Baldurs gate 1 better then Baldurs gate 2?

willmcclure72

Well i seem to think that baldurs gate 1 was much better then baldurs gate 2. i think that even though heaps of people say that the Bg2 engine/setup was better i hate it. i was so much more used to the original and i think it was way better and is it just me or in Bg2 on the inventory screen the characters look some what retarted (especially imoen and jehira)? What are your guys opinions?

IkonNavros

compared with BG2 i really say i have preferred Baldur's Gate 2 - it was a worthy if not superiour successor which made all the good things and just moved it to a new level

But well, there are many different opinions

Son_of_Imoen

After having been playing Baldur's Gate 1 for years in replay after replay since i discovered the game when it was about 10 years old, I tried out BG2 and though always thinking Tutu was the best to play, I now have found both have likeable things.

For me, the BG2 engine is the most likeable, because of the TAB-highlighting, the Pause at inventory screen. The artist who did the BG1 characters, Dan Walker, had died prematurely (you can read about it in the BG 2 manual, in it's preface) and thus the in-game avatars of BG2 weren't as good as the BG1 ones. But for good-looking avatars, turn to the 1pp mod (don't know if it changed the paperdolls, I think not).

What was good about BG1 and lacking in BG2 was the exploration. BG2 feels cramped, with a mayor quest about every corner. But then, most of those quests are well done and the more complex fighting of battles that comes with higher-level magic has it's own kind of satisfaction as well.

So after my initial stance of 'BG2? Isn't it an engine to play Tutu?', I now like both of the games just as much, I think.

Winthal

@willmcclure72 Many people liked BG1 better, but that doesn't mean they disliked BG2. At the end of the day, they're two phenomenal games. Personally I prefer BG1 over 2 mostly because of the "humble" low-level content and free roaming exploration.

My biggest disappointments with BG2 were the paper dolls (like you mentioned, they are fairly horrendous, especially elves), and that moment when I reached the Athkatlan gates. I thought: "Aah yes, time to go out and get lost in the wilderness!" I fully expected the closest wilderness areas to light up as new areas, but alas... the map was empty and I couldn't leave until getting the quests at the copper coronet etc. :-(

willmcclure72

Yer i see all of your guys points but son of imoen i wasnt talking about the portraits i was tolking about the acctual look of the character on the inventory screen. i know it seems so little to worry about but for some reason it annoys me idk

Razor

IMO BG2 was overall a more satisfying game, but both games are great. This discussion shouldn't even happen!

AndreaColombo

But for good-looking avatars, turn to the 1pp mod (don't know if it changed the paperdolls, I think not).

1PP restores paperdolls from BG1; IA restores character animations, albeit with no dual-wielding support (and equipping them with off-hand weapons makes the game crash as it is now).

I liked BG1 better overall, though I enjoyed both games genuinely. With the exception of spell effects and resoltuion, I also enjoyed the graphics in BG1 a lot better than those in BG1.

Mornmagor

I liked the graphics and animations of BG1 better, along with the sense of freedom you had in the map.

I liked BG2 story a bit better though.

So thank God for Infinity Animations \o/

#AndreaColombo i hope we will be able to use BG1 animations as well for BG:EE :x (as an option without DW or with some fixes) /hopes

Tanthalas

Personally I liked BG2 more:

More abilities/spells/classes/kits to play with, more character interactions, more variety of enemies. I even liked the UI more.

But there were things that BG1 did better, such as exploring the wilderness, character animations and paper dolls.

FrozenCells

I prefer BG1. BG1 has been my favourite game ever since I first played it 11ish years ago.

It has such a great feeling of adventure/exploration. The wilderness areas are awesome. Baldur's Gate city is huge and much more interesting and explorable than Athkatla.

I prefer BG1s story in terms of content and its gradual reveal, and I always felt slightly alienated by BG2s having really nothing to do with the Bhaalspawn plot at all before Throne of Bhaal, like it was originally intended to be a different series but then they threw in a few Bhaal references here and there so they could name it BG2 It doesn't help the transition much either if you're someone like me who never takes Minsc/Jaheira/Imoen and get rather annoyed at them being in Irenicus's Dungeon acting like you're best buds. Still don't like them in BG2 either. Oh well.

On the other hand, the BG2s handling of NPCs and classes with extra spells and kits is way better, though somewhat amendable with mods (Baldur's Gate Trilogy seems more faithful to the BG1 engine in terms of spawning etc. than BG1Tutu) and then you have the class strongholds and more "epic" locations like the Underdark. Still though, I'd rather load up vanilla BG1 on its inferior engine than BG2. It's the more immersive and rewarding game for me.

