Baldur's Gate Original Saga with Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion Pack

by Black Isle Studios

Product Features

• Works in Windows XP.

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005S8J2
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: November 13, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,383 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

In Baldur's Gate (Role Playing Game of the Year, 1998), with expansion pack Tales of the Sword Coast, deeds are rewarded with vast treasures of legend, glory beyond compare and a world rescued from the brink of disaster!

Unleash your imagination in a fantasy world where heroes use magic, steel and their wits to battle fearsome monsters and unscrupulous villians. Guide your party of adventurers from the bustling medieval city of Baldur's Gate through hundreds of quests and challenges that will take you on a journey that you will soon not forget!

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive PC role-playing experience, May 17, 2003

By 

Ironblayde (Omaha, Nebraska, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baldur's Gate Original Saga with Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion Pack (CD-ROM)

Baldur's Gate is one of the most immersive and enjoyable RPGs that I've played. The plot is very interesting, the characters are wonderful, and I can't put my finger on exactly what does it, but somehow this portrait of the Forgotten Realms draws me into the game world like nothing else I've played before. The first time I fired up this game led to a 24-hour gaming marathon with no food or sleep; that's how engaging it is.

You play a young man (or woman -- you create your own character) forced to leave his home under suspicious circumstances early in the game, and you find yourself out in a hostile world seeking answers about yourself. The story in this game is more personal than the traditional task of stopping the madman who wants to destroy the world, though it still becomes epic in scale, and is very well done.

Along the way you'll meet a number of NPCs (non-player characters), up to five of whom you can take with you and control. Since there are a number of character classes available, and each class has a vast array of special abilities, managing your party requires a good deal of thought, and engaging in battle requires a sound strategy. A well-balanced party is essential. The game itself is very well-balanced, so there are always numerous ways to attack any given situation.

The game is very large, and spans five CDs (six if you include the expansion). You can stick to the main story arc if you want, but there are dozens upon dozens of optional side-quests that you can attack as well. This is part of what makes the game so immersive, I think -- the fact that you so often have very significant interaction with all the minor characters in the game, rather than having them just spit out the same line of dialogue every time you meet.

There are only two drawbacks I can think of to this game, and they are minor gripes indeed. The first is that the game is based on the D&D 2nd Edition rules, which are outdated now, but the game still plays extremely well. You just don't have access to the additional options that 3rd Edition presents.

The second drawback is that it may be difficult to get into this for someone who's already played Baldur's Gate 2. As good as this game is, the sequel surpassed it in every possible way, and so it does feel like a significant step backwards. Don't let that dissuade you, though. Especially at the low price you can now get the game and its expansion for, it is well worth the money. Be sure to check out the sequel when you're done.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic RPG, May 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Baldur's Gate Original Saga with Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion Pack (CD-ROM)

Baldur's Gate is a fantastic game! Baldur's Gate continues to amaze and impress however if you're looking for a quick kill this RPG does not fit the bill. Baldur's Gate has good graphics by today's standards and has an impressive story line which is somewhat linear in nature. The story allows the player to do what they wish. Multitudinous side quests coupled with flexibility in characters allow the game to be played many times over which offers hours upon hours of play. The interface is well organized and easy to use, the music, story line, and great technical aspects of the game immerse the player into the story. Bioware is notorious for their thorough game testing resulting in outstanding reliability. There is one patch available for download on the Bioware web page along with another update that allows for support of DirectX 8.0. You can't go wrong with this title.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This game smoked my social life!, August 17, 2002

By 

maninblue "maninblue" (Cudahy, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Baldur's Gate Original Saga with Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion Pack (CD-ROM)

I recently purchased this game with the expansion at the store for 20 bucks. For that price I couldnt go wrong, what with all the great reviews about it. I had a few problems after the installation with some "assertion errors" but the online troubleshooting sites helped me out. It turns out that the problem was mine, not the game's.
Anyway, at first, I wasnt sure how much I would really like this game. I thought it might have the tendancy to drag on. Actually, I have put some time into it and now I am so engulfed with this game that I have been staying up until wee hours in the morning with it. Theres is always something to do, somewhere to explore, people to help out or kill. Theres so much going on that I have yet to even come close to the city of Baldurs Gate! Ive been content with traveling elsewhere. Thats part of the beauty of the game. The fact that it doesnt force you to do anything in any order or, like most games, force you to go to area A, find object B, kill Boss C, proceed to area Z, etc. I like the fact that I know there is trouble to the south in the mines, but I feel like hanging out in the hills, looking for an insane mage. Ill get to the mines later.
Everytime this game is played it will be different depending on your choices. While im waiting for Baldurs gate2 to be shipped with the expansion, I might as well roll up a totally different character, play the game in a new sequence, and recruit the NPCs that I told to get lost the last time around. Ill take Brage to the Garrison of the Flaming Fist so they chop off his head and give me the bounty instead of giving him shelter in the church.
In short, the game is fun. It has been making me decide to stay in on nights that I should have gone out with friends. I was disappointed that it had no paper manual, but 20 bucks for this game is well spent. The manual is on disk one anyway.