BG1 or BG2?

LadyEibhilinRhett

Which one do you like better?

Necroblivion

I just can't choose.. each game have its own awesomeness......

atcDave

Its actually a really tough choice. I mostly consider BG2 to be the better game; better in conception and execution. But BG is the first love. And starting new characters is my favorite thing. So I guess BG wins by a nose!

shawne

Definitely BG2 - the characters were more fleshed-out, the story was more cohesive, there was more humor at work...

Lord_Tansheron

BG1 feels a bit clunky in places. They learned a LOT from it, and BG2 is just loads better.

I shudder to think what these people would have come up with had they kept going at that pace... Nobody would even know what World of Warcraft is if they had.

Awong124

BG1 has the better story and atmosphere in my opinion, but BG2 has the better engine with better mechanics (pretty obvious since it's newer). So BGEE or Tutu is the best.

ajwz

Too close to call. Maybe bg1 slightly

Malicron

The interactions with party members alone put BG2 well ahead of its predecessor, in my opinion.

Moomintroll

I play BG more now I think, the open-ness of the maps gives it a bit more re-playability. I consider them the same game though really, I just play the first part more.

ZanathKariashi

Prefer BG myself....the mechanics are more accurate to PnP, no railroad plot...no OP kits...you can dual into specialists...and the game is just much more challenging....after about level 13 or so...you can just batter encounters to death without a care in the world.... (hell people have solo'd insane BG2/ToB runs using TotSC capped characters, without much difficulty)

Thalamond

I never liked BG2.. and never will. Story is random, and then there is the railroading.. BG1 however is one of the few gems in gaming. The choice is obvious..

elminster

BG1. I like starting out in BG1 and I just like the city of Baldur's Gate more than I like Athkatla. Also I like the cool little places like the halfling village, gnoll fortress, and the Firewine Bridge.

Necdilzor

Character quests and interaction, romances and better engine. (Plus the TAB button to see items ^^)

EntropyXII

Love them both equally, but for story/plot I would go for BG1. Lot's of drama with an epic ending. I was completely immersed in the first game, from start to finish.

Mortianna

Both are uniquely epic, but I'd have to say BG2. Chateau Irenicus, Spellhold, the Sahuagin City, and The Underdark are my absolute favorites for their artwork, storytelling, and encounter design.

the_spyder

I don't see them as separate games, but more two stories played out in the same game scape.

if I had to choose, I'd say... Nah, I couldn't. Maybe BG2 simply because of the updated interface, but you can get all of that in BG1 via EE or historically via Tutu. At the end of the day, they are both pretty frackin' awesome!

Malicron

the_spyder said:

At the end of the day, they are both pretty frackin' awesome!

Well said. I'd like to add an addendum to y first post that deciding between BG 1&2 is like deciding between cake and pie; both are utterly fantastic, no matter which you end up choosing.

Mordeus

I prefer BG1 for it's open ended approach to areas and quests. BG2 has flashes of that but the linear Spellhold quest path and ToB is awfully frustrating for multiple playthroughs. Having a compulsory quest each chapter with everything else being optional is the way to go.

I'm also not such a fan of NPCs that have massive fleshed out dialogue with specific characters, but with others they are rather mute. I prefer how in BG1 every NPC is equal in terms of banter, allows any combination of NPCs without it seeming like you're got the wrong combination.

That being said, BG1 could certainly use some more optional quests of the caliber of BG2. As BG2 is more complete (partly because it builds off the foundations of BG1). I just prefer the tone and direction of BG1 over BG2.

revaar

I prefer low level play more than murdering everything with ease.

DJKajuru

I believe that BG1 is way more innocent . Your enemies are mostly bandits and evil races , even the war you were trying to avoid came up because one side thought that the other side was evil.

In BG2 things get more complicated - now you are in a city ruled by thieves and cowled wizards . Your allies are a wingless avariel, a former red wizard, a ranger whose witch has been murdered... not to mention the stronghold quests : investigating a shade lord, beholder cult that seeks a rod from a dead god , a fortress invaded by trolls, everything is so epic!

However, BG2 wouldn't be so epic if you haven't felt that your character started in a less complex enviroment. Only after becoming the hero of Baldur's Gate you feel that you've the guts to face the shadows of Amn.

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Necroblivion

I guess I will go for BG1 as well. Mostly because of the amount of NPCs and the big world map. If BG2 had like 10 more areas to explore, and like 5 more NPCs I will be able to replay it much more times.

DJKajuru

typo_tilly said:

I like all the wide-open wilderness areas in BG1. Not sure why that appeals so much to me. It's not a huge sandbox, but it's a nice size.

Exploration in BG1 is definitely more fun! Strangely enough, it seems that for BG2 they removed these wide-open areas because players didn't like it much at the time.

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BladeDancer

Its hard to decide. I haven't even personally played BG2

toanwrath

I played BG2 first, and it stuck with me. I do really enjoy BG, but I can't replay it needlessly quite like BG2. I feel like I have more versatility there, except for NPCs. I do, however, enjoy the more thorough back stories and dialogues they gave the NPCs in BG2, so it makes up for the versatility.

LadyEibhilinRhett

BG2 may be executed better, and yes I DID play BG2 first, but BG1 has more charm. I love the wide open exploring and the choice of characters--and yeah I know the BG1 characters were less fleshed out, but to me they were more interesting for the most part.

zur312

BG2
i love dragons and other stuff that was added in bg2
mage fights in bg2
this is just more epic
in bg1 you are fighting wolfs and hobgoblins
it is more fluent


BG1
but on the other hand
in bg1 bards can backstab
fighters are really strong compared to mages
can go everywhere you want
can dual into specialists
can do all kind of crazy low level sheet(of paper) with spells so even wand of magic missle is godly item

I DON'T KNOW! slightly bg2 coz epic+fluent

xzar_monty

BG2 by far. BG1 contains way too much aimless wandering around; in fact, I've never been able to play it for more than an hour or two. It's just too simplistic.

(Incidentally, what I find highly amusing and quite puzzling is that the old Ultima games from the 1980s had a way more "living" world than either of the Baldur's Gates. In the Ultima games, people moved from one place to another and a large number of things were time-dependent. In Baldur's Gate, the whole world just stands still, apart from the player. Yes, I know, Jan's personal quest has an element of time in it, but that's nothing.)

SCARY_WIZARD

typo_tilly said:

I like all the wide-open wilderness areas in BG1. Not sure why that appeals so much to me. It's not a huge sandbox, but it's a nice size.

Indeed!

the_spyder said:

I don't see them as separate games, but more two stories played out in the same game scape.

if I had to choose, I'd say... Nah, I couldn't. Maybe BG2 simply because of the updated interface, but you can get all of that in BG1 via EE or historically via Tutu. At the end of the day, they are both pretty frackin' awesome!

Yep. Albeit in the case of the former part of your post, sort of like two stories in the same game scape, with some "minor tweaks..." performed. I guess like a stage crew checking things out between acts? And where some performers leave for the night.

Khyron

BG2 by far.. Once you exit Chateu Irenicus, the world is at your feet and the freedom offered, along with the far more interesting npc's and massive sidequests just makes it a thoroughly unique experience.

BG1 is a bit more "on rails" and thusly is not entirely unique in it's feel. There are many other cRPG's out there that can offer much the same as BG1. (Although, these came at a much later date and for it's time, BG1 was quite supreme. The difference is that BG2 still is supreme and unique, no matter what the devs of today have thrown at us)