I've learned two things since posting this video. 1. Geek the mage first 2. Baldur's Gate 2 will be even more fun The video was originally intended to bring the story and characters to an audience around my age group but it seems I've also attracted the attention of those who feel very nostalgic about this game and the time period it came out. Regardless of your age I'm happy to have you. Thanks so much for the feedback and I hope to see you in the sequel
For your next can we beat type of game you guys should do Baldur's Gate 3 and just get your friends together and be Druids and see if you can beat the game as wolves attacking only as wolves it will be the Wolfpack playthrough
@NightQueen01 in bg3 I fear the martial big sword wielding types more than a magic caster. Smites, extra actions galore, it gets gross. I think it's like that because enemies don't pop potions of haste or cast haste hardly at all. Player controlled spellcasters always abuse haste to get extra spells. But enemy martial fighters and paladins or barbs don't have to worry because extra attack is just built into their class. So you never run into an enemy casting 2 fireballs, or 3-4 If they're a twin casting sorcerer. But you do run into smite happy paladins or extra action packed fighters every now and again. This dynamic does however change immediately if it's a big fight with 2 powerful enemy casters. During the moonrise towers fight if you don't take out those 2 wizards at the entrance then you're fucked because between 2 of them they have enough action economy to abuse your party with disabling spells or outright dps. So basically 1 spellcaster? Calm. 2 spellcasters? Panik
It's hard to explain to gamers under 40 what it feels like to meet a married Jaheira in BG1, meet her again as a broken widow in BG2, only to fall in love with her and end up as your head canon soulmate....only to meet her 100 years later (20 IRL) as 3-D older version who moves EXACTLY as you imagined her with the same VA. Then she says "you remind me of someone....caught up in forces beyond your control." And I, a grown ass man, said "that was me! I've been reincarnated and I still love you, but I won't press because I see you're past that." Same with Minsc. Full plate and packing steel! I would have romanced her 200-yr old ass in a heartbeat and raised all those lovely kids haha
Aww, that's so sweet and somehow so bittersweet too. What an experience...we can all only hope to be so lucky to have those kind of experiences with a franchise. Wow, thanks for sharing that with us. 🥲🙏🏻💚
@@PippoFrancoPippo There was prob only 2 million gamers in the world at that point. When I started watching youtube, about 10 years after people were still like "wtf is youtube?"
I remember my first encounter with Baldurs Gates it was from a demo disk from a videogame magazine. I also remember the 3/4 cd installation with the full game 😂damn i also feel old now.
Baldur's Gate allowed you to load your character to the next game after finishing this one. So basically you would enter Shadows of Amn as your Tales From the SwordCoast endgame character. That included your stats, level and gear. This was pretty common from this generation of gaming.
And how I do miss it. That one simple thing made me go back and replay many different games because of being able to import my character to the next game.
@@Nammjahtan exactly. So your character creation stuck with you and you grew with it, as opposed to, say, in BG3 being able to respec and reclass your entire party in camp, mid-gameplay. The Quest for Glory games, by Sierra, let you import, and it made it that much more immersive.
@@TheTaotheawakenedone I actually never played 4 and I didn't finish 3. The only ones I've played to completion are 1, 2 and 5. 5 is easily my favorite but 2 is a close second.
I'll risk sounding like an old man but it warms my heart to see someone giving BG1/2 a shot after already playing through BG3... and genuinely enjoying it. BG1 was literally the first video game I've played, and I still go back to them once a year. Those games were truly ahead of their times and set many standards. Though it's a bit of shame you basically speedrun it without going into side content (to this day I consider the Durlag's Tower to be one of the best dungeons in history). If you truly enjoyed BG1, you're going to love BG2. Completely different level. Hope to see the video soon!
While I really liked Durlag's Tower, for me, Watcher's Keep wins out. I enjoyed Watcher's Keep so much I actually wrote a short story about it for myself from the perspective of the mc going through the dungeon. Lot of good memories with both the first 2 games.
There is nothing quite as terrifying as that first assassin, when you are playing a Mage. You have 1 spell, 4 HP, a shitty AC and the guy got a knife. I won most of my early battles by running straight towards whatever guards were nearby and let them kill the enemy while I hid and cowered in a corner. 10/10. And then there is the feeling of power you get when you get to level 5 and start getting the fun spells. And that feeling only grows and grows when you get to the sequel and start getting access to the really fun spells. Something I really enjoy about BG1, that I only really became aware of after playing 3, is that the story of 1 is pretty mundane. Like sure, it got doppelgangers, wizards, conspiracies and murder cults, but ultimately it is about a guy manipulating the market to create rising tensions and do a power grab in a single city. The whole world isn´t at stake. And I kinda appreciate that, as a DM, because it is a pretty fitting story for a game that have a level cap at around 8-10ish. Had that whole thought near the end of Act 2 of Baldurs Gate 3 where I watched the boss appear and just thought "I am level 9. This is way above my weightclass. How on Toril did we go from fighting goblins to this?".
Totally agree. When asked about my favorite BG game, I always say the first, because even though the second and third did many things better, in BG1 the way the story slowly reveals itself, the feeling of exploration and discovery, and the scale of the conflict that generally grows with your game in a very natural way makes you feel very immersed in a believable story, despite all the fantasy elements. In BG2, the villain is revealed immediately and you know he's very powerful from the start, which makes the mysteries and unanswered questions feel less impactful. Additionally, exploration is much more guided than BG1's contiguous map system, and that made a big difference in how those games impacted me, even though they are all (including BG3) masterpieces. No other RPG made me experience the feeling of adventure and immerse myself in its world as much as BG1. So yes, the pace and scale of the story along with the exploration mechanics make BG1 the most immersive in the series and, in my opinion, perhaps the best adventure RPG of all time.
I have to tell myself BG3 exists in some rescaled parallel universe which hard-caps in the low teens. And not think about it too hard. Otherwise I'll feel sorry for Myrkul, showing up in his date night outfit just to get trounced by a level 8 violinist with amnesia.
@@alexhosenexactly the same feeling here. The contiguous map made the exploration more adventurous. You didn't know what to expect in the next zone. Also, in BG3, the weather/day cycle depends on the zone. In bg1 it was going randomly. The noise of the rain during a night just made you wanna cuddle up in a tent. The closest to BG1 that I have played since is Pathfinder: Kingmaker. It's really good!
@@Dolanor I feel kingmaker would have been more readily accepted by the masses if the easier modes tied the timers to plot progression rather than actual timers. Once you knew to build portals you could get anywhere fast, but it made early exploration feel rushed
Wow. Excuse me while I turn to dust. 🤣 I graduated high school in 98. I played BG1 and 2 so many times over the years. Let me tell you, in 1998, that opening cinematic was absolutely top notch animation. There are so many secrets, too. In the first inn, in the starting area, there's a guy standing by the fire. If you talk to him like 50 times he just gives you money. I still remember where there's a diamond hidden in a tree, super useful money in early game. The ankheg hide is heavy af to carry, but you can find a guy who will turn it into some pretty good armor for you. I had also been playing D&D for years when BG1 came out. Back then we didn't use maps and figures, it was all in our minds. But playing BG1 gave me such a better view of the game, I was able to picture my fights and understand ranges and spell effects so much better after playing. I think the hardest thing someone today might have going back to BG1 for the first time is THAC0. If you didn't grow up with it, it can be confusing.
I snared my husband by asking if he runs his DnD game with THAC0 or not. He was beyond excited and I had to decide if that much math in my future was something I wanted to deal with. 😆
A geas is a thing from Celtic mythology. Essentially a magical compulsion that grants power if you obey it, but saps power or outright kills you if you break it.
I was 10 years old when I played Baldur's Gate 1, as my first ever RPG experience. I wasn't even completely fluent in English at the time (it's not my native language). The game set me on the path to be a D&D, RPG-obsessed, video gaming nerd in the 2000's era (before nerds were cool).
Same here, played it during my middle school to practice English. Could not understand the story as English in fantasy setting was too hard for me at the time. But somehow I understood the gameplay and beat it.
