My review for Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition...

Gustx8

I have reviewed Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition here: http://romesblog.net/baldurs-gate-review/

Let me know what you guys think, this is my first passionate review for a game. Since I am new to Baldur's Gate I approach the game from a new player prospective and I think this is a pretty different review than most other reviews I have read.

Hope you enjoy

stygga

Good review, very fair, I attest you go look at some gameplay footage of the original game and / or screenshots and see just how much the graphics have been improved, they're amazing to me, mostly cause I was playing the original a month before this came out!

Wilbur

Very nice. I can see you really enjoyed the game, but the review felt objective as it should. I would buy the game based on your review

Gustx8

Thanks guys! Yes, it's been very enjoyable!

lunar

I like it, you've nailed the game's pros and cons admirably.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Lemernis

I Google+1'ed your blog and posted a comment. Excellent review!

Bigfish

A couple of things here. Please take this constructively, as I know you put some effort into this.

First, your sentence structure and flow could use some work. Mostly little stuff like a missing word here, using the same noun later in a sentence when a pronoun may have been more appropriate, things like that.

Second, I can appreciate that you didn't play BG much over the last 15 years, but your review reads like something that could have been written in 1998. About the only new feature I see mentioned is the ability to zoom in and out, which IS a pretty big deal, but it leaves out so much, like the addition of a tutorial, the Black Pits, several new NPCs, the Blackguard kit, the other BG2 enhancements, etc. As a reader, what I'm interested in is what sets this game apart from BGtutu or BG Trilogy, which I can get for half the price.

Third, no mention of ipad support or how the games plays on that platform. Again, this is another big feature, and something as a reader I would be interested in knowing because I generally use my PC for gaming. Does it control well and intuitively? Does it look good on a tablet screen?

As an "I like this game" opinion piece, its fine. I like the game too. As a review, it could use some work.

Unless you're farming page views, in which case, I clicked. Mission accomplished.

Erg

My main criticism with your review is that you're underestimating imho the replayability of the game.

For a game originally published in 1998 that people are still playing today, I would have expected something like 11/10

I've been playing for 12+ years and I'm not done yet.

I also like the graphics much more than you do. It was great in 1998 and imo it is still nice enough even nowadays, but I'm also old and grumpy and I keep telling to myself that is so hard to find decent games nowadays...

Cuv

Erg said:

For a game originally published in 1998 that people are still playing today, I would have expected something like 11/10

LOL... I agree. Rename the dials to go to 11

Troodon80

The only thing I can see out of place is the price (the price is fine if you live in the US). Since it varies on Steam from country to country (and I don't just mean the difference between GBP, EUR, or USD), as a conversion for places like France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK, the game costs roughly $25. For Italy, Poland, and Spain, it costs nearer to $18.50.

Since the internet is international, and quite a number of people who read your review may well be from outside the US, it might be wise to include a disclaimer/notice; simply stating that the price may equate to being higher or lower from Steam depending on the individuals' country of origin.

Other than that, it's a decent review .

Erg said:

For a game originally published in 1998 that people are still playing today, I would have expected something like 11/10

I think that speaks for the replay-ability itself .

Lemernis

I think it reads like someone who is honestly new to the game and discovering for the first time just how great it is. I think if that aspect is emphasized more, then the article may be taken for what it is. And in some respects that sets it apart from a sea of reviews that are all saying similar things. There's a lot of brand new players checking the game out due to BG:EE, and I'd imagine they may relate well to an article like that.

This article is actually much more interesting to me than the major gaming site reviews. Because as a veteran player of the game I'm getting to see how enthusiastic someone new to the game is about it. I.e., what strikes a new player the most about the game.

But as mentioned above, EE's availability on new platforms would be good to mention.

Gustx8

Bigfish said:

A couple of things here. Please take this constructively, as I know you put some effort into this.

First, your sentence structure and flow could use some work. Mostly little stuff like a missing word here, using the same noun later in a sentence when a pronoun may have been more appropriate, things like that.

Second, I can appreciate that you didn't play BG much over the last 15 years, but your review reads like something that could have been written in 1998. About the only new feature I see mentioned is the ability to zoom in and out, which IS a pretty big deal, but it leaves out so much, like the addition of a tutorial, the Black Pits, several new NPCs, the Blackguard kit, the other BG2 enhancements, etc. As a reader, what I'm interested in is what sets this game apart from BGtutu or BG Trilogy, which I can get for half the price.

