baldurs-gate-2 posts

GoG.com's quest to get the classic BioWare-developed Dungeons and Dragons-based RPG games on its DRM-free game service is now complete. After putting the original Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights titles on its download site, GoG.com now has Baldur's Gate 2 on sale as well.

First released in 2000 by publisher Interplay the game's rights have now reverted to Atari. GoG.com's version contains the original title and its 2001 expansion pack Throne of Bhaal. It also contains two downloadable manuals, a soundtrack, wallpapers, avatars, artwork, a map, and a Throne of Bhaal reference card. If you have never played it before, this truly terrific game can be yours for $9.99.

As widely predicted by the internet speculators, CD Projekt has just confirmed that the whole "shut down" of its DRM-free web site GoG.com (Good Old Games) was just a marketing stunt. In fact the service is relaunching. The web site became inaccessible last Sunday with the site saying the service was closing "due to business and technical reasons." According to an online press conference today with GoG.com reps, 98 percent of the site's code has been rewritten for the relaunch that will allow six times the amount of users and traffic compared to the old version. The game will still offer DRM-free downloads of PC games and will still not use a download client.

While we are happy that GoG.com is coming back we are not happy at all that CD Projekt made the call to deliberately deceive the media and its customers about its status. While the company certainly generated a ton of press it did so in the wrong way, in our opinion. We will update this post with any new info that comes from the online conference.

Update: The relaunch will happen on Thursday at 8 am Eastern time and will add the original Baldur's Gate and its expansion pack to the service on Thursday as well for $9.99. GoG.com execs also said during the online press conference that the ultimate goal is for GoG.com to be the "number one alternative" to the Steam download service.

Long before Star Wars: The Old Republic, Mass Effect or Nevewinter Nights the development team at BioWare first made its mark in the PC game industry with making the Baldur's Gate series of fantasy RPG titles. The two founders of BioWare, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, revealed some previously unknown details about the making of that game series this week at GDC Europe.

According to Gamasutra's report on their panel, the two BioWare co-founders tried to pitch publisher Interplay a game called Battleground Infinity, which was proposed as more of an MMO type of title. Interplay decided to take BioWare's pitch but then turned it into a single player RPG using the Dungeons and Dragons license. Along with the release of the first Diablo game from Blizzard, the first Baldur's Gate title, released in 1998, helped to reawaken the RPG genre which at one point in the 1990's was thought to be dying off.

While Ken Levine is still working on his top secret next project at 2K Boston following the release of the original BioShock over two years ago, he's apparently got some time to reveal his top 10 favorite games of all time to IndustryGamers. As one might expect, Levine's picks include several PC exclusives.

Among the games picked are Master of Magic ("It's Civilization with dragons. And spell making. And giant armies of Dwarves and stuff. Why is there no sequel? Is there no God?"), Baldur's Gate 2 ("I play it for the combats") and Company of Heroes ("The RTS that reminded me I could still love RTS."). And his number one pick is not much of a shock but still funny to read. You can check out the entire list at IndustryGamers right now.

Sometimes you just need to sit down, slide a floppy into your A: drive, and enjoy gaming retro style. We know this all too well! That's why we have a list of the best and brightest from days long gone. These are some of our favorite games of all time, and we're sure that you'll love them as much as we do, if not more. Welcome to Boot Disk, and enjoy the retro ride!

The PC RPG was once one of the most highly revered genres in the gaming industry. Long relegated to the background by more action-devoted titles, games like Fallout and Neverwinter Nights are gradually making their return to the spotlight, albeit in forms mutated from their original depth and complexity. Fallout is no longer the isometric, morally-ambiguous quest it once was, and Neverwinter Nights has moved more into the realm of hack-'n-slash as time has gone on. One of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful PC RPGs has not diminished at all over the years, though, even though it has never received a proper sequel. I am referring to Baldur's Gate 2, one of the finest examples of story and gameplay being interweaved so elegantly that it revolutionized how many people saw RPGs. Its influence is still felt, and thanks in part to its success, BioWare can now make pretty much whatever they want. However, if you want a slice of AD&D from the year 2000, look no further.