I'm playing BG3 right now and I'm working on a Bhaalspawn crime quest-line. In the basement of one of the victims, there's a book "Missives of Candelkeep" that gives correspondences between Elminster and librarian Trystan in Candelkeep. She gives Elminster the bad news that Gorion was murdered when he left in the night with his ward. I found the book right after I saw this video! The call backs to the previous games are so cool!
yes! thank you, its criminal to see how lil this game is talked about and played. im glad BG3 is bringing people back around to the roots that started it all.
me see baldurs gate 1 me thinks to myself: stop, you already played it for 3000 hours, made 9 full diferents characters campaings, tried every companiun and every mod, YOU DONT NEED TO PLAY IT AGAIN! me boot the game and play again this time i will make a fighter/shapeshifter
I played this when it came out, it was one of a kind amazing. Then BG2 came out and was ridiculously better. I played the pair of games for thousands of hours over the last twenty+ years, trying every combination of every class/race/style I could think of. BG3 is amazing as well, still playing that constantly. So glad you had fun with the older version!
Dude THANK you for this video. As someone who became obsessed with bg3 and never played the first two I've been curious about the predecessors, seeing them like this is really cool and I definitely look forward to a part 2
@@biscuitsticks3274 🫡 it's funny because I barely even heard of the first two games, then on a whim I play 3 and it quickly became one of my favorite games ever made
It’s rare finding a UA-camr playing a game without the super hyper editing nowadays, thank gods I found this guy as I’m able to keep up with the video without ending up completely brain dead. Damn amazing video, honestly. Love Baldur’s Gate! :D
Wow, if you like BG1 that much you are in for an awesome time with BG2. The amount of content, the quality of content, the variety of locations, the loot is awesome, the companions are better, the build variety and strategy is much deeper, the main antagonist is amazing with top notch voice acting. It's how sequels used to be - the same but better in every way.
I did play this game when came out and now seeing a video essay treating it as a relic is quite funny, not only because makes me self-conscious about my age, mind you, but due the fact that video games as a media is getting old enough to start having a history. Back in the day you had living icons like Harlan Ellison saying that video games were crap that will never manage to become a solid art as cinema or literature (he even did the script for the "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" video game in typewriter as refused to have a PC) and here we are now with analysis of cultural significance.
BG3 sold about 10x as much as BG1, but video game sales in general have grown by at least 10x. And BG1&2 were PC only. So I'd say that proportionally, BG1 and 2 were more popular than 3.
Wouldn't go as far as saying they are more popular than 3. Crpgs have been almost a corpse of a genre for a small niche of people for a long time now. Bg3 exploded the genre into mainstream popularity and this video is an example of that. Without bg3 the crpg would still be obscure to so many gamers. "Crpg? What's that?" Is the general reaction you would get. Bg1 and 2 were also some of the first to do it, so a lot of their popularity could also be attributed to simply being pioneers of a new genre of game Whereas bg3 sold itself based on quality alone. Word of mouth and some critic rave reviews primarily are what sold bg3. I didn't even see actual ads until after I'd already beaten the game too.
@@trevorveillette8415 ''Without bg3 the crpg would still be obscure to so many gamers'' Without BG1 and 2 BG3 wouldn't exist in the first place. ''Whereas bg3 sold itself based on quality alone.'' Completly false, BG3 wouldn't have sold as much without the BG name and the D&D name behind it. That's the whole point of making BG3 and not Divinity 3. Being the first crpg with such a massive production value was ofc a factor too.
Never played this specific game, but played a ton of games around that time frame (favorite game of all time, FF6, is actually 4 years older than BG1) and was in 8th grade when BG1 came out. Your intro makes me feel old. I'm glad you have the pinned comment tbh - some of the parts of it that were meant to be tongue in cheek kind of came across as "this is not a video for older gamers" at first but the pinned comment makes it clear that while you weren't expecting droves of us, you're certainly not opposed to us :)
I got Baldur's Gate as a birthday present to use on our Windows 98 home computer. I played a ton of it, but I never beat it until the Enhanced Edition came out. My mistake was making a bard with 14 strength and trying to be a melee fighter. I played tabletop AD&D, but I still made that mistake. I finally beat it as a cleric when the EE was released.
The Skald is IMHO the best bard kit in BG1/2, really fun and personally prefer the way the bard song works as an aura as opposed to handing out inspiration dice.
Cleric is so much fun. Paladin and Ranger are my other 2 favorites, as there are great options for your other party members typically. But they just fit my playstyle, I like a melee character with some support abilities.
@@adamb8317 I wanted to play my bard as a melee/spell hybrid, but that wasn't really possible with vanilla BG (especially since you had to remove your armor to cast spells).
Pro tips for difficult fights in this game; there are two awesome strategies you can use in many scenarios, including the last fight with Sarevok. The first one is simply kiting, you can draw singular enemies away from a pack and isolate them. Dead stays dead, so you can eliminate them one by one, at least most of the time. The other trick is related to kiting, namely to aggro the enemy/enemies initially and have them respond. What this often does is prompt them to stand still and buff themselves with various spell effects or potions, leaving you room to run away. Why run away? Because their strongest buffs, just like your party's characters and casters, depend on spell slots. So, if they do their whole buffing routine, and you scurry off and let all those effects die off, the fights become much, much easier, sometimes trivial. Against strong casters, the kiting routine with letting them debuff is a a life-saver.
I remember when I first discovered the series, a long time ago. My grandma had just bought me Baldur's Gate 2 for Christmas, and I was kind of apathetic about it, because I'd never heard of it before. Then I started playing it, and I just couldn't stop. I fell in love with the game, and went back to find the first one so I could play it as well. I even remember the first character I beat the game with, a dwarven fighter.
"the two less popular titles" dude, baldurs gate 2 set new standards for rpg´s back in the day. its the reason why so many people doubted larian at first that they might cant create a worthy sequel and if the franchise really should be touched again.
BG1 !!! I LOVE the old BG games. They were an essential part of my gaming childhood. Please give BG2 a shot too. Its even better than BG1. And in Beregost, u must have missed the merchant with the overpowered gear, that is ridiculously expensive :D . The exploring part of the game is so entertaining. Every region has its unique encounters, u meet some odd people and fights that leave you with a big "WTF happened!". Thanks a lot for the video!
Game came out a year before I was born but I have fond memories of getting super into bg1 & 2 around highschool as I had a lower end computer that couldn’t handle the modern games at the time, still in my top 10 games I’ve ever played!
Free roam & exploration are a big part of the game that isn't covered in this video, there is a LOT more to see and experience. But besides that, it was a great video that captured the essence of the game well. Thanks for the throwback!
There's scroll cases, gem bags, and potion cases to help you horde all that stuff my man haha. Great video dude. These were the first games I played as a kid and I'm still in love.
The original BG is one of my all time favorite games. Really glad that people are enjoying Larian's sequel enough to go back and discover it for themselves. If you do another playthrough, I highly recommend playing Half-Orc for the Cleric/Thief multiclass. You get a ton of healing and support options for the party, as well as being able to handle the traps and locks. But you also have a high enough str/con scores that you can handle being the front line tank as well. Paladin is also a popular main character class because the way BG1 rolls stats and the high minimum requirements for that class mean you are likely to get higher stat rolls more quickly. But yeah, take your time, explore all the maps, and you'll easily hit max level before even getting into Baldur's Gate. There are a few items that make inventory management much easier, bags that can store scrolls, potions, and gem/jewelry which make the looting much easier, but you need to explore a bit to find them.
You'll enjoy BG2 if you liked BG1. Crowd control magic - fears, stuns, holds, sleeps, etc. - can make a massive difference in difficult fights. Also, especially in BG1, summoning/conjuring magic to create allies can tip the scales in your favor in dramatic ways; not just for the damage they bring to the table, but for being decoys to make enemies waste their spells on.
