Since I deleted Starfield (maybe I’ll redownload it one day) from Steam I’m thinking of getting Baldurs Gate 3. I hear it can be fun if you ignore the gay stuff. Are 1 and 2 worth it? Also gonna look for some older RPGs on Steam or hack and slash
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80% of the companions are gay/non-binary
Avoid the pozzed game and play a proper RPG like the first Witcher game
BTW, just so you know u/Smith1980 : this must apply only to BG3, so don't let that deter you from trying BG2 and BG1.
In both, there are zero homosexual/"non-binary" characters.
Beamdog did add some homosexual option characters in the extended editions. (But you can also easily ignore the Beamdog content.)
That must be why I missed it - I skip everything that is not in the original.
1 and 2 are among the greatest RPGs of all time if you have the patience for retro games. I'd recommend picking up the GOG versions since the EEs don't add too much in terms of modern convenience and the new content they add is lsrgely cringe garbage.
The GOG versions patched with BGTUTU is the peak experience.
One could just start with BG2, certainly the the greatest RPG yet made. Can't wait until somebody AIs the dialog so it's all spoken.
The EE are easy and fine as long as you just avoid Hexxat, Neera, and Rasaad. This content is so unappealing and poorly written that pretty much any new player will naturally avoid it.
I agree that 1 is nowhere near 2, but 1 is very enjoyable as a lighthearted low-level D&D module adventure. The context it provides BG2 is worthwhile too I think.
From a nostalgia point of view, sure.
But for somebody new to get into a 25-year old game, BG1 doesn't have enough hook to it. There's not really much story or structure or fun. I think most people would just wander around the zones and get bored with the slow movement and gameplay.
Whereas BG2 you start off in that self-contained prologue area with interesting content that sets the stage for the main story. You get hooked on the game before the point where it opens up and you can decide your own path. And the scene at the end of the intro, you're like "ok shit just got real".
BG2 opener is so good that it can hook modern players, despite the poor graphics and having to read dialogue.
Idk I think a lot of the charm of BG1 is exploration and it provides it in a very pure form -- each map has something somewhere and revealing it is fun
I preferred BG1 over BG2 tenfold, because BG2 was far more linear and had far fewer "open-world" locations to visit. The story was more streamlined and you didn't do as much exploring. BG1's world map was much closer to Jagged Alliance 2, giving players a bit more freedom just up until near the end game where it became more linear.
BG2 expanded on a lot of things but also felt a lot more restricted as well to ensure people didn't move too far down the wrong path in terms of character growth and end up being doused in the end game with no way to win like in BG1. I didn't particularly care for that.
BG1, however, is peak late 90s PC gaming. They really nailed it. Awesome story. Great side-quests. Lots of exploration opportunities, and an amazing soundtrack. BG2 laid a lot of the foundations that BioWare utilised for KotoR, and for people who enjoy it that's fine, but if you want a more open-ended adventure then BG1 is definitely worth playing.
Eh, this is fake news.
BG1 is a completely linear series of dungeons with some random encounters spread around them. Yes you can explore an open map but there's basically one interesting character or fight on each screen, and they are each one and done.
BG2 is very open from the beginning, there are dozens of questlines to pursue, from factions to full dungeons, to dragons, to strongholds, and it's all 100% optional. BG2 saved the best content for the side quests, whereas BG1's side content is dull filler.
This is 100% false. Once you leave Candlekeep the map is designed very similar in structure to Jagged Alliance. Here is the map:
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/baldursgategame/images/6/64/BG1eemap.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/600?cb=20170720123852
That doesn't actually give you all of the map you can travel to since some of those locations have multiple grids per map. The maps in BG2 were much more linear. No idea where you're getting the "very open from the beginning" from since it is extremely linear during the first hour or two, and after that it strings you along very similar to how KoToR is designed. Also the map has far fewer places to visit, as you can see here: https://cdn.mobygames.com/covers/8096423-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn-collectors-edition-windows-map.jpg
Not sure where you're getting your information from about both games, but I played through BG2 about two or three times, and BG1 like half a dozen times. Had both games on the original CD-Rom where they came on multiple discs.
