Customer Reviews

Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows Of Amn (Mac)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It had been a long, long wait for the original Baldur's Gate to come to the Mac, and when it finally did come, it proved to be a fine RPG, albeit with a few too many more or less empty areas to traverse (unless you consider killing wild dogs and wolves highly thrilling). However, where the game truly disappointed was in its buggy performance--unexpected quits were frequent before the first patches arrived, and during the exceedingly long save & load times you could basically go to the kitchen and fix yourself a sandwich (and eat it, too).

All of this has changed in BG II. Loading & saving is swift--if you are in a tough battle and have to try different approaches (or avert disaster), you will find frequent reloads fast and feasible. If you have enough hard disk space to perform a full install, these processes will execute even faster. The game is also blissfully stable, at least in Mac OS 9 (I was able to run it well enough in OS X, but didn't like the screen resolutions it offers for this game). Also nice is the option to play BG II at 800x600 resolution, making for a nice, wide view of the areas or battlefields. As far as gameplay is concerned, one very noticeable improvement is in the pathfinding--characters will now squeeze past their fellow party members to get to their destinations. No longer will your frail mages who happened to end up in the front line get pounded in tight spots, while the burly warriors are stuck in the back.

The game offers a very involved plot with plenty of subplots (although the availability of some of these depends on the kind of character you play), and the main storyline progresses a little more tightly than in the first BG. A very nice touch is the strong interaction with--and among--your party members. They will bicker, flirt, and even fall in love with you or one another. This is no mere atmospheric touch--when a character really doesn't get along with the others, you may have to consider sending them off on their own way because the infighting can get pretty ugly. Anyone who has had Viconia, Jaheira, and Aerie in their party will know what I mean. Alignment matters here in more than one way, as well: evil characters may have spells available that will specifically target good creatures (and they will in turn be harmed by some 'good' spells), so if you maintain a mixed bunch, you may have to avoid using certain magicks or some of your party members may get hurt more than wicked enemies!

Some quests are initiated by characters approaching your party members (in friendly or unfriendly ways) rather than you, although whether to accept the tasks involved is up to you--just be aware that some characters will leave if they have truly pressing business to take care off. The dialog and voice acting is superb throughout. All of this enhances the feeling of immersion in a complex world that happens all around you.

Magical items, including weapons, armour, rings, scrolls, and more, are by far more numerous than in BG II (but not as ubiquitous as in Diablo II), and after a while, your characters should have collected a choice selection of equipment.

What truly amazed me about this game is how many different ways often present themselves to deal with certain situations ... from clever magicks to brute force to diplomacy ... more than once, mercy and compassion are rewarded more than quick arrows, swords, and fireballs--making battle altogether unnecessary.

For those who feel that having equipment repaired by blacksmiths in Diablo was already a tedium, BG II may prove too fussy as far as character maintenance goes (not to mention that combat is also a pretty complex affair--the space bar, which pauses the action, will become your best friend) ... but if you think micro-managing a diverse party of adventurers with widely different talents is to die for, BG II will have you in a swoon. Oh, by the way, it looks pretty as the night sky in August, too!

Forget about Sophomore slump; this is a game in which the sequel outdoes the original. Think Aliens, think Wrath of Khan, lump this into the category of second-hand genius.

I played this game a good way through on the PC before discovering that MacPlay was bringing it to Mac. Knowing that I would have a chance to experience Baldur's Gate 2 on my favored platform, I gave a friend the PC version and hunkered down to wait. From playing the original about 2/3 through, I can tell you the following:

* Character creation is fabulously deep, and the dialogue trees with the NPCs are hilarious. Your actions really seem to have repercussions, which goes a long way to making you feel involved.
* The number of FedEx quests (go get this thing and bring it back) have been greatly reduced, and those that exist have fun twists.
* Combat is much better. The auto-pause feature, if used wisely, will save you from a lot of savegame reloads.
* The management of high-level quests and adventures boggles the mind. It's an interesting dilemma: how does one make a super-high-level quest exciting? When killing orcs loses all challenge, how do you keep hitting the player with problems that seem both appropriate and dangerous? The Black Isle team manages quite well.
* The writing is not on the level of a good novel, but it's better than most films, and superior to 99% of television. People have compared BG2 to a novel, but I think they're responding to the length and immersive nature of the game. It's good, but it ain't exactly Charles Dickens.

On the downside (since I'm obligated to give at least one), this game has the potential to hurt your marriage, relationships, children, friends and/or pets. Try to budget your time when this hot little number shows up on your doorstep.

