Baldur's Gate 2 is the best RPG ever
Baldur's Gate 2 is the best RPG ever
Editorial - posted by DarkUnderlord on Thu 6 January 2011, 15:40:07
Tags: Baldur's Gate II: Throne of BhaalSays GameInformer:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Would I lie to you? BioWare's 2000 magnum opus is still the best RPG of all time. I'll prove it. With science.
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<p style="padding-left: 30px;">BG2 vs. Oblivion
It says something terrible that no matter how poorly Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was balanced (and the ruleset used in BG2 is hilariously imbalanced, with the inclusion of silly rules like monks and class kits), it pales in comparison to the mess that is Oblivion's system. In BG2 you have the freedom to create massively awesome parties by including whatever mix of the brilliantly written NPCs you wanted. Some combinations are better than others, and certain main character builds are borderline ridiculous (oh hi there, dual-class fighter-mage katana grandmaster!), but it's nigh impossible to gimp your group into unplayability if you pay any attention at all.
Meanwhile, in Oblivion, several advancement paths effectively send you backwards. Not leveling any Endurance-related skills? Have fun with the durability of a newborn kitten wrapped in wet paper towels! Picked Mercantile or Speechcraft as a major? Try not to talk to anyone, because while you get marginally better at a sub-game that nobody cares about, the monsters are out there pumping iron and finding better equipment to eviscerate you with. On the flip side, Oblivion is stupidly easy to break to the point where you're de facto invincible. Try stupid crap like that against a BG2 lich and see how far it gets you.
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Speaking of Science!, here's a Fun Fact™: GameInformer gave Oblivion 9.5/10 when it was released ("The bar for the next generarion of RPG's has been set"!!). I guess that .5 covers a lot.
Spotted @ Sorcerers.net
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Would I lie to you? BioWare's 2000 magnum opus is still the best RPG of all time. I'll prove it. With science.
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">BG2 vs. Oblivion
It says something terrible that no matter how poorly Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was balanced (and the ruleset used in BG2 is hilariously imbalanced, with the inclusion of silly rules like monks and class kits), it pales in comparison to the mess that is Oblivion's system. In BG2 you have the freedom to create massively awesome parties by including whatever mix of the brilliantly written NPCs you wanted. Some combinations are better than others, and certain main character builds are borderline ridiculous (oh hi there, dual-class fighter-mage katana grandmaster!), but it's nigh impossible to gimp your group into unplayability if you pay any attention at all.
Meanwhile, in Oblivion, several advancement paths effectively send you backwards. Not leveling any Endurance-related skills? Have fun with the durability of a newborn kitten wrapped in wet paper towels! Picked Mercantile or Speechcraft as a major? Try not to talk to anyone, because while you get marginally better at a sub-game that nobody cares about, the monsters are out there pumping iron and finding better equipment to eviscerate you with. On the flip side, Oblivion is stupidly easy to break to the point where you're de facto invincible. Try stupid crap like that against a BG2 lich and see how far it gets you.
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">
Speaking of Science!, here's a Fun Fact™: GameInformer gave Oblivion 9.5/10 when it was released ("The bar for the next generarion of RPG's has been set"!!). I guess that .5 covers a lot.
Spotted @ Sorcerers.net
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