EDIT: Just looked it up again because I thought I was misremembering how many discs both games came on, and yeah, BG2 and BG1 both had multiple discs, but BG1 had more discs because it had way more locations to visit and that's what filled up the discs, since BG2 streamlined its story and had more voice acting but fewer locations. I remember it used to take a long time for BG1 to install some of the location data because of how large they were when it came to file size.
The GOG BG1 original installer on torrents is 700 mb smaller, the BG1:EE installed folder is 400 mb smaller, and the BG1:EE data/ folder containing BIF game files is 400 mb smaller (the gay BG2:EE content looks like just a small fraction of that).
Areas:
483 BG1
355 BG2
So you're right about number of areas, wrong about the size. Most of the difference is because BG1 has lots of tiny filler areas; twice as many random encounter areas, Nashkel Carnival has 9 tents, and there's 119 Generic Homes - going to floor 2 to get the 3 gp in generic home, what great content!
"You must gather your party before venturing forth to Generic Home 22..." /wrist
What you call "linear" other people call "story". The areas in BG2 have a story reason to exist and stories are told from start to finish. You can tell a story not in linear order, like Pulp Fiction, but it rarely works out so well.
You may be right about the digital versions (have no clue since I haven't checked), but for the original CD-ROM versions, the file sizes were quite different.
For BG1, discs 2 and 3 were for the middle of the map filler areas you mentioned, both took up more than 600mb. Disc 5 was solely dedicated to the various areas of Baldur's Gate at the end of the game. Not sure how they managed to squeeze the file sizes down so much for the digital versions, but I guess that's just advancements in compression these days.
You're right about that -- BG2 definitely had more story in fewer zones. I preferred the more free-form nature of BG1 where there was less hand-holding, and you could venture to more areas and explore more locations on your own time, and do some semi-grinding to level up at your own pace. But that's all preference -- some people prefer more linear, hand-holdy games.
Maybe I wasn't clear, but BG2 had more story and more actual zones. If you only played it twice there may be a lot of the game you haven't seen.
It doesn't matter how big the map is in BG1, because you visit 4 dungeons in strict linear order. There's nothing else to do on each map besides kill some random enemies. Comparing it to JA2 is insane, because that game actually allows you to tackle the map in any order. BG1 is a linear set of dungeons with some trash mobs sprinkled between them.
BG2 has the entire town of Athkatla to explore from the beginning, which is smaller than BG1's wilderness but much denser with content. There are dozens of questlines featuring full dungeons and unique map zones that are totally optional, unlike BG2.
Either you're a troll or you're just really dumb.
Simply wrong
I have no idea what you're talking about because none of that is true, I think you're getting yourself confused with another game.
BG1 lets you explore all adjacent/conecting maps outside of Candlekeep in any order you please, including going to maps with enemies a much higher level than you. It's why when I played it and others played it and we compared our playthroughs, ALL of them were different, because I hung around the forests grinding and exploring and fighting bandits, gathering their gear and selling them at the local shops. Others followed the story through as a linear pathway, and some also deviated to find teammates.
Bg2 is the complete opposite -- it hand-holds you through the story and streamlines the side-quests to avoid what happened in BG1, where you could breeze through the main story and end up being too low level to fight Baal at the end, where he will one-shot all of your teammates. BG2 makes sure you have enough side-quests completed so you're close to max level by the time you fight Irenecus or however it is you spell his name. There are a lot more story quests in BG2, but you don't have as much freedom to just go exploring the map as you please since a lot of the places are locked behind story progression.
BG1 is great but I doubt you can get in to it without nostalgia. The story is good and the combat is fine but I would suggest skipping it and play BG2 otherwise you may get burned out and not try one of the best games ever made.
BG2, is great, find some graphic mods to improve resolution and just play it. Not going to spoil it, the story is great and the world building is nice and it is filled with secrets just waiting to be discovered. It has romance options but just with 3 elves, if you don't get the EE version that is, I understand that they add some trans characters and some gay guy but honestly BG2 companions are not like BG3, you can easily avoid them.