Son_of_Imoen

But for good-looking avatars, turn to the 1pp mod (don't know if it changed the paperdolls, I think not).

1PP restores paperdolls from BG1; IA restores character animations, albeit with no dual-wielding support (and equipping them with off-hand weapons makes the game crash as it is now).

Oops, all this time using it with a wrong notion of what it really does. I never did NOT use it in BG 2, so that left me ignorant to the difference. Thanks for pointing the truth though. And too bad IA isn't working correctly yet. Let's hope the Beamdog team makes something beautiful of the avatars.

BTW, @willmcclure72, I wasn't talking about portraits, as with portraits it would be real easy to pick your own likes without having to turn to mods:
portraits.chosenofmystra.net/npc_portrait_change.html

*edited for clarification

NWN_babaYaga

no!

Corvino

I prefer BG2 overall, mainly because of the NPC interactions. There is the odd bit of dialogue, but BG2 seems to be the starting point of the "Bioware-style" companion dialogue heavy RPG. Playing BG1 without npc banter mods seems lonely by comparison.

Also, the dungeon & sidequest design seems better in BG2. The dungeons are varied, and take the isometric viewpoint into account better (wider corridors, no skinny firewine bridge ruins passages) making them easier to navigate and more enjoyable. Plus, each quest is more of a self-contained story. Bring-a-wyvern-head-to-the-mayor-of-Beregost just isn't the same.

All that said I do still love BG1. Which is why I'm posting on this forum 3 months before release and trying to avoid playing BGtutu so it stays fresh!

sepotter

I like both, I started play BG1 when I was 7, and it was basically the first REAL video game I've ever played (other than stuff like solitaire, paint, etc) So it will always be special to me. However, I played BG2 at a point where I understood a little bit more, plus I actually beat BG2 before I ever beat BG1, so there is that... Really a tough question for me, I think they're both great.

Tanthalas

Also, the dungeon & sidequest design seems better in BG2. The dungeons are varied, and take the isometric viewpoint into account better (wider corridors, no skinny firewine bridge ruins passages) making them easier to navigate and more enjoyable.

I had forgot about this. Definitely one of the things that was improved for BG2.

etagloc

well im pretty sure we can all agree on this.
likeing bg 1 or 2 more is about 50/50
and even though you liked one over the other, you really like both games.
especially compared to most other games out there ; )

Lemernis

While I think both games are each truly great in their own ways, overall I still prefer BG 1 for most of the reasons already stated in this thread.

I would add that when you're starting out in BG1 it's exciting that you can still die at the hands of a solitary diseased gibberling. In comparison, by the time you're finishing up BG2 you're truly godlike. (I know that you're Bhaalspawn, but it's just insanely high level.)

Personally, I also found the BG1 story a little more relatable. I was able to accept its premise a little more effortlessly.

While Jon Irenicus is definitely an all time great villain (and so wonderfully voice acted by David Warner), the overarching plot of BG2 felt a little thinner to me. It's even kind of hard now for me to remember clearly what Irenicus' motives were... Something about getting his soul back, right? Anyway, it was all pretty murky and metaphysical. And it's even more like that in ToB.

That said, BG2 was nevertheless very nicely done in terms of a dark, sinister, and confusing atmosphere, a la film noir. The world of a story doesn't have to make sense if it's a compelling place that mesmerizes you. So what it may have lacked in terms of plot (for me), it made up for stylistically.

AndreaColombo

And too bad IA isn't working correctly yet. Let's hope the Beamdog team makes something beautiful of the avatars.

It looks like they're taking care of this, which means IA could eventually make BG1 animations available with dual-wielding support. I couldn't ask for anything better, and I lust (not "long"; *lust*) for the day I will be able to play BG:EE with a dual-wielding BG1-looking Fighter.

Drugar

I like BG1 better, but BG2 is the better game.

BG2 has more interactions, better gameplay, a better engine, more character options, more spells, tougher enemies and tons more quests, but I prefer BG1 for its storyline, free roaming, low level gameplay and (for me) more interesting plot. I love Irenicus as a villain, but his goals are purely selfish and fairly small in scale (aside from the attempt to become a god), where Sarevok was about to start a massive catastrophe. I dunno, they're both good villains but Sarevok speaks more to me. Also, I almost always prefer the start of a story, which is why I also prefer Fallout 1 over two, despite fallout 2 being the better game.