Great video, so much fun to see ppl discover this again after bg3's success. BG 1&2 were so far ahead of their time and they still hold up today. I played them when they came out originally and they were on like 7 cd's and you had to swap out cd's as you went between different areas. I went through them again prior to playing bg3 and was really blown away again as I had really forgotten so much of it and appreciated them even more. Hope you enjoy BG2, you can import your levelled character into bg2 as well and continue on with them.
The side quests are great, especially the ones added in the expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, Durlag's Tower is a huge dungeon crawl filled with tons of traps and puzzles and some insane loot.
@@biscuitsticks3274 yep, he’s in the wilderness fighting a bunch of gnolls Location. Drizzt can be found fighting off gnolls in Fisherman's Lake (2612, 2142). He asks the player for help in fending them off, though he obviously does not actually need it (From Google)
The real test is killing him and taking his +3 swords. I'm not sure you're supposed to be able to do it, but you can. I think he has some other stuff as well, can't remember.
I'm 30 but man, this has been my favorite game since childhood watching my dad and brother play while hiding behind them. I'm glad to hear you say it's still relevant as a great game even to today's standards. I'm glad you didn't completely spoil the interesting bits of the adventure either, thank you for that video. ♥
Durlag's Tower, to this day, is the best dungeon I've played in any video game. I really hope this guy plays it, video or no. Would be a shame to miss it.
@@karllong And make sure your thief has at least 85-90 find traps, and don't skimp on the potions of thievery or perception on top of that. That being said, the loot an puzzles and story are excellent.
Started playing this series in 2015, took a break because I got stuck, and picked it up again in 2020. To this day, I barely play anything else. The whole series is unbelievably absorbing and mod content only makes it better.
Been playing for seven years (yes really) cause it is also on mobile. And all I can say, broooo 😂, you walked passed all the best shops. The coolest dungeon, and some of the best quests ever… would love another video where you cover them.
Baldur's Gate 2 is still considered to be one of the best and most popular RPGs of all time, though BG3 is surprisingly actually truly more popular. Wild how huge it got.
It's not that surprising when you look at the insane leap in technical quality of the game. Looking at bg1 graphics I could tell I'd fall asleep or be on my phone a lot while playing because the world just doesn't grab my attention. Bg3, everything grabs my attention. A lot of what makes bg3 so special is the sheer amount of polish and veneer it has. Ridiculous attention to detail. It's just a tremendous leap in quality from the first 2 games to bg3.
@@trevorveillette8415 With BG1, while the world does grab attention after you settle into the graphics a bit, the story and the challenging gameplay demand it. You WILL die many times, and if you're coasting you will die many more. Plus, the depth of character creation is still second to none. The quality is not better than BG2. There's no other way of putting it. The voice acting holds up, the combat holds up, etc. BG2 remains one of the great games of all time. They are certainly different from each other, but real-time-with-pause was perfected for BG2 and never done as well again. The villain in BG2 is one of the best, if not the best, villain in any video game ever. Is it more modern? Yes. Is it a better game? No. It's as good, and that's a huge compliment.
@@trevorveillette8415 Absolute nonsense, the original games were extremely immersive with their ambient wilderness sounds and vibrant background hand drawn art. I went back and played it after BG3 and found it way more immersive and more enjoyable to adventure in, compared to the bland 3D maps in BG3. The beautiful UI of the old games is also far superior to the bland modern cartoony divinity styled spreadsheet UI in BG3. Just the vibe and aesthetic of the old games feels more like Forgotten Realms and D&D than the Divinity reskin that is BG3.
From my poit of view it's hilarious to call BG 1&2 "less popular titles" xD back in the day, those games were MASSIVE HITS (comparable to Witcher 3, when it comes to popularity and recognition). It's crazy that it was 25 years ago, as I still remember my first playthrough so vividly - I rolled a paladin with some dumb-distributed stats (huge intelligence, low strenght and constitution), and was one-shot by a wolf right in the first location after Candlekeep... Anyway, I'm glad that a success of BG3 attracted new generation of gamers to rediscover its predecessors :)
@im13sandman 1 was a true RPG. 2 and after felt more like EA games. I did like 2 more than 3, but the feeling of wonder I got from 1 was not matched in the later games. They felt more like shooters that relied on the lore of the first game instead of an open world with heavy role-playing elements and some shooting. However, I will say the romances were better in 2 than 1, and the characters felt more fleshed out. Also of note is my bias. I only started playing because I heard about garrus's romance and wanted to play it. Thus I was imagining the depth of the characters from the later games in the first game which kept me playing. I certainly don't hate any of the games.
The beauty and streamlined simplicity of isometric RPGs make them age like fine wine. BG1&2, Icewind Dale 1&2, Planescape Torment, Pillars of Eternity 1&2, and Tyranny are all absolute gems. As much as I love Baldur's Gate 3, the game does fatigue you to play after a while due to the elaborate vertical area designs that are just challenging and time consuming to traverse. Having preset area maps and being able to just click on a spot on the map and know your characters will get there just fine most of the time is very refreshing and relaxing lol. Also I prefer realtime with pause over turn-based :)
We solved the "party member come in pairs" problem with... letting Khalid 1vs1 and Ankheg. Which led to a really absurd plot twist in the prologue of Baldurs Gate 2...
BG1 was some kind of introduction of cRPG genre to more casual audience. Still quite challenging for modern audience if you play on default settings... Empty forests and a lot of walking could turn off some people - but I can see the appeal in it compared to other RPGs where content is packed and dense. Enhanced Editions sounds cool on paper, but required year, two or more to get fixed. They're fine now, just wished for more mods compatibility. ps check the field nearby Minsc where you found him for the first time - game is full of secrets and highlight really helps
Been playing BG1 & BG2 since they first came out. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this retrospect video. I hope you play BG2 and do a similar video.
Solid summary. I like the subtile humor :D. EDIT: I should have mentioned this, but BG:EE has still an active modding community which freaking crazy despite it is so old.
Gotta love the fact that in a world with High Magic, Fireballs, Stinking Clouds and Wishes... Sarevok is simply a regular Fighter with a pretty clever plan of political and economical mayhem. The Iron Throne was set back by the Gorion's Ward, but It dealt a heavy blow that set back the region significantly.
This takes me back, thank you, friend. It's scary, and ageing, to realise how long ago this came out. I was 25, newly married, and full of hope when it first came out. I played it on my 486 PC. The days when the Bioware name meant a good story. Happy to revisit the game as a middle aged old fart :)
Oh, you are playing the enhanced version. Back in the day we didn't have those fancy subclasses. We played our rangers plain and we liked them. (man, I'm old).
I love how BG3 gave Elminster and Jaheira their dues. I was a little taken aback by how old they looked in game and then I looked in the mirror lmao. I'm 37 and I was a kid playing this. Im glad BG3 is bringing more people into BG 1 and 2.
That "Peter of the North" guy with the Wyverns is surely a reference to Peter North, an adult film star who was active in the late 90s. Games were just like that back in the day. Someone thought something was funny and cared enough? It went into the game. Personally I don't miss all the personal indulgence.
I played this back when I was 18... in 1998. Thanks for making me feel old but bring back some old dusty memories. Also, hilarious commentary. Subbed immediately.
YES YES YES, Bring back those 20 year old games, play them try them out, most of the time its really worth it! You get a new appreciation for modern games, you get a new perspective, and you find new favourite games, play old doomers for example Doom or Hexen. You like vampires? Play the original Castelvania games, You like raiding tombs? Theres a whole franchise about that too. I myself struggled to fully play through the first Witcher which came out in 2008 (I know its a decade younger than Baldurs Gate) but its still such a different experience than modern games and when i finally did finish it, it bacame one of my all time favourite video games. Thanks for making this cool video!
"I played BG1".. 24min Video.. waaaaiiiiit a minute.. Great video! You at least missed 50% of the game just playing the normal story with the same group. There is a ton to discover.. and BG2 is on another level.. i am glad you had fun and hope it for #2 :)
@@nttn6236 *the two khalids stare at each other in awkward silence for a good moment. Attacked by Bounty hunters Bg music plays and they begin to fight. When the first one who hits mid hit points is hit. It is revealed in half a second with a myst magical effect. A new being a Dopplerganger. YOUR TIME IS OVER PRIMEMATES* As for the real khalid who knows.
