3502

Everyone has already played it. And played it again. Ten years ago.

It’s like trying to breathe new life into a discussion about Back to the Future.

3503

I dunno, games just as old or older have garnered a lot more discussion, I think.

3504

It’s awesome and still remains one of the best RPGs of all time, if you don’t own it yet then buy it now.

The end.

3505

Heh, maybe people are too busy playing it. ;)

3506

It’s one of many that fell in my blank stretch, so I’m quite looking forward to finally experiencing The Greatest RPG Ever Told.

3507

TGRPGET is probably PS:T, but BG2 arguably gets TGRPGEPlayed ;)

So … has anyone hooked the GOG versions of BG1 and BG2 into the super-duper-combo version, yet?

3508

I originally passed Baldur’s Gate 2 up because I hated the original Baldur’s Gate. People told me it was more like the Black Isle RPGs and less like the original BG, but I didn’t trust people anymore, because people I had trusted before were the ones that kept insisting I should keep playing Baldur’s Gate, and that it would get better.

What turned it around for me was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Suddenly my bitterness over Baldur’s Gate seemed uncalled for. Bioware could clearly do interesting characters and great dialog and a good, riveting story. So maybe Baldur’s Gate 2 was good after all? So I bought BG2 around 2005/06, but since then, the sheer size of the game (from all accounts) is one of the things that keeps me postponing going back to play it.

Playing an epic RPG is a pretty time consuming task, so just starting one is intimidating.

3509

OK, keep in mind, the beginning of baldur’s gate 2 is pretty crappy. IMO it’s an awesome game that I would replay for the 4th time if I didn’t have a life to live, but the first two hours will do nothing to allay your anxieties about the game sucking. However, there are some fan patches that excise the opening dungeon while still giving you all relevant loot.

3510

Oh crap. I totally hadn’t thought of that. That save game I had in the main city after the opening dungeon after Imoen has been taken away was on my last computer which finally died the other week, so I can’t get at that save anymore. The thought of playing that horrible opening dungeon again is already giving me an anxiety attack.

Is this the mod you’re talking about? If so, that would be a godsend.

3511

… maybe? Looks like it. There’s a thread going right now for the GoG edition,here’s the OP with his hot to trot mod list including dungeon-be-gone.

3512

There’s a separate thread for it: http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showthread.php?t=62195

3513

It’s called Dungeon-be-Gone and you can find it on Pocket Plane Group: http://www.pocketplane.net/dbg

3514

Yes, that’d be Dungeon-Be-Gone. You get most of what you want, but not every single thing. Some modded NPCs start in the dungeon area so be careful about reading those readme files!

3515

The combo version sounds awesome. But I’m worried I don’t have enough hours in the rest of my life to play a game like that.

Tony

3516

Is there anything in the first dungeon worth the investment should I be willing to accept its horrors for the sake of completivity?

3517

Yea, this thing sounds always intriguing and I truly want to play it. But I never get around to it as my average Time per game is down to 20-30 Hours max. One Day…

3518

yeah - there’s probably around 200 hours of gameplay in the MegaMod…

which reminds me…ImaTarget - GET BACK TO LOTRO ;-)

3519

Make no mistake, it is terrible compared to the rest of the game, but it’s not all that arduous. It’ll take maybe an hour for you to polish it off and get out into the world proper. I wouldn’t skip it on my first playthrough, as there are a couple of interesting storyline nuggets.

There’s also some missable loot that doesn’t come into play until equipment or characters become viable at least thirty hours later in the storyline, so make sure you’re aware of stuff you should keep an eye out for when you go through it. I’m thinking particularly of a pommel jewel and a seemingly insignificant +2 sword.

3520

The first dungeon in BG2 can’t possibly be as bad as the first training dungeon in Fallout 2.

3521

It’s not, but the one in Fallout 2 only lasts about five minutes. It’s more of a short, sharp slap than BG2’s throbbing headache.