Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Encyclopedia
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare
and released on September 26, 2000. The game is the sequel to Baldur's Gate
, and, opening only a few months after the events of the earlier game, continues the story of the player character, whose unique heritage has now gained him the attention of a new personage, Jon Irenicus. Like Baldur's Gate, the game is set in the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition ruleset. The game uses BioWare's Infinity Engine
, used also in Baldur's Gate, Black Isle's Planescape: Torment
, and Black Isle's Icewind Dale series. It received critical acclaim upon its release; and has sold over 2 million units.
An expansion pack for the game, entitled Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
, was released in 2001, and, being the final installment, concludes the Child of Bhaal history.
Baldur's Gate II has a large modding community that has created several large unofficial mods that extend the game in a major way with new items and quests.
and uses pausable realtime gameplay. The player creates a main character through a series of configuration panels, or the character from the original Baldur's Gate can be imported. Additional characters can then be recruited from within the game world, although the total party size is limited to six. Each of these recruited NPC
s have programmed behavior that can lead to cut-scene discussion with the main character or the other members of the party. Players can, by exploiting the game's multi-player function, create more than one character for a party. However, these additional characters will only perform a superficial level of interaction.
During the course of the game, the decisions made by the player will have an impact on the development of the character and the remainder of the party. For example, early in the game, the player must decide whether to ally with the guild of Shadow Thieves led by Aran Linvail at the reins, or with the vampires
and their leader, Bodhi. Potential duels, bickering, romance, and quests can all result depending on who is allowed to join the party and who is turned away.
Rather than requiring an exclusive focus on combat, Shadows of Amn, much like the first installment, focuses on interaction with the world. Thus, at a point in the game, the player can acquire and "manage" a stronghold, the form of which depends on the selection of their character class at the beginning of the game. For example, as a fighter
class
, the player may successfully complete the quest at the de'Arnise Hold and begin to take over the stronghold. Similarly, a mage
may take over a magical Planar Sphere, whereas a thief
character may choose to manage the other branch of the thieves' guild in the Docks district. Nonetheless, a player may still choose to progress through the game mainly by combat; the game permits attacking townsfolk, merchants, and guards.
. A fair portion of the game revolves around the city of Athkatla
.
, Jaheira, Edwin and Viconia. Because Baldur's Gate II does not check the status of these characters at the end of the first game, they appear even if they perished in the course of the previous adventure. The designers make light of this, often prompting the player character to ask: "Aren't you dead?" which can be disconcerting, if they did not die; if they survived, the player is given the opportunity to ask the ubiquitous "Can you remember me?", which often gives the much needed excuse to fill in backstory and give new players a sense of what has gone before. Also, the game assumes that the six-person party at the end of the game included the main protagonist, Imoen, Minsc, Dynaheir, Jaheira, and Khalid.
, and Jaheira from the original Baldur's Gate
game. Upon escaping, they find themselves in the city of Athkatla
, where they confront Irenicus. Several Cowled Wizards
arrive to detain both Imoen and Irenicus for unlicensed use of magic, and the two are teleported away to be imprisoned.
The party meets a man who offers an opportunity to rescue Imoen, for a hefty payment. This sum is far above the party's current means, so the money must be raised by adventuring through Athkatla and the surrounding lands. Meanwhile, after being detained in a prison called Spellhold, Irenicus manages to escape captivity, killing his captors. Within his new base, he continues his experiments on Imoen.
With the help of captain Saemon Havarian, the party gains passage to the small island on which Spellhold is located, where they infiltrate the asylum. However, they are betrayed and taken prisoner by Irenicus. During the next rest, another of a series of troubling dreams follows. This time, Imoen asks the player to summon and slay a demon called Bhaal
. Upon defeating this demon, the main character finds his soul has been removed. Imoen has suffered a similar fate; their souls were claimed by Irenicus and a vampire called Bodhi, respectively.
The party are released, only to be hunted down by Bodhi. Because his soul was lost, the player character involuntarily transforms into an avatar of Bhaal, the Slayer. In this form, the player becomes a mindless killer, scaring off Bodhi and killing several party members. However, he will later learn to control this form and use it to his advantage.