Never played a game from that era... that hurts me... I played them both back in the day. I may have gotten them both when 2 came out though. Minsc and Boo have been living rent free in my mind for over two dozen years. Suffice to say that meeting him again in BG3 was a massive highlight. Jaheira too, I remembered her but didn't care about seeing her as much. If I remember correctly she was always in my party and Khalid (in BG1 at least). As well as the others that I won't mention here and now. It also also kinda hilarious seeing people go from BG3 to BG1 with all that foreknowledge and making the links the opposite way to what I did
It's like saying cars are more popular today than when they're invented... Gaming back then wasn't mainstream, it was heavily frowned upon. There's a reason why these games are so beloved and still played 25+ years later. And that same reason is why Larian wanted to make BG3 and not Divinity 3 🤣 the popularity of the originals payed off.
@@Kross415 the popularity of the originals is largely unknown to the wider audience that bought bg3. I'd wager the old titles had extremely little to do with bg3 sales numbers.
Really glad to see this type of video. Once some time had passed after BG3 release, I was really hoping to see people do let's plays on the original 2 games. There are so many secrets and replayability, it's no shock I have a thousand hours combined between the two :)
First of all, sorry for my english, it is not my first langage. Then, about BG1, it was the first video game that I ever played, I was like 8 years old (23 today) and I didn't understand anything during my first playthrough. Then I did the game a second time (seems easy but at the time my parents authorized me only little time on screens so it may have taken months, if not years). Then BG2. Then both of them another time. You have the idea. Now, I am at a point where I know the two games by heart, I know pretty much every ending for each side quest, I know where to find the best weapons, and I even know the location of each trap in each donjon of the games. So it is very funny to see someone discovering the game, the mecanics, the story, the characters... As you said, you only scorched the surface of the game, there's so much more to see, from books allowing you to increase you stats permanently to the whole Durlag Tower, wich contains bosses stronger than Sarevok himself. For the time where they got released, BG1 and BG2 are incredible game, as well as BG3. I am so happy that someone discovering them after BG3 enjoyed the playthrough that much, so thank you for that !
Most folks i met that dislike bg one. Either haven't played it beyond surface level or are just folks who want instant gratification. I will admit bg 1 start is slow but it builds really well. And feels really earned once you beat it.
I think something can be said for the graphics too. Anyone who isn’t tied to nostalgia with these games may have a hard time getting through just bc its dated. I would love to see remakes for these, I might actually finish them at that point.
Final fight against Sarevock has a really easy cheese if you are interested, specially since your guy is an archer (go maximum difficult, no matter). During the whole game, you keep accumulating the maximum amount of summon creature wands you can. Then, you just have 2 characters blast him with sad wands while your party focus on killing the mages (breech and dispel magic spells will do wonders to break their protections, but it can be done even without it). Then you just shoot at him endlessly and he will die even before. the summons end. I have also done it without the summons, but then you have to ACTUALLY be tactical and have optimized characters.
Ah yes, my daily dose of "Zoomers are apparently adults now and continuously cause Millennials to have an ongoing existential crisis by their casually referencing "childhood" as being "2016" and perceiving the '90s as though they were some ancient pre-civilization era no one remembers."
3:20 - You have options to fix your script. I go R for Character Screen, Customize Character, then scripts. I choose "NONE" because I don't want my characters doing anything until I tell them. I also have to set all my autopause in Options. Also - You are attacking at melee range with a bow and you have huge penalties attacking and defending. In Options, there should also be a setting to get feedback if you want to see your combat rolls.
I've learned two things since posting this video.
1. Geek the mage first
2. Baldur's Gate 2 will be even more fun
The video was originally intended to bring the story and characters to an audience around my age group but it seems I've also attracted the attention of those who feel very nostalgic about this game and the time period it came out. Regardless of your age I'm happy to have you. Thanks so much for the feedback and I hope to see you in the sequel
BG2 is fucking epic. There's a reason why it's so revered. Have fun!
For your next can we beat type of game you guys should do Baldur's Gate 3 and just get your friends together and be Druids and see if you can beat the game as wolves attacking only as wolves it will be the Wolfpack playthrough
BG2 is my favorite CRPG
Oh boy... you're gonna enjoy BG2 a ton... ITs like BG1 but just better in every aspect
BG2 is still god-tier. I finished it back in 2021 when I was playing bg3 early access
The absolute first rule of both BG1 and BG2: Kill the mage first.
Minthara actually says this about Gale in BG3
@NightQueen01 in bg3 I fear the martial big sword wielding types more than a magic caster. Smites, extra actions galore, it gets gross.
I think it's like that because enemies don't pop potions of haste or cast haste hardly at all. Player controlled spellcasters always abuse haste to get extra spells.
But enemy martial fighters and paladins or barbs don't have to worry because extra attack is just built into their class.
So you never run into an enemy casting 2 fireballs, or 3-4 If they're a twin casting sorcerer. But you do run into smite happy paladins or extra action packed fighters every now and again.
This dynamic does however change immediately if it's a big fight with 2 powerful enemy casters. During the moonrise towers fight if you don't take out those 2 wizards at the entrance then you're fucked because between 2 of them they have enough action economy to abuse your party with disabling spells or outright dps.
So basically 1 spellcaster? Calm. 2 spellcasters? Panik
First rule is: Turn Off Weather effects.
@@JosephHeller-el8zo I like em
@@trevorveillette8415 BG and BG2 are different
It's hard to explain to gamers under 40 what it feels like to meet a married Jaheira in BG1, meet her again as a broken widow in BG2, only to fall in love with her and end up as your head canon soulmate....only to meet her 100 years later (20 IRL) as 3-D older version who moves EXACTLY as you imagined her with the same VA. Then she says "you remind me of someone....caught up in forces beyond your control." And I, a grown ass man, said "that was me! I've been reincarnated and I still love you, but I won't press because I see you're past that." Same with Minsc. Full plate and packing steel! I would have romanced her 200-yr old ass in a heartbeat and raised all those lovely kids haha
This was beautiful to read wtf
@@biscuitsticks3274 lt really was, and many of us understand you very well.
Aww, that's so sweet and somehow so bittersweet too. What an experience...we can all only hope to be so lucky to have those kind of experiences with a franchise. Wow, thanks for sharing that with us. 🥲🙏🏻💚
over 40 and still a beta
Yes, then you arrive to Viconia and Sarevok and you wish Larian would have never butchered them(and lots of the lore) so badly.
“Less popular titles” at the time BG2 was released, the game was huge.
Had me cracking up too, BG1 and 2 where so masive
Yes but it is less popular then bg3. Bg2 sold around 2 milions copies (which is a lot don't get me wrong) but bg3 sold 10 milions.
@@PippoFrancoPippo that is probability not true if you factor the number of devices in use and calculate on % of players a far better calculation
@@PippoFrancoPippo There was prob only 2 million gamers in the world at that point.
When I started watching youtube, about 10 years after people were still like "wtf is youtube?"
@@PippoFrancoPippo what market share is that? The market cap wasn’t as large back then.
"I've never played a game from that era."
Jesus... way to make me feel old.
I remember my first encounter with Baldurs Gates it was from a demo disk from a videogame magazine. I also remember the 3/4 cd installation with the full game 😂damn i also feel old now.
I felt the spectre of death breathe down my neck at that line.
Ocarina of Time was released one month earlier than BG1 in 1998. Dude just outed himself.
I was born that year, and I'm old enough to grab a beer
Lmao, I wasn't even born yet when it released
Baldur's Gate allowed you to load your character to the next game after finishing this one. So basically you would enter Shadows of Amn as your Tales From the SwordCoast endgame character.
That included your stats, level and gear.
This was pretty common from this generation of gaming.
And how I do miss it. That one simple thing made me go back and replay many different games because of being able to import my character to the next game.
@@Nammjahtan exactly. So your character creation stuck with you and you grew with it, as opposed to, say, in BG3 being able to respec and reclass your entire party in camp, mid-gameplay.
