Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition

I could probably write an essay on this game, but what is there I could say that hasn't been said already? This is a genre defining, timeless classic that still holds up today against countless modern CRPG's.
The writing is fantastic, the gameplay exciting, the characters interesting and well developed. If you haven't already, play it.

"Fate leads him who follows it, and drags him who resist.”
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition represents a classic role-playing game (RPG), originally developed by the company BioWare and published by the company Interplay Entertainment in 1998. This remake (2012) has been developed by Overhaul Games, a division of Beamdog, and published by Atari. Further notable remakes of the development studio are Baldur’s Gate 2, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, and Planescape: Torment.
Pros & cons:
++ You could play as the stereotypical good guy with a team of righteous characters. Or, you abandon your mortal shell, and create a demigod by using import / export shenanigans after you have collected all attribute books. Break the game by importing your own group of min / max freaks, and commit countless atrocities that would make the former God of Murder proud. Embrace your destiny!
+ The remake introduces a ton of quality of life changes for the base game, which translates into more content and technical modernization including a glorious 4K resolution. An additional DLC and sandbox mode round it up.
+ Kudos to the Legacy of Bhaal difficulty. It transforms every monster into an abomination of unparalleled power blessed by the four chaos gods.
o The side quests are a mixed bag, you have the good, the bad, and the pick-up-the-item-I-just-dropped ones. My favourite quest develops around the boy Albert, who turns out to be a lesser demon from the Nine Hells. The problem: the quest can be done in less than a minute, and the surprise at the end remains unused. One of many wasted opportunities for great adventures.
- The majority of companions are basically mercenaries, and interactions between them are rare. I see them as a way to fill my ranks with like-minded individuals, while role-playing around my reputation. Because if they don’t like what you do, they will leave you in a heartbeat.
-- The amount of dead space in the outskirts can only be described as atrocious. Occasionally, the game sprinkles some trash mobs here and there, but it remains a tedious grind to search every corner of the world map. Again, those regions should have been filled with interesting side quests in order to incentivise and reward exploration.
Summary:
A solid remake of the game adding more content and technical customization, and to my personal surprise it has held up well. More importantly, it allows the younger fan base to experience a classic title among the RPG genre.
Most of the negative aspects diminish the overall attractiveness, but do not break the immersion while exploring dungeons filled with the promise of untold riches.
Recommended for people with a fetish for a certain hamster.
Achievements:
Estimated time for 100% completion: +80 hours
Singleplayer achievements: 129
Multiplayer achievements: none

You must gather your party before venturing forth.
This game still makes me happy many, many years later - 10/10

An absolutely legendary RPG. Baldur's Gate is the beginning of one of the most underrated series in all of gaming history.
THE GOOD:
- Loads of options for character creation that vastly changes your playstyle on repeat playthroughs.
- Plays just like classic D&D, except it's much more fluid and combats don't (always) take 2 to 3 hours.
- A wealth of charming characters and party members all around. Yes, INCLUDING the Enhanced Edition characters: they aren't nearly as bad as all the boomers make them out to be. They blend into the game extremely well.
- Getting lost and running around the map on a looting frenzy is pure bliss.
- The music and sound effects, while obviously a product of their time, still hold up well to this day.
- The game's real-time combat is very well handled. Being able to stop time and micromanage your moves whenever and however much you want is very handy and satisfying.
- Finally, the story. Wow. This is without a doubt my favorite story in any RPG game. The main plot is simple but takes some really creative directions, party members have awesome stories that start here and carry over into the sequel, lots of fun sidequests to follow, and the interlude, Siege of Dragonspear, was actually one of the highlights of my playthrough. Baldur's Gate has all the energy and joy of a tabletop romp with your friends, except the story is all just for you. This is undoubtedly the star aspect of the game.
THE BAD:
- Some of the old voice acting is kinda cringy.
- Damn, 2nd Edition rules are confusing as hell and make my eyes bleed.
- In true D&D tradition, Wizards and Sorcerers are the best classes in the game, but are complete garbage for the first 5 to 8 levels. The maximum level in Baldur's Gate 1 is level 9. If you want to play a mage, you will have to survive the entire first game being carried by your party before you can unleash pure carnage upon the Sword Coast in the sequel.
- Stealth can be really finnicky and hard to understand at first.
- There are some pretty extreme spikes in difficulty in this game. Make sure you save often, and if you get stuck don't be afraid to go do something else for a bit.
ADVICE FOR NEW PLAYERS:
- Don't be afraid to play a mage; you can definitely still contribute to your team, just be aware of the risks.
- Don't listen to all the yammering minmaxers online; unless you're doing a solo + hardest difficulty run, basically every class is viable in some way or another.
- Playing an Evil character with an Evil party is really fun, but be aware that it makes the game harder.
I love this game. I wish it would get the attention that it deserves. But for now, I'll settle with it being a phenomenal cult hit, and the first half of my favorite RPG series of all time.

You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
You must gather your party before venturing forth
Go for the eyes Boo. GO FOR THE EYES! RrraaaAAGHHH!

Those nerds were right all along

A forgotten realms epic that will never be forgotten in any realm for being so epic.