BG3, I hate it, if it was a stand alone game or DOS3 rather then BG3 I would give it a pass.
DnD used to have a concept of morality that was inspired by Christianity, hence why DnD 5'th edition no longer has that. This is reflected in game as it has no real moral compass, everything is what ever with few exception. One of your companions has been kidnaping children for hundreds of years to feed to his master and his reaction is o well I did not feel anything, you are meant to sympathize with him.
This on top of everyone being gay for some reason and I can swear that every interaction in third act has a woman in charge and a male to shit on.
BG3 is one of the wokest games I've ever played but at the same time it is fun and I've played it, most of it, third act was way to dumb, I just uninstalled it at one point. I've been trying to understand what makes the game fun but I can't, story is bad, combat is repetitive, companions are hit or miss, the world makes no sense, feels like DnD themed park rather then a world and yet I was still playing it.
Edit: There is no requirement to play BG1 or BG2 in order to play BG3. The story connection can be summed up to "Member Jahiera? Member Minsc?" just nostalgia bait.
Not in the stuff Greenwood wrote. And while he may not have written for any of the BG games, he created the Forgotten Realms, where the games take place.
I assumed that the entire good/evil, lawful/chaotic came from a Christian based morality. For me lawful good was being Christian, chaotic good was someone who does good even if he is not a believer.
I honestly thought that was the reason they removed the entire thing in 5e.
Nope they are quatifiable measures, lawful good is a unit of measurement. They are as divorced from Christianity as you can get. The alignment spectrum is entirely because (in universe) of the gods and dark powers and (ooc, the wayyyy bigger reason) to control spell and effect targeting. It has nothing to do with Christians and everything to do with game mechanics.
I'm a DM and played d&d for years and even wrote home brew splat books the size of the player manuals, until I dropped all d20 systems as they are ALL for plebeans. I switched over to Exalted 2nd and then Exalted 3rd edition.
Cool, new to me, ofc I realized that it was part of spell mechanics and there is no Christianity in the game but what constitutes good I expected it to be in line with what Christians believe to be good. I guess I was wrong there.
You can TRY but they are not really the same. They are like a resource that fills up in your soul. Lawful vs chaos and good vs evil are marks that tick off within your soul. They are literal absolute values that can be measured like water in a bucket. You could say that Christianity is lawful good but the nuance of real world religion is far more grey and complex than an dummied down, 9 point scale. That's what causes alignment shift, you're literally emptying points of one thing for points in another thing. Good characters don't necessarily get rewarded at death and evil characters are actually never punished either. Its all just how much you served the god you follow as so whether they give enough of a shit to collect your soul when you die.
I get that what you are saying but that does not contradict the idea of what constitutes good and evil it just shows how it is measured in-game.
I mean I don't know that I would say it uses another religion's definition of good and evil. It is Western-centric but including all the pagan thoughts that have also permeated. Ideas about Gods that are less easy to stuff into the box of a single religion -- Gods of thunder and stuff like that.
Thanks! So it is as woke as it seems
The writer for BG3 was a complete nutjob, and this time was enabled to put his nutjobbery into it even more.
Yes but also does not have an anti-men, anti-white, anti-Christian message. I think this is what they did fine, they did not completely hate their audience but they did make a slider for penis size and no slider for breasts.
Also try NWN2 MOTB, is the best high level campaign ever made, the story is absolutely fantastic, highly recommend it. Graphics are fine as they are, don't expect something like BG3 graphics but workable 3d graphics.
I disagree with you about BG1, though to anyone who is interested in trying out BG1 I strongly recommend reading a bit of a guide on how to play it. Specifically on how to properly create your character, as its quite easy to really screw yourself over in a very permanent fashion without realizing it.
I've played BG1 several times, including recently as I wanted to compare BG1 to BG3. BG3 basically tried to copy the plot from BG1, create a threat to Baldursgate that they/him can solve in order to rule the city. They even brought back the doppelgangers. Except BG1 did it better, it actually made sense. The end goal was godhood not ruling a city. In BG3 the bad guys had a crown with the power of a god and gave that to an elder brain, one of the most intelligent beings in the world, in order to attack Baldursgate and them to stop it. That is moronic. BG1 story is considerably better then BG3, however the almost empty location maps are kind of boring and is the reason that most people will not get in to BG1 without nostalgia.