The Quest for Glory games, by Sierra, let you import, and it made it that much more immersive.
@@TheTaotheawakenedone I still go back and play Quest for Glory 5 every now and then. Just don't get games like that anymore.
@@Nammjahtan I never did get to play that one; Shadows of Darkness was as far as I got.
@@TheTaotheawakenedone I actually never played 4 and I didn't finish 3. The only ones I've played to completion are 1, 2 and 5. 5 is easily my favorite but 2 is a close second.
Fun fact: The way Elminster greets you carries through to BG3: “Ho there wanderer. Stay thy course for a moment and indulge an old man.”
You must gather your party before venturing forth
DON'T TOUCH ME... I'm super important
I say this during my BG3 streams and just chuckle to myself
*Repeaded clicking*
YOU MUST GATHER YOUR PARTY BEFORE VENTURING FORTH
I mod my game to ensure I don't have to hear that.
@@wingsclippedwolf but it's nostalgic :(
I'll risk sounding like an old man but it warms my heart to see someone giving BG1/2 a shot after already playing through BG3... and genuinely enjoying it. BG1 was literally the first video game I've played, and I still go back to them once a year. Those games were truly ahead of their times and set many standards. Though it's a bit of shame you basically speedrun it without going into side content (to this day I consider the Durlag's Tower to be one of the best dungeons in history).
If you truly enjoyed BG1, you're going to love BG2. Completely different level. Hope to see the video soon!
@@mc_rysiek5277 Durlag’s is amazing. I can’t remember the demon at the end of it.
@@alpo6668Aec’Letec. That sob absolutely whipped my party. He was the only enemy in the game I felt cheesing the fight was acceptable
@@Charlesgerb have a rouge set traps before it spawns. Easy cheat.
While I really liked Durlag's Tower, for me, Watcher's Keep wins out. I enjoyed Watcher's Keep so much I actually wrote a short story about it for myself from the perspective of the mc going through the dungeon. Lot of good memories with both the first 2 games.
@@Nammjahtan you are correct, Watcher’s Keep is what I was thinking about.
There is nothing quite as terrifying as that first assassin, when you are playing a Mage. You have 1 spell, 4 HP, a shitty AC and the guy got a knife. I won most of my early battles by running straight towards whatever guards were nearby and let them kill the enemy while I hid and cowered in a corner. 10/10. And then there is the feeling of power you get when you get to level 5 and start getting the fun spells. And that feeling only grows and grows when you get to the sequel and start getting access to the really fun spells.
Something I really enjoy about BG1, that I only really became aware of after playing 3, is that the story of 1 is pretty mundane. Like sure, it got doppelgangers, wizards, conspiracies and murder cults, but ultimately it is about a guy manipulating the market to create rising tensions and do a power grab in a single city. The whole world isn´t at stake. And I kinda appreciate that, as a DM, because it is a pretty fitting story for a game that have a level cap at around 8-10ish. Had that whole thought near the end of Act 2 of Baldurs Gate 3 where I watched the boss appear and just thought "I am level 9. This is way above my weightclass. How on Toril did we go from fighting goblins to this?".
Totally agree. When asked about my favorite BG game, I always say the first, because even though the second and third did many things better, in BG1 the way the story slowly reveals itself, the feeling of exploration and discovery, and the scale of the conflict that generally grows with your game in a very natural way makes you feel very immersed in a believable story, despite all the fantasy elements.
In BG2, the villain is revealed immediately and you know he's very powerful from the start, which makes the mysteries and unanswered questions feel less impactful. Additionally, exploration is much more guided than BG1's contiguous map system, and that made a big difference in how those games impacted me, even though they are all (including BG3) masterpieces.
No other RPG made me experience the feeling of adventure and immerse myself in its world as much as BG1. So yes, the pace and scale of the story along with the exploration mechanics make BG1 the most immersive in the series and, in my opinion, perhaps the best adventure RPG of all time.
Exactly my thoughts 👍🏻
I have to tell myself BG3 exists in some rescaled parallel universe which hard-caps in the low teens. And not think about it too hard. Otherwise I'll feel sorry for Myrkul, showing up in his date night outfit just to get trounced by a level 8 violinist with amnesia.
@@alexhosenexactly the same feeling here.
The contiguous map made the exploration more adventurous.
You didn't know what to expect in the next zone.
Also, in BG3, the weather/day cycle depends on the zone.
In bg1 it was going randomly. The noise of the rain during a night just made you wanna cuddle up in a tent.
The closest to BG1 that I have played since is Pathfinder: Kingmaker. It's really good!
@@Dolanor I feel kingmaker would have been more readily accepted by the masses if the easier modes tied the timers to plot progression rather than actual timers. Once you knew to build portals you could get anywhere fast, but it made early exploration feel rushed
making a character named mike hawk and never addressing it is comedic genius
I prefer mr. mike hunt myself
better than hawk tuah
Wow. Excuse me while I turn to dust. 🤣 I graduated high school in 98. I played BG1 and 2 so many times over the years. Let me tell you, in 1998, that opening cinematic was absolutely top notch animation. There are so many secrets, too. In the first inn, in the starting area, there's a guy standing by the fire. If you talk to him like 50 times he just gives you money. I still remember where there's a diamond hidden in a tree, super useful money in early game. The ankheg hide is heavy af to carry, but you can find a guy who will turn it into some pretty good armor for you.
I had also been playing D&D for years when BG1 came out. Back then we didn't use maps and figures, it was all in our minds. But playing BG1 gave me such a better view of the game, I was able to picture my fights and understand ranges and spell effects so much better after playing.
I think the hardest thing someone today might have going back to BG1 for the first time is THAC0. If you didn't grow up with it, it can be confusing.
I snared my husband by asking if he runs his DnD game with THAC0 or not. He was beyond excited and I had to decide if that much math in my future was something I wanted to deal with. 😆
Are you me? Cause this is weirdly accurate to my experience with BG1
To hit armor class 0... I miss those days....
Same, I graduated in 97
Im born in 1998 and im now 26, but im still surpised he never played a game from 1998 before. Like my first console was the N64
A geas is a thing from Celtic mythology. Essentially a magical compulsion that grants power if you obey it, but saps power or outright kills you if you break it.
I like it's pronounced "geesh"
It's also a generational curse. So it doesn't always just apply to you, it can fuck over anyone in your direct bloodline.
i´ve lost it with the dancing Elminster 🤣🤣🤣
I was 10 years old when I played Baldur's Gate 1, as my first ever RPG experience. I wasn't even completely fluent in English at the time (it's not my native language).
The game set me on the path to be a D&D, RPG-obsessed, video gaming nerd in the 2000's era (before nerds were cool).
I love that for you
Same here, played it during my middle school to practice English. Could not understand the story as English in fantasy setting was too hard for me at the time. But somehow I understood the gameplay and beat it.
Wait are we cool now? lol
@@kd0079 People on the internet said so, so it must be true.
I'm playing BG3 right now and I'm working on a Bhaalspawn crime quest-line. In the basement of one of the victims, there's a book "Missives of Candelkeep" that gives correspondences between Elminster and librarian Trystan in Candelkeep. She gives Elminster the bad news that Gorion was murdered when he left in the night with his ward.
I found the book right after I saw this video! The call backs to the previous games are so cool!
LMAO the way you said "DARK URGE" is so funny
yes! thank you, its criminal to see how lil this game is talked about and played. im glad BG3 is bringing people back around to the roots that started it all.
4:14 “stone to flesh” that would be so funny if for all of the polymorph spells there was just a reverse version
Rabbit to Stone
Ogre Jelly to Flesh
Flesh to Gnoll
Frank sinatra flew to the moon, missed and died is vile😂😂😂
13:58 This is why the ancient wisdom states: "Geek the caster first!"
That is hilarious. I love it.
