No, it's not worth it.

[Dexter]

Most reviews seem to be going easy on this and are kind of missing the point since they seem to be reviewing "Baldur's Gate" as a game again, which almost everybody can agree was wonderful and can still be gotten from GoG[www.gog.com] or even as a Dungeons & Dragons Anthology[www.gamersgate.com] together with Baldur's Gate 2 + Throne of Bhaal, Icewind Dale 1+2, Planescape: Torment and Temple of Elemental Evil for about the price of this Re-Release.
Everybody knows that the game was and largely still is rather beloved: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-08-game-devs-favourite-is-baldurs-gate

Most of them seem to be appraising Baldur's Gate itself as a game instead of the "Enchanted Edition", what it has to offer by itself or what new it can bring to the table. It shouldn't be allowed to rest on the laurels of ages gone by with a game that everybody can still buy in its original form.

I was surprised by how much Overhaul managed to screw this up. They had what initially looked like a winning formula. Just take Baldur’s Gate, an award-winning game still beloved by a great many people, make it HD, maybe add some fixes and rake in the dough.

Instead they decided to screw it up royally in every way they could possibly think of. First they couldn’t get the original high-res art, since apparently it “doesn’t exist” anymore (sure, as if an EA-owned studio would simply hand them over their means to let them make money off of without getting anything in return).
Following that they introduced the amazing Blur-filter they put most of the game through (not even a resolution option, really?):
http://baldursgate.com/images/neera/screenshot04.jpg

and that gold-edged excuse for an interface:
http://www.baldursgate.com/images/media/screenshots_nov22/Screen05.png

This was also one of the screenshots of an area they had designed themselves, a horrible blurry mess with stretched textures over 3D terrain showing they have no grasp of how the previous areas were designed (or simply don’t care): http://baldursgate.com/images/rasaad/screenshot02.jpg

And because they were so popular in recent BioWare games, hey let's add some new romances: http://i.imgur.com/EPukq.png http://i.imgur.com/aix59.jpg despite Baldur's Gate never having those and being better off without them.
And the only new content aside from that is some sort of separate Arena Mode that’s supposed to last for hours but doesn't have any story of its own, all of it sounds like it’s custom-designed to violate the legacy left behind by the original games.

There was also an interesting incident with their new in-game map, that first appeared in this article: http://www.pcgamesn.com/article/baldur-s-gate-enhanced-edition-everything-we-know and had like 4-5 spelling mistakes, pretty much summing up most of the development of this “Enhanced Edition”: http://images1.pcgamesn.com/baldurs-gate-map.jpg
Since it brought them some bad PR they suddenly decided to make it disappear and pretend like the guy doing it doesn’t exist instead of admitting mistakes, they even deleted the thread talking about it instead of offering an apology or clarification: http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/4832/updated-version-of-baldurs-gate-map/p1
Despite him apparently being an artist doing professional work and him previously stating that he was commissioned for it: http://www.mugwortdesigns.com/baldurs-gate-map

Not to say that most (like 90%+) of the “fixes” they’ve integrated in the game directly stem from Mods that people had already made for free and they’ve asked for permission to use/implement. Of course they will likely not get any reimbursement for their work and worked for free, but at least they have the "honor" of having worked on Baldur's Gate in some official capacity.

They even used people and their passion for the game to translate it into different other languages for free, why do it yourself or put any money behind it if the Option exists?: http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/11/16/baldurs-gate-contains-close-to-a-million-words-of-dialog-and-how-fan-translations-helped-the-enhanced-edition/

It’s like a bunch of children got handed a Pissarro and they decided to take their paintbrushes and paint all over it because they know they can improve on it…

It reminds me of the old lady who tried to restore a century old Spanish fresco and it became an Internet meme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuPuVEPgtjc
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/online/2012/8/22/1345647849262/Ecce-♥♥♥♥-by-Elias-Garcia-006.jpg

Not to mention that they even changed some Cinematics out of some incomprehensible reason while removing some of the others entirely, likely because they didn't want to pay any licensing money to RAD Video Tools/Bink for their new Release.

Original:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kmmggc6jH8
"Enhanced" ("beautifully hand painted animated cinematics"):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egfgFZATd5E

There's also a lot of Bugs that have been reported, from some of the new quests for the new characters not working right because the scripting seems to break, to a Bug that apparently skips the Ending-Cinematic entirely (people apparently didn't know if they didn't make one and cut it out or if it's a Bug).
The game doesn't even start on PCs with Intel graphics or Macbooks and a few other configurations.

