I really want to like this game but...

[Nontren]

I hate the gameplay of Baldurs Gate 2. It just feels boring. There is no impact.. I don't feel "cool" when I summon stuff, I don't feel powerful when I use a strong spell but honestly I want to love this game. I love games like Dragon Age 1, or Divinity Original Sin in terms of gameplay but I can't get in love with bg2 gameplay :(

The story is really interesting. The characters are really well written (most of them). I love the way I can make choices. I also like the voice actors. I also have to say that the game feels a bit clunky. My characters often use a totally wrong way to get to the point where I want them to be, I know that this is a very old game. Most old games have ♥♥♥♥♥♥ ki "hust" Age of Empires 1. I just want to know if there is anyone who has the same problems as me. I can see why people love this game but I sadly can't which is a shame because I was really excited about this game.

[Hamtata]

yah, i guess it's because how you pickup games....take 2 examples...

example 1: you picked up baldur gate first then mabbe Diablo then Dragon age (forward)
example 2: you picked up dragon age first then baldur gate (backwards)

Modern rpgs have a bad habit of balancing gameplay and overemphasize on graphics. Usually making you very powerful with great visual effects. It wouldn't take you very long to hit high levels, usually there isn't a need to do long hours of grinding, because the game is usually SHORT. Not really a problem for game-makers, as long as there's profits & $. They couldn't really care much about the gameplay balancing as long as the game sells. You kind of understand, because longer games = bigger budgets = more time = not profitable

Olden rpgs tend to be slower and without much hand holding. Which really is the true purpose of the game, you are suppose to explore and find out yourself with minimal hand-holding. The element of surprise and the fascination of discovering new loot, solve puzzles give you the "O YES! I DID IT THE FIRST TIME" feel. Each level you gain, you really feel the reward and you really need that additional level of power for stronger enemies, you learn to avoid fights that are too powerful for you, usually Olden rpgs are LONG games, takes weeks to even mths to complete.

So there you have it, when you tried modern games then older games. You are going from a FAST pace > SLOW pace. you'll feel "man, what the crap is this". You are feeling a "downgrade" While for most of us who played this game a thousand times, it's an "upgrade" for us when we try modern games. Slow pace > Fast pace.

That's my personal feel. But going from a logical point of view, there isn't a "fit-for-all-games" different people will always have different feel of the game. Even if someone outrightly hate this game, it's not surprising. It wouldn't be the first, neither will it be the last.
"OH u HATE this game? Take a Que no. Dude!"

[Legion]

The pacing difference between DA:O and BG2 is between DA:O having good pacing and BG2 having awful pacing. The games take about the same amount of time to complete without their respective expansions. ToB is a rushed botch that gives closure to the Bhaalspawn Saga while Awakening is a well-paced expansion with a mediocre story.

Before you jump down my throat for daring to be critical of the sacred cow that is BG2, it's still a classic game that's still fun to play today. If it wasn't the Enhanced Edition would've sold like 500 copies, because the die-hard fanbase tends to hate the EE's of these games with a passion.

[fauxpas]

Yeah, the BG Saga hasn't aged well Gameplay wise but the reason that I keep coming back is the story which is a classic that I enjoyed when it first came out.

But with that said, there is nothing wrong with not enjoying a game, and although it has its own issues (the pacing is lousy and the story is ... meh ... I also found the Gameplay bland but... ) you might want to try PoE.

[Caethyril]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

you might want to try PoE.

...which in this case (with a glance at the thread-starter's profile) could be Pillars of Eternity or Path of Exile. ^_^

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by Nontren:

I don't feel "cool" when I summon stuff, I don't feel powerful when I use a strong spell

Why is that? Are you missing strong graphical effects, such as those found in Pillars of Eternity where explosions and other animations cause a real mess on the screen?

Else, the Baldur's Gate games offer some good choices for spell casters. Maybe you want to increase the difficulty to very high levels - maybe even turn on Legacy of Bhaal mode - so the game will force you to play cautiously and slowly, use consumables (such as wands) and put all in during combat as it will be necessary to survive even an ambush by hobgoblins.

The poor path-finding in the games is something you will need to live with. It isn't too bad, if you keep an eye on your characters, but odd movement can happen at times.

[fauxpas]

Originally posted by Caethyril:

Originally posted by fauxpas:

you might want to try PoE.

...which in this case (with a glance at the thread-starter's profile) could be Pillars of Eternity or Path of Exile. ^_^

Never played Exile so I can't speak to that and I generally don't go profile diving as its vaguely creepy.

[Legion]

Originally posted by Nontren:

I hate the gameplay of Baldurs Gate 2. It just feels boring. There is no impact.. I don't feel "cool" when I summon stuff, I don't feel powerful when I use a strong spell but honestly I want to love this game. I love games like Dragon Age 1, or Divinity Original Sin in terms of gameplay but I can't get in love with bg2 gameplay :(

Rose coloured glasses I guess. DA:O has some of the most limp-wristed, slow, stiff, awful, ugly, and boring animations and spell particle effects of any game of it's era. BG2 is similarly dated but the more abstract 2D art style holds up a bit better to time than DA:O.

