A titanic RPG that requires total commitment
When it first hit DOS systems back in 1998 this game singlehandedly raised the level of what old school RPG could do by a tenfold. The game brought party based RPG into the consciences of players who loved Dungeon and Dragons and offered them a sprawling world of quests and battles to rival any other game that came before and many to come after it. Even today the game is still in the limelight, with a complete overhaul expected to hit this year (2013) that brings the game into the HD era. But the devotion of the fans is even more fantastic than this. A complete port of the game in a 3D environment is also near completion, though gamers can play a relatively stable beta version already available as a mod for the Neverwinter Nights 2 game (plus some additional DLCs). But, if you'd like to take the original for a spin be warned: this is not an easy game. This is not the kind of RPG that places an arrow in front of you and masquerades that as an adventure. You genuinely have to pay attention to the quests. This isn't a game that treats you to flavor text for you to choose to read it or not. If you don't absorb the info that comes your way you might as well just play blindly, as the game won't steer your every move. So, if you want to revisit this game be prepared to concentrate yourself 100 percent. The game world is absolutely immense, a realm that is going to require tens of hours of exploration, will test your endurance, your attention and your dedication. You simply can't play Baldur's gate casually, but if you're doing the proper thing and invest seriously in it, the satisfaction will be tenfold bigger than that afforded by recent RPGs.