The iOS/tablet version had also been delayed several times since Apple declined them over and over by not approving their "App" because of bugs including crashes:
http://images.vg247.com/current/2012/11/trentoster.jpg
And after it came out people were especially disappointed over the reworked tablet interface, that doesn't seem to work particularly well.

TL;DR: It's just generally a joke and it's sad that the quality of the initial game that came out 14 years ago is being used to justify this "Enhanced Edition", and the GoG/GamersGate-Version with BGT or the Big World Mod would Fix a lot of the same things that this did, with a lot less Bugs and better, even integrating both parts and their Add-Ons into one big narrative arc, also possibly adding more features if you so choose.
http://www.shsforums.net/files/category/38-bgt-weidu/
http://www.shsforums.net/files/category/72-big-world-project/

If you are looking towards acknowledging that top-down RPGs still work today and are "still viable" with your money, I think it would be a much better idea to spend some of that towards Wasteland 2[wasteland.inxile-entertainment.com] or Project: Eternity[eternity.obsidian.net] or waiting for the upcoming Torment[www.nowgamer.com] successor, since they are all new creative works instead of a Cash-In on an old, beloved franchise.

[Gingermonkey]

After reading this, I think i'll stay with the Baldurs Gate TuTu mod :)

[Murissokah]

I only partially agree with the OP on this one. I agree on the fact that very little was "enhanced" to justify the name and price of this "new game". Then again, BG was a great game to begin with. Maybe they could have focused a little more on new content, despite risking to screw it up.

I don't agree that it was a bad idea to include romances. The OP mentions recent Bioware games, but certainly knows that BG2 had them, and they were actually well written. If you don't like them, it is usually pretty easy to stay away from them. If you dislike the writing, then it is a whole different thing. Personally, I think it was a good idea, even if not executed that well.

As for using previous mods as "fixes", well, I'm glad they did. So many of those mods were created out of necessities felt by the community, I see no reason to redo or forgo work that was already well done. In the end, we get a new version of the game with all the fixes integrated and renewed support. Regarding modders being "used", I believe they are free to express any concerns over their work being used for profit. If they feel strongly about it and make it known, I doubt Beamdog would persist using their work.

In the end, I see this "new game" as a renewed client for an old classic. Hopefully we'll get enough fixes and tweaks integrated along with the thinly spread content to make this viable as a stable new version for the BG series. In my experiences with the games, modding greatly improves the experience, but usually bugs out my game at some point in the trilogy, sometimes even rendering it unplayable. If I can get a pre-modded version stable and supported, I'm willing to pay for it.

[Vita, Mortis, Careo]

One has to wonder about what would be gained by resurrecting a two and a half year old argument. Basically, the people that liked the EE stayed around and kept playing it while the people that didn't moved on.

[FurryGuyJeans]

I so much wanted to like this new version but from the start I found the game unplayable because of game scripting bugs. Then I find out that the game won't accept any mods from previous versions? Yuck.

I'm glad I bought the game on a Steam sale, not happy with the shoddy "update". I played for 2 hours and uninstalled it, never to reinstall it again.

The experience made me go hunt for updated files for the original game, which I've enjoyed time and again replaying.

[ÄmJii]

Początkowo opublikowane przez FurryGuyJeans:

I so much wanted to like this new version but from the start I found the game unplayable because of game scripting bugs.

Excuse me, mind pointing out these "game scripting bugs"? I have 150+ gameplay hours and I have yet to see these bugs that "make the game unplayable".

[Discohydra]

Nearly all of your links are dead.

[DnD Detective]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Discohydra:

Nearly all of your links are dead.

I wouldn't worry about it. This post was made a really long time ago and the game has gotten some big patches since then. Its still got its issues but a lot of the bugs the OP is talking about disappeared a long time ago.

[Moose]

Right now, after the patches that were added, I would say that the EE is the definitivly better version of the game. The zoom capability is amazing, as is the multithreading of the engine. Those features alone make the game more enjoyable for me to play. And the fact that the UI now properly scales to my monitor's resolution is amazing. I no longer have to squint to see the UI and the text. I wear glasses and so the bigger UI in this version is a welcome edition. I also really enjoy the new animations that replace the old ugly nostalgia driven videos of the original veersion. Bioware may have done their best when they designed those videos way back when, but they didn't have the talent of Blizzard when it came to computer generated intros.

[General Plastro]

I still think the new Intros suck, completely took out the omnious and scary feeling that Sarevok had. Now he looks like a cartoony villain in the intro.