My advice on this is probably terrible because I seem to have reached "old man" status and I can't find joy in a lot of new video games but the whole time I was playing Baldur's Gate 3, I just wanted to exit and start playing Baldur's Gate 2 instead. IMO start with BG2.
Honestly, it does feel like that but this could be said about everything in life. We're all being gaslighted into accepting crap because to produce quality would require a White Supremacist Patriarchal society which is what they fear most.
Thanks
Appreciate the breakdown
1 and 2 are better than 3
Star Control 2
Greatest RPG. The writing hasn't been topped in 30 years. Free and runs on modern systems.
If you want something newer Rogue Trader is pretty good. You don't need to know 40k lore to enjoy it.
Pathfinder Kingmaker is huge and a worthy spiritual successor to Baldurs Gate 2.
Apparently it's on Steam now too: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2645580/Free_Stars_The_UrQuan_Masters/
Since you're already into retro stuff, BG1, BG2+Throne of Bhaal expansion are an excellent trilogy. Base BG2 is the best of them but they have save importing your choices from one game to the next, so playing chronologically is going to be the best experience.
As has been said, try to get as close to the original unadulterated versions as possible, and maybe dig out one of the old community patches but they're not necessary.
Will do! Thanks
What did you think of Starfield? I think it's incredibly meh. The story isn't really all that great and the world feels empty.
I thought so too. To be fair I was wanting Skyrim in Space so I had wildly different expectations. Maybe when a lot of mods are out I’ll try again
Especially 1 and 2 are worth it. Although I can't say that I have played 3, and it was less of a letdown than late sequels normally are, you are missing out if you let their oldness deter you from enjoying them.
Thank you!
You're welcome. Please do post your experiences, I'm curious what a latecomer would think.
It's decent, has it's issues but I had fun with it though i didn't pay a dime for it either and modded some annoyances away.
You can mod out lot of the retarded stuff, the no alphabet & no romance mods alone will take care of a lot of the more upfront garbage and can find em on places like https://basedmods.eth.link/browse/ as well as some other tweaks to un-diversify some other things
If you haven't played that type of game before I would consider playing Divinity Original Sin 2 first for a similar kind of game that is much easier to get into imo and it's a much more palatable price sales, usually goes under $14 then or can get the first one with it too for around $15-16 in a bundle.
D&D is captured, buying the game is supporting LGBTQ+. Modding the game means you are still supporting the developers unless you pirate it.
I always prefer to make up my own mind. And thankfully piracy exists.
Download BG3 for "free", if you like it enough you can still buy it later.
I personally simple don't enjoy the gameplay. Sometimes I've phases wegn I play top down turn based strategy games, but not all the time.
1 and 2 are classics, definitely worth playing. They can be kind of a hassle to get into if you don't understand tabletop D&D rules (specifically Second Edition, which is what they run by). So you might want to look up a guide on how to build a good character or something of that nature. But once you get over that hump, they can be very rewarding.
I personally have no intention of playing 3. People say you can totally ignore the cucked stuff, but while I understand that while they might technically be optional, I don't buy for a second that they can be ignored. Ignoring the fact that character creation itself is loaded with cuckery, but the game by and large sounds too damn horny for its own good, with sexual material shoved in everywhere in places it doesn't belong, and everyone is completely indiscriminating in what they will fuck, including your own party members. No thank you, I'll pass. Cucked writing is like anchovies on pizza; even if you eat a slice without any on it, you'll still smell and taste them. Come to think of it, I have the same opinion on typical Bioware-style romances; you can ignore those too, but you know they affected the writing of the characters negatively as resources that could have been spent in more productive areas still went into making them another flavor of fuckability.
That, and Baldur's Gate 3 completely ruined a couple of my favorite characters from the original games. So screw it even more.
