Best Rpg Powered By Infinity Engine

[bobson]

Vote Please ^_^

[_r.u.s.s.]

man you forgot datadisks and stuff
btw i voted for BG ii

[bobson]

data disk and stuff are just additions to these standard games - none of them was playable without the "starter", that is the reason why I didn't put them in poll

[Scatty]

I think Badur's Gate II + Throne of Bhaal was the best of them all, eventhough Planescape - Torment was also very good because of the epic story. But Baldur's Gate II beats Planescape by far with more combat options and available magic spells.

[STFM]

i liked the bg story better, but bg2 for game mechanics and options

[mercenary]

Voted for BG2

[chumloofah]

Torment all the way!
Baldur's Gate might have had more options, but as far as character and story development go, I've never seen anything even close to as good as Torment.

:ok: Go, Planescape Torment. Go! :ok:

[Mighty Midget]

Well, I won't say I'm biased or anything, it's just that I never played any other than BG. It is however, my fav RPG. Nice story, nice gameplay, nice controls. The only thing I will point my finger at, and this goes for all AD&D games, is the magic system where you have to sleep to remember a limited number of spells. I prefer the pure mana/magika system, where the number of spells you can cast at any time is dictated only by your mana/magika.

[Tito]

Well, I haven't played Torment, and I would love to. Anyway, I voted for the first BG, as it is the one that gave me a biggest feeling of freedom. (BG II was great too).

[Blood-Pigggy]

Yeah the original BG is by far the best in my opinion.
Patched to the full extent that is, the original version is far too unbalanced.

Otherwise Baldur's Gate II just has your party uber at the end which is no fun, especially in a D&D game, I killed Jon Irenicus with a freaking level three summon skeleton spell while my fighters just hacked away at him, he was too focused on the skeletons which had like insane resistances to his attacks to do anything. He killed one of them before he died.

That's just ridiculous, these games are no fun without the challenge, and don't even get me started with Throne of Baal, Demigorgon was a total freaking pushover, and so was practically everything else.

First 8/10ths of Baldur's Gate II = great, but otherwise it slacks because your party starts peeling the later monsters apart.

Icewind Dale is my second favorite, good balance, fun combat, and very open to different party mixtures.
The second game was also nice, but a bit too much of the same.

As for Torment, yeesh, don't get me started. Masterful writing, but it's only for the people who want a story and not much else, the gameplay is utterly pathetic compared to other Infinity games.

[chumloofah]

Story > Fighting.
That's the role play part of rpg.
I thought Icewind Dale sucked.
Look like Pigggy is actually my nemesis. :titan:

On a helpful note, if you want to make BG 2 and such harder, try making toons that are fundamentally flawed in some way. Try parties that don't consist of the optimum fighter:caster ratio. Try all fighters. Try all mages. Try attacking the boss in the Shadow Thieves guild. ;)

[_r.u.s.s.]

no way
gameplay needs to be good in the first place, then it can be mastered story.
what fun would it be if in some game 2/3 of the game would be cinematics with great story

[Blood-Pigggy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chumloofah @ Aug 17 2007, 08:34 AM) 305131</div>
Story > Fighting.
That's the role play part of rpg.
I thought Icewind Dale sucked.
Look like Pigggy is actually my nemesis. :titan:

On a helpful note, if you want to make BG 2 and such harder, try making toons that are fundamentally flawed in some way. Try parties that don't consist of the optimum fighter:caster ratio. Try all fighters. Try all mages. Try attacking the boss in the Shadow Thieves guild. ;)
[/b]

The primary purpose of a videoGAME no matter what genre it is, is to be fun.
The majority of the greatest RPGs I've played have at average stories at best, especially the Ultima series (except for a few titles).

Stories don't make RPGs.

[chumloofah]

Note I didn't say gameplay... or even mention cinematics.
But I'll never convince anyone who disagrees ;)
It's a preference thing.

Although, a good story is part of the fun and combat alone can get boring fast.
I love a game where my character develops beyond getting more powerful, where NPCs are interesting, well developed and develop along with the main character.
It gets you involved on a very different level to the high score mentality.
Baldur's Gate pulled this off to some extent, still one of my favourite games, but when Planescape came out the depth of the characters and plot stunned me.
The gameplay certainly isn't bad enough to warrant that being overlooked.

[Forfeit]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chumloofah @ Aug 13 2007, 09:52 AM) 304451</div>
Torment all the way!
Baldur's Gate might have had more options, but as far as character and story development go, I've never seen anything even close to as good as Torment.

:ok: Go, Planescape Torment. Go! :ok:
[/b]

Planescape Torment is the best game I´ve played to this day. So, yes, Planescape was the best game of the bunch.

YET, I think that the game that used the engine at its best was either BGII or Icewind II.

[Forfeit]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(_r.u.s.s. @ Aug 17 2007, 11:09 AM) 305142</div>
what fun would it be if in some game 2/3 of the game would be cinematics with great story
[/b]

Japanese "RPG´s".

