Editorial Baldur's Gate 2 is the best RPG ever

[DarkUnderlord]

Tags: Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal

<p><a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/editors/b/giadam_blog/archive/2011/01/01/baldur-s-gate-ii-best-rpg-ever.aspx">Says GameInformer</a>:</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<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>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>BG2 vs. Oblivion</strong><br /><br />It says something terrible that no matter how poorly Advanced Dungeons &amp; 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.<br /><br />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>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">&nbsp;</p>
<p>Speaking of <em>Science!</em>, here's a Fun Fact&trade;: <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion/critic-reviews">GameInformer gave Oblivion 9.5/10</a> when it was released ("The bar for the next generarion of RPG's has been set"!!). I guess that .5 covers a lot.</p>
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<p>Spotted @ <a href="http://www.sorcerers.net/">Sorcerers.net</a></p>

 

[Oaken]

Well considering several people disowned the magazine for rating one of the Halo games 9.5, I would say that it means a lot.

 

[Nael]

In other news: Gameinformer takes down their Oblivion review of 9.5/10. More incredible hypocrisy and pseudo-journalism at 11.

 

[Krash]

by stormfront Saturday, January 01, 2011 at 05:39 PM
I'd like to see you try to prove that Baldur's Gate II is better than Diablo 2. It can't be done.

 

[Krash]

Also, to prove/disprove that BG2 is teh best RPG evvah, shouldn't they compare it to good RPGs?

 

[Melcar]

Not the best ever, but definitely the best of the last 10 something years, which always makes me sad.

 

[ChristofferC]

Overall, it is the most fun RPG I have played. But not the best.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

It's not really my cup of tea, and it clearly isn't the best, but... fuck it, I'll take what I can get. If some shitty magazine is coming out and saying it's better than the game that all the kids think revolutionized RPGs forever, I'm happy with that.

 

[Raapys]

Overall, it is the most fun RPG I have played. But not the best.

This. And while it isn't the best RPG, it's certainly the best spellcasting game I've ever played.

 

[Melcar]

Circlejerk!

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Even Arcanum was better.

 

[Piety]

Overall, it is the most fun RPG I have played. But not the best.

This. And while it isn't the best RPG, it's certainly the best spellcasting game I've ever played.

This and this. Comparing the mid- and high-level mage battles in BG2 to spellcasting in most other games is like comparing a game of chess to a retarded third-grader pooping on a checkerboard while shouting "king me!"

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

I'd rather watch the latter.

 

[Piety]

Sure, but which would you rather play?

 

[chzr]

In other news: Gameinformer takes down their Oblivion review of 9.5/10. More incredible hypocrisy and pseudo-journalism at 11.

on topic, well yeah, it's isn't hard to make almost any rpg stand out in comparison to oblivion.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Why didn't someone tell me that the Special Olympics had started?

 

[baronjohn]

Overall, it is the most fun RPG I have played. But not the best.

This. And while it isn't the best RPG, it's certainly the best spellcasting game I've ever played.

Bullshit. The AI was crap and had to cheat with contingencies to provide an illusion of challenge.

Fucking Baldurs Turd

 

[Krash]

Overall, it is the most fun RPG I have played. But not the best.

This. And while it isn't the best RPG, it's certainly the best spellcasting game I've ever played.

Bullshit. The AI was crap and had to cheat with contingencies to provide an illusion of challenge.

Fucking Baldurs Turd

What does the AI have to do with anything Raapys wrote? I thought he meant that there was lots of different spells which did different things, and to counter them was almost like a puzzle. Nothing mindblowing sure, but it beats most other RPGs in that regard.

Contingencies were only fair since you could prepare before battle and enemy mages couldn't. This is actually one of the very few cases of AI cheating in a game that doesn't bother me too much.

 

[Gondolin]

Actually, yeah, the cheating AI made everything more challenging and more interesting. I've yet to come across mage battles as good as those of BG2.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Actually, yeah, the cheating AI made everything more challenging and more interesting. I've yet to come across mage battles as good as those of BG2.

Then again, that was only because the AI got all its buff instantly on when combat started.

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

Never played BG2, nor Wiz8 nor Nehrim, which should I go for first?(which is the best?)

 

[Nael]

Never played BG2, nor Wiz8 nor Nehrim, which should I go for first?(which is the best?)

I don't know anything about Nehrim, but between BG2 and Wiz8 I'd go with Wiz8. The combat can get overwhelming and tedious at times and the story reminds me of an intermediate cartoon, but BG2 aint worth your time unless you enjoy the Forgotten Realms setting. And you really should play BG1 first anyway imho.

There are numerous threads about both games from a "This is my first time playing this game" perspective so I advise you hit the search button.

 

[Hegel]

Not the best but the most fun for sure.

 

[Volourn]

BG2 is dead.

 

[Hegel]

BG2 is dead.

Along with Bioware's creativity it seems.