Third, no mention of ipad support or how the games plays on that platform. Again, this is another big feature, and something as a reader I would be interested in knowing because I generally use my PC for gaming. Does it control well and intuitively? Does it look good on a tablet screen?

As an "I like this game" opinion piece, its fine. I like the game too. As a review, it could use some work.

Unless you're farming page views, in which case, I clicked. Mission accomplished.

Yeah, I left a lot out, however I was under a length constraint so I had to touch on so much, in such a short amount. Thanks for constructive feedback though! I hope this puts the review in context.

Gustx8

Erg said:

My main criticism with your review is that you're underestimating imho the replayability of the game.

For a game originally published in 1998 that people are still playing today, I would have expected something like 11/10

I've been playing for 12+ years and I'm not done yet.

I also like the graphics much more than you do. It was great in 1998 and imo it is still nice enough even nowadays, but I'm also old and grumpy and I keep telling to myself that is so hard to find decent games nowadays...

Well, replayability was a challenging one for me. First, I want to come off as at least somewhat objective, especially since you could say that about other games have. Also, since I am new game I tried to guestimate as conservatively as possible. At the same time I tried to picture how most people would replay the game. I could totally be wrong and end up adding an after thought to review.

As for the graphics, I like them personally, but again I was trying to be objective, I think a lot of people, even those who like RPG's would take one look and be at least somewhat turned off by them. I also can't objectively give them a 10/10 because that would just seem too excessive. So I gave them a 4/10, but I mentioned that I liked them and that the graphics actually in a way force you as the player to imagine more about these characters. Also, I mentioned that graphics aren't the reason to play this game, it's everything around them. Thus, hopefully negating any ideas players to not play it because of the graphics. Thanks for the feedback!

Gustx8

Lemernis said:

I think it reads like someone who is honestly new to the game and discovering for the first time just how great it is. I think if that aspect is emphasized more, then the article may be taken for what it is. And in some respects that sets it apart from a sea of reviews that are all saying similar things. There's a lot of brand new players checking the game out due to BG:EE, and I'd imagine they may relate well to an article like that.

This article is actually much more interesting to me than the major gaming site reviews. Because as a veteran player of the game I'm getting to see how enthusiastic someone new to the game is about it. I.e., what strikes a newbie the most about the game.

But as mentioned above, EE's availability on new platforms would be good to mention.

Thanks for the comment. I made sure to accept, I didn't go too much into the rule set because I don't have any experience with D&D and also because of length constraints. Thank you, I'm glad my enthusiasm showed so well.

Nifft

Erg said:

My main criticism with your review is that you're underestimating imho the replayability of the game.

For a game originally published in 1998 that people are still playing today, I would have expected something like 11/10

Mmm, I still like the game and do play it, but the replay value of BGEE is exceeded by games like the Civilization line which literally give you a different exploration and tactical challenge every time.

(That's contrasted with the fact that the Civ games don't give much in the way of story, with Alpha Centauri being a notable exception.)

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Erg

Gustx8 said:

As for the graphics, I like them personally, but again I was trying to be objective, I think a lot of people, even those who like RPG's would take one look and be at least somewhat turned off by them. I also can't objectively give them a 10/10 because that would just seem too excessive. So I gave them a 4/10, but I mentioned that I liked them and that the graphics actually in a way force you as the player to imagine more about these characters. Also, I mentioned that graphics aren't the reason to play this game, it's everything around them. Thus, hopefully negating any ideas players to not play it because of the graphics. Thanks for the feedback!

Your review is clearly addressed to new players, mainly familiar with recent and popular games like Skyrim and the like. So as such you did well in giving a low score to graphics is this is the target of your review.

I was only expressing my opinion to provide also the different point of view of a veteran player. Graphics is quite a subjective topic. How you see a game like Baldur's Gate would largely depend on factors like your age and your gaming history. People familiar with Pong or any Spiderweb RPG, for instance, will not be put down by BG graphics unlike people familiar only with Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

OzzyBotkins

Back in the day
Baldur's gate was the 2nd game I played on my 1st computer
its still amazing after all these years

Wonderboy2402

Overall a very glowing review. The graphics have always been the greatest hurdle for new players. But once a person gets over the graphics shock they find a game that is rich and colorful of story and character.