a BG1 gamer plays BG2 (major spoilers!)

[Pirengle]

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MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!
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This is a review of the game as I played it.
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This post contains several late-game spoilers.
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I don't have time to disguise them adequately, because this post took longer than I meant to write it...
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...so if you haven't finished the game, you're gonna get spoiled royally...
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if you continue reading after this point.

Originally posted by Annatar on the scariest BG2 race thread: Off-topic: Pirengle the BNM you don't have SoA that long is it? I'm just asking because you seem to know alot about it...And I didn't saw you here on the forum (SoA/ToB) before (only the last 2 weeks or so). You where/are active on the BG forum (Your BG Trivia Quiz ect. )I can remember something that you got it like 2 or 3 weeks ago.. Am I correct? Do you like it (ofcorse you do )?

I've had SoA since Feb 29, took me ~2 weeks to beat the game (just finished it last night). I was more active on the BG forum because I beat BG before I even knew Ironworks existed, and I tend to post more where I know what's going on (and I can be a know-it-all ). I'm asking more questions here and I'm hesitant to give advice because I don't know BG2 as well as I know BG1.

I feel the same way about BG2 that I feel about Diablo 2. In both cases, I played the originals first and grew attached to certain aspects about the original games and was disappointed when the sequels nerfed those aspects or didn't include them at all. In both cases, however, there were aspects the original games didn't have and the sequels implemented perfectly.

the sights: BG1 felt very cartoon-y above ground. Below ground, it was different. There was a presence to the area that the aboveground art couldn't capture. BG2 did this perfectly right, IMO. In this game, nature looks like nature instead of pixels. I was blown away by the graphics in SoA! Disappointed at the lack of movies, though. BG2 had twice as many. But, like the NPCs, what few movies are in BG2 are so well done! Favorite movie in the game: The end movie, where Irenicus looks behind him, then spins around to throw the magical bolt at the slayers (whatever those things are), the spell fails because he no longer has the abilities, and the look on his face. My GOD. *****

the sounds: BG1 ran the gamut of sound, from the really terrifying (basilisk and spider noises) to the really funny (drunken sailors!) to the really lame (the themes for Nashkel and the wilderness got on my nerves so much I eventually killed the BG music altogether). In BG2, there was never a point where I had to turn off the music. Spending more than 10 minutes rolling stats was a good thing--the music no longer drove me to insanity! [img]smile.gif[/img] The music induced the mood. The sound effects, however, took a downswing. Things weren't scary or funny, things were just noisy. The NPC out-of-the-blue dialogue bits were also gone, and I missed those!Favorite sound effect in the game: besides the romance music (all they need is a saxophone and it turns into cheesy pr0n underscore), there was a theme played under the Ellisime/Irenicus dialogue that played off their emotions so well, it made me tear up. Poor David Warner! *****

the gameplay: What can I say? I'm a fan of D&D, and I've played a couple PnP campaigns in my 20 years. There are some things I wish I could fix with this game, though, and party movement tops the list. BG2 isn't as bad as BG1 on this, but I'd love to be able to instruct my 16-18 INT party members to go to some spot and have not only all of them arrive there but take the shortest route possible to get there. Bugged the boogers out of me to tell my party to go to one Waukeen's Promenade exit and have one party member (usually Yoshimo) run around the entire thing the other way to get to that spot. Jeez, Yoshi, can't you just follow everyone else?!

Enemy AI has also improved from original to sequel, and ***** it's nice to know that people who abused the AI in BG1 with a certain scimitar dual-wielding Drow can get his butt handed to him by Drizzt and party.*****

I loved the addition of romances to BG2, but I'm disappointed with the lack of choices. Anomen. ANOMEN?! Maybe it's because I'm a serious female gamer geek, and serious ones are hard to find. But I wonder what might have happened if BioWare finished the Haer'Dalis romance, or made Yoshimo or Valygar romance possibilities. It bugs me that I have to roleplay a man as well as a class/kit in order to get more romance options. (Yes, I know that there are at least 3 mods I can download to get other male romance options. I'm talking about "this is the game as I got it" here.)

I also want to talk about the NPCs, but I have a meeting in ~30 minutes. Next post!

[Annatar]

Yes or no was sufficient as an answer... but this is fine to ...

No really I like it when people take the time to make a great post and just open up how they feel about the game.

It is a amazing feeling to play it for the first time, that I'm sure of.

I'm just amazed that you know so much already about BG II - SoA... thats why my previous post in ehm... (where did I post it [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img] )

What kind of class did you play? wich NPCS ect.? I'm just curious [img]smile.gif[/img] .

