Baldur’s Gate isn’t too old, it was released in November of 1998, but that’s still a bit dated now. The gaming industry isn’t friendly to the years, often working in what seems to be accelerated “dog years” in terms of technological advancements. It figured this was worth covering because it’s one of the best selling and considered a top tier single-player RPG by most accounts.
It was also developed by BioWare, who, at the time, only had one other game under their belt from two years before called Shattered Steel.
The story begins just after a devastating event in the Forgotten Realms D&D campaign called the “Time of Troubles.” This was a great twist in the standard D&D campaign, it caused all curative magic (clerics) to lose their ability to heal unless near their deity, magic didn’t function correctly (I believe this is where the Wild Mage came from) and was unpredictable and gods walked the earth as mortals which caused magic to, in effect, die while the gods were away. Since the storyline starts slightly after this event, the game contains healing and magic but the storyline is impacted by prior events of course, people have trust issues.
The game was made great because it held “mostly true” to the 2nd Edition D&D roots so the learning curve for D&D player’s wasn’t so rough; some things were adjusted to handle the real-time effect of a video game RPG. You could party with up to six Non-Player-Characters (NPC’s) whom would swap in and out of your active party over time as part of the storyline (something also implemented by the US release of Final Fantasy 2).
(more…)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
I’m tired of this “PC gaming is dying” malarky. Seriously, it’s bullpucky.
PC games sell the same as they always have. The thing is, it used to be 400,000 was MASSIVE SALES on a PC. Now it’s considered embarrassing.
Console sales numbers have spoiled people. We see Halo: Reach selling $3M worth in the first week, and that is an unfair comparison to PC gaming. Good gaming rigs cost $900+. An Xbox 360 costs $200-300.
I’m tired of this “PC gaming is dying” malarky. Seriously, it’s bullpucky.
PC games sell the same as they always have. The thing is, it used to be 400,000 was MASSIVE SALES on a PC. Now it’s considered embarrassing.
Console sales numbers have spoiled people. We see Halo: Reach selling $3M worth in the first week, and that is an unfair comparison to PC gaming. Good gaming rigs cost $900+. An Xbox 360 costs $200-300.
Thought I might change things up a bit and get my comment in before the podcast is done this week. 🙂
(offtopic, feel free to ignore last weeks comment, my fault for being slow to comment and just echoed what others said)
@ the QotW
David Tennant! x 5billion (for anyone who has somehow managed to never watch the greatest tv series of all tome, he is the tenth, and greatest, doctor)
Thought I might change things up a bit and get my comment in before the podcast is done this week. 🙂
(offtopic, feel free to ignore last weeks comment, my fault for being slow to comment and just echoed what others said)
@ the QotW
David Tennant! x 5billion (for anyone who has somehow managed to never watch the greatest tv series of all tome, he is the tenth, and greatest, doctor)
@ Chrono Trigger:
Blasphemy! I loved RoboCop 3 on the NES. How can you say that you wouldn’t play such a game? 🙂
@MSFT clossing Massive: oh man! And I was hoping that in-game advertising would work …
I’m siding with Derrick, this piece of news just shows that in-game ads companies are not given a chance.
Don, interesting idea about Google picking the idea up.
@McDonalds and Zenga team up: it’s a marketing scheme I’d normally say it will fail. Actually all of the marketing schemes you mentioned sound silly. But because of that, it might actually work 🙂
@QOTW: Jack Nicholson. Mickey Rourke also did a good job, making his part believable, although the game in question was pretty lame.
@ Chrono Trigger:
Blasphemy! I loved RoboCop 3 on the NES. How can you say that you wouldn’t play such a game? 🙂
@MSFT clossing Massive: oh man! And I was hoping that in-game advertising would work …
I’m siding with Derrick, this piece of news just shows that in-game ads companies are not given a chance.
Don, interesting idea about Google picking the idea up.
@McDonalds and Zenga team up: it’s a marketing scheme I’d normally say it will fail. Actually all of the marketing schemes you mentioned sound silly. But because of that, it might actually work 🙂
@QOTW: Jack Nicholson. Mickey Rourke also did a good job, making his part believable, although the game in question was pretty lame.
