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Baldur's Gate - Choice of Game Name

PantaloonsPantaloons Member Posts: 25
edited September 2014 in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
I've always pondered why the series was called Baldur's Gate, I mean the first one is a no-brainer since it culminates in the city of Baldur's Gate, with everything on the way leading up to the city itself.

However, the second game takes place in Amn, and the expansion takes place in Tethyr. The city is still in the title, yet the city of Baldur's Gate does not feature in the second game nor the expansion (ToB).

I would fantasize the games (if I were to name them) being called: Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Athkatla: Shadows of Amn and Tethyr: Throne of Bhaal. The focus on the games is on the Bhaalspawn who grew up in Candlekeep, so I could also see it being called Bhaalspawn, Bhaalspawn: Tales of the Sword Coast, Bhaalspawn: Shadows of Amn, and lastly Bhaalspawn: Throne of Bhaal.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? What would you have called the games if it was up to you?

Note: I am a bit unsure where to post this thread, so I'll post it in General Discussion.

Comments

  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    I mean, they obviously just needed a way to link it to the first game. People were suggesting doing the same with Game of Thrones (GoT was the title of the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, so they were thinking to name the second season Game of Thrones: A Clash of Kings)



    I actually think Throne of Bhaal is the most awesome title of the three. Its just... epic
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    Sounds like a porn title. In fact, thinking now, if he revolved around B haal spreading his essence @meagloth‌ wouldn't be able to play it. But that is for another topic, on another forum
  • BusticationBustication Member Posts: 49
    As I recall, the working title for Baldur's Gate pre-release was The Iron Throne. Not that this helps you much, since Iron Throne II wouldn't have made any better sense than Baldur's Gate II. I guess something like After the Iron Throne could have worked. Or it could have worked as a subtitle. Something like Tales of the Forgotten Realms: The Iron Throne, Tales of the Forgotten Realms II: The Throne of Tethyr, Tales of the Forgotten Realms III: Throne of Bhaal.

    Personally, though, I like the titles they came up with; very evocative.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    Should have been called Candlekeep Cronicles
  • meaglothmeagloth Member Posts: 3,806
    deltago said:

    Sounds like a porn title. In fact, thinking now, if he revolved around B haal spreading his essence @meagloth‌ wouldn't be able to play it. But that is for another topic, on another forum

    Tsk tsk
    booinyoureyes said:

    Should have been called Candlekeep Cronicles

    That wouldn't be much better though. When you think about it, they couldn't have named it anything that would carry over to the second game without giving away the plot, or at least some of it. The plot develops so gradually, you're not really sure exactly what's going on till the end of the game. Or the middle of the second game, really.

    This can actually be annoying cause the game is slow paced anyway, and the game doesn't get real interesting till about halfway through, so if I'm trying to get new people(especially impatient 15 year old fps-fans)to play it's hard to get the hooked.
    Oh well. Like I said, it seems to have worked. We're all here.
  • booinyoureyesbooinyoureyes Member Posts: 6,164
    You have to keep in mind that they probably didn't have much of an idea about the second game's storyline when they were developing the first.
  • PantaloonsPantaloons Member Posts: 25
    meagloth said:

    @Anduin‌. Dear god. Make it stop.

    On topic, the second game is called Baldurs Gate. Erasure it's a sequel and the first game is called baldurs gate. It's only logical. I admit that they choose baldurs gate at all doesn't really make sense, and it a bit confusing.
    And why isn't it Balduran's gate? Whatever. Works for me.

    That is another thing I have wondered about, I thought they got inspiration for the name from the norse god Baldr (also Balder, Baldur). The god who couldn't be harmed by anything except for misteltoe, which he was then killed by.
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,758
    Although in the past I found the naming of the second game strange, I still liked it a lot.

    It's just a habit in the video and gaming industry: Die Hard 1-4, Might and Magic 1-10, Dragon Age 1-3

    Now I think that the second part of the game is a continuation of your character's story, so basically it's only one whole story - not two different stories. So the name of the second game just has to be the same.

    The name is perfectly fine to me.
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Bhaal's Balling

    I Can't Believe My Father Had The Largest Harem In All Of Faerûn: Jealousy Of A Bhaalspawn
  • MoomintrollMoomintroll Member Posts: 1,498
    edited September 2014
    @Pantaloons its been said before and I'll gladly say it again.. well, post a link anyway.

    image
  • PantaloonsPantaloons Member Posts: 25
    Moomintroll said:

    @Pantaloons its been said before and I'll gladly say it again.. well, post a link anyway.

    image

    We got a couple of Balders Gate in Norway too. I thought our brothers in Iceland spelled it the same way.

    Balduran's Gate makes more sense, it is like the real name of Waterdeep was Wateryoudoinginthedeep. Herp derp.
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    And as always when that picture is brought up I feel the need to inform our non-Scandivegian friends that "gata" means "street" in our languages.

    Also Balder wasn't unable to be hurt by anything per se, he was just as hurtable as everyone else, it was just that someone-I-can't-remember-who (his mother?) had gone around and asked every single thing in the world not to hurt him, and since Balder was such a perfect guy, they all agreed - except that one mistletoe which was missed. Loke then used that mistletoe to make the arrow that killed Balder.

    At least that was always how the story was told to me.
  • MoomintrollMoomintroll Member Posts: 1,498
    Pretty sure it was Baldr in Old West Norse, is it still Baldr in Norway? @Pantaloons
  • PantaloonsPantaloons Member Posts: 25
    @Moomintroll‌

    In modern Norwegian, it is Balder.
  • PaladinPaladin Member Posts: 335
    It's funny that you guys are discussing this. I *just* watched a video interview with Feargus Urquhart, the former leader of Black Isle Studios, on YouTube. In the interview, he discusses the name "Baldur's Gate" and how he came up with it. Give it a listen (the entire interview it pretty interesting).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72Q0E6bQ_i0
    (Discussion of the naming of Baldur's Gate begins around 14:10)
  • ArchaosArchaos Member Posts: 1,421
    BG2 is called Baldur's Gate II because it's the sequel to Baldur's Gate I.
    Just like Tomb Raider II is called that even though there are no tombs in it.
    Just like it's called God of War III when there are no more gods of war.
  • artificial_sunlightartificial_sunlight Member Posts: 601
    SOA in Dutch is used as the abbreviation for Sexually transmitted disease. And in all these years i'm confused if I see SOA somewere.
  • NimranNimran Member Posts: 4,875
    artificial_sunlight said:

    SOA in Dutch is used as the abbreviation for Sexually transmitted disease. And in all these years i'm confused if I see SOA somewere.

    It was the romances, wasn't it?
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,758
    Nimran said:

    artificial_sunlight said:

    SOA in Dutch is used as the abbreviation for Sexually transmitted disease. And in all these years i'm confused if I see SOA somewere.

    It was the romances, wasn't it?
    Wild magic is... wild
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