An RPG of epic proportions, no collection is complete without it!
The story unfolds around you (a character entirely of your own making), as you leave your home and venture into the world, seeking answers and, perhaps, glory and fortune. Everything is linked, and the story unfolds much like a mystery as you chase clues from towns to villages to cities far and wide. It all culminates in a grand plot that remains great to this day.
There's so many awesome elements to Baldur's Gate it's hard to figure where to start. As is typical of the 90s, the game takes a omniscient perspective, with the camera somewhere in the sky looking down. As such you never see the sky, except in cut-scenes. Movement, attacking, conversing with people ... all takes the form of a point-and-click mechanic, with various other functions such as pause and spells being controlled from the keyboard. You can control up to a party of six characters at once (your own character plus five you can find in-game), and order them to do various things, including choosing how you want them to behave in combat.
All combat is played with traditional Dungeons & Dragons rules, meaning everything (hit, armour penetration, save against poisons or spells) is calculated with dice rolls. Everything is turn-based too, but thankfully these dice rolls and calculations work behind the scenes, allowing for smoother play. Occasionally they will repeat the same number over and over though, so the dice (or die) are not entirely realistic.
Yet this is perhaps the only real problem gamers will have with this legendary title. Creating your character is so much fun it could take up to two hours to do, just by itself. Portraits can be created and imported into the game, allowing for further uniqueness, but what the game offers in the way of presets are truly beautiful to behold. Another minor problem for newer computers is the low screen resolution. As far as I know it is stuck on 640 x 480, but there may be downloads available now that can change this. The picture will be rather pixellated otherwise.
The game world is divided into individual areas - Baldur's Gate, the city, has about six. A lot of what's in the game can be discovered just by walking around, clearing the fog of war. True to the genre, there are an assortment of side-quests to fill in the time between story quests - some of which can be funny (such as Basilus talking to his skeletons, or the ogre you encounter in the city, and persuade him that it isn't you he's after), or a tough fight (the man with the gauntlets of ogre power) depending on your team.
The characters that can join your team are a useful and unique assortment, but can be comical as well. Minsc and his "Miniature Giant Space Hamster" called Boo can be hilarious. Try charging into combat with him yelling "Go for the eyes Boo! Go for the eyes! Rusk!" and keep a straight face. Or try taking Boo from him (the little fella is in his inventory).
The majority of enemies are humanoid, but there is also a wide selection of animals (bears, wolves, spiders) and monsters (hobgoblins, doppelgangers, undead) to keep the intrepid explorer busy. There's also a huge variety of spells, treasure, and even some books to increase your base statistics (such as strength, intelligence). There's a wealth of magic items you can wear - from armours to rings, weapons - to help bolster your chances against tougher foes, and to top it all off, there's an alignment system that keeps track of your deeds, from Chaotic Evil to Lawful Good. Just don't ask me where they get Lawful Evil from.
If I've missed some things, it's intentional. I don't want to give everything away to new BG players, I want you to experience it for yourself. Don't worry about compatibility issues - there are none! Just get this game and play it! With an inspiring soundtrack that's changed the face of game music, and addictive characters and story, this game is sure to hit the top of your favourites list as well.
Here are some memorable quotes from the game to put a smile on your dial:
"No, we're not mercenaries. We just carry weapons and kill things for the joy of the experience."
"Wife's gettin' prickly on me arse."
"You mess with me, you mess with you!"
:fart: "Whoa, now that was a stinker. Nyahahaha!"
"Oh Brother Thurm, why not grace our ears with a ripping tale of the old days! Always a delight!"