First off I have to mention that I've played very little of this game. I'm still on the second chapter... shameful isn't it? What this means is that even though I love the game right now, it might end up disappointing me hugely later on. That said, on to the actual review.
I was actually biased against this game when I started to play it. This bias was based on my previous experience with full-party roleplaying games, in the shape of World of Xeen. The problem with that game was that you formed a party with six characters, but you only ever like one or two of them. The rest simply fall into stereotypical class roles and usually find themselves picking through the worse gear while your favorite dudes get all the good stuff.
Baldur's Gate 2 makes a mockery of my worries. The characters in it are so great I find myself liking many of them even more than the character I made (cool fact: you only ever make one character in this game. The rest are NPCs that join your group. Yes I know that you can make a whole party in multiplayer. On with the review).
My favorite NPCs in order that you get them:
Minsc (& Boo!) - It's totally impossible not to love this hilarious ranger and his pet hamster, Boo. His quotes are even funny after multiple playings (A den of stinking evil! Cover your nose, Boo. We will leave no crevice untouched!) and every time I see his portrait pop up in conversation I smile because I know he'll be hilarious (butts will be liberally kicked in good measure!).
Aerie - Okay, first off, she's totally hot. That and she's a winged elf. Yes, she lost her wings, but come on man! A winged elf chick! It doesn't get any better than that. Her portrait's hot, her voice is hot, and she's great to talk to when you're between quests. Like Minsc, I smile every time her portrait pops up in conversation, and that's because she's dead sexy AND because she has such cool things to say. Yes, I do think she's way hotter than that stupid drow chick who, though pretty fine herself, can't hold a candle to my elf babe.
Keldorn Firecam - First things first: he's an Inquisitor. That makes him a necessary addition to my party right from the start. His portrait is really cool (scars RULE in fantasy games) and he has a cool personality. Plus, the cheat guide insists he's the best NPC in the game. Even if he were the WORST he might be along for the ride, but come on, there's no way I'd leave this guy behind.
If for some reason I make some dumb mistake and lose one of those three, I'll probably just start over.
But there's more than cool characters in this game. There's true roleplaying. I've gotten a huge kick out of the fact that you're always given lots of things to say to any NPC, including some great insults. Plus of course there's the fact that you can make friends with your party members, or even get some romance in with the female members of the party (no prize for guessing who I've got my hopes on). Kicking bad guys in the face is always nice, and since this is a medium-level game you've already got some pretty nifty spells and abilities.
What exactly can be found wrong with this game? Well, the GUI images of the characters are lame as a rule (but the portraits make up for that). The fights are also insanely difficult (but I guess I deserve that for turning the difficulty up to true D&D rules). One thing that kinda stinks is that the character you make is forced to be Bhaal's son and the leader of your group (otherwise good ol' Perrem Frinn would have made a reappearance). My biggest gripe: so many helmets seem to have horns. Nothing says cheesy 80's D&D like having some massive Viking-wannabe horns on your helmet. I've considered just chucking the stupid Helm of Baldurn quite a few times just because it looks so ridiculous.
Right, now that the griping's done it's time to go through the good stuff again.
Awesome characters.
Great roleplaying.
Not Diablo II-ish.
This game kicks butt and takes names. Accept no imitations.
My favorite moment in the game so far (and the best I've felt while playing a video game in a long, long time): SPOILER: When Minsc is talking to Aerie, and asks her to be his witch and she accepts. Before you get ahead of me, she's not asking her to be his woman or something like that. What happened was: in the first game you meet Minsc as he's trying to do his tribe's mission to acquire manhood. This includes having to protect a woman, his "witch", with his life. So he's like a bodyguard, not a boyfriend, okay? Anyway, this goes horribly wrong and the chick dies, leaving Minsc dishonored and unable to go home. So in Baldur's Gate 2 he tries to get his honor back by getting a new witch and defending her instead. And they're my two favorite characters ^_^ What a great game!!!
PS: Love Baldur's Gate but want to play a newer game? Just get the Baldur's Gate 2 portrait pack for NWN. Now you can even get Minsc sounds. Finally, now 3-D evil can suffer Minsc and Boo's righteous butt-kicking!
