It’s time to round up another smattering of online critiques for Overhaul Games’ Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition, and a vast majority of them lean to the favorable side this time around.
The Escapist gives it a 4/5:
The Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition is a loving tune-up of BioWare’s groundbreaking RPG, with visual enhancements, bug fixes and new content, but the game itself is the same as it ever was, wonderful and punishing in equal measures. It’s a great second chance for RPG lovers who missed out on the original, but gamers after a more casual or relaxed diversion may find it more frustrating than fun.
ZTGD gives it an 8.9/10:
The game is nothing short of epic. If you wished, you could put over 50 hours in this game and still not have everything done. The Sword Coast expansion is in the package as well. The new characters fit well with, and while still the experience is a very challenging one, it can also be very rewarding. If you have played Baldur’s Gate before and want to experience it again with some new features, there is enough here to garner the $20 price tag. Players of modern RPGs should give this game a shot as well not only to experience a classic RPG, but to see just how well the mechanics stand the test of time. The game may not be perfect, and it may not be particularly easy, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fantastic game that RPG fans of all shapes shouldn’t try.
Forbes gives it a 7/10:
Baldur’s Gate hasn’t aged well, but the modifications, tweaks, and additions from the Enhanced Edition do the classic justice. It remains a solid play today, but it feels like a markedly different animal from the majestic beast that graced PCs back in ages past.
Atomic Gamer gives it a 7/10:
It pains me to do this because this is a proper revival of Baldur’s Gate, without any mucking around in what made it such a great game. BG:EE should get a very high score from me just on that alone, but it’s not going to. All of the Infinity Engine games are brilliant pieces of work that still stand out from the RPG pack more than a decade after their release dates, and here Overhaul Games made a perfectly competent “port” of the game that started it all. But it costs twenty bucks, and that’s too much when you can get the original version with the same Tales of the Sword Coast expansion pack over at GOG for half the price – even less when it goes on sale – and a few minutes of installing mods gets you to nearly the same point. So I’m really hoping that the mobile port(s) that Overhaul is working on turn out great, and I’m expecting more out of their EE versions of BG2 and future games, assuming they still plan on making them. Or at the very least, they could sell them for a more reasonable price.
Hooked Gamers gives it an 8.0/10:
It is a shame Overhaul didn’t go the extra mile hooking us up with proper graphic settings and a better interface or even fix the ridiculous pathing issues that have plagued both the original and the sequel since day one. Yet these things do not stop Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition from being the definitive version of the game. If nothing else, it saves old fans from having to mod their game through BGTutu, making it playable without requiring any further tinkering. For them, and new fans alike, it is as easy as downloading it and hitting the play button and immersing oneself into one of the best games ever created. Period.
Destructoid gives it an 8.5/10:
Baldur’s Gate was, is, and always will be an RPG classic. The writing is full of wit, the characters and their interactions are exceptional, and the tried-and-true D&D gameplay is deceivingly complex. Sure, there are some minor issues like character AI/pathing, overly chatty and intrusive party members, and the occasional crash, but they fall short of detracting from the overall RPG euphoria.
Whether you’ve run through the game multiple times or have always wanted to, it’s as easy as ever to recommend Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition to anyone.
PocketTactics gives it a 5/5:
I view Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition not just as a smashing success, but as an important proof of concept for the future of touch-based gaming. BG and the other old Infinity-engine games have long comprised a Platonic ideal for the entire RPG genre. That ideal has always presupposed the PC platform or something quite like it, but in the years to come we may witness a shift. If a game like this can play so well on the iPad, what else might?
The Controller Online gives it a 7.5/10:
Despite the fact that a couple of big, promised, features are missing from the initial release, Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition is well worth the $19.99 price tag. Whether you purchased a copy back in 1998, or have never played any of Bioware’s early games, you’ll enjoy this game for one reason; the original game design stands the test of time. If you want to know why everyone holds Bioware up as true pioneers, look no further.
NZGamer gives it an 8.0/10:
The revamped HUD works a treat, and the convenience factor of not having to install a huge number of mods is also a major plus. I recommend it, if you can play it, because Baldur’s Gate is a great game, because it’s more and more becoming (historically significant) in the RPG timeline, and because it’s not everyday you get to hear a peasant tell you, (wife’s been getting prickly on me arse) as you stroll through town.
Gather Your Party doesn’t score it:
Was Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition worth the effort, or should the legendary CRPG have been left to the eternal keeping of the modding community? At the moment it is sort of a matter of opinion I guess, whether you would prefer a professionally-made conversion of the first game or would rather just fire up Baldur’s Gate Tutu for the hundredth time, but there are many patches and possibly a few more DLC packs to come, and Enhanced Edition does little to hinder the continuing efforts of the modding community. In fact, it wholeheartedly supports them, incorporating some of their best ideas to make the game more accessible while leaving things just as easy (if not more so) for them to continue to add on to in the future. If you are a veteran to the Baldur’s Gate series, for now you may well be better off sticking to Tutu, but if you have never touched these games, or don’t have the patience to get fifty different mod packs installed and working in tandem with each other, Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition is probably the preferred place to start. Give Overhaul time to work out the bugs and add more new content and this may well come to be known as the definitive version of the RPG classic.
And GameDynamo gives it an 80/100:
So what’s the overall verdict? Old school gamers, western RPG fanatics, older D&D fans, and Baldur’s Gate fans who are aching to play the game again, Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is an absolute must. For others, be wary of its age, and if you are prepared for the hardships Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition will present to you in both challenge and being a bit “dusty and old”, then you will find a game that is still VERY well crafted even though it’s almost 15 years old.
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