BG:DA2 Impressions
Well if you want to get to the chase right away, I will say this: it is very obvious from the get go which product they spent time on and cared about.
Its really good and a lot of fun. I cant give much thorough details because ive been dabbling with the different characters. Which should mean something since I actually want to play different characters. Ive made it to the city with the barb, monk and cleric. The rogue will prolly be cool with his crossbow based "spells". The necro looks like he has some pretty powerful magic at least early on. I wonder if the cleric and the necro spells will wane in effectiveness at later levels.
Im pretty into the game but I chose to get my feet wet and then expand rather than punch through. So go get it. It will prolly be a total blast in Coop.
Points of note Im looking forward to:
Barb can dual wield 2handed weps (for modest sum of 15 points)
Monks high level spinning strike (the sweep attack is cool but spinning is 360 degrees) and high level punch combos
Clerics 5th ranked avatar summon
Necros high level spells (all of them and thats the problem; too much to do and not enough time)
Rogues crossbow attacks and exploding satchels
edit: If you have any other questions I'll try to answer them as best I can. Ive played 2 hours with the barb, 1.5 with the cleric, monk and necro and 1 hour with the rogue.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Hoochie and I tried the original and it just never quite ""took"" for us. Does the game have any kind of story this time? Is there still a ridiculous big-breasted NPC bartender? How is the combat, more or less the same?
Certis beat me to it. - Elysium
Ok, So i''ve been seeing people talk about this game for a week or so and I''m curious as to how different it is from BG:DA1... Since my finance and I are saving money for our wedding I have a hard time purchasing games new(welll, at least it becomes difficult when she notices i''m ''wasting'' money).
I''m curious as to whether DA1 had co-op mode, as it might be enough to get her into playing as well. And whether the improvements in DA2 are enough that it would be worth it to forego bothering with the first one( and I suppose whether the plot would be more well understood if I''d played the first much like I hear that you really need to beat FFX before playing FFX-2).
Cool - sounds like they''re really working at making the classes different in this one.
Is there more enemy variety than in BD:DA? My one complaint from the last game was that they repeated the same enemies over... and over... and over...
Everything can be debated, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's debatable.
--Chuck Klosterman, Fargo Rock City
RUN!!!
@Certis: I like the story so far. There seem to be subtle plotlines going on underneath the main plot which is: find out what happened to the heroes from BG:DA1. The DE Monk seems to have a special plotline. Im not sure if they all do and I just havent found each of the characters special NPCs.
Melee combat is much better for me than BG:DA1. The fighter was so boring from that game but the barb, monk and rogue are totally different. And it looks to be that you have options within each class for melee combat. (dual wield, bow, crossbow, and throwing, hand to hand, staff, 2handers, 1hander and shield) All types seem to have specials associated with them.
My major complaint was the ranged attacks in BG:DA1. They totally fixed that. Not only can you specialize in it to get bonuses in attack rating and damage, but there is a small radius auto targeting and limitless ammo for all ranged weapons. Combine that with the fact that you can make your own magic weapons ala gems in Diablo 2 and range weapons are very viable.
@Killer Tomato: Well, that''s kinda tough. You fight goblins with a splash of bats, wolves and spiders the whole way on your way to the city of Baldur''s Gate. The goblins are mixed up into spearmen, sword and shield and archers. There are a few goblin shaman. The boss monsters are really nice!
Once you arrive at BG, it seems there is about 5-6 quests of which Ive completed 2. One was undead based with zombies and undead tiger things that whipped poison darts from their tails. The other was human thieves (knife throwers) and monks mixed in with doberman pinchers. A third quest that I started, was clearing out the sewers. That had beetles, rats, spiders and oozes on the first level.
@Soulgrind: I would skip the first one. I didnt enjoy it that much because the only character I found fun to play was the sorceress. However, after as Im playing BG:DA2 I am feeling the itch to go back and try BG:DA1 again and finish it with the Sorceress. (I only got like 3 hours into the plotline despite playing for 10-15 hours)
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Sounds like there''s already more variety than BD:DA. I''ll have to look into an XBox or PS2 after the next round of price cuts, since the GameCube isn''t invited to the BG:DA2 party.
Everything can be debated, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's debatable.
--Chuck Klosterman, Fargo Rock City
sounds good to me.. picking it up tonight for the xbox for some weekend co-op action..