Yeah, the old Shadowrun staple, "Geek the Mage first". 😁
Then the mage is a mage/thief, casts invisible, backstabs you, and hits you with paralyze 😂
me see baldurs gate 1
me thinks to myself: stop, you already played it for 3000 hours, made 9 full diferents characters campaings, tried every companiun and every mod, YOU DONT NEED TO PLAY IT AGAIN!
me boot the game and play again
this time i will make a fighter/shapeshifter
Aaaaaaand now I also have to make another playthrough - funny thing, but I've never finished a story (to the end in Throne of Bhaal) as a druid
I played this when it came out, it was one of a kind amazing. Then BG2 came out and was ridiculously better. I played the pair of games for thousands of hours over the last twenty+ years, trying every combination of every class/race/style I could think of. BG3 is amazing as well, still playing that constantly. So glad you had fun with the older version!
Dude THANK you for this video. As someone who became obsessed with bg3 and never played the first two I've been curious about the predecessors, seeing them like this is really cool and I definitely look forward to a part 2
You are who I made this for thank you so much lol
@@biscuitsticks3274 🫡 it's funny because I barely even heard of the first two games, then on a whim I play 3 and it quickly became one of my favorite games ever made
It’s rare finding a UA-camr playing a game without the super hyper editing nowadays, thank gods I found this guy as I’m able to keep up with the video without ending up completely brain dead.
Damn amazing video, honestly. Love Baldur’s Gate! :D
Thank you so much!
Wow, if you like BG1 that much you are in for an awesome time with BG2. The amount of content, the quality of content, the variety of locations, the loot is awesome, the companions are better, the build variety and strategy is much deeper, the main antagonist is amazing with top notch voice acting. It's how sequels used to be - the same but better in every way.
Also, the first instance of romance options in gaming was in BG2
I did play this game when came out and now seeing a video essay treating it as a relic is quite funny, not only because makes me self-conscious about my age, mind you, but due the fact that video games as a media is getting old enough to start having a history. Back in the day you had living icons like Harlan Ellison saying that video games were crap that will never manage to become a solid art as cinema or literature (he even did the script for the "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" video game in typewriter as refused to have a PC) and here we are now with analysis of cultural significance.
BG3 sold about 10x as much as BG1, but video game sales in general have grown by at least 10x. And BG1&2 were PC only. So I'd say that proportionally, BG1 and 2 were more popular than 3.
It's funny how people assume gaming in 1998 is the same as gaming in 2024 and can't put it into perspective 🤣
True. Plus. of course, it was basically the first game of its type, Bioware really made a huge gamble there. Glad they gambled correctly 🙂
Wouldn't go as far as saying they are more popular than 3.
Crpgs have been almost a corpse of a genre for a small niche of people for a long time now. Bg3 exploded the genre into mainstream popularity and this video is an example of that. Without bg3 the crpg would still be obscure to so many gamers. "Crpg? What's that?" Is the general reaction you would get.
Bg1 and 2 were also some of the first to do it, so a lot of their popularity could also be attributed to simply being pioneers of a new genre of game
Whereas bg3 sold itself based on quality alone. Word of mouth and some critic rave reviews primarily are what sold bg3. I didn't even see actual ads until after I'd already beaten the game too.
@@trevorveillette8415 ''Without bg3 the crpg would still be obscure to so many gamers''
Without BG1 and 2 BG3 wouldn't exist in the first place.
''Whereas bg3 sold itself based on quality alone.''
Completly false, BG3 wouldn't have sold as much without the BG name and the D&D name behind it. That's the whole point of making BG3 and not Divinity 3. Being the first crpg with such a massive production value was ofc a factor too.
well, I doubt those BG1 and 2 sales all happened in the first year after release. That's what we should compare, not their sales over 20+ years
Never played this specific game, but played a ton of games around that time frame (favorite game of all time, FF6, is actually 4 years older than BG1) and was in 8th grade when BG1 came out. Your intro makes me feel old. I'm glad you have the pinned comment tbh - some of the parts of it that were meant to be tongue in cheek kind of came across as "this is not a video for older gamers" at first but the pinned comment makes it clear that while you weren't expecting droves of us, you're certainly not opposed to us :)
It's cute that you called them "less popular" when they released they were just as, if not more, popular than BG3
Yeah it's just that gaming has become that much more widely adopted by people.
12:42 Minsc destroying that guy then immediately hitting Jaheria is hilarious
its like old diablo, the isometric feel is so nostalgic for a time i wasnt alive in :D
I got Baldur's Gate as a birthday present to use on our Windows 98 home computer. I played a ton of it, but I never beat it until the Enhanced Edition came out. My mistake was making a bard with 14 strength and trying to be a melee fighter. I played tabletop AD&D, but I still made that mistake. I finally beat it as a cleric when the EE was released.
The Skald is IMHO the best bard kit in BG1/2, really fun and personally prefer the way the bard song works as an aura as opposed to handing out inspiration dice.
@@karllong I like the Skald kit, but I had vanilla Baldur’s Gate (no kits), and I didn’t take the time to roll up good stats.
Cleric is so much fun. Paladin and Ranger are my other 2 favorites, as there are great options for your other party members typically. But they just fit my playstyle, I like a melee character with some support abilities.
@@adamb8317 I wanted to play my bard as a melee/spell hybrid, but that wasn't really possible with vanilla BG (especially since you had to remove your armor to cast spells).
Pro tips for difficult fights in this game; there are two awesome strategies you can use in many scenarios, including the last fight with Sarevok. The first one is simply kiting, you can draw singular enemies away from a pack and isolate them. Dead stays dead, so you can eliminate them one by one, at least most of the time. The other trick is related to kiting, namely to aggro the enemy/enemies initially and have them respond. What this often does is prompt them to stand still and buff themselves with various spell effects or potions, leaving you room to run away. Why run away? Because their strongest buffs, just like your party's characters and casters, depend on spell slots. So, if they do their whole buffing routine, and you scurry off and let all those effects die off, the fights become much, much easier, sometimes trivial. Against strong casters, the kiting routine with letting them debuff is a a life-saver.
My first PC game, I was so young I always thought Winthrop was saying, "My hotel's as clean as an elven horse." Lol
Too young lol
I remember when I first discovered the series, a long time ago. My grandma had just bought me Baldur's Gate 2 for Christmas, and I was kind of apathetic about it, because I'd never heard of it before. Then I started playing it, and I just couldn't stop. I fell in love with the game, and went back to find the first one so I could play it as well. I even remember the first character I beat the game with, a dwarven fighter.
"the two less popular titles" dude, baldurs gate 2 set new standards for rpg´s back in the day. its the reason why so many people doubted larian at first that they might cant create a worthy sequel and if the franchise really should be touched again.
BG1 !!! I LOVE the old BG games. They were an essential part of my gaming childhood. Please give BG2 a shot too. Its even better than BG1. And in Beregost, u must have missed the merchant with the overpowered gear, that is ridiculously expensive :D . The exploring part of the game is so entertaining. Every region has its unique encounters, u meet some odd people and fights that leave you with a big "WTF happened!".
Thanks a lot for the video!
One and two are great, love that Larian continued the story off so well.
BG2 was my favourite game for over 20 years, it's truly a masterpiece. I like BG1 as well, but the villain from 2 just elevates it
Game came out a year before I was born but I have fond memories of getting super into bg1 & 2 around highschool as I had a lower end computer that couldn’t handle the modern games at the time, still in my top 10 games I’ve ever played!
Free roam & exploration are a big part of the game that isn't covered in this video, there is a LOT more to see and experience. But besides that, it was a great video that captured the essence of the game well. Thanks for the throwback!
There's scroll cases, gem bags, and potion cases to help you horde all that stuff my man haha. Great video dude. These were the first games I played as a kid and I'm still in love.
The original BG is one of my all time favorite games. Really glad that people are enjoying Larian's sequel enough to go back and discover it for themselves.
If you do another playthrough, I highly recommend playing Half-Orc for the Cleric/Thief multiclass. You get a ton of healing and support options for the party, as well as being able to handle the traps and locks. But you also have a high enough str/con scores that you can handle being the front line tank as well. Paladin is also a popular main character class because the way BG1 rolls stats and the high minimum requirements for that class mean you are likely to get higher stat rolls more quickly. But yeah, take your time, explore all the maps, and you'll easily hit max level before even getting into Baldur's Gate. There are a few items that make inventory management much easier, bags that can store scrolls, potions, and gem/jewelry which make the looting much easier, but you need to explore a bit to find them.