And they are quite popular. I had one friend that loved them and hated rpg´s like Baldur´s Gate and Fallout.

Myself, I cant play them.

[Blood-Pigggy]

Those games are absolutely horrid in my opinion, Western RPGs are simply better in every single aspect.

[JJXB]

i can play both types of rpg's. the jap rpg's have some great stories in them but the gameplay can get very repetitive. western rpg's don't always match up to jap rpg's in terms of story but are far better gameplay wise. i still rate BG higher than any final fantasy in my eyes though (for example)

[chumloofah]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Blood-Pigggy")</div>horrid[/b]
Pointing out this delightfully antiquated word, that everybody who didn't notice may now revel in it.

[The Fifth Horseman]

I've recently saw BG and IWD compilations available in of the the local stores, but I don't want to buy both of them at once.
Never played any game from either series, and would like to know which series would you recommend to pick up first.

[_r.u.s.s.]

i would recommend you icewind dale first, its first in the series, its shorter, more in to combat with less talking, so you would get used to the system and its not as boring as BG1 (which was a bit later on in my opinion). then if you liked it you can go for BG1 and BG2(that one wasnt boring)

[Tulac]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(the_fifth_horseman @ Sep 13 2007, 05:23 PM) 310657</div>
I've recently saw BG and IWD compilations available in of the the local stores, but I don't want to buy both of them at once.
Never played any game from either series, and would like to know which series would you recommend to pick up first.
[/b]
Here in Croatia you can buy the whole D&D games compilation you get all BG 1&2 (+expansions), IWD 1&2, Planescape: Torment, and a cople of more games (I think Temple of Elemental Evil is included too). For a really low price, maybe they got the same thing in Poland?
Here it is http://www.gpstore.co.nz/Games/1526529.html

I would reccomend you BG 1&2 cause IMO Icewindale is no match for them, if you want only repetitive hack and slash then buy Icewindale.

[Tito]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tulac @ Sep 13 2007, 03:42 PM) 310659</div>
I would reccomend you BG 1&2 cause IMO Icewindale is no match for them, if you want only repetitive hack and slash then buy Icewindale.
[/b]
I'm with Tulac here. Go for BG.

[Scatty]

Same from me. Baldur's Gate for itself is in my opinion better than Icewind Dale, and Baldur's Gate II is even better, and you can import the characters from BG to BGII to keep your favourites, too.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(_r.u.s.s. @ Sep 14 2007, 01:27 AM) 310658</div>i would recommend you icewind dale first, its first in the series, its shorter,[/b] Did you know that Icewind Dale was based on Baldur's Gate engine? Besides, I've read somewhere that this game was a fanmade project for all fans of Baldur's Gate, with increased combat and less story.

[Nick]

Baldur's Gate 2 has stupid scripts. ID 2 better.

[_r.u.s.s.]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Scatty @ Sep 14 2007, 04:19 AM) 310811</div><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(_r.u.s.s. @ Sep 14 2007, 01:27 AM) 310658i would recommend you icewind dale first, its first in the series, its shorter,[/b] Did you know that Icewind Dale was based on Baldur's Gate engine? Besides, I've read somewhere that this game was a fanmade project for all fans of Baldur's Gate, with increased combat and less story.[/b][/quote]
of course i know it was based on bgs engine developed by black isle interplay studios and it was a side project between bg1 and bg2 :blink: and yes i also said it has more combat and less story. if you got confused with my first in the series, i meant first in its series.

seriously, bg1 was too boring to begin with

[Tulac]

BG1 was great dude, did you play it more than 15 minutes? Or was it boring cuase you don't get super duper magic items in it, and have to be careful when fighting even a goblin?

[_r.u.s.s.]

i have finished all the forgotten realms games
and later on when you explored north and baldurs gate city it got realy boring. and careful- even when when fighting a goblin is FUN. it was balanced combats

[chumloofah]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("_r.u.s.s.")</div>i would recommend you icewind dale first, its first in the series, its shorter, more in to combat with less talking, so you would get used to the system and its not as boring as BG1 (which was a bit later on in my opinion). then if you liked it you can go for BG1 and BG2(that one wasnt boring)[/b]
Madness!
BG was first, they aren't anything like a series, and while BG has an involving story-line with interesting characters ID is a hack 'n slash adventure.
Not that ID is bad, particularly... :D
It's just not in the same league.

Unless fighting from room to room is all you're looking for, in which case, go Icewind Dale.

[Beltona]

I voted for Icewind dale 2 because i liked the fast past action. Baldurs gate was pretty good but i liked slashing through hordes of enemies.

[Scatty]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rob Buhre @ Sep 15 2007, 03:55 AM) 310959</div>Baldurs gate was pretty good but i liked slashing through hordes of enemies.[/b]
If you're looking for slashing through hordes of enemies, you get enough of them in the expansion to Baldur's Gate II, Throne of Bhaal. There's enough opportunities for hack and slash without finesse.