Artemielle

Although I definitely love playing BG2, BG1 has always been my favourite game of all time. In BG1 you can roam the countryside and explore to your heart's content. The main quest is much more "realistic" than in BG2 also, and that makes it feel so much more urgent and epic to me. There isn't as much magic in BG1 and you feel so much smaller and helpless than in the sequel. You are so powerful at the end of the first game than when you started (by far!) and this only adds to your accomplishment. The first time I beat it (after MANY years of trying!) I was in absolute shock and awe, and BG2 just didn't have quite that same effect. It might just be the nostalgia as BG1 was essentially the first computer game and rpg I had ever played, but I would like to think it comes down to pure awesomeness!

Bastion72

I think BG 2 is better coz it's deeper and more emotional but that's only my opinion

Daedalus87m

I used to say that BG2 is hands down the better one.... but, I came to the conclusion that both have their pros and cons.

BG1 had the freedom on the map. If you found out where e.g. The friendly arm inn is, you still had to walk there from tile to tile and there were so many open areas to explore, it was just awesome.
Because you couldn't highlight containers, there were lots of stuff hidden in the maps, it always felt so rewarding when you found hidden stuff.
It's also the 1st installment, so it has the "oh shit, SPOILER" moment when you find out about your destiny, which leaves its's mark on your memory.

BG2 had the better, updated engine. It also had more classes and races to choose from. It had a lot more items and also a lot more stuff like crafting.
It had the class dependend strongholds etc.
It had all the nice NPC talk and quests and of course, the grand finale.
Because of the higher level cap, it allowed you to experiment with class combinations and stuff much easier than the 1st one.
Coo!

AceofWands

Both are truly fantastic games and I have spent countless hours on each of them.

But consider this ; What if you started BG1 at level 7 and ended it at level 20 (with associated higher level enemies etc) ? Which would be the better game then? (someone should actually code this). My vote would probably go to BG1.

ShapiroKeatsDarkMage

I always liked BG2 better because of the easier gameplay and the JRPG style of storytelling.

elminster

Other than the fact that they give away all the locations of buildings, exits, etc (which just makes the games quest system too easy IMO) BG2 is a better game.

SirBuliwyf

I loved both but I think the story of BG2 was better. Still, I rarely differentiate between the two. I just call it BG. One game, one story, released in two installments.

Muscab

BG2 is better than BG1 simply because of a vast improvement from many aspects.

Flauschig

I love BG2 till Spellhold, after it, it's so disappointing linear.
With BG 1, i love all the game except Candlekeep

mch202

Baldur's Gate 1 all the way for me, I just love low level party and open world exploration, and the storyline in BG1 Is much better.

Zeckul

BG1 has more sentimental value for me as my first contact with the RPG genre (an absolutely fascinating one), but I'll always remember BG2 as simply the best game I've ever played, mainly for one reason: the spell system. It had always frustrated me in BG1 how most of the spells were useless, priests couldn't get level 5 spells, and mages would barely get a few level 5 spells at the end of the game. I like feeling powerful and having options. BG2 gave me death spell, Wail of the banshee, an intricate buff/debuff game, varied and intimidating summons including fiends, sorcerers that are much more versatile, etc. It was a blast every battle to choose some different weapon and strategy, or to overcome seemingly impossible odds easily once I'd figured out what abilities to use.

I can relate to the certain lack of open-endedness in BG2, but the tactical gameplay was and is still is, IMO unmatched by any other game.

FrozenCells

BG1 has more sentimental value for me as my first contact with the RPG genre (an absolutely fascinating one), but I'll always remember BG2 as simply the best game I've ever played, mainly for one reason: the spell system. It had always frustrated me in BG1 how most of the spells were useless, priests couldn't get level 5 spells, and mages would barely get a few level 5 spells at the end of the game. I like feeling powerful and having options. BG2 gave me death spell, Wail of the banshee, an intricate buff/debuff game, varied and intimidating summons including fiends, sorcerers that are much more versatile, etc. It was a blast every battle to choose some different weapon and strategy, or to overcome seemingly impossible odds easily once I'd figured out what abilities to use.

I can relate to the certain lack of open-endedness in BG2, but the tactical gameplay was and is still is, IMO unmatched by any other game.

Fair point. I tried soloing a druid through BG1. To my utter shock I completed werewolf isle and then got my level 5 druid spells and.....one cure spell, one animal summoning spell. What a waste of time!