Aint nothing new about the world order..it's been playing since the day they put George Washington on a quarter
85's face the truth you're too dumb.
http://www.myspace.com/armyofthepharaohs
Thanks for the advice. I''ll probably rent it this weekend and see how it takes. It''d be really nice to get my fiance into gaming but frankly I don''t see it happening. The upside is that she''s really cool about letting me play(it tends to give her motivation to do something productive like study japanese or something since I''m occupying the TV)
fang, how does it stack up to Heroes of D&D? If I recall corecct, you enjoyed that game. I''m in the mood for a game of this type and I can get Heroes for $30 now.
"Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin
Soulgrind I would recommend you go with the first one. For one important reason fangblackbone, the controls (and the game) are much simpler. I know it''s great that you can have a weapon in each hand and all of that, but when you try explaining that her eyes will glaze over.
My wife''s eyes glazed and she''s a casual gamer!
If your trying to get someone new into gaming, BGDA 1 is a great way to start.
Okay, we are loving the new one. You can tell it''s not the same guys that deved the first one, but it still has that old charm that keeps you playing until 2 in the morning.
As I said above, the controls are a little more complicated than the first one, and there is a lot more varitiy with pretty much everything you could do in the first.
In a nutshell, if you enjoyed the first game you will enjoy this one. I''m sure fangblackbone would agree with me on that. I''ll let him do the review (he''s a lot better with all the details).
I''ve had other people ask me if it''s better than D&D Heroes and I think it''s still to early to make that call. All I can say is it''s looking like it will be.
I''m sure we''ll be up till 2 or 3 again tonight.
Can''t wait!
Why do I admire videogames so much?
There's nothing else on earth that entwines art and science so closely.
Well, I for one am definitely enjoying it. I started a barbarian solo adventure, and jumped right in. I''ve probably put a good 4-5 hours in so far (I''m in Lydon''s Lyttan? Hold). It''s good stuff. A little more imaginative than the first one, but not extensively so.
This past thursday, a friend and I played some co-op, and it''s just as good, if not better, than before! I''m really digging it.
I like the whole idea of ''side areas'' that you can go to, if you like. I also like the extra story bits that the necro and dark elf seem to have. I suppose the other characters have similar diversions, but I haven''t seen them in action yet.
SPOILER (cheat?)
If you''ve got extra gold in your single player game, ""import"" a necro or dark elf while you''re in Baldur''s Gate, and visit their respective extra story dispenser. You can basically convert cash to XP (in lots of 2k, 4k, 8k, 16k, etc), which can be a real boost early on!
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand
Soulgrind, I have been trying to get my spouse more involved with the X-box. I took Ridlin''s advice a few months ago and introduced her to BG: DA.
I made it clear to my wife that I was really interested in playing together and thought it would be a lot of fun. (oh.. oh. I smell an Out of Context Theater....) No matter the game, you really need to make it clear that you''re looking for some quality time together... sharing something you really enjoy. The good news is that she agreed to play and we spent half a dozen nights playing together. The ""ridiculous big-breasted"" bartender that Certis referred to really, really pissed her off. It was a major hurdle. So was the lack of the sorceress'' clothing starting out. But we went on to have a pretty good time. We probably made it 3/4 of the way before parental duties took their toll and she lost interest.
For what it''s worth, she managed to play all of KOTOR (which she says taught her the controller... we''re from the Atari 2600 joystick days). She has really enjoyed Beyond Good & Evil and is really getting into Morrowind. We really can''t play these ""together"" like BG: DA, but at least we''re sharing gaming on the x-box and have something to build on.
FuzzyCuddleWumpus,
Thanks for the advice, I hadn''t thought of approaching it that way but you''re right.. even though I''m happy that she doesn''t get upset when I play I really would prefer that we were able to approach it as time spent together doing something as opposed to just time we spend in the same room.
I''ll have to try discussing it in that context with her and see what she thinks.
I don''t know, guys. The game is starting to lose points with me. We were up to 2:30 last night playing it and we finally got past a tough boss we were working on.
It wouldn''t have been so tough, but we hadn''t found a store since we started the game and we didn''t come across any decent armor either. Our first game we had better stuff, but my son erased that game by accident (more on that later).
So, the store is some guy standing out in the street with nothing around him. Where is the stuff coming from? Why isn''t he in a building? Or *gasp* a shop.
The boss in the warehouse had AI so BAD it was just pathetic. If you can''t code your monster to walk around some crates, don''t fill the room with crates. I believe that''s game development 101.