[Forfeit]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(_r.u.s.s. @ Sep 14 2007, 08:14 AM) 310884</div>
seriously, bg1 was too boring to begin with
[/b]

Nah. It was kind of slow, but I liked it. I liked it because you feel a sort of freedom inside it, and you can do pretty much what you want in the start. In BG2 you already have to deal with Imoen being stolen and the whole deal with the crazy mage.

Now, BG1 had some problems, like the huge landscapes with barely anything in it, a lot of useless npc and stuff like that. But I felt it had more personality than BG2.

[Beltona]

If you're looking for slashing through hordes of enemies, you get enough of them in the expansion to Baldur's Gate II, Throne of Bhaal. There's enough opportunities for hack and slash without finesse.[/b]

Hmm i never gotten around playing the expansion for baldurs gate 2. I will give it a spin to see what it's like.

[chumloofah]

All this "baldur's gate was boring" stuff's a nonsense.
If you followed the story, the pace was bang on.
You had to spend time as a feeble nub, dead from one goblin strike, then help him develop into the bad behind messiah he truly is.
Of course, if you went exploring every map you might be surprised to find that the woods consist of mostly trees, hills were predominantly hills and so on.
The npc action was, bizarrely, more focussed in towns.
Especially (is this blowing your mind yet?) in the city.
Spend all your time scouring the wilderness and expect to be bored.

[Mighty Midget]

Another thing about BG1: I found that the number of side quests kept me from being bored. If I was bored of following the main story, there were always a hundred million trillion side quests, one of my favourite ones were the rescue of Minsk's companion Dynaheir (or what the hell her name was), as well as the supprises in Beregost. Plenty of them there were too.

Just my two bits.

[bobson]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(the_fifth_horseman @ Sep 13 2007, 05:23 PM) 310657</div>
I've recently saw BG and IWD compilations available in of the the local stores, but I don't want to buy both of them at once.
Never played any game from either series, and would like to know which series would you recommend to pick up first.
[/b]

Many replied for your question and I'll be another.

It depends on what You like. If You prefer story, many quests, sub-quests, mini quests in sub-quests, non-linear game - choose BG GOLD. If You like to smash everybody, gain levels, get gold, buy more and more powerful swords and axes and you do not care, that there is always one way to go (just play it simple) - choose IwD GOLD.

And now some words of my own opinion in my own poll :D

I played all of the games from this poll, and each one had something interesting ... ok I didn't liked first BG - too many walking around ...

My list of quality:
1. Torment (completed twice)
2. BG II (after three months ... got bored - never finished)
3. IwD (completed with both add-ons)
4. IwD II (completed)
5. BG (I do not like)

[Tito]

I personally feel the walking around thing added to the first BG. It gave me more freedom, and a great feeling when, after wandering around for a while, I found this little sub-quest of a fairy protecting a tree for some tugs, or a nude man hiding in the closet of a young woman's bedroom. The game actually gave you small nice rewards for exploration.

BG2 was, while having quite a lot of freedom and exploration, more linear. And IWD is way too Diablo like for my taste (not that I don't like Diablo, but it is not the kind of thing I expect from a Forgotten Realms game).

I would love to try Torment, but I've been unable 'til now.

[Forfeit]

Get it, its definitaly golden.

And even through its pretty linear, there is just so much stuff to do, read and experience everywhere that the fact you dont have a lot of say in the story doesnt even matter. Just figuring out the story is enough.

[chumloofah]

No need to say that not having a lot of say in the story is necessarily a bad thing.
Being pulled along a certain path by "fate" or whatever :ph34r: is a very definite vibe in Torment.
There's a lot of history in that game, and events have momentum as well as being under the influence of agents other than yourself.
You can go with the flow to the end of the story, or you can seek out every bit of information, get closer to understanding what's going on and still going with the flow for lack of a realistic alternative.
Having "four different endings!" in every game can be a bit contrived at times, you know :D

[bobson]

Planescape is winning :cheers:

[Hatsen]

Baldur's Gate II is kickin' rad! :D

[Burger Meister]

Never played any of these :( Only thing I remeber is seeing my cousin holding his 7 or so Balder's Gate 1 CDs. Rediculous for the time period it was released in!

[bobson]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Burger Meister @ Nov 8 2007, 10:17 PM) 318699</div>
Never played any of these :( Only thing I remeber is seeing my cousin holding his 7 or so Balder's Gate 1 CDs. Rediculous for the time period it was released in!
[/b]

Not that ridiculous - these days many CD's meant lower piracy - pirates took money not for a game but for a CD, so more CD -> more costs for an illegal copy -> bigger chance for an income to developer.

For Example Torment was first released on 4 CD's. If there wasn't such man redundant locations/stuff - there could be 3 in my opinion. Some time has passed and nowadays you can get the game on 2 CD's (I believe better compression also lowered the CD count).

[Tulac]

Besides BG2 was among the first games released for DVD and in those times DVD's didn't sell good, they were much more expensive than 5 CD's.