[Link]

Music: I really liked (and still like) the music that is played when Aerie started talking to you. It's like everything stops, and you start to float, that melody on the harp (or whatever instrument it is) is just sooo beautiful!!

[Pirengle]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Annatar:
Yes or no was sufficient as an answer... but this is fine to ...

Now that I've invaded the BG2 board you'll figure out quick that I talk just like Jan Jansen.

It is a amazing feeling to play it for the first time, that I'm sure of.

My friends got really nervous. They didn't see me for 8 hours the day I bought this game. I finished all my immediate work, prioritized the rest, wrapped up every real-life concern I could think of, unplugged the phone, locked my door, hooked in my headphones, and enjoyed. Later sessions were 2-3 hours, and the ending stretch timed at a little under 5.

I'm just amazed that you know so much already about BG II - SoA... thats why my previous post in ehm... (where did I post it [img]graemlins/1ponder.gif[/img] )

Once I got to Spellhold, I started learning more about the game. Before that, I just limited myself to Six's guide. Once I landed in Brynnlaw, after I finished each area in BG2, I looked up Dan Simpson's walkthrough. I looked at quests, what I did wrong, what I could do instead of the choices I made, how many things I missed in the Underdark, etc. Oh, you should have heard the swearing when I read exactly how I screwed myself out of Crom Faeyr! I didn't kill the Shadow dragon, didn't fully explore the sewers or the Underdark, and didn't feel like dropping somebody for Valygar to get access to the Planar Sphere.

And that PS thing really makes me mad. Who was asleep at the table when that decision was being made?! Let's see...the only way to get access to the mage/sorc stronghold, a part of one of the best weapons in the game (and the perfect weapon for my cleric/ranger, might I add), a nice protection-shattering spell to have in Spellhold (K's Warding Whip), two VERY sweet rings (Acuity and Ram), and a ton of experience is to either put Valygar into your party or have his dead body in your possession. Since killing the little b*st*rd is considered evil, the only way a roleplaying good-aligned mage/sorc can get the stronghold is dropping somebody. I think the fact that I have to worry about party members to access my stronghold is an oversight. I mean, Korgan's quest for the book is one thing, but being without a stronghold is another.

What kind of class did you play? wich NPCS ect.? I'm just curious [img]smile.gif[/img] .

I finished the game with (and working off my memory on this one):
Pirengle: level 14/12 cleric/ranger, average stats (nothing outstanding), had FoA, shield +3, d-somebody's plate, and 1 7th level spell.
Anomen: level 17 cleric, switched between Skullcrusher (w/o upgrade), Jerrod's Mace, and MoD (w/ upgrade), upgraded Delryn shield, Gorgon's plate +4, a nice helmet, and -11 AC. Can we say, tank?
Minsc: level 15 ranger, dual-wielding Daystar and Flametongue, plate of Balduran, a nice helmet too.
Jaheira: level 15/14 fighter/druid, staff of arundel and the nice staff in Suldenessellar, full plate +2 (I think), helm of Balduran, RoP +2 (I think)
Aerie: level 14/15 mage/cleric, elven chain mail (from the black dragon), pale green ioun stone, all the +spell doodads in the game, and the sling of everard, plus most of my high level offensive spells
Imoen: level 13 mage, Gesen bow, upgraded robe of the good archmagi, the mask of King Strohm III (got REALLY upset when she could wear the dusty rose ioun stone), the staff of air for the summon, plus most of my high level defensive spells

I can't remember exact levels (I'm probably wrong for everybody), but most of us were around 14-15, except Anomen.

I encountered a bug with his romance. Well, maybe not a bug, but a thing to know. If you're romancing him, you MUST go to the Radiant Heart BEFORE killing Firkraag and AFTER rescuing Garren Windspear's child. The romance stopped after I killed Firkraag without going back to the Order, and although I reactivated the romance with the console (meaning Bodhi still kidnapped him), the Infamous Night™ never happened.

The end of the game? Well, Irenicus was a pushover. I had more problems getting to him than when I was actually at him. Same with BG1--had more problems with everything leading up to the final battle in the last chapter than with the final battle itself. Biggest mistake in the battle: the wrong mage cast Time Stop. Now that Immie's made time stand still, what can she do?! Grr. Managed to take out the Fiends and make an attempt at dispelling Warner's protections before they wore off. And how does he thank me? A nice Symbol: Death for Aerie and the ABHW took out Imoen. Great. Anomen, use that Rod of Absorption on yourself and show Irenicus what the +5 on a Jerrod's Mace stands for. Minsc, provide backup. Aww, Rennie's running away. Give chase! I got Aerie and Imoen back on their feet. While Jaheira and Pirengle provided healing assistance and all four ladies cast spells like mad, Anomen and Minsc kept David Warner quite busy. Diablo Jr finally popped. Booyah! And Pirengle dances up and down the hall.