Also the only other Paladin in the game is a jackass. :v So you may as well do the job.
Not so in BG2. Their Paladin is awesome.
You'll enjoy BG2 if you liked BG1.
Crowd control magic - fears, stuns, holds, sleeps, etc. - can make a massive difference in difficult fights.
Also, especially in BG1, summoning/conjuring magic to create allies can tip the scales in your favor in dramatic ways; not just for the damage they bring to the table, but for being decoys to make enemies waste their spells on.
Great video, so much fun to see ppl discover this again after bg3's success. BG 1&2 were so far ahead of their time and they still hold up today. I played them when they came out originally and they were on like 7 cd's and you had to swap out cd's as you went between different areas. I went through them again prior to playing bg3 and was really blown away again as I had really forgotten so much of it and appreciated them even more. Hope you enjoy BG2, you can import your levelled character into bg2 as well and continue on with them.
Things I missed in BG3 from BG1 and BG2: the spellcasting dialogue lines, the arenas, Minsc's original voice actor performance
The side quests are great, especially the ones added in the expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, Durlag's Tower is a huge dungeon crawl filled with tons of traps and puzzles and some insane loot.
No mention of Noober? “heya!”
And exploring helps you find Drizzt
Drizzt is in the first game?!
@@biscuitsticks3274 yep, he’s in the wilderness fighting a bunch of gnolls
Location. Drizzt can be found fighting off gnolls in Fisherman's Lake (2612, 2142). He asks the player for help in fending them off, though he obviously does not actually need it
(From Google)
The real test is killing him and taking his +3 swords.
I'm not sure you're supposed to be able to do it, but you can.
I think he has some other stuff as well, can't remember.
I actually just played them for the first time recently, 10/10 games, made bg3 feel more full than it was
I'm 30 but man, this has been my favorite game since childhood watching my dad and brother play while hiding behind them.
I'm glad to hear you say it's still relevant as a great game even to today's standards. I'm glad you didn't completely spoil the interesting bits of the adventure either, thank you for that video. ♥
Glad you enjoy it!
Durlag's Tower, to this day, is the best dungeon I've played in any video game. I really hope this guy plays it, video or no. Would be a shame to miss it.
Don't do that underleveled tho :)
@@karllong And make sure your thief has at least 85-90 find traps, and don't skimp on the potions of thievery or perception on top of that. That being said, the loot an puzzles and story are excellent.
"I really didn't wanna spend 3h rolling stats..."
Fucking. Casual.
Started playing this series in 2015, took a break because I got stuck, and picked it up again in 2020. To this day, I barely play anything else. The whole series is unbelievably absorbing and mod content only makes it better.
I still play BG1 to this day. Love it love it love it.
Been playing for seven years (yes really) cause it is also on mobile. And all I can say, broooo 😂, you walked passed all the best shops. The coolest dungeon, and some of the best quests ever… would love another video where you cover them.
When recording these long games I don't really have time to cover everything but I plan to go back and play through a bit slower.
Wow, this must be some remake. I remember the original to not have some of the things I saw here. Also the UI seems reworked. These are nice changes!
Baldur's Gate 2 is still considered to be one of the best and most popular RPGs of all time, though BG3 is surprisingly actually truly more popular. Wild how huge it got.
It's not that surprising when you look at the insane leap in technical quality of the game.
Looking at bg1 graphics I could tell I'd fall asleep or be on my phone a lot while playing because the world just doesn't grab my attention.
Bg3, everything grabs my attention. A lot of what makes bg3 so special is the sheer amount of polish and veneer it has. Ridiculous attention to detail.
It's just a tremendous leap in quality from the first 2 games to bg3.
@@trevorveillette8415 With BG1, while the world does grab attention after you settle into the graphics a bit, the story and the challenging gameplay demand it. You WILL die many times, and if you're coasting you will die many more. Plus, the depth of character creation is still second to none.
The quality is not better than BG2. There's no other way of putting it. The voice acting holds up, the combat holds up, etc. BG2 remains one of the great games of all time. They are certainly different from each other, but real-time-with-pause was perfected for BG2 and never done as well again. The villain in BG2 is one of the best, if not the best, villain in any video game ever. Is it more modern? Yes. Is it a better game? No. It's as good, and that's a huge compliment.
@@trevorveillette8415 Absolute nonsense, the original games were extremely immersive with their ambient wilderness sounds and vibrant background hand drawn art. I went back and played it after BG3 and found it way more immersive and more enjoyable to adventure in, compared to the bland 3D maps in BG3. The beautiful UI of the old games is also far superior to the bland modern cartoony divinity styled spreadsheet UI in BG3. Just the vibe and aesthetic of the old games feels more like Forgotten Realms and D&D than the Divinity reskin that is BG3.
@@Sothpawman😂😂😂😂😂
BG3 is bigger because it built on the first 2 games and gaming is so much bigger in general now
From my poit of view it's hilarious to call BG 1&2 "less popular titles" xD back in the day, those games were MASSIVE HITS (comparable to Witcher 3, when it comes to popularity and recognition). It's crazy that it was 25 years ago, as I still remember my first playthrough so vividly - I rolled a paladin with some dumb-distributed stats (huge intelligence, low strenght and constitution), and was one-shot by a wolf right in the first location after Candlekeep... Anyway, I'm glad that a success of BG3 attracted new generation of gamers to rediscover its predecessors :)
I don’t usually watch playthroughs like this but you’re so entertaining I know I’m gonna love it
You are too kind.
The BioWare you thanked for this no longer exists, it is merely a name now, and name only. It is just a word now, like any other.
Well that was depressing, true but depressing.
Reminds me of the transition from mass effect 1 to mass effect 2...
@@byeFofiko1 You hate 2? 1 is my favorite but pretty common for 2 to be stated as the gold standard and I think all are good until the end of 3
@im13sandman 1 was a true RPG. 2 and after felt more like EA games. I did like 2 more than 3, but the feeling of wonder I got from 1 was not matched in the later games. They felt more like shooters that relied on the lore of the first game instead of an open world with heavy role-playing elements and some shooting. However, I will say the romances were better in 2 than 1, and the characters felt more fleshed out.
Also of note is my bias. I only started playing because I heard about garrus's romance and wanted to play it. Thus I was imagining the depth of the characters from the later games in the first game which kept me playing. I certainly don't hate any of the games.
@@byeFofiko1 I agree with everything you said if gear and weapons were better in 1 than I'd like all of it more
As someone who never played bg1 or 2 its funny to see jaheira and minsc as young companions. :) Welp, looks like i have to learn the lore behind bg
The beauty and streamlined simplicity of isometric RPGs make them age like fine wine. BG1&2, Icewind Dale 1&2, Planescape Torment, Pillars of Eternity 1&2, and Tyranny are all absolute gems. As much as I love Baldur's Gate 3, the game does fatigue you to play after a while due to the elaborate vertical area designs that are just challenging and time consuming to traverse. Having preset area maps and being able to just click on a spot on the map and know your characters will get there just fine most of the time is very refreshing and relaxing lol. Also I prefer realtime with pause over turn-based :)
BG is a classic. They couldn't have picked a better franchise to reintroduce this kind of game to the mainstream.
I was a junior in high school and got BG1 when it came out. That was shortly after reading the Crystal Shard trilogy.
I just finished the first 2 Baldur's Gate games a couple days ago and I also played a chaotic good elf archer. wild
We solved the "party member come in pairs" problem with... letting Khalid 1vs1 and Ankheg. Which led to a really absurd plot twist in the prologue of Baldurs Gate 2...
BG1 was some kind of introduction of cRPG genre to more casual audience. Still quite challenging for modern audience if you play on default settings...
Empty forests and a lot of walking could turn off some people - but I can see the appeal in it compared to other RPGs where content is packed and dense.
