Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC) - Let's Play 1001 Games - Episode 864
11💥 Fan of the channel? Help support the series ► https://www.patreon.com/GamingJay1001\n💥 Follow me on Twitter ► https://twitter.com/GamingJay1001\n💥 Check out the website ► http://letsplay1001.com/\n💥 Check out the book ► http://www.amazon.com/1001-Video-Games-Must-Before/dp/0789320908\n\nI'm Gaming Jay: Youtube gamer, let's player, fan of retro games, and determined optimist... Join me in this series while I try out EACH of the video games in the book 1001 VIDEO GAMES YOU MUST PLAY BEFORE YOU DIE, before I die. The game review for each game will focus on the question of whether you MUST play this game before you die. But to be honest, the game review parts are just for fun, and are not meant to be definitive, in depth reviews; this series is more about the YouTube gamer journey itself. From Mario games to the Halo series, from arcade games to Commodore 64, PC games to the NES and Sega Genesis, Playstation to the Xbox, let's play those classic retro games that we grew up with, have fond memories of, or heard of but never got a chance to try! And with that said, the game review for today is...
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur%27s_Gate_II:_Shadows_of_Amn
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the sequel to Baldur's Gate (1998) and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Like Baldur's Gate, the game takes place in the Forgotten Realms—a fantasy campaign setting—and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. Powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, Baldur's Gate II uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist, while the others are certain characters recruited from the game world.
Much of Baldur's Gate II takes place in and around Athkatla, a city in the country of Amn. Opening shortly after the events of Baldur's Gate, the game continues the story of the protagonist, Gorion's Ward, whose unique heritage has now drawn the attention of Jon Irenicus, a powerful and sinister mage. The storyline revolves around the machinations of Irenicus and the player's encounters with him.
Development began in January 1999. BioWare set out to improve upon the first Baldur's Gate in every way possible. From a list of constructive criticism—compiled from the suggestions of fans, reviews, and internal suggestions—a list of features to be added to the game was distilled: some of these were 800 x 600 resolution, 3D support, and character kits. In Baldur's Gate, the game's engine and content were being developed at the same time, whereas in Baldur's Gate II the engine was running from the start. Having a completed engine meant they could direct their efforts towards producing content, instead of focusing on basic functionality.
Shadows of Amn received critical acclaim, being praised for its gameplay, artwork, and voice acting, and is often regarded as one of the best video games ever made. GameSpy, GameSpot, and IGN awarded it their "Role-Playing Game of the Year" awards for 2000, and the game has sold more than two million units. An expansion pack, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, was released in 2001. Besides adding a large dungeon and enhancements to the game, this well-received expansion concluded the Child of Bhaal saga. Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal have also been included together in various compilations. In 2013, an enhanced version of Baldur's Gate II was released, bearing the title Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition and using an updated version of the Infinity Engine. A sequel, Baldur's Gate 3, was developed and published by Larian Studios and released in 2023.