Upon returning to normal, the player joins Imoen to battle Irenicus until the wizard flees into the Underdark
. The party follows, returning to the surface at a location where they encounter an army from the elven city of Suldanessellar
. Jon Irenicus has managed to sneak into the city and magically seal the entrance. After obtaining a means to enter, the party find Irenicus beginning a ritual intended to grant him immortality. They attempt to slay Irenicus, but the party is dragged with him into hell
. There they finally confront and defeat the elven mage.
listing it as the 6th highest scoring PC game on the site as of July 16, 2010. Computer Gaming World
s reviewer said, "I think of this as Game Of The Year or even Hall Of Fame material [...] it certainly ranks up there with greats like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, and Betrayal At Krondor".
Baldur's Gate IIs gameplay was called "addicting" by GamePro
. RPGamer
said that "the game plays pretty much the same [...] except for combat. Here we've taken a big step up from the frustrating ordeals in Baldur's Gate. The enemies are no longer quite so cheap, and more strategies are viable." Some reviewers, however, felt that the non-player character
s in the game weren't powerful enough in comparison to player-made characters. GameSpy
said that the game is much more difficult than Baldur's Gate, and requires more strategy and planning than the original does. GameSpot
felt that the opening level of the game "falls flat", but that it gets much better once the player reaches Athkatla.
The game's plot was met positively by reviewers, with GameSpy saying that "The plot can be summarized in one word: Epic. The developers bent over backwards to make you feel like you were making a difference in the game world, as well as provide some very 'awesome' enemies and quests."
GamePro praised the game's graphics, saying that "the backdrops are stunning and the spell effects are impressive with or without 3D acceleration." IGN
echoed this statement by stating "The comparison between [the graphics of] Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II is astounding—like looking at a still oil painting, and then turning to see the scene in living motion on a big screen TV." FiringSquad said that the game's artwork surpassed that of Planescape: Torment
, and called the background artwork "fantastic".
FiringSquad praised the voice acting of Baldur's Gate II, saying that "Characters sound alive and vivacious (or depressed, crazy - whatever suits them), bringing a whole new level of depth to game's immersion factor." Reviewers also generally found the game's music to be well-done.
Gameplanet criticized the game's poor support for online multiplayer, saying that it was "unstable and quite frustrating". Jakub Wojnarowicz of FiringSquad felt that the lack of communication between players in combat during online games was problematic, but that Local Area Network
play would be "a lot more fun and less stressful". PC Zone
said that "As in BG, multiplayer is a bit of a disappointment. [...] Come on guys, let's have some multiplayer maps or something."
Criticism was also directed at bugs in the game, such as frequent crashes when trying to access certain locations. According to Tim McConnaughy from GameSpy, Baldur's Gate II is "not 100% stable". GameSpot found that the game's loading times were a "bit long" and that the game crashes on occasion. Reviewers also felt that the small number of character portraits to choose from was a disappointment.
's "Greatest Games of All Time" list, and it also won their Readers' Choice Game of the Year award for 2000. It also received three "Gaming Globe" awards from Eurogamer
in 2001: Best Game, Best Art Direction, and Best Male Supporting Character (for Minsc). GameSpy
, GameSpot, and IGN
all awarded Baldur's Gate II their "Role-Playing Game of the Year" awards in 2000. IGN also placed it at #25 on their 2005 "Top 100 Games of All Time" list.
In 2009, Game Informer
put Baldur's Gate II in 88th place on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time," calling it "The Best Dungeons & Dragons game ever made."
In 2010, on IGN's Top 25 Modern PC Games, Baldur's Gate II was ranked 2nd, with Half-Life 2
being ranked first.
In November 2010, Baldur's Gate II Complete was released in digital format (Windows only) on the classic games website Good Old Games, or gog.com, as part of a deal with Atari-Hasbro. This version of the game includes Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and its expansion Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Additional content is included in the purchase of the game, including PDF files of the game manuals, HD wallpapers, artwork, avatars, and the soundtracks of both the core game and the expansion.
Baldur's Gate II Redux has also been released as a fan-made standalone campaign mod for BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins
. Initially, the only content to be released is that of Irenicus' Dungeon level, with more content in production.
