Which one did you play first and which do you prefer?

Permidion_Stark

There seems to be a divide among members over which game they prefer and I get the impression that this largely depends on which game they played first. Personally , I love BG1, which I played first, but am far less enamoured of BG2 (which I played second for those of you finding it hard to keep up)

So, what about the rest of you? Which game did you start with and which do you prefer?

Tyranus

I played BG when it first came out, and have bought each game since as soon as it came out. BG2 was just.... better. Higher levels, more variation, better NPCs, the conclusion of the story, everything.

Banex

I started with BG 2 and got really hooked,bought BG1 but still preferred BG2.BGEE was quite a bresh of fresh air,videos aside which either the 2nd or 3rd patch wrecked(classic movies installed anyway,you just can't beat that original intro),i enjoyed the overall look and feel of BGEE.

Thought i'd be playing BG2EE by now,so instead have BG2 installed with mods for now.Anyway BG 2 for me,more depth,structure and characterisation overall.

kab

BG2 was and is an improvement in nearly every way.

I didn't care for the plot development and lack of continuity. If you're going to give me choices, do not wipe out most of them halfway through the story (meaning BG1 -> BG2 transition). I also do not appreciate a plot that puts you in a position where you feel forced to follow a certain (almost) linear questline, especially one that then takes you through an (almost) linear progression of areas that you cannot escape for several hours.

zur312

i wouldn't say there is really big difference but bg2 have dragons vampires and beholders while bg1 has wyverns wolfs and dogs

bg2 is more epic

Awong124

It depends if you're talking about BG1 Vanilla, or BGEE/Tutu. If it's BG1 Vanilla, then I prefer BG2. I can no longer really stand the super low res, and BG2 has more classes and features. I like the story and setting of BG1 more though, so I prefer BGEE/Tutu.

cbones9889

I started with BG1 but never beat it until BGEE. I feel in love with BG2 and much prefer 2 to 1!!!

ChildofBhaal599

elminster likes bg1 because he gets more cameos I just couldn't choose though. I like them both too much to choose

Shin

Nowadays I always play them together, so I tend to view the lengthy Candlekeep->ToB journey as one game experience. If I had to choose though I'd say that while I think BG1 is great, when I play I tend to view it as a kind of introduction to the trilogy. The long road ahead of my character makes it exciting to play, and I often find myself semi-consciously planning my character for the trials that are to follow.

BG2 is where most of the meat/action/magic is/happens though. I feel the game is more fully developed and realized (though it could have kept more of the strong points from BG1), and I thoroughly enjoy the development your character goes through.. in the sequel CHARNAME really starts to come into his/her own, an evolution made all the more meaningful by how you can still recall the none-too-distant days where you fought gibberlings in the woods and virtually vacuumed the countryside for hobgoblins and ogres.

lunar

I've started with bg2 SoA game and it had blown my mind. It was the most amazing and addictive gaming experience I've ever had, and as inexperienced as I was, when my first character, a lousy elven cleric with no kit, had somehow managed to finish off Firkraag with a lucky HolySmite spell (I thought it was the best spell in the game!) it had felt soo good.

I had the chance to pick up bg1 later, and had fun with it, it was new material and adventure. And was kinda like backstory to bg2 characters. It did not come as memorable but it was decent fun.

Ofcourse then tutu changed everything, with loads of mods available, bg1 was as fun and rich as bg2, only better if you prefer low level gritty game play. Now, bg:ee is even superiour IMHO. Until bg2:ee comes out (cross my fingers) it is the best bg game available for me.

rdarken

I said Prefer BG1 just because I like the characters more... I think I like BG2 more as a game, even though Irenicus' dungeon is the worst thing ever.

elminster

ChildofBhaal599 said:

elminster likes bg1 because he gets more cameos I just couldn't choose though. I like them both too much to choose

Its true. I bask in the spotlight

The_New_Romance

I think both have their strong points. Still my love is with my "first kiss", which was BG1. I just love the art style and the atmosphere. BG2 is much more magical and colourful, just fancier, but I like the low-level and sometimes even gritty style of the original best.

element

mmm i couldnt decide.

if bg1 had the companion interaction id probably say it was better, but as it is im not sure i could pick one over the other

RedGuard

I feel like BG2 has much more going on and always has something to keep me interested at just about any point in the game. Plus Irenicus is a great villain and to me BG2 is much better scripted and having more dialogue acted out rather than it being very sparingly acted out like BG1 makes a world of difference as well.

atcDave

I just can't pick. I started with BG, but I see Both games as all one... In a way.

CoM_Solaufein

I bought BG1 on the day it came out, so obviously that was my first. BG1 I like the vast areas that I can explore, which is why I place it above BG2. I like BG2s dialogs with NPCs, but it was sorely lacking in places to explore.

prem0nition

I bought BG1 on release day and absolutely loved it. Did the same with BG2. Out of the two I like BG2 more, but only slightly as I love both games for different reasons.

