Games That Matter ~ PC ~ Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate

Baldur's Gate, released in 1998, was the first Dungeons and Dragons based game for PC since the early 90s Dos-based games. Following AD&D 2nd edition rules, Baldur's Gate immerses the player into the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

You start the game in the city of Candlekeep along the sword coast. All the information you have is that your foster father Gorion has commanded you to gather your things because you must depart the city. The plot throughout the game is full of twists, and the antagonist is one of the most memorable villains (for me).

Gameplay/Storyline: Gameplay consists of moving your character and your party (controlled by you) through various quests. The main plot revolves around the actions of the Iron Throne, an evil organisation based in the great city of Baldur's Gate. Along with this, there are numerous sidequests giving you powerful items, gold, and sometimes other party members for completion. There are a variety of difficult monsters, and the game holds one's attention the entire time. Some things, however, are not enjoyable. Occasionally, when moving between areas, you will encounter a random encounter (for lack of better words). These are extraordinarily difficult, and usually result in your entire party dying. Another annoyance is that whenever your character dies, the game is over. Now, I understand that the plot revolves around your character, but it's annoying when your wizard with 3 hp dies at the first gibberling you encounter.
Score: 9

Graphics: Nothing special. 2-D sprites on 2-D backgrounds. Spell effects are magical-looking, as they should be.
Score: 7

Sound: Not too great. You have a choice of four voice sets for your character: Fighter, Evil Fighter, Silly Fighter, Loud Fighter (renamed, of course). Voice acting for other characters isn't as bad. I liked the music, though. But it did get repetitive.
Score: 5

Replay: With many starting race/class combinations and loads of sidequests, this is a game I can play over and over (and have). My games have always been stopped abruptly due to virii or stupid siblings, but I don't mind starting up a new game. There's always something new.
Score: 9.5

Final Score: 8.5
Baldur's Gate is a game that everyone who enjoys fantasy settings and RPGs should play. Are there better games out there? Sure. But Baldur's Gate is pretty high up on the list.