Thank god they left Baldur's Gate 2 alone in that regard.

[Whirl]

I think that the new BGEE romances are based off BG2 romances, but tweaked. It would make more sense anyway.

I hadn't barely known Rasaad for four days before he started romancing. I nearly choked; I'd never been romanced before since I always worked with the pairs that insist on flirting only with each other.

He was telling me about moonlight reflected off water. Ironically we were right next to Dryad Falls at the time. Hell, we'd all just rested there!

Come on, you sexy, Lawful Good, moon-worshipping Monk! No more lonely nights!

[Coocoodas]

Agreed. Not worth it. I have both the original and EE but I only play the former due to mod compatibilities.

[danconnors]

I think a word of recognition is due for the company that brought you (caused???) all this. Let's hear it for Microsoft.

In its never ending quest to make former operating systems obsolete, and new ones completely unable to understand or use older programs, Microsoft has ruined or rendered unplayable literally thousands of older, but still good computer games.

The entire Panzer General collection...unplayable. Baldur's Gate series...had to be redone. Pirates....bye bye. In general any game over ten years old Windows 7 refuses to even attempt to run them; in some cases even refuses to try to install them.

So, we run to the internet to see if some private individuals have figured out a way to make old programs run on new machines. Sometimes we get help, and sometimes, as happened to me, we download the FBI virus, that takes over our computer and holds it for ransom. Cost me over a hundred bucks to get that thing removed (by a virus remover not by paying the ransom).

I fail to understand how an operating system, that occupies gigabytes of hard drive space, can not be made backwards compatible. It can, but Microsoft doesn't want it to be. Instead, they and Intel want us to have to buy a completely new machine each and every time a new OS is released. That's why Windows XP and a whole generation of perfectly good, still current, computers were jettisoned last year.

My older 4 core device was perfectly able to run some of the video upgrades that came out for games like Skyrim, for instance. The only thing that computer didn't have was Windows 7. Its graphics card could have handled it easily. Last year when Microsoft ended virus protection for XP, that was it for XP and most of the machines it was installed on.

Change, for Microsoft, is change for the sake of billions of dollars, for Microsoft. For us it adds up to just about the same.

[General Plastro]

Początkowo opublikowane przez danconnors:

I think a word of recognition is due for the company that brought you (caused???) all this. Let's hear it for Microsoft.

In its never ending quest to make former operating systems obsolete, and new ones completely unable to understand or use older programs, Microsoft has ruined or rendered unplayable literally thousands of older, but still good computer games.

The entire Panzer General collection...unplayable. Baldur's Gate series...had to be redone. Pirates....bye bye. In general any game over ten years old Windows 7 refuses to even attempt to run them; in some cases even refuses to try to install them.

So, we run to the internet to see if some private individuals have figured out a way to make old programs run on new machines. Sometimes we get help, and sometimes, as happened to me, we download the FBI virus, that takes over our computer and holds it for ransom. Cost me over a hundred bucks to get that thing removed (by a virus remover not by paying the ransom).

I fail to understand how an operating system, that occupies gigabytes of hard drive space, can not be made backwards compatible. It can, but Microsoft doesn't want it to be. Instead, they and Intel want us to have to buy a completely new machine each and every time a new OS is released. That's why Windows XP and a whole generation of perfectly good, still current, computers were jettisoned last year.

My older 4 core device was perfectly able to run some of the video upgrades that came out for games like Skyrim, for instance. The only thing that computer didn't have was Windows 7. Its graphics card could have handled it easily. Last year when Microsoft ended virus protection for XP, that was it for XP and most of the machines it was installed on.

Change, for Microsoft, is change for the sake of billions of dollars, for Microsoft. For us it adds up to just about the same.

What the hell?

A guy necros a thread to just say one of the most absurd long posts i ever had seen on steam.

In over 25 years of actual gaming, i have yet to come across a game i couldnt play on a current machine. Its even easier today with virtual machines if you want a more retro experience. Tell me one game that either DOSBox or a virtual machine wont run?

Also, i call BS on the Panzer General thing, i can run PG1 with DOSBox and PG2 runs natively on my win7 64.

Baldur's Gate 1,2 & ToB also still work on Win7 with no need for any kind of compatibility.

Most 10 year old games will run on win7 flawlessly (it was 2005, for crying out loud). I think the most dificult to run games without a VM are the early 3d ones, such as Outcast or Tex Murphy Overseer.

Heck, to this day i can run Little Big Adventure 2 (which runs on Directx 3.0) without the need of any patches.

