second.
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