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
and released on September 26, 2000. The game is the sequel to Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
, and, opening only a few months after the events of the earlier game, continues the story of the player character, whose unique heritage has now gained him the attention of a new personage, Jon Irenicus. Like Baldur's Gate, the game is set in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition ruleset. The game uses BioWare's Infinity Engine
Infinity Engine
Infinity Engine is a game engine which allows the creation of isometric computer role-playing games. It was originally developed by BioWare for a prototype RTS game codenamed Battleground Infinity, which was ultimately re-engineered to become the first installment of the Baldur's Gate series...
, used also in Baldur's Gate, Black Isle's Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
, and Black Isle's Icewind Dale series. It received critical acclaim upon its release; and has sold over 2 million units.
An expansion pack for the game, entitled Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is the expansion pack for the computer role-playing game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and is the final chapter in the Baldur's Gate series. It adds a multi-level dungeon called Watcher's Keep to the game and completes the main plot...
, was released in 2001, and, being the final installment, concludes the Child of Bhaal history.
Baldur's Gate II has a large modding community that has created several large unofficial mods that extend the game in a major way with new items and quests.
Gameplay
Baldur's Gate II, like its predecessor, is played from an isometric perspectiveIsometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
and uses pausable realtime gameplay. The player creates a main character through a series of configuration panels, or the character from the original Baldur's Gate can be imported. Additional characters can then be recruited from within the game world, although the total party size is limited to six. Each of these recruited NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s have programmed behavior that can lead to cut-scene discussion with the main character or the other members of the party. Players can, by exploiting the game's multi-player function, create more than one character for a party. However, these additional characters will only perform a superficial level of interaction.
During the course of the game, the decisions made by the player will have an impact on the development of the character and the remainder of the party. For example, early in the game, the player must decide whether to ally with the guild of Shadow Thieves led by Aran Linvail at the reins, or with the vampires
Vampire (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features...
and their leader, Bodhi. Potential duels, bickering, romance, and quests can all result depending on who is allowed to join the party and who is turned away.
Rather than requiring an exclusive focus on combat, Shadows of Amn, much like the first installment, focuses on interaction with the world. Thus, at a point in the game, the player can acquire and "manage" a stronghold, the form of which depends on the selection of their character class at the beginning of the game. For example, as a fighter
Fighter (Dungeons & Dragons)
The fighter is one of the standard playable character classes in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A fighter is a versatile, weapons-oriented warrior who fights using skill, strategy and tactics....
class
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
A character class is a fundamental part of the identity and nature of characters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. A character's capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses are largely defined by his or her chosen class; choosing a class is one of the first steps a player takes in order to...
, the player may successfully complete the quest at the de'Arnise Hold and begin to take over the stronghold. Similarly, a mage
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
may take over a magical Planar Sphere, whereas a thief
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
character may choose to manage the other branch of the thieves' guild in the Docks district. Nonetheless, a player may still choose to progress through the game mainly by combat; the game permits attacking townsfolk, merchants, and guards.
Setting
The game is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, taking place mainly in Amn, a country on the subcontinent of FaerûnFaerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. A fair portion of the game revolves around the city of Athkatla
Athkatla
Athkatla is a fictional city in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is the capital of the nation of Amn, which in turn is a country on the continent of Faerûn...
.
Prominent characters
Several characters from the first game make a comeback, some of which are NPCs who can (re)join the player's party. These are Imoen (who has become dual classed to a Mage/Thief), MinscMinsc
Minsc is a fictional character in the Baldur's Gate series of Dungeons & Dragons computer role-playing games developed by BioWare. Minsc originated in pen and paper Dungeons & Dragons sessions held by Baldur's Gates Lead Designer James Ohlen, and was expanded upon by the game's lead writer, Luke...
, Jaheira, Edwin and Viconia. Because Baldur's Gate II does not check the status of these characters at the end of the first game, they appear even if they perished in the course of the previous adventure. The designers make light of this, often prompting the player character to ask: "Aren't you dead?" which can be disconcerting, if they did not die; if they survived, the player is given the opportunity to ask the ubiquitous "Can you remember me?", which often gives the much needed excuse to fill in backstory and give new players a sense of what has gone before. Also, the game assumes that the six-person party at the end of the game included the main protagonist, Imoen, Minsc, Dynaheir, Jaheira, and Khalid.