Waiting on Starfield to get mod support.
I think my problem was that I was wanting “Skyrim in Space”. Mods have greatly increased my enjoyment of Skyrim. Maybe the same can happen for Starfield
I didn’t think of that but you are right. It makes me wonder as well if I’m really overhyping ES6 in my head
And at one point I would’ve been interested in a game set in hammerfell but like you said they will most likely use it for “modern audience” reasons
Honestly, not sure its going to happen. And I don't mean from bethesda itself, I mean from the actual modders. So many of them just aren't interested in it.
You might get a few mods here and there, but I really doubt we will ever see anything close to what skyrim or the fallout games have.
I like Witcher 3 but I can't say it was all that great, I enjoyed the 2 expansions more then the main story. For me Witcher 2 was better. You can also add, NWN2 MOTB and Arcanum on the list of great games.
Baldur's Gate 3 is good but if you're into sci-fi I'd recommend Warhammer 40000: Rogue Trader instead.
I didn't even really notice but one or two moments of gay stuff outside of the party. Maybe they're only gay if you flirt with em.
Seriously, though, the problems with BG3 are not any homo stuff. it's just the usual complaints one would have about game developers. And the game is actually pretty good. It's a good game, and there are legitimate grips about it. I think it's worth my time. Um, as with most, mods make a lot of the shit better.
Thanks. I downloaded it earlier today. Will play it soon.
lol u downloaded it faster than me.
Humm odd, I can't find any torrent for any Baldur's Gate on The Pirate Bay or Torrentz2
1337x returns results, but I never used that site. Anyone has?
I'm considering giving BG II a shot.
I see a few on there. Not sure how well seeded they are. You have to search "baldurs" not "baldur's".
Oh thanks, removing the ponctuation works. Odd.
In case you or anyone else want a version that isn't the Beamdog EE:
https://1337x.to/torrent/635398/Dungeons-and-Dragons-Anthology-The-Master-Collection/
This is the D&D anthology which includes BG1&2&expansions, Icewind Dale 1&2, Planescape and Temple of Elemental Evil. All isometric WRPG classics in case u/Smith1980 wants a look too. This anthology used to be the best way to buy them (frequently $5-10 for the lot online) before the cancer Beamdog version replaced their availability in every storefront and torrent.
Can't remember if I ever used used 1337x, but it's the same torrent as one on TPB with a few different trackers included. Took a few reannounces before it started for me but it DLs at a good speed.
Look for easytutu or BGtutu for mods to play BG1 in a way that's basically the same as the EE enhancements (widescreen mod also ), minus more convenient multiplayer and the shitty additions. The good thing about getting BG1&2 together is that tutu uses the BG2 game files to improve BG1's front end.
Thank you!
NP, and since I couldn't resist staying up late to check if it all still works and installs easily enough, here's a screengrab to prove it does. Scaled to fullscreen 1080p and 60fps courtesy of Lossless Scaling on Steam.
1 and 2 are masterpieces but you have to be immune to outdated ui / graphics
No problem. I occasionally play the old Sierra computer games
Try pathfinder wrath of the righteous, it has its flaws but I enjoyed it enough to give it a few playthroughs. The “Mythic Path” mechanic is fun.
Thanks!
I really need to play 1 and 2. I enjoyed 3 and it kindled my interest in those types of RPGs which instantly made me play and finish Pathfinder. After I took a break of the genre again and now feel the itch again. Will have to check out 1 and 2.
The gayness of 3 is exaggerated by some people. It's there, and the most annoying character(you'll instantly know when you meet him) is just that because of his voice. I hope someone makes an AI cover to fix that, someone already did with the narrator. BG3 is def. Good and worth playing imho but that is coming from someone who hasn't played the old ones. My opinion might change after having tried those.
Except the story is still shit, the more you think about the story the worse it gets. DA:O, KOTOR1&2 and ME1 do a much better job of capturing the old school bioware game feeling.
To be fair to AnotherSchwarzesMark, he is the "next generation" of gamer I've been talking about being the target for ESG.