The controls are still a little confusing, or at least their set up. You have 1 handed, 2 handed, ranged. Hit A to select your weapon, left trigger to select your ''other'' weapon. Hit A to select your ranged weapon. Use right digital to alternate, right? Little confusing, and when I''m using two weapons how much damage am I doing? If I knew, I''d use either the 1 or 2 handed weapon, which ever did the most damage, and never need to ""switch on the fly"".
Why is money pooled?? Let me shut that off, damn it! Now shopping is much less fun when you have to be careful not to spend all of your partner''s share. So much for buying gifts for one another.
The clerics fire boom thing is way out of balance, and it shakes the freaking screen. My eyes started to hurt my wife was using it so much, and why shouldn''t she? It''s knocking everything out.
The barbs magic, as far as I''ve been able to tell, does nothing. I haven''t seen a difference. All the rage does is lower your AC, cleave got me killed a few times trying to use it because nothing was really happing, and power attack didn''t even mark the Boss a little. WTF?
We''re still enjoying. My wife isn''t noticing these things like I do (the more critical one), but it''s sliding down a slope with me. I''ll see how it all turns out, but if it doesn''t start impressing me I''m considering the first one much better.
Sorry so long and cranky. After staying up to 2:30 the baby got me up at 7:30.
Why do I admire videogames so much?
There's nothing else on earth that entwines art and science so closely.
There is an option (in the options menu) to turn on damage numbers. It helps alot.
A lot of the bosses do tend to get stuck on crates, tables, fences, and other NPCs. Its a shame but the Bosses do some incredible damage when they hit.
FYI in coop, what happens when one of you dies? Can you ressurect in town or something?
As far as clerics flame strike, I fear that it is devastating early on but may wane in effectiveness later. Once you get to Baldur''s Gate, enemies take well over 100 damage to kill and thats only chapter 2. (out of how many, I dont know but id wager at least 4-6) So flamestrike does 6-48 to start and the next point does 7-60. There are only 5 ranks so that seems to mean maxing at 10-96. Thats a lot but like I said, Im only in chapter 2 and monsters have about 130-175 hit points. In comparison, the rogues exploding satchel does 70 (fixed)damage to a 6'' radius with only 2 ranks. It takes a lot longer to ""cast"" however.
My barb is level 11 and he is so loving the hero''s arm feat that allows you to wield 2handers in one hand. He''s chomping things with his 2 fine great axes (one with 1-4 acid damage). Oh man its so nice hitting four times for 28-50. He regularly criticals for 89-95 damage. Sadly he is fighting mostly skeletons now so they are a bit resistant to bladed weps. Barb rage makes a difference especially when dual wielding. You severe penalties in your off hand. I noticed with one rank early one that, when raged, both weapons were hitting for 4 more damage. (its a big deal when you notice your off hand is hitting for 5-6 rather than 1)
BTW. when you see the red dragon I think your interest will peak again =)
Ridlin, I get the feeling you will be frustrated with the Bloodmire mansion bosses. He sprays devastating acid. If you have a monk I would advise investing in diamond body. Your cleric has a purity feat or some such that guards against different effects that would be useful. I dont know if the evasion feat (magic damage reduction) will work against his attack. Im betting that evasion will pay off later on in the game. My unprotected barb managed to solo the creature but it involved a lot of twitch and gulping of health potions.
The rogue has a special quest given to him by the dwarf in the Inn. The necro has to talk to Omdaril (sp?) to get his special quest. The monk talks to the DE at the Inn. The cleric talks to the priest at the Helm temple. I havent found the barbs special quest NPC.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Oh and as far as DnD Heroes vs. BG:DA2
Heroes is simpler and easier.
BG:DA2 is tougher but better variety in characters.
BG:DA2 took some steps towards a Diablo style game away from BG:DA but its still closer to BG:DA than Diablo. You level faster in BG:DA2 and the classes are fleshed out better than those in BG:DA.
Heroes is much closer to Diablo than it is to BG:DA
I will concede Ridlins point. If BG:DA2 had a button configuration like DnD Heroes, it would prolly be better. You know, like A to attack basic melee, B to attack basic range, Y to cast active spell or feat, and X to open doors, and chests. I really dont see the benefit of needing to switch between 2 handed melee and 1 handed melee.
BTW in coop, when one player is equipping items, is the action still live? or does it pause for both players?
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Ressurrection occurs as soon as the living character passes by a save point, just like the first game.
