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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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.