By John Walker on February 29th, 2012 at 9:13 am.
A new Baldur’s Gate game? Wuh? That’s the news that greets my eyes when I look at Eurogamer. This is, apparently, coming from former BioWare developer Trent Oster, who worked on the original BG, as well as the first Neverwinter Nights. His new company, Beamdog, is a digital distribution platform, brought to wider attention recently via the release of MDK 2 HD, and this, GameBanshee claims, will be the source of new Forgotten Realms chat-n-chopping. And how do we know any of this is happening? A Baldur’s Gate website.
The rights to the games are owned by Atari, who have spent the last few years re-releasing the series, along with NWN and others, in about 30,000 different packages. It’s clear that the company has been trying to make the best of owning all the BioWare classics for quite a while, and in fact back in 2008 there were rumours they were going to add to these franchises.
Currently the website offers very little. Just a BG-ish image, the theme, and the quote,
“The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny, chaos will be sown by their passage.” So sayeth the wise Alaundo
Everything else at this point is speculation. It’s possible this will be another HD remake, like MDK2, and that would be no unwelcome thing. The original games were super-low-res, built in the aged version of the Infinity Engine. (I remember attending the announcement of the existence of Baldur’s Gate 2, and the accompanying excitement that it would offer more than 800×600. Also I am old.)
Dig into the site’s source code and you’ll see:
< -- February 28, 2012 -->
< -- Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine -->< -- For years, I clung to the memory of it. Then the memory of the memory. -->
< -- And then... it returned. Better than it was before. -->
< -- Pore over the tapestries and works of art hanging from our walls if you wish, Child of Bhaal... perhaps you will find a clue. But patience, ah... patience would reveal it all. -->
RPS READERS: SPECULATE!
29/02/2012 at 09:16 MellowKrogoth says:
Finally, Baldur’s Gate gets remade as a 3D FPS!
29/02/2012 at 09:19 Starayo says:
A F2P FPS with microtransactions!
29/02/2012 at 09:22 RaytraceRat says:
Don’t forget about 4 co-op featuring such awesome stuff like unlocks and modable weapons.
29/02/2012 at 09:32 TormDK says:
Personally, a multiplayer Co-op in the baldurs gate universe would roxx0rz my b0xx0rz.
We don’t get that many decent Co-op CRPG experiences as it is.
29/02/2012 at 09:32 Shmutt says:
A Baldur’s Gate remake! With blackjack! And hookers! You know what? Forget the remake!
29/02/2012 at 09:36 Neurotic says:
And achievements! And round, colourful buttons next to all the on-screen key commands! And a borked interface more suited to pads and TVs and crazy stuff like that. And Day One DLC and Tier One interviews, and trailers of trailers and top marks from IGN! Hurrah!
29/02/2012 at 09:44 AmateurScience says:
‘ a multiplayer Co-op in the baldurs gate universe’
The original has a fully realised and functional 6-player simultaneous co-op*. It is fantastic, playing through a campaign with some friends who’ve never played before and we’re having a great time of it.
*Totally unrelated note, but people always forget this when they start harping on about how ME3′s multiplayer is the harbinger of the endtimes. Bioware have always had a strong co-op multiplayer (with the exception of KOTOR and Jade Empire I think). NWN was for a long time one of the most played multiplayer games out there.
29/02/2012 at 10:05 apocraphyn says:
It’ll be like Fallout 3 all over again!
Baldur’s Gate 3: Magical Boogaloo
…I feel both cautious and apprehensive. Though also giddy at the potential.
29/02/2012 at 10:08 PoulWrist says:
I’ve been waiting for a D&D based F2P Baldur’s gate FPS for years!
29/02/2012 at 10:09 Roshin says:
The protagonist is…
MILES