Of course DA:O is widely loved regardless and many consider it a modern classic. Same deal with BG2. There were tons of games with more cutting-edge graphics when this game came out though not really in the realm of RPG's. Deus Ex is the only one that comes to mind as being a graphically boundary pushing RPG from that era and it looks pretty bad by today's standards.

On the subject of gameplay, part of what makes BG2 so clunky is it's engine, which basically simulates tabletop turns and rounds in real-time and cleaves very close to the 'proper' D&D ruleset. Games like Pillars of Eternity or DA:O dispense with the d20 simulation for a more straightforward video game centric approach.

Speaking of Pillars, that game still has pretty bad pathfinding but it was shockingly awful at release and there wasn't even a party AI feature. BG2 was deluxe by comparison.

[Crispy]

BG2 is definitely slower paced action compared to more modern RPGs. But it also requires a lot more thinking and planning, which i personally enjoy. You'll start to feel more powerful after you've grinded some major side quests and then resume the main quest line, or my favorite, do the side quests intended to start your journey

[Hamtata]

really, I think most of us missed the first joy of the game of slow rpg, remember the first time you finally leveled up enough to ever cast your first spider spawn. or the 1st time you finally spawned your first sword spider? You replay with another character to experiment with new things.
GameFaqs are good, but you'll miss the fun of being a first time explorer

[Nontren]

I always feel bad if I buy a game but can't finish it because I find it boring but yeah I have to deal with that. I may give the game a second try who knows... Any other good rpgs for me to play?

[Hamtata]

Originally posted by Nontren:

I always feel bad if I buy a game but can't finish it because I find it boring but yeah I have to deal with that. I may give the game a second try who knows... Any other good rpgs for me to play?

For reference, what old rpgs do you play? I'm thinking ahead to see any older rpgs you play and have a dislike for them, if yes. then we'll just stop recommending you old rpgs just the newer rpgs.

Example- have you tried old rpgs like Phantasy star, Final Fantasy, Star Ocean? Do you like them?
how about action rpgs like diablo, dungeon siege? do you like them?

[fauxpas]

Chrono Trigger and the Sega Genesis Shadowrun as both classics.

[Nontren]

I love Final Fantasy and played a lot of games from this franchise but I never played Star Ocean or Phantasy Star since i don't know how to get it legally on a pc. Played Diablo 1,2 and 3 :) Never played Dungeon Siege though, is it worth?

[Legion]

Originally posted by Nontren:

I love Final Fantasy and played a lot of games from this franchise but I never played Star Ocean or Phantasy Star since i don't know how to get it legally on a pc. Played Diablo 1,2 and 3 :) Never played Dungeon Siege though, is it worth?

Dungeon Siege 1 and 2 are pretty good if somewhat linear ARPGs. I wouldn't recommend the Steam version of either game though, they both lack their vital expansions and Dungeon Siege 2 had it's multiplayer features completely stripped out of the game. Yes, even LAN.

[Hamtata]

Originally posted by prometheus.mh:

Originally posted by Nontren:

I love Final Fantasy and played a lot of games from this franchise but I never played Star Ocean or Phantasy Star since i don't know how to get it legally on a pc. Played Diablo 1,2 and 3 :) Never played Dungeon Siege though, is it worth?

Dungeon Siege 1 and 2 are pretty good if somewhat linear ARPGs. I wouldn't recommend the Steam version of either game though, they both lack their vital expansions and Dungeon Siege 2 had it's multiplayer features completely stripped out of the game. Yes, even LAN.

I try and remember a list off my mind, it's been decades so my mind could been rusty (a 30+ gamer here)
Just play off those games off emulator, just delete them after when you are done with the game. There are plenty of emulation sites you can find off google dot com.

1) Phantasy star 1,2,4 - Skip 3 (Old-Sch-RPG, Genesis)
2) Final Fantasy series (old-sch-rpg, nes/SNES/Playstation)
3) Star Ocean (Old-School rpg, Genesis) - never played but very good reviews
4) Chrono trigger/ Chrono Cross (rpg, Snes/Playstation) - You'll probably love storyline, same makers of final fantasy
5) Might and Magic (first-person-view rpg, Genesis/ PC)
6) Dungeon Siege (action-rpg, PC) - very diablo-like
7) Sacred (action-rpg, PC) - very diablo-like
8) Torchlight (action-rpg, PC) - never played, made by team who contributed to Diablo
9) Neverwinter nghts - 3D version of baldurs gate. Deep storyline, less focus on gameplay
10) Tales of phantasia (old-school rpg, SNES)

if your preference is towards Strategy-rpg then...
1) brigandine (playstation)
2) Dragon force (sega saturn)
3) Warcraft 3 and Frozen throne (PC) - same makers of diablo
4) Heroes of Might and magic (PC) take note it is different from the "might and magic" series
5) Bahamut Lagoon (SNES) - same makers of final fantasy