BG2 had a more focused story, npc interactions and better gameplay mechanics, but it is sorely missing the ability to just go out and explore that BG1 has.

BaldursCat

Actually, I said I played BG2 first & prefer it but actually that's not quite true. Donkey's years ago I started playing BGI with an FR, D&D PnP loving ex but we didn't get very far as we played it as multiplayer and I actually ended up getting addicted to turn based Heroes of Might & Magic single player instead. If we'd played BGI together as a single player I think it might have been a different story.

VikingR

Played BG I first and loved it. But BG II has just so much more to offer:

- The extended dialogue and voice-acting of NPCs, companions and villains alone adds so much to the experience for me. BG I had little to no dialogue, let alone voice-acting, even with very important story-characters. Most villains are like this: "Oh, you finally managed to find me. Too bad, DIE!"

- High-level gameplay: In BGII your character becomes the powerful character you actually imagined him to be. Mages get so many cool spells, Warriors get to wield those epic weapons, etc.

- Variety: With the exception of Durlag's Tower, BG I only offers off-the-shelve dungeonry. BG II made a massive improvement here. And some of the dungeons have their own epic story to tell (Shadow temple, King Strohm's tomb, Watcher's Keep).

reedmilfam

Maybe 'prefer' is too strong a word. I got both games at the same time (I was a late comer to BioWare; essentially, my first cRPG was Knights of the Old Republic, a tale that I continue to love to this day). Curious to know more of this BioWare, I went to eBay (the game wasn't available at that tme, as far as I could tell) and played.

I really liked a lot about BG1, up until I reached the city. Even now, that portion of the game is tedious and full of 'don't care' for me. Regardless, I pressed forward and imported to BG2.

I preferred BG2 because the city portion was far better. I think BG1's wilderness/exploration is as good or better (I'm leaning toward better). However, BG2 fleshed out a lot of things and was very enjoyable for that. It also improved upon Minsc (These bars will not hold my wrath. Minsc will be free! Butts shall be liberally kicked in good measure is one of my favorite BG quotes, ever).

Anyway, BG2 is, to me, the evolved form of the BG1 Pokémon. The BG:EE/Tutu combination is wonderful in that respect, save for the fact that kits are not well-balanced for the low levels (seems that some Level 1 kit abilities need to be scaled to grow to the BG2 entry point at level 8).

I'll shut up now.

elminster

I prefer the City of Baldur's Gate to Athkatla. Lots of random buildings you can explore. Most have no items of significance in them of course but some do.

Lemernis

I'm not a fan of the way that Amn was depicted in BG2. I'm a lore geek, and imho the setting laid out in Lands of Intrigue is a much more interesting game world. Amn is a land where arcane magic is publicly reviled. Anyone openly practicing magic is exiled or killed.

That said, there is still a black market for all sorts of things in Amn. And evil organizations trade in and use magic. And the underground organization of the Cowled Wizards is dedicated to study and preservation of arcane magic.

Anyway, all that makes it much more of a challenge to get one's hands on arcane magic scrolls, potions, weapons, armor, etc.

There are a lot of power groups engaged in complex webs of subterfuge in Amn. The government secretly recruits foreign adventurers on the down-low as spies.

So there are avenues to becoming a more powerful magic user, they're just not public. Anyway, it's not a place where you can go to a market and buy all sorts of magic goodies, and you're nearly stumbling over magic items as you roam the land.

I think I would have loved BG2's higher level magic a whole lot more if it had been much harder to come by. As it is, it's so plentiful and easy to obtain that there's nothing special to it anymore.

On the other hand, I think BG1 does do justice to the canon region. The developers did a darn good job of bringing the Sword Coast to life, I think. As Ed Greenwood imagined it, anyway.

Fubby

I dunno why, but after A while I just get bored of BG2, but never of BG1.

kansasbarbarian

I played BG when it first came out and while I love it BG 2 just resonates with me for some reason. I think maybe it is because you can actually play as a viable evil party.

Shrimp

I played BG1 first, but I don't have a "favorite". I see the trilogy as an experience in itself, for me the different components must be taken as a whole. BG1 is the introduction where you learn of what you are, BG2 adds on that by showing you what it truly means to be a Bhaalspawn, and then ToB concludes the saga in an epic fashion (won't get into details for obvious, spoilerish reasons).

Durlag_Thunderaxe

I don't like how weak my supposedly mighty Dwarf warrior felt at the start of his journey. It just doesn't feel right that he cannot take on a normal wolf early on, and has to rely on the likes of Jaheira and Khalid for backup.

Also... Mazzy doesn't join the party until BG 2.

Mortianna

However, now I prefer BG:EE. I'm sure I'll prefer BG2:EE when (if?) it eventually comes out.

Rajick

I love bg but bg 2 just had that feel you know plus I could make sweet painful love to viconia so that's also a plus

AndrewRogue

Consider BG2 one of the best games of all time, so this shouldn't be a shock.