Baldur’s Gate Enhances Its Release Date

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

Yes, for those of you who don’t already know, the infinity engine was recently improved upon and became a free game engine source. The engine has not been used to develop an official game in over a decade, but the games it’s noted for comprise a sterling list of some of the greatest RPGs to ever grace the genre. Some actually called the Infinity engine’s time period the Renaissance of PC role-playing games. It’s hard to argue against those words when such titles as Icewind Dale I & II, Planescape: Torment, and, of course the ever famous, Baldur’s Gate I & II were all developed using the Infinity engine. I don’t think anyone would deny this impeccable list of classics from the ranks of games that benchmark one of the greatest eras of gaming, especially when it is perhaps the single strongest list of RPGs under one engine’s belt. Many of these games are simply ageless, and it turns out a bunch of other people seem to think so as well.

That’s why Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition is awakening the Forgotten Realms IP from its hibernation to wreak havoc on PC, Mac OS X, and iPad and Android devices once more even after its fourteen year slumber. Some developers seem to believe that this (nearly) fifteen-year-old game still has some life and lust after it, even after all this time, and I tend to agree with them. But will the new additions actually enhance the game with this new edition? It is a bold and risky statement to make, but I’ll have to reserve my thoughts on that for when I get my hands on the Enhanced Edition when it’s released to make a final jugdement. For now though, let’s at the very least take a look at what is so enhancing about the enhanced edition, shall we?

• The Black Pits – A standalone adventure set in the Underdark consisting of 15 levels of arena-like challenges
• New Character Rasaad yn Bashir – A warrior monk tempered in the icy forges of Could Peaks.
• New Character Neera – A half-elf wild mage fleeing both her past mistakes and the merciless Red Wizards of Thay
• New Character Dorn II-Khan – A half-orc who lusts for revenge and glory in equal measure
• Enhanced Interfacing – More modern interface utilities complemented by HD displays
• Improved Multiplayer – Matchmaking has been greatly improved and cross platform matchmaking will be possible
• Core Game Improved – Over 400 bugs and or errors were found and done away with
• Buldar’s Gate 2 Features – All enhancements and improvements from BG2 have been brought to Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition
• New Cinematics - All of the Baldur's Gate cinematics have been replaced with beautifully hand painted animated cinematics, directed by Nat Jones.
• On Going Support – Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition will continue to receive improvements after release, along with continued support for the vibrant mod community that has helped it remain so popular for so long.

I don’t know about you but my interest is about as piqued as it can get, it’s basically piquing all over the place. Nevertheless, the question begs to be asked, will these so-called “Enhanced Editions” continue to roll out after this one? Will we see a Planescape: Torment Enhanced or possibly be taken once again through the tale that brought us to the first surface home of Drizzit in the icy aloof tundra of Icewind Dale Enhanced? Only the future will tell… or the success of Baldur’s Gate Enhanced, but I think it’s a safe bet that many fans of these old classics will be retreading the gamespace of this Dungeons & Dragons universe once again. Those of you who rank among them can pick up the enhanced edition of Baldur’s Gate for the PC on September 18 of this year for $19.99 USD. The other platforms will follow shortly after.