2000 year was interesting in themes of gaming. With the new 3D going strong and popular, almost every second game was made 'flashy' and 'spectacular' in trade for something interesting. Fortunately, BioWare were never much of a narcissist company so instead of making the next common game for passing spare time, they made one of the most iconic and nearly flawless games of the decade, a game not only immensely interesting, but also containing a very deep, not to mention outstanding story, literally tens of hours of non-stop gameplay and strong replay value. And, unlike in many similar games, here you can actually sympathy to the player's companions - hate them, love them, feel sorry - whatever you like, but they are made so deep and intriguing. One can feel the sorrow when, let's say, some crazed out mage disintegrates his Jaheira to itsy-bitsy parts or a genie makes Minsk into a Greek statue (with the same brainpower as before). Some characters, such as Aerie and Imoen, might be beyond the point of irritation, but that's what makes them both great - they have a well chaped personality that you can judge! The dialogue - the dialogue is made like a well written book. While certainly not perfect (what game is it anyway?), Shadows of Amn brought the RPG games to a whole new level. And despite the 2D graphic engine, the games looks absolutely fantastic, even on a newer hardware. If there was such a thing as a "Game's Hall of Fame", Baldur's Gate: Shadows of Amn would be what The Beatles are in rock music. And even if there is no such hall, this game is no less than legendary. So much can be said, but its still so little. Now, 11 years after the debut, Shadows of Amn is still played by hundreds of players across the world, be it in multiplayer or by themselves. Hardcore gamers know every twist and turn of the game, yet they never stop playing it. Very few games can keep players entangled for so long. That should speak a lot about how good this game is.
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