dtgreene: Personally, I consider Baldur's Gate to be overrated, but not as overrated as some other games I've encountered, like Ultima 7 (combat system is horrible in that game, even worse than IE engine combat, plus cases where they sacrificed playability for the sake of realism (having to eat being one example)), and Final Fantasy 7 (a cutscene-infested unbalanced mess of a game, unlike earlier entries in the series which were actually good).

Therefore, BG can't be the most overrated game of all time, because there are more overrated games out there.

Tuthrick: You have to keep in mind that it's just your own individual perspective, even though there are others that might agree with you, don't be so eager to label a game as "the most overrated game of all time", because you forgot to add *in my opinion*, which is crucial here.

Yes, Baldur's Gate is not a perfect game, or game for everyone.
Yes, it is praised by many, myself included.

My theory regarding it's popularity back when it was released may be a bit wrong, because I can't speak for everyone that enjoys BG, but here's what I think:

Baldur's Gate is one of those games that basically can speak to a lot of gamers. You enjoy exploration? BG is for you. You like party-based/real time with pause combat? You'll like BG. The same goes for: written dialogues, AD&D 2nd ed. system, a lot of freedom, medieval fantasy setting, etc.

At that time, there weren't many games like this. There was Fallout, which in several areas outshines BG, but it was Baldur's Gate that gained bigger popularity, it may be due to BG being easier to pick up by a beginner.

Does BG still hold up nowadays as a great game? It surely depends on whom you'll ask this question. I guess you'll get quite mixed answers, including "the most overrated game of all time" and "the best of all time".

This is quite an interesting phenomenon, because games get 'old' relatively quick. You can get people that enjoy the same genre, younger by e.g. five years and they even haven't heard of the title that you regard as great and influencial. I've noticed that Skyrim gets bashed sometimes nowadays and I remember it being praised as a second coming of Jesus himself several years back. Right now Witcher 3 is probably the most popular cRPG, but we'll see how it'll change in the coming years.

Besides, because of BG, we got another great cRPG: Planescape: Torment.

So yeah, that's just my observation.

TL,DR: Baldur's Gate is a product of its times, as are many other titles.

altk: I think with the assertions like "the most overrated game ever" the subjectiveness is implied.

Hickory: No it isn't. That's a direct statement. Here's yours, word-for-word: "The most overrated game of all the time."

altk: erm, just because you don't agree, does not necessarily that what you say is correct. i don't feel the need to add obvious disclaimers to my statements. since, you know, i'm not obliged to. if we were in the courtroom then yes. or, if i was talking to a robot.