As for viruses, i never had windows update active (because reasons) and only had 2 cases where a virus caused me enough trouble, at which point a simple windows reinstall would do the trick or at best i would copy my stuff to another HDD and just formatt that drive).

[danconnors]

Your final paragraph confirms that you have more equipment and knowledge of computers than 99% of current PC users. I used to be able to format a hard drive, but that was back in the days of DOS 5. That was the only operating system I learned really well, and I learned it because it was job related. I was then educated about Microsoft's planned obsolescence of OS's.

Most current users of Windows 7 will NOT be able to play the Baldur's Gate series on their PC's. Basic coding problems will render the game playable, but so riddled with bugs as to be unplayable (So and so appears to be busy. You cannot initiate dialog with him.). As for the Panzer General series, unless I somehow find out how to turn off 7 of my 8 cores, the computer will refuse to even try to install the games, much less play them. I don't plan to try to shut my computer 90% down to play ANY game.

You have to remember Microsofts statement of last year that they would no longer support Windows XP. Round filing that OS chopped off two thirds of my older games. If I want to play Sierra's Lords of Magic, for instance, I fire up the old XP machine, or I watch a single twitch of the mouse pointer flash completely across the battlefield. Individual control of units is impossible.

The venerable old timer Pirates, has been updated God knows how many times to try to keep the latest version playable on current machines. I haven't even tried it on Windows 7. It's still on the XP machine.

It's hard for me to believe that ANYONE would try to defend Microsoft from what EVERYONE knows they have been doing for a quarter of a centuury. Every couple of years they release a new OS that is completely incompatible with older software, forcing everyone to buy new software and new hardware to run it. That you even try to say this is not so makes me wonder who you work for.

[General Plastro]

Początkowo opublikowane przez danconnors:

Your final paragraph confirms that you have more equipment and knowledge of computers than 99% of current PC users. I used to be able to format a hard drive, but that was back in the days of DOS 5. That was the only operating system I learned really well, and I learned it because it was job related. I was then educated about Microsoft's planned obsolescence of OS's.

Most current users of Windows 7 will NOT be able to play the Baldur's Gate series on their PC's. Basic coding problems will render the game playable, but so riddled with bugs as to be unplayable (So and so appears to be busy. You cannot initiate dialog with him.). As for the Panzer General series, unless I somehow find out how to turn off 7 of my 8 cores, the computer will refuse to even try to install the games, much less play them. I don't plan to try to shut my computer 90% down to play ANY game.

You have to remember Microsofts statement of last year that they would no longer support Windows XP. Round filing that OS chopped off two thirds of my older games. If I want to play Sierra's Lords of Magic, for instance, I fire up the old XP machine, or I watch a single twitch of the mouse pointer flash completely across the battlefield. Individual control of units is impossible.

The venerable old timer Pirates, has been updated God knows how many times to try to keep the latest version playable on current machines. I haven't even tried it on Windows 7. It's still on the XP machine.

It's hard for me to believe that ANYONE would try to defend Microsoft from what EVERYONE knows they have been doing for a quarter of a centuury. Every couple of years they release a new OS that is completely incompatible with older software, forcing everyone to buy new software and new hardware to run it. That you even try to say this is not so makes me wonder who you work for.

Look, i have done modding for Baldur's Gate 2 and there is absolutely no problems with it that were caused by my win7 64 or 32bit (which i had about 2 years ago). I have finished the BG saga about 8 or so times by now and one of those full playthroughs was on win7 32bit and another on the 64bit version.

And before you say anything, i have never given a dime for a microsoft OS product (i think you can put 2 and 2 together and figure out how i have win7 and why i dont update it :P )

So yeah, its not a case that i want to defend Microsoft (heck, i hate them for creating the most horrible in-game service ever (Games for Windows Live), i just feel that the situation is not as horrible as you make it out to be.

Again, there is usually a fix for your game somewhere and if ALL else fails you can always use either DOSBox or a Virtual Machine for you games.

You seem to be someone whos weary of changing to a new OS, i can perfectly understand that as i am someone whose is like that too. You have no idea how scared i was (compatibility wise) about jumping to a 64bit OS, but newer games kinda forced me to do it and i found out i can run all my 1700+ game library without trouble (well, i havent tested every single game yet but it has been almost 2 years and i havent come across any game that i didint managed to make it run .

And btw, Lord of Magic works as normal on Win7.

Just dont get Win8, as with Vista, it has its problems and some old game wont work on it, at least thats what experience told me with my win8.1 laptop.