One thing that happens to me that affected my vote in this poll is how much of a slog BG2 becomes after Ust Nathar. Even just before it a lot of the time.
Every playthrough, get to UN or just after and the game feels over. You are pretty much railroading everything and so over the whole Irenicus thing.
Not having a soul makes no difference whatsoever and the Elves are so goddam awful you can't help but think they deserve everything he throws at them. Then to cap it all, Irenicus goes down so easily and then you get dragged to hell, then have to slog through the trials before a decent fight at the end.
Allowing access to WK in BG2 has really damaged the balance of the game. I really wish they would change that. And of course you could ignore it, but WK is actually a good dungeon with great rewards and frankly, the temptation is too great. It feels the same as a quest, like dealing with Firkrag for instance, which makes it even less likely to be able to be ignored.
Ideally would like to see WK only available in TOB with a much expanded and better reason as to why you need to go there at that point.
Consider the first four options as Schrödinger's Enhanced Editions - the choice reflects either EE or original game; BGEE with or without Siege of Dragonspear, depending on your preference
Was a really tough call between BG2 and IWD for me. BG2 is the more interesting story and it can be fun to break the game with all the OMGZ OVERPOWERED loot and abilities. But the balance and tuning in IWD is just unbelievable. It's such a brilliant dungeon crawl, the randomized items give a lot of replayability, and it's absolutely gorgeous. The enemies are intimidating without being overdone, difficult without being cheesy, memorable without being silly. The overall design is just so tight.
If considering mods I might switch to BG2 just because there's so much more on that side, which means more versatility and replayability. But I answered based on the base "out of the box" experience.
Word by word - my very thoughts. Though I chose BG2 as "only one" now sometime ago it would be IWD hands down. Love both game.
BGEE is now the best. I thought I would click BG2... But... Although I loved playing IWD... I... Cannot be tempted to replay it over and over again. You complete it and... You have completed it. Not enough sidequests... No basic bumming around figuring out what to do. You have to move to the next map... Going north, south, east and west is not as often an option... Going down that trial takes you from a to b... You cannot lose yourself in it... It is a challenge.
...
I basically bummed around for ages playing BG1 as you could roam. My first playthrough was pretty damned awesome because I bummed around. I didn't even find Dynahier, what a surprise I got when I revisited the area and wandered accidently down into the pit... And then you want to play again. And again. Doing it in a different order.
You do sort of get that freedom in BG2... Although the catch is you are doing all those side quests for money to free Imoen... To gain a base... Or fulfil a romance. You have a purpose. BG sometimes does not have a purpose, but it is still good. A bit like nipples on men, plastic lightsabers and life in general, it is still good.
I like Planescape but I prefer the Forgotten Realms. This may be a blasphemy of sorts... But, Planescape does play differently to the other titles from character creation onwards... It perhaps is not comparable because it is so different...
Bending under the stress of caring for my wife after he surgery, an impending IRS audit for which we owe at least $1000, two dogs with skin infections, filling out the older son’s FAFSA forms, awaiting news from my oncologist, and having found that the lining of the fireplace needs replacing. But other than that, Mrs Lincoln, ...
Bending under the stress of caring for my wife after he surgery, an impending IRS audit for which we owe at least $1000, two dogs with skin infections, filling out the older son’s FAFSA forms, awaiting news from my oncologist, and having found that the lining of the fireplace needs replacing. But other than that, Mrs Lincoln, ...
Comments
I've said it before, I'll say it again. IWD > BG > PST
Every playthrough, get to UN or just after and the game feels over. You are pretty much railroading everything and so over the whole Irenicus thing.
Not having a soul makes no difference whatsoever and the Elves are so goddam awful you can't help but think they deserve everything he throws at them.
Then to cap it all, Irenicus goes down so easily and then you get dragged to hell, then have to slog through the trials before a decent fight at the end.
Allowing access to WK in BG2 has really damaged the balance of the game. I really wish they would change that.
And of course you could ignore it, but WK is actually a good dungeon with great rewards and frankly, the temptation is too great.
It feels the same as a quest, like dealing with Firkrag for instance, which makes it even less likely to be able to be ignored.
Ideally would like to see WK only available in TOB with a much expanded and better reason as to why you need to go there at that point.
This describes basically all Elves.
From the OP:
Uhm....
BGEE is now the best. I thought I would click BG2... But... Although I loved playing IWD... I... Cannot be tempted to replay it over and over again. You complete it and... You have completed it. Not enough sidequests... No basic bumming around figuring out what to do. You have to move to the next map... Going north, south, east and west is not as often an option... Going down that trial takes you from a to b... You cannot lose yourself in it... It is a challenge.
...
I basically bummed around for ages playing BG1 as you could roam. My first playthrough was pretty damned awesome because I bummed around. I didn't even find Dynahier, what a surprise I got when I revisited the area and wandered accidently down into the pit... And then you want to play again. And again. Doing it in a different order.
You do sort of get that freedom in BG2... Although the catch is you are doing all those side quests for money to free Imoen... To gain a base... Or fulfil a romance. You have a purpose. BG sometimes does not have a purpose, but it is still good. A bit like nipples on men, plastic lightsabers and life in general, it is still good.
I like Planescape but I prefer the Forgotten Realms. This may be a blasphemy of sorts... But, Planescape does play differently to the other titles from character creation onwards... It perhaps is not comparable because it is so different...
Wait, I shouldn’t ask that, I’m a married man.
FYI, Icewind Dale.