Baldur's Gate II is an awe-inspiring game that will leave you begging for more
Baldur's Gate II is better than the original version in practically every way. Not only are the graphics better, but the gameplay is certainly better. Whether you are a Fighter, Mage, Bard, Thief (or perhaps even a dual-class combination of those) you will love the abilities and options that are available to you. Once you begin your journey into this strange, medieval world, you will quickly be drawn into the immense character development that goes into each character. Soon, you will learn to either love or hate each and every character. You will find yourself completely immersed into this fascinating world. Some of the decisions you make will make you upset, and some will have you jumping for joy. Whether it is one of those, or something completely different, you will certainly make some difficult decisions along the way. The way you treat characters you meet in the world will affect how they act towards you (just like real life). Some characters may become hostile, and attack you if you insult them. Some people may become so happy with you that they will even join your group, and become a playable character.
Another great aspect of the game is that everything is customizable. By this, I mean that no two people will have the same experience playing through the game. Not only can you pick different classes (Mage, Thief, Fighter, Bard…just to name a few), but I will go as far as to say that no two FIGHTERS will even have the same experience. There are so many things to do in this game, and you can choose what exactly you want to do. One person that you add to your party, another player may choose to attack that person, and kill them. Both of these are options in the game, and the game will not penalize you for killing possible party members. When you come across a possible party member you might have to save them first or help them with problems they are having, but once you do you will be able to add them to your party…But would it really be "Baldur's Gate II" if you had to accept everyone, and had no choice. BGII is all about personal choice. You don't have to accept ANYONE into your party (you can play as just your main character…though it will be rough without the help). Each party member has certain abilities, pros, cons, and will each handle a situation differently. You may wish to comprise your party of all mages, and beat the heck out of your foes with magic from every corner. Perhaps you wish to have all fighters, and show your enemies what the business end of your sword looks like. All these (and many more options) are available in BGII. Many players, though, will usually comprise their party of classes of all kinds. The clerics are good at resurrecting, and healing. The fighters are well prepared for direct hand to hand combat. Mages are, of course, skilled in magic and spells. Having some of each class in your party will be helpful; ensuring that you are prepared for any situation (because some foes are resistant to magic, while others have strong enough armor to resist a lot of hand to hand combat).
Not only are there many options for party customization, but player customization is just as important. While playing as multiple characters at once, you may forget about the most important player…the main character that you created. You are able to choose the gender, race, and class…but it certainly doesn't stop there. There is a reputation system that will show you how loved or hated you are in the community. With a high reputation, people that meet you in the streets will be more likely to help you or give you information. Being hated with a low reputation, on the other hand, will cause people to be more reserved while talking to you. It may even cause merchants and innkeepers to refuse service to you. Guards will even track you down and attack you on sight, should your reputation get too low. You can always head over to the local temple and donate money to the order of religious followers there, if you need to raise your reputation a bit.
For anyone how is familiar with D&D (Dungeons and Dragons), you will understand the damage system very quickly. Although the damage is displayed in the combat log as just numbers (like…22), in the weapons specs + information list damage is displayed in the familiar D&D way (like 2D4). You can always buy weapons from merchants, but the best weapons are found in dungeons or as drops from enemies.
This is perhaps one of my favorite features in all of BGII…the choice to kill anyone you want, whenever you want. Like I said before, everyone will have a different experience when playing BGII. Some people will kill certain people, while others will befriend them. I like the option of killing all the guards in a certain town, and even the merchants and innkeepers. BGII makes the player feel powerful and in control of the entire world. I have played many games over the years, and somehow I keep coming back to this 2000 game (pretty old, when it comes to games). Now, let's get one thing straight before I leave you…I hate giving ANYTHING a perfect score. I don't believe that perfection is even achievable, but I simply have no choice when it comes to BGII. For all those out there who have played games like World of Warcraft, Dragon Age Origins, the Elder Scrolls, and loved them, Baldur's Gate II will certainly be near the very top of your list. If you sit back and let it, the game will introduce you to a world in which anything is possible, and the only limit is just how imaginative you are.