I originally bought this game for my PC. Then, when I converted, I looked at all the games on the Mac. Dungeon Siege didn't have the same type of game play, and Icewindale was just too outdated. However, I loved Baldur's Gate so much...that I bought it again, only the Mac version. The graphics are not the latest and greatest compared to what is out now, but they are very attractive. The big thing for me is the gameplay. The newer games are designed around the user playing only one character. In BG2, I had more fun creating different parties and combinations on my own. The only complaint I had, really, was that this has an experience point cap, so you can't get all the highest level spells and abilities. But, if you buy the BG2, Throne of Baal, it removes that cap and adds even more spells. I recommend this to anyone who loves the original feel of the D&D game.

Dating back to the original Wizardry, Ultima III, and Might & Magic, RPGs have been my favorite Mac games since the beginning.

The original Baldur's Gate was a wonderful blend of strong storytelling, good old fashioned character advancement and party management, and unique, developed non-player characters. The sheer depth of the world was stunning, not to mention all the side quests culminating into the main driving story. It was a hard game to top.

Baldur's Gate II has clearly been able to do just that. The graphics are substantially better, the NPCs are even more developed -- including more interaction with your main protagonist -- and the world has that same sense of vastness and wonder. The game picks up soon after the original, but someone who hasn't played BG1 easily can get caught up to speed and dive right in. Jaheira, Minsc, and Imoen are just a few of the returning NPCs, and everyone has more more substance and the way you treat/respond to them has long-standing effects.

One of the best things about BG2 is that it is faster and more stable than BG1. As good as the original was, it tended to be buggy and load/save times were slow (at least on my G4). BG2 is faster in all respects and much more stable.

This is definitely a must-have for any RPG fans, and game fans in general. It uses all the most recent D&D rules, including 'new' classes such as monk and sorceror. I can't remember the last time I was this hooked on a game.

I had this for the PC, but when I got a PowerBook G4 550 to carry when I travel, I decided to get the Mac version of BGII. I was looking forward to a game which claimed to be able to run under OSX instead of having to boot into OS9, but under OSX, the multiplayer game is so slow it's unbearable...the mouse is jerky and the players walk pretty slowly. Under OS9 with the same settings, but running the OS9 version, it ran perfectly.

Other than that, the other reviews probably cover the gameplay...

This game is incredibe, although it's game-play is a little slower than Diablo II, the story is rich and you have many choices, but be warned! When you play this USE OS9, NOT OSX. On OSX the movements become choppy and can slow down because this game was made for 9, not X.

Everything about this game is polished and thoughtful. While the graphics would probably now be considered a bit dated and are not 3-D, I find the artwork beautifully done and interesting to look at. The sounds mesh realistically with the environments, music is good, and the voice-acting superb. I particularly like the NPC (non-player character) Minsc, and his hamster Boo. While the story is "serious" there are quite a few comic moments sprinkled throughout, making for some humorous turns.
This is not a game that can be easily picked up, however, and I would really hesitate before getting for a young child, particularly if they were not familiar with D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) or RPG's in general. (Plus, some of the humor is skewed a little bit more towards adults.) The game has a bit of a learning curve as you familiarize yourself with the skills of your character, spells, enemies and so forth. If you don't apply yourself to learning the mechanics of it I could see it being quite frustrating as you will die at every turn. If, like me, you are not already familiar with the genre you may want to take a look around the web for tips on creating characters, learning spells, fighting, etc. There are also a number of walkthroughs available online in case you really get stuck. I print them out and keep them handy, but try not to look at them too much. Much of the fun is in the discovery.
As far as how well it works on the Mac, I've had no trouble whatsoever, and the fact that the game is a bit old at this point just means you don't need the latest and greatest hardware to run it. Load times for the different areas can be a bit long at times, though.
To sum up, the game is HUGE and has an interesting story, along with more quests than you would ever want, so if you are into RPG's, or think you might want to give one a try, I wholeheartedly recommend this one.

This game can be found for sale on amazon by typeing the game name in and adding macplay to the front of the name ! why I don't know. but they have four buyers waiting here for it and it is available under the other name? Who knows?

This is my favorite game ever, bar none. It is so very disappointing that it was ported to OSX this poorly. You will literally spend half of your time with this game re-loading from a crash or freeze. And that's IF you get it to run in the first place. It has so many install-related issues that many people simply give up trying (according to forums). Buy and play this game in Windows (I cannot BELIEVE I just wrote that!)

Now that Baldurs Gate 2 is out, I have built another temple in my backyard in which to place it at night. By day i sing praters and hymns in the temple and then at noon i begin my most pleasureful pastime... Baldurs Gate Baby.
On a more serious note. I've been a DM for fourteen years and this is the closest thing to heaven for a RPG buff. I put it up on my TSR/WOTC game shelf next to Eye of the Beholder, Dragon Strike, Legends of Valor, The Summoning and Veil of Darkness (NTW if you know and have played all these games. U ROCK!)
This game unlike Final Fantasy is what RPGing is all about PERIOD