Enhanced Editions sounds cool on paper, but required year, two or more to get fixed. They're fine now, just wished for more mods compatibility.
ps check the field nearby Minsc where you found him for the first time - game is full of secrets and highlight really helps
Been playing BG1 & BG2 since they first came out. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this retrospect video. I hope you play BG2 and do a similar video.
Much appreciated!
Solid summary.
I like the subtile humor :D.
EDIT:
I should have mentioned this, but BG:EE has still an active modding community which freaking crazy despite it is so old.
Gotta love the fact that in a world with High Magic, Fireballs, Stinking Clouds and Wishes... Sarevok is simply a regular Fighter with a pretty clever plan of political and economical mayhem.
The Iron Throne was set back by the Gorion's Ward, but It dealt a heavy blow that set back the region significantly.
I wouldn't call Baldur'S Gate 2 less popular. It was REALLY popular back in the day
This game raised me. It was such a formative experience.
Tip for wands if one starts running out of charges sell it and rebuy it and it will be recharged
This takes me back, thank you, friend. It's scary, and ageing, to realise how long ago this came out. I was 25, newly married, and full of hope when it first came out. I played it on my 486 PC. The days when the Bioware name meant a good story. Happy to revisit the game as a middle aged old fart :)
Oh, you are playing the enhanced version. Back in the day we didn't have those fancy subclasses. We played our rangers plain and we liked them.
(man, I'm old).
I love how BG3 gave Elminster and Jaheira their dues. I was a little taken aback by how old they looked in game and then I looked in the mirror lmao. I'm 37 and I was a kid playing this. Im glad BG3 is bringing more people into BG 1 and 2.
That "Peter of the North" guy with the Wyverns is surely a reference to Peter North, an adult film star who was active in the late 90s.
Games were just like that back in the day. Someone thought something was funny and cared enough? It went into the game. Personally I don't miss all the personal indulgence.
He was acting sus af and I thought maybe he was procreating with them. After reading the text again it seems I was wrong. Thank god.
I played this back when I was 18... in 1998. Thanks for making me feel old but bring back some old dusty memories. Also, hilarious commentary. Subbed immediately.
As great as BG3 is, it was never as impactful on my life as BG2 was.
That game is something special.
HEYA, IT'S ME, IMOEN.
YES YES YES, Bring back those 20 year old games, play them try them out, most of the time its really worth it! You get a new appreciation for modern games, you get a new perspective, and you find new favourite games, play old doomers for example Doom or Hexen. You like vampires? Play the original Castelvania games, You like raiding tombs? Theres a whole franchise about that too. I myself struggled to fully play through the first Witcher which came out in 2008 (I know its a decade younger than Baldurs Gate) but its still such a different experience than modern games and when i finally did finish it, it bacame one of my all time favourite video games. Thanks for making this cool video!
"I played BG1".. 24min Video.. waaaaiiiiit a minute.. Great video! You at least missed 50% of the game just playing the normal story with the same group. There is a ton to discover.. and BG2 is on another level.. i am glad you had fun and hope it for #2 :)
Baldur's gate, the game where an 18 dexterity fighter can have 0AC at level 1, yes I did this because early game THAC0 is low for both sides.
Thanks for making me feel old...
It's okay we're not alone.
Many of the people i watch on Twitch are young enough to be my children!
ngl dude your humor and editing kick ASS. basically every joke landed. keep up the good work!!
I really needed that today lol thank you so much
*sees the video displayed* GORION WILL BE PROUD OF YOUR ACTIONS.
GORION WOULD HAVE NONE OF THIS
@@nttn6236 *the two khalids stare at each other in awkward silence for a good moment. Attacked by Bounty hunters Bg music plays and they begin to fight. When the first one who hits mid hit points is hit. It is revealed in half a second with a myst magical effect. A new being a Dopplerganger. YOUR TIME IS OVER PRIMEMATES* As for the real khalid who knows.
What do you mean by "so you don't have to..."?
You do. Do it now.
Dew it.
Top tier commentary here xD I just found ur channel from reccommend and i was hooked because of all the commentary LMFAOO :)
Never played a game from that era... that hurts me... I played them both back in the day. I may have gotten them both when 2 came out though. Minsc and Boo have been living rent free in my mind for over two dozen years. Suffice to say that meeting him again in BG3 was a massive highlight. Jaheira too, I remembered her but didn't care about seeing her as much. If I remember correctly she was always in my party and Khalid (in BG1 at least). As well as the others that I won't mention here and now.
It also also kinda hilarious seeing people go from BG3 to BG1 with all that foreknowledge and making the links the opposite way to what I did
"Less popular" he says......
"Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure?"
Jaheira was all sass all the time. You really should play the Bhaalspawn saga. Such good games.
I know its true but calling the first two games "the less popular titles" hurts me in my soul
It's like saying cars are more popular today than when they're invented... Gaming back then wasn't mainstream, it was heavily frowned upon.
There's a reason why these games are so beloved and still played 25+ years later.
And that same reason is why Larian wanted to make BG3 and not Divinity 3 🤣 the popularity of the originals payed off.
@@Kross415 Might as well say "The less popular Pokemon R/B/Y" based on its currently active player-base vs those playing the more recent releases.
@@Kross415 the popularity of the originals is largely unknown to the wider audience that bought bg3. I'd wager the old titles had extremely little to do with bg3 sales numbers.
Really glad to see this type of video. Once some time had passed after BG3 release, I was really hoping to see people do let's plays on the original 2 games. There are so many secrets and replayability, it's no shock I have a thousand hours combined between the two :)
Real-time combat with pause is so good in the Pathfinder series. I wish some of the concepts from that game got implemented in bg3.
First of all, sorry for my english, it is not my first langage.
Then, about BG1, it was the first video game that I ever played, I was like 8 years old (23 today) and I didn't understand anything during my first playthrough. Then I did the game a second time (seems easy but at the time my parents authorized me only little time on screens so it may have taken months, if not years). Then BG2. Then both of them another time. You have the idea. Now, I am at a point where I know the two games by heart, I know pretty much every ending for each side quest, I know where to find the best weapons, and I even know the location of each trap in each donjon of the games.
So it is very funny to see someone discovering the game, the mecanics, the story, the characters... As you said, you only scorched the surface of the game, there's so much more to see, from books allowing you to increase you stats permanently to the whole Durlag Tower, wich contains bosses stronger than Sarevok himself. For the time where they got released, BG1 and BG2 are incredible game, as well as BG3. I am so happy that someone discovering them after BG3 enjoyed the playthrough that much, so thank you for that !
Most folks i met that dislike bg one. Either haven't played it beyond surface level or are just folks who want instant gratification. I will admit bg 1 start is slow but it builds really well. And feels really earned once you beat it.
I think something can be said for the graphics too. Anyone who isn’t tied to nostalgia with these games may have a hard time getting through just bc its dated. I would love to see remakes for these, I might actually finish them at that point.
Final fight against Sarevock has a really easy cheese if you are interested, specially since your guy is an archer (go maximum difficult, no matter). During the whole game, you keep accumulating the maximum amount of summon creature wands you can. Then, you just have 2 characters blast him with sad wands while your party focus on killing the mages (breech and dispel magic spells will do wonders to break their protections, but it can be done even without it). Then you just shoot at him endlessly and he will die even before. the summons end.
I have also done it without the summons, but then you have to ACTUALLY be tactical and have optimized characters.
Ah yes, my daily dose of "Zoomers are apparently adults now and continuously cause Millennials to have an ongoing existential crisis by their casually referencing "childhood" as being "2016" and perceiving the '90s as though they were some ancient pre-civilization era no one remembers."
3:20 - You have options to fix your script. I go R for Character Screen, Customize Character, then scripts. I choose "NONE" because I don't want my characters doing anything until I tell them. I also have to set all my autopause in Options. Also - You are attacking at melee range with a bow and you have huge penalties attacking and defending. In Options, there should also be a setting to get feedback if you want to see your combat rolls.
why watch the presidential debate when you can watch the stuff that actually matters (biscuit sticks new upload)