– Microsoft Closing Massive
In-game advertising seems to be mainly used in racing games (like burnout, made by EA) and sports games (like FIFA, made by EA). That kinda shows that EA is one of the only companies really pushing in-game advertising. And as long as it doesn’t seem out of place or obtrusive, I’m fine with it.
– QOTW
Wow, really good question and a really hard one too, there’s so many great actors to choose from! I’d love to see Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Stewart, Tony Shalhoub (from Monk), Jeremy Clarkson (from Top Gear) or Denzel Washington do some voice acting, but I think Tim Curry would be my pick. (sorry for that long list btw, I just couldn’t leave any of them out)
Leonard Nimoy (Spock from the original Star Trek) did some voice acting for Civilization 4, which was very cool. And Christopher Lloyd is reprising his role as Doc Brown for a Back to the Future in development by Telltale Games. Just that by itself makes me want to buy it.
– Microsoft Closing Massive
In-game advertising seems to be mainly used in racing games (like burnout, made by EA) and sports games (like FIFA, made by EA). That kinda shows that EA is one of the only companies really pushing in-game advertising. And as long as it doesn’t seem out of place or obtrusive, I’m fine with it.
– QOTW
Wow, really good question and a really hard one too, there’s so many great actors to choose from! I’d love to see Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson, Patrick Stewart, Tony Shalhoub (from Monk), Jeremy Clarkson (from Top Gear) or Denzel Washington do some voice acting, but I think Tim Curry would be my pick. (sorry for that long list btw, I just couldn’t leave any of them out)
Leonard Nimoy (Spock from the original Star Trek) did some voice acting for Civilization 4, which was very cool. And Christopher Lloyd is reprising his role as Doc Brown for a Back to the Future in development by Telltale Games. Just that by itself makes me want to buy it.
I doubt I will post this in time for the podcast, which I’m betting is already recorded at this point, and this will probably have already been addressed, but both Patrick Stewart and Tony Shalhoub have done voice acting, as has Tim Curry. (Tim Curry’s done a LOT, actually, most recently Arl Howe in Dragon Age. Actually, I think he’s played an on-camera role in more than one game.)
As for my own list, the less I actually recognize the voice actor in question, the happier I am (unless it’s a Pixar film, but that’s another medium entirely.) For instance, I rarely forgot that “Joker” in Mass Effect 1 & 2 was Seth Green. (Though I was okay with that, since he wasn’t a huge role, as such.)
I want to hear the Allstate Guy in a game voiceover. (I forget the actor’s name, but he was also the president on early seasons of 24.) I’d also like Scott Bakula to voice a main character in a game.
I doubt I will post this in time for the podcast, which I’m betting is already recorded at this point, and this will probably have already been addressed, but both Patrick Stewart and Tony Shalhoub have done voice acting, as has Tim Curry. (Tim Curry’s done a LOT, actually, most recently Arl Howe in Dragon Age. Actually, I think he’s played an on-camera role in more than one game.)
As for my own list, the less I actually recognize the voice actor in question, the happier I am (unless it’s a Pixar film, but that’s another medium entirely.) For instance, I rarely forgot that “Joker” in Mass Effect 1 & 2 was Seth Green. (Though I was okay with that, since he wasn’t a huge role, as such.)
I want to hear the Allstate Guy in a game voiceover. (I forget the actor’s name, but he was also the president on early seasons of 24.) I’d also like Scott Bakula to voice a main character in a game.
To elaborate on Krud’s comment, Patrick Stewart was a voice in “Oblivion”, and Tony Shalhoub was a voice in “Fallout 2”. Sorry to milk a dead horse there…
At least everyone else’s picks are somewhat possible. My picks would require either the invention of a time machine, or the services of a qualified necromancer: Madelyn Kahn and Wolfman Jack. I suppose there’s always the option of archival materials, though.
To elaborate on Krud’s comment, Patrick Stewart was a voice in “Oblivion”, and Tony Shalhoub was a voice in “Fallout 2”. Sorry to milk a dead horse there…
At least everyone else’s picks are somewhat possible. My picks would require either the invention of a time machine, or the services of a qualified necromancer: Madelyn Kahn and Wolfman Jack. I suppose there’s always the option of archival materials, though.