Story
The player character awakens in a cage being experimented upon by an elven mage, Jon Irenicus. Imprisoned in the same underground complex are Imoen, MinscMinsc
Minsc is a fictional character in the Baldur's Gate series of Dungeons & Dragons computer role-playing games developed by BioWare. Minsc originated in pen and paper Dungeons & Dragons sessions held by Baldur's Gates Lead Designer James Ohlen, and was expanded upon by the game's lead writer, Luke...
, and Jaheira from the original Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
game. Upon escaping, they find themselves in the city of Athkatla
Athkatla
Athkatla is a fictional city in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is the capital of the nation of Amn, which in turn is a country on the continent of Faerûn...
, where they confront Irenicus. Several Cowled Wizards
Cowled Wizards
The Cowled Wizards are a fictional secret organization in the Forgotten Realms universe of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Organization:...
arrive to detain both Imoen and Irenicus for unlicensed use of magic, and the two are teleported away to be imprisoned.
The party meets a man who offers an opportunity to rescue Imoen, for a hefty payment. This sum is far above the party's current means, so the money must be raised by adventuring through Athkatla and the surrounding lands. Meanwhile, after being detained in a prison called Spellhold, Irenicus manages to escape captivity, killing his captors. Within his new base, he continues his experiments on Imoen.
With the help of captain Saemon Havarian, the party gains passage to the small island on which Spellhold is located, where they infiltrate the asylum. However, they are betrayed and taken prisoner by Irenicus. During the next rest, another of a series of troubling dreams follows. This time, Imoen asks the player to summon and slay a demon called Bhaal
Bhaal
Bhaal, Lord of Murder, is a deity of the fictional Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.-Publication history:Ed Greenwood created Bhaal for his home Dungeons & Dragons game, set in the Forgotten Realms....
. Upon defeating this demon, the main character finds his soul has been removed. Imoen has suffered a similar fate; their souls were claimed by Irenicus and a vampire called Bodhi, respectively.
The party are released, only to be hunted down by Bodhi. Because his soul was lost, the player character involuntarily transforms into an avatar of Bhaal, the Slayer. In this form, the player becomes a mindless killer, scaring off Bodhi and killing several party members. However, he will later learn to control this form and use it to his advantage.
Upon returning to normal, the player joins Imoen to battle Irenicus until the wizard flees into the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
. The party follows, returning to the surface at a location where they encounter an army from the elven city of Suldanessellar
Suldanessellar
Suldanessellar is a fictional town in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Located within the nation of Tethyr, the city is populated entirely by wild elves. Suldanessellar was created by the unification of two wild elf tribes; the Suldusk and...
. Jon Irenicus has managed to sneak into the city and magically seal the entrance. After obtaining a means to enter, the party find Irenicus beginning a ritual intended to grant him immortality. They attempt to slay Irenicus, but the party is dragged with him into hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. There they finally confront and defeat the elven mage.
Development
Some of the more unusual NPCs in the game were put in after winning a contest held during the development cycle. Habib, who attacks by throwing his scimitar and later throwing gold coins at the player, was the #1 winner.Reception
Baldur's Gate II was met with worldwide acclaim upon its release, with MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
listing it as the 6th highest scoring PC game on the site as of July 16, 2010. Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
s reviewer said, "I think of this as Game Of The Year or even Hall Of Fame material [...] it certainly ranks up there with greats like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, and Betrayal At Krondor".
Baldur's Gate IIs gameplay was called "addicting" by GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
. RPGamer
RPGamer
RPGamer is a media and news website dedicated to covering computer and video game RPGs. Its coverage includes North American game news, European game news, Asian game news, gaming industry news, game reviews, game previews, hands-on game impressions, gaming conventions, game merchandise, release...
said that "the game plays pretty much the same [...] except for combat. Here we've taken a big step up from the frustrating ordeals in Baldur's Gate. The enemies are no longer quite so cheap, and more strategies are viable." Some reviewers, however, felt that the non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s in the game weren't powerful enough in comparison to player-made characters. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
said that the game is much more difficult than Baldur's Gate, and requires more strategy and planning than the original does. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
felt that the opening level of the game "falls flat", but that it gets much better once the player reaches Athkatla.
The game's plot was met positively by reviewers, with GameSpy saying that "The plot can be summarized in one word: Epic. The developers bent over backwards to make you feel like you were making a difference in the game world, as well as provide some very 'awesome' enemies and quests."
