Topic: Something happening around Baldur's Gate

[T.A.P.O.R.]

Don't forget Lilacor the talking sword.
Ah, the fun times of gaming yore.

[MisterMarc]

Skyrim is nowhere near as complex as the BG games were (I still really like it). While Skyrim has a huge, seamless world, its quests are randomly generated, the dialogues and storylines are uninspired and id doesn't have a single memorable character.

BG had hand-drawn areas, all of it's quests were carefully constructed, the companion NPCs, especially in BGII when they introduced inter-party bantering and romances, were complex and fun (think Minsc, Edwin, Jan Jansen or Korgan, or even the annyoing depressive Xan from BG1), there were much more spells, weapons (with the named ones even having backstories.) and fighting styles. The voice acting was amazing. And so on...

I like BG, and have no problem agreeing that the quests and character interactions were excellent. And, while I wouldn't discount Skyrim's quests, characters, and voice acting quite as much as you seem to, I don't see how any of the things you mention pose any problem for console gaming (with the possible exception of a large spell book).

[Johnny Slick]

It's not so much an issue with console gaming as the direction games have taken. I will say, though, that Skyrim is a horrible comp for BG, especially considering Skyrim had its own 1990s analog in Daggerfall. Better comparisons would be to KOTOR, Jade Empire, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. I still think BG has a lot more going for it in that you had the 6-character parties instead of 3 and the worlds didn't seem to be *quite* as Final Fantasy-style "go from point A to point B" as the later Bioware games have been. Nonetheless, the voice acting in those games has been pretty quality and the characters have been pretty decent, although I can't think of any one character who stands out in my mind as much as Minsc or for that matter Jaheira, her husband, the ninja guy from BG2, or even those evil guys you meet right at the beginning of BG (although they can get annoying if you keep them for too long). The only character from *any* of those games I can really classify as memorable in that same class was the witch in DA:O.

You're right that that's not a sign that video games can't be made like that anymore. It's just a sign that game studios have moved away from that a little bit (and, really, it was just BG, BG2, and Planescape that had these elements; Icewind Dale certainly did not). If people buy those kinds of games, I imagine they'd move back.

[ricree]

I still think BG has a lot more going for it in that you had the 6-character parties instead of 3

Easily one of the biggest unsung flaws of dragon age, imo.

What's the point of writing in amusing banter between party members if you can barely bring any of them along?

That's doubly true since the balance of the game encourages specific compositions, so there wasn't enough flexibility to bring along more.

[Rai]

and, really, it was just BG, BG2, and Planescape that had these elements; Icewind Dale certainly did not

The first two Fallouts could also count. And yes, there weren't many games because you needed a brilliant theme and a studio dedicated to making such games due to the level of detail that was required.

And I'm not discounting Skyrim that much. It does have a number of fun and interesting quests (I did like the Companions, the Dark Brotherhood quests, the Alikr'r stuff and many more), there were many that have a lot of unused potential and without a DLC will be a sore point (Forsworn, Bard's College and the College of Winterhold) , some which just missed the mark (Thieve's Guild and most of the Main Quest) and then there Radiant-based fetch quests which are the majority and are generally boring as hell.

The Characters, well, I can't really recall anyone interesting. The leader of the Greycloaks seems like the most obvious choice but you don't interact with him a lot and you can't really get to know him enough. The same goes for most of the other potential memorable guys (Ulfric, Cicero, that old Blades dude and the king of the Forsworn). You can't get attached to someone who doesn't really interact with you. Then there's the main villain who is just a big MacGuffin. The hireable companions would have been ideal, but they don't even try to interact. Even the companions in Mount & Blade are more interesting, colourful and have proper backstories.

The voice acting is perfectly fine, especially when compared to Oblivion, but it doesn't come anywhere near the Baldur's Gate games or even Icewind Dale I or II. 

[T.A.P.O.R.]