When one player equips stuff, the game pauses for both, unless you''re using the quick change stuff (switch from 1 hand, 2 hand, ranged).
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand
Hmm... the equipping might get annoying.
The ressurection seems a good way to go. I was wondering why there were so many save points.
Oh BTW, did you notice that the equipment vendor is the same guy as in BG:DA?
Oh and a little tip. Be sure to put points into the weapon specialty you want right away. (hand weps, great weps, long weps) Two or more points awards you combo swings.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Yep. And the caravan guard you save is the same one that you can retrieve the box of spices for in the first game, as well.
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand
Did you go the Hero''s Arm route Tyrian?
Its nuts the amount of damage you dish out.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
I did indeed. My barb is in Act II and has 2 Remarkable Greatswords of coldfire +1 (man, those were expensive to make). It''s insane how often i critical hit for insane amounts of dmg. Every 3rd hit seems to be a critical.
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand
Yeah I have only found one great sword. It was normal and nearly had the same damage as my fine great axe. Oh what I wouldnt do to find some ""remarkable"" ones of those. Whats the dmg on them?
Hmmm... Im in chapter 3 too!
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
I''m at work right now, but when I get home, i''ll post the dmg range. Unfortunately, i may be trapped at work, as the area is currently suffering under a deluge of sleet and freezing rain.... Wheee..
As for getting the remarkable ones... Uh.. Well, i cheated a little there. I found a chest that seemed to be spewing high quality items, so I saved, and opened it, and reloaed and opened it, and reloaded and opened it... etc... until I got one. I experimented with it for a while, and eventually made the coldfire dealy. Then I fought the boss of that area, and... i''ll be damned if i didn''t get another one off of one of the weapon racks in his room. [smacks forehead].
Come to think of it, though... they might have just been fine, not remarkable. I had two remarkable bastard swords that I had been using previous to that, and I might have gotten confused.
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand
Having someone go to the equip screen in coop isn''t a problem. While they are doing whatever you can look at your character as well.
Ridlin I hope you are enjoying it. Have some patience. The stuff you encounter just keeps getting better and better.
As far as monster variety goes... I''ve since encountered, undead knights (3 types), ghostly books and furniture, hill or mountain giants, a lich, ettins, trolls, gnolls, full plated clerics, a salamander, newts (knights, spear throwers and shaman), pirate scalawags (undead?) and I still have halfway to go in chapter three.
I think you will have some issues with difficulty being hot and cold. There will be some choke points. However, in coop mode you can prolly get away with having the monsters chase one player while the other hacks it from behind. (kiting =P)
Im wondering what I have to do to unlock my special feats with my barb. Ive done 2 side quests for Randalla. I guess the idea is to kill everything in the areas she sends you too? I thought I had completed both areas but she hasnt given me any new place to go and she doesnt talk to me anymore =(
Oh and I have 2 remarkable bastard swords of fire and lightning!
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
I was wrong, they are FINE greatswords (base dmg 15-34), but they still beat the almighty crap out of things. I retooled to add coral and jacinth (+min dmg and +fire dmg). It cost me 69K to get one of them to +4, (+80% min dmg and +4-16 fire), but wow.
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand
Up way to late again last night. We are enjoying it more and more. Had no problem with the mansion. Sunder (barb magic) has me happy now because I can see what it''s doing, so I''m bumping that up.
Had a question for you guys, though. Just for fun I bought a Rune so I could play in the workshop.
Went in there and thought I was adding it to my great sword, but -
1. I couldn''t tell what good the rune was going to do before I had it put in the sword.
2. It was the wrong sword, for some reason I couldn''t put the item into my two handed weapon.
What''s up that?
Ok in the workshop the first slot has to be the rune. If you slide left or right to the other slots in the item you can place things like jacinth (fire damage) or topaz (lightning damage) or moonstone (combat speed). The workshop will only work on items fine and above. I dont know what order it goes in but Ill give it a stab (its in the manual I believe) shoddy, normal, fine, remarkable, flawless, (imperial?, grand?)
Glad you are enjoying it!
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Um ... Yeah, I read the directions. Sure.
Thanks!!
I think it''s shoddy, normal, fine, remarkable, superior, grand, imperial, flawless.
Skriss: lvl 70 undead mage - Bloodhoof
Kyrator: lvl 63 night elf rogue - Blackhand
Thadryn: lvl 70 draenei mage - Blackhand