He did not grow up playing the old games from the 80s/90s so he has no frame of reference of what was good and what was lost with BG3 (or maybe he just wasn't into those games at the time).
This is what the ESG scheme is all about: targeting people without a frame of reference.
It's hard for people to think something is bad when they can't compare it to something of an equal nature that is good. There will be an entire generation growing up thinking BG3 is "awesome" and "cool", and there will be more products made in line that continue to push the globohomo agenda. They will juxtapose their experiences to actual terrible games like Forspoken or Immortals of Aveum and accept globohomo messaging in games like BG3 because by comparison it is better than those other two.
That's how the ESG racket will slowly but surely warp the minds of the next generation.
I didn't play most games on PC at the time, was too young to own a good pc. First good PC game was Morrowind way after the game got released(think all the expansions were out too at the time). I playedmmore N64 and PS1 growing up, Bajoo Kazooie, Mario 64, FF9, Tomb Raider etc.
That's why I am trying to school up on the older ones on PC in the not too distant future. I did play some classics already but not nearly enough. I was there for Mass Effect and Kotor though.
Ah okay, so you were coming up during the time as gaming was going through its cultural shift in the aughts. Makes sense.
The only thing I've found, is that trying to go back and play older PC games now is a bit of a chore because a lot of the PC games just don't hold up. Games that were groundbreaking at the time, like King's Quest VIII, Redline or The Devil Inside, are extremely dated.
There may still be some fun to be had with them but they were more like foundational games for what was to come; learning lessons, some might say. When that was all you had they were super cool, but these days it's tough to appreciate what they were trying to do at the time because of how clunky they feel and how crusty the graphics are, if that makes sense.
You are 100% correct, in a way BG3 was the most culturally damaging game produced in the past many years. I honestly think that if it wasn't for BG3 the pendulum would start swinging back on gaming.
Thanks!
For another 3 days the good Baldur's are on sale on GOG:
$5 BG1:EE
$3 BG2:EE
When you buy the EE edition you can also download the original version if you prefer although it seems like you have to jump through some license key hoops to get it.
Have you tried KOTOR 1&2? I know you like Star Wars and those are before the Rey Palpatine trilogy, set in the old republic.
I have downloaded one of them but haven’t played it yet. I definitely am a pre Disney Star Wars fan
If you also want I can recommend Star Wars: Jedi Academy. Is a very non-serious game where you play as a Padawan at the Academy and there is Luke and Chewbacca and all the old-school fun stuff. You go on missions and fight bad guys. You get to also create your own character, last time I played as a rodian.
Cool! Thanks. Reminds me to get some Jedi Academy and X-Wing books
Don't listen to these fucking faggots. BG3 is a great game. All the companions are open to romance with any sex player character, but only one of them comes across as overtly gay because of the obnoxious voice actor being a huge flamer. But you don't have to let that fag in the party. You can outright murder the fucker if you want. Same for every other NPC in the game. Some people have murdered all the NPCs. There's a few gay npcs scattered through the game but there's nothing in the plot or gameplay that is particularly woke. It's a typical fantasy RPG game where you go around doing tactical battles blowing goblins up with fireballs and shit.
Ah yes, "playersexual." I find that worst of all, TBH. Like having a same-sex party member, as you become friends and accomplish deeds together, romance options start popping up. Pretty bizarre.
Look, if people want to have options for same-sex romance, that's fine. But this playersexual shit makes everyone boring and bland since they'll fuck anything.
And counter to superspathi's claim, making all the characters pansexual playersexual is even more woke and disgusting then if they were just plain old gay. I posted how I didn't like Cyberpunk's romance stuff in the past but at least that has characters with specific sexual orientations who will turn you down if they're not into you.
Yeah I can see that as a valid argument. I can also see the argument they ended up selecting that they didn't want to shut off player choice. I really didn't find it overbearing. You hit a certain rep with the companion and there is an option to initiate romance dialog, and an option to keep things friendly. They don't force you to engage in gay bear sex.
There is an entire unskippable storyline centered around a lesbian couple.
Thanks! It looks cool and I’ll download it along with the earlier ones