Hello, new GOG member here and I love it. Thanks so much GOG. I need to decide which game I should get first:

Planescape: I know this is a classic, but I have never played it. I know the story is amazing but the setting looks a little off and I like making my own characters.

BG2: Another great game that I can't remember if I played or not. I know the story is great and I love a party system. Especially ones where I can create my own party. I also like the classic fantasy world.

Icewind Dale: I played the Icewind Dale games when I was a kid but never finished them. I read all the books in this setting and it is another classic fantasy setting with a custom party. I am not sure about the story in these games.

These are the games I am looking at for some Good Old Gaming! I would love any impressions on these games. Thanks so much.

I would say BG2 is the best starter really. Planescape is very different and very story-focused while Icewind Dale is very, very combat-focused. BG2 offers a great balance and top quality from start to finish.

All are great games, although I'd rank BG2 and PS:T higher than Icewind Dale. It also depends a bit on your preferences and what you're looking for. Icewind Dale is fairly heavy on the combat while lighter on story and characters, but if combat is what you're looking for then it would probably be the best pick for you. On the other end of things, PS:T is quite light on combat (which is good, as the combat is the weakest part of the game), but absolutely superb in terms of story and characters. BG2 is more middle of the road, having a strong story and characters, as well as a fair amount of good combat as well. If you're not sure what your preference is then I'd say start with BG2, then after playing that figure out what part of the game you'd like more of and base your next purchase on that. Also, with regards to PS:T, the setting is indeed quite different from what you've encountered in most other games, in a very good way (the setting and atmosphere are absolutely top notch); and while The Nameless One starts with a set past (although one that's unknown to you at the start of the game), how you choose to develop his character is completely up to you, and this also affects how his past actions are presented to you when you learn of them.

Thanks for the info.

Are they all about the same length, in hours?

I thought these games were based off of D&D. If they are which rule sets do each of them use?

Thanks,

wikipedia can tell you the ruleset IIRC i would also suggest looking a NWN diamond and the community modules

Second edition AD&D for BG 1 and 2, PS:T, and Icewind Dale. 3rd edition for Icewind Dale 2 and NWN.

Your playthrough time will vary, of course. I think a fair estimate, if you're the type who would play through the game once as it was shipped, then go get mods and play through again to see everything, would be:

Baldur's Gate 1 plus expansion: 80 hours
Baldur's Gate 2 plus expansion: 150-200 hours (seriously)
Planescape: Torment: 40-60 hours (heavily dependent on your reading speed)
Icewind Dale: 20-50 hours (like Diablo, it's a fairly short campaign but has decent replayability)


You might also look at Neverwinter Nights, espeically if you like the 3rd edition rule set, or want to get introduced to it. I'll agree with the previous posts about which game to play: Planescape is almost all story. Icewind Dale is almost all action. Baldur's Gate is in the middle. Go check out the Metacritic reviews and you'll see Baldur's Gate 2 is one of the highest rated games for the PC - then go check the modding forums and you'll see there's *still* new stuff being made for it. These are great RPGs, so start where you want, but play them all ^_^



edit: typo

Sweet info again thanks so much.

I love making my own party and leveling up all the characters. Somehow i dont feel very attached to NPCs much of the time.

I know u can make your whole party in Icewind Dale. Can u do the same in BG or Neverwinter Nights?

Baldur's Gate: Yes, if you start a multiplayer game. You'll just have to tell all the NPCs to bugger off when they want to join you though. Set a password for the game, else someone using gamespy may randomly join the game (that happened to me and a friend a few years back, suddenly a random dude joined the game and we had no idea how he got there).

Neverwinter Nights: Um, the "party" is you plus a single NPC (out of 6 or so you can chose between) whom you can barely control, and even then only in the broadest sense of the word. You don't HAVE to accept any of the NPCs joining you though.

With any or all of these games, can you transfer saved games?

I might have to play some time on a desktop with Win 7 and some time on a laptop with Win XP.

Can i transfer saved games between them?