I think largely, back in the day RPG gaming focused on art & story.
Games that were playable on very low spec machines.
Then along came NWN and the horrible 3d which it was based on.
Ever since this leap, it's just been an arms race of eye candy like the FPS games before it.
Even Command and Conquer lost it's charm once it forsook the 2d sprites.

Not that I'm anti 3d. I'm just pro story.

[Rai]

I'm not sure about that the Baldur's Gate games looked really good in their time and BG2 wasn't exactly friendly to low-end machines. I think the reason is closer to the decline of Black Isle Studios (There were other companies that made similar RPGs, which were crap. Think Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor).

Also, the fall of specialised games must have something to do with it. Now, everything has to be immediately accessible to anyone. You couldn't ship a game with a 100+ page manual in 2012 (How I miss those!). Combat Flight Simulators are practically dead, so are tactical shooters such as Rainbow Six, turn-based tactical games, point and click adventure games and so on. Hell, even Sim City was dumbed down to cater to the largest possible audience. If it takes more than five minutes to get used to the mechanics, or if the player would die a lot, then it's not gonna be published at all.

[T.A.P.O.R.]

I'm not sure about that the Baldur's Gate games looked really good in their time and BG2 wasn't exactly friendly to low-end machines. I think the reason is closer to the decline of Black Isle Studios (There were other companies that made similar RPGs, which were crap. Think Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor).

Also, the fall of specialised games must have something to do with it. Now, everything has to be immediately accessible to anyone. You couldn't ship a game with a 100+ page manual in 2012 (How I miss those!). Combat Flight Simulators are practically dead, so are tactical shooters such as Rainbow Six, turn-based tactical games, point and click adventure games and so on. Hell, even Sim City was dumbed down to cater to the largest possible audience. If it takes more than five minutes to get used to the mechanics, or if the player would die a lot, then it's not gonna be published at all.

This is the truth.

[EmergentSystem]

Is it weird that I can still remember every word of Gorion's speech from the moment right before CHARNAME leaves Candlekeep, and every one of Irenicus' lines in chapter 1 of BG2?

Irenicus' voice actor was one of the best voice actors I can think of. The guy really made the villain come to life. Even his final words "It ends, like this?" are so appropriate to the character and memorable... sigh, nostalgia.

I can't figure out the source of this teaser, though. You guys sure it's actually a teaser for something upcoming, and not just somebody trolling? It didn't really show anything at all; it was just a compilation of some old art and voice acting. I'm not getting my hopes up until I see some hard evidence of this. 

[Rai]

Now there's a countdown on the website.

[EmergentSystem]

Okay, I'm intrigued. 2 hours, 32 minutes to go, eh.

[T.A.P.O.R.]

Since its initial release in 1998, Baldur’s Gate has entertained millions of fans around the globe, and has received countless awards. This classic saga of mystery, intrigue, and adventure has set the standard for Dungeons & Dragons® computer roleplaying games ever since.
Re-forged by Overhaul Games

Overhaul Games has assembled a talented team of artists, programmers and designers to enhance this timeless classic. To remain true to the spirit of the game, the team includes original Baldur’s Gate developers.
Relive the most epic story ever told

Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition™ and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition™ will feature a re-forged version of the Infinity Engine with a variety of modern improvements.

http://www.baldursgate.com/news/2012/03/15/announcing-baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition/

[AgnosticBuddha]

Sounds awesome. I hope they don't try to reinvent the wheel. Keep the isometric perspective and keep the D&D rules set at 2.0. None of that 4th edition bullshit.

[T.A.P.O.R.]

Sounds awesome. I hope they don't try to reinvent the wheel. Keep the isometric perspective and keep the D&D rules set at 3.0. None of that 4th edition bullshit.

Me too.

I'd love to see an update for fallout 1 & 2 as well. Those resolutions are horrible.

[EmergentSystem]

So it'll be like BGTutu, but in a "re-forged" engine with "modern improvements"?

Well okay.

The whole thing sounds kinda high on hyperbole to me. I'm not ready to be excited just yet.