I hear the Baldur's Gate "Tutu" mod is the way to go, i.e. which allows you to play the original Baldur's Gate with some of the nice little fixes from the Baldur's Gate II engine. I also hear that some people are not entirely pleased with the "Enhanced Edition" that is also available for purchase.

The AD&D 2nd Edition rules always struck me as so complex as to be intimidating.

BGEE is fine IMO most annoying visual stuff and story additions can be ignored or turned off.

Yeah, I'm already playing Enhanced Edition from GOG, but I don't know any different because I've never played the original edition, so I'm happy with it. 😉

MMaximus wrote:

clueless1 wrote:

Nine days (and about 20 hrs) into starting Baldur's Gate, I'm ready to proclaim this the best RPG I've ever played. It's that good. It reminds me a lot of Wizardry 8. Completely different perspective (isometric vs first person), but it's party-based, turn-based, huge world, deep story, lots of side quests, amazing soundtrack, heavy on stats, D&D style (though Wiz8 was not based on official AD&D rules), and so addictive. I find myself clearing each map unnecessarily just to explore the terrain, find new creatures to combat, and gain EXP.

Thanks for the mini-review - after reading your post I intended to buy it a few weeks ago when it was on sale on GOG but somehow I missed my shot and now it's back to normal price. 😒

I have to say the prospect of playing a RPG again seems a bit daunting as I remember the countless hours sunk into games like Final Fantasy VII, Suikoden and Might and Magic back in the day, and I don't have the time available anymore for this. But somehow I miss the experience of playing these very engaging games, and wonder if there would be a way for me to play just an hour here and there, even if it means spreading the play over a several months period...

That's what I'm doing. 😀 A few weeknights a week I spend about an hour playing, then I get another hour or so in Friday and Saturday before bed, and usually a couple of hours in on Saturday and Sunday mornings while the rest of the family is sleeping in. I even manage to get some 15-20 minute sessions in early in the mornings before work. 😊