GamePro praised the game's graphics, saying that "the backdrops are stunning and the spell effects are impressive with or without 3D acceleration." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
echoed this statement by stating "The comparison between [the graphics of] Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II is astounding—like looking at a still oil painting, and then turning to see the scene in living motion on a big screen TV." FiringSquad said that the game's artwork surpassed that of Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment
Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
, and called the background artwork "fantastic".
FiringSquad praised the voice acting of Baldur's Gate II, saying that "Characters sound alive and vivacious (or depressed, crazy - whatever suits them), bringing a whole new level of depth to game's immersion factor." Reviewers also generally found the game's music to be well-done.
Gameplanet criticized the game's poor support for online multiplayer, saying that it was "unstable and quite frustrating". Jakub Wojnarowicz of FiringSquad felt that the lack of communication between players in combat during online games was problematic, but that Local Area Network
Local area network
A local area network is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited area such as a home, school, computer laboratory, or office building...
play would be "a lot more fun and less stressful". PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
said that "As in BG, multiplayer is a bit of a disappointment. [...] Come on guys, let's have some multiplayer maps or something."
Criticism was also directed at bugs in the game, such as frequent crashes when trying to access certain locations. According to Tim McConnaughy from GameSpy, Baldur's Gate II is "not 100% stable". GameSpot found that the game's loading times were a "bit long" and that the game crashes on occasion. Reviewers also felt that the small number of character portraits to choose from was a disappointment.
Awards
Baldur's Gate II was inducted into GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's "Greatest Games of All Time" list, and it also won their Readers' Choice Game of the Year award for 2000. It also received three "Gaming Globe" awards from Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
in 2001: Best Game, Best Art Direction, and Best Male Supporting Character (for Minsc). GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, GameSpot, and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
all awarded Baldur's Gate II their "Role-Playing Game of the Year" awards in 2000. IGN also placed it at #25 on their 2005 "Top 100 Games of All Time" list.
In 2009, Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
put Baldur's Gate II in 88th place on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time," calling it "The Best Dungeons & Dragons game ever made."
In 2010, on IGN's Top 25 Modern PC Games, Baldur's Gate II was ranked 2nd, with Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
being ranked first.
Versions and re-releases
Shadows of Amn also appeared in Collector's Edition format, with additional characters for those who preordered. Shadows of Amn was re-released along with its expansion as Baldur's Gate II: The Collection in 2002. In 2004 they were bundled with the original Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale in Black Isle Compilation Part Two. In 2006, they were re-released once again as Baldur's Gate: 4 in 1 Boxset.In November 2010, Baldur's Gate II Complete was released in digital format (Windows only) on the classic games website Good Old Games, or gog.com, as part of a deal with Atari-Hasbro. This version of the game includes Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and its expansion Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. Additional content is included in the purchase of the game, including PDF files of the game manuals, HD wallpapers, artwork, avatars, and the soundtracks of both the core game and the expansion.
Baldur's Gate II Redux has also been released as a fan-made standalone campaign mod for BioWare's Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age: Origins is a single-player role-playing video game developed by BioWare's Edmonton studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise...
. Initially, the only content to be released is that of Irenicus' Dungeon level, with more content in production.
Novelization
There are two novelizations based on the game and its expansion. The novels focus solely on Abdel, the last of the Bhaalspawn.- Baldur's Gate 2: The Shadows of AmnBaldur's Gate 2: The Shadows of AmnBaldur's Gate 2: The Shadows of Amn was a novel by Philip Athans based on the videogame of the same name from BioWare and Interplay. It follows a Bhaalspawn named Abdel Adrian who has awful powers to kill and destroy like Bhaal himself. The story takes place in the Forgotten Realms...
by Philip AthansPhilip Athans-Biography:Philip Athans was born in 1964 in Rochester, New York, but was raised in Chicago. Athans grew up reading Marvel comics and Starlog magazines, and watching Star Trek... - Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal by Drew KarpyshynDrew KarpyshynDrew Karpyshyn is a Canadian video game scenario writer, scriptwriter and novelist.-Career:Karpyshyn was a loan officer, but when he got in a car accident, he quit his job as a loan officer and was able to go to college again to gain a degree in English...
See also
- List of Baldur's Gate characters
- Chronology of computer role-playing games
External links
- Official site at BioWareBioWareBioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...