I'm starting a new party, this time with a sorcerer. I'm thinking about
--Anomen (to get the romance to work right this time)
--Keldorn (ANYTHING to get Anomen to quit acting like a pompous j*ck*ss)
--Cernd (highly underrated, if you ask me)
--Valygar (was thinking about punting him as soon as I get my stronghold, but I want to see how he works)
--Haer'Dalis (I don't agree with Jasper St. Baird--H'D can be cool)

After spending the day on an all-female campus, it's gonna be nice to relax for 2-3 hours with a party full of men. The only foreseeable problem is that I'm going to be doing a couple quests with only Anomen and myself.

Doesn't Keldorn appear starting in chapter 3? And if I do his quest in the right moral way he'll leave my party forever? "Hey, you with the +5 sword! Get back here!"

I'm also nervous about taking a party with little clerical backup. In my first game, only ONE character didn't have access to priest spells. I'm used to going into battle with potions as on-the-field healing and using the major healing spells of my priest for post-battle repairs. I see a lot of potion-buying in my future.

I'm also not used to taking a lawful/neutral mage. All my BG1 PC mages were evil. It's easier to roleplay an evil mage. [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img]

[Tancred]

Originally posted by Pirengle the BNM: And that PS thing really makes me mad. Who was asleep at the table when that decision was being made?! Let's see...the only way to get access to the mage/sorc stronghold, a part of one of the best weapons in the game (and the perfect weapon for my cleric/ranger, might I add), a nice protection-shattering spell to have in Spellhold (K's Warding Whip), two VERY sweet rings (Acuity and Ram), and a ton of experience is to either put Valygar into your party or have his dead body in your possession. Since killing the little b*st*rd is considered evil, the only way a roleplaying good-aligned mage/sorc can get the stronghold is dropping somebody. I think the fact that I have to worry about party members to access my stronghold is an oversight. I mean, Korgan's quest for the book is one thing, but being without a stronghold is another.

I felt the same. Mind you, what *I* did was tell a party member (Yoshimo) to go to the Copper Coronet (after taking all of Yoshimo's equipment from him, just in case he 'loses' it somewhere) and recruit Valygar, go to Athkatla, get Valygar to open the door, drop Valygar and go and recruit Yoshimo again, and THEN enter the Planar Sphere. If you don't want to drop anyone for long, that's the best way I can think of doing it.

[Dundee Slaytern]

Just a little trivia, but when I was exploring Baldur's Gate City in BG1, it came as a surprise to hear the SoA theme music when I entered the Lady's Hall.

[Indemaijinj]

Graphics-wise BG2 wins. There is only one place in my opinion where it competes.

That place is the City of Baldur's Gate. It is just so full of character and looks beautiful at night.

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by Tancred: I felt the same. Mind you, what *I* did was tell a party member (Yoshimo) to go to the Copper Coronet (after taking all of Yoshimo's equipment from him, just in case he 'loses' it somewhere) and recruit Valygar, go to Athkatla, get Valygar to open the door, drop Valygar and go and recruit Yoshimo again, and THEN enter the Planar Sphere. If you don't want to drop anyone for long, that's the best way I can think of doing it.

So you don't have to keep Valygar in your party for the trip into the Planar Sphere? Also, the party suggestion I made didn't have any thieves. The Yoshimo/Valygar switch might just work.

Originally posted by Dundee Slaytern: Just a little trivia, but when I was exploring Baldur's Gate City in BG1, it came as a surprise to hear the SoA theme music when I entered the Lady's Hall.

I've heard a few BG1 themes in BG2. The BG1 tavern music shows up in Umar Hills and a couple other places. And some of the BG1 late-game themes show up in some dungeons and caves.

[Dundee Slaytern]

That is correct. You only need Valgar to open the door. Anything beyond that, is totally up to you. Which is why... he is sometimes refer to wryly as the Planar's Sphere's doorman, for obvious reasons.

"Hey Valgar, how's it is going? Any visitors?"

"No boss, just me and the Golem, just me and the Golem. Oh, but I think Teos wants to talk to you about some apprentices."

[karlosovic]

personally Im pretty dubious about ranger kits in general. in fact... rangers in general. they're just a crippled fighter that can hide on the off-chance you cant find him any armour. but if that's what you want... thieves can also find traps, pickpocket, open doors... the list goes on.

Interesting Trivia:
Newer releases of BG1 come complete with TotSC, and its got better compression so it all fits on 3 CDs. You didnt care about that, but the extra bonus in this pack is a 4th CD containing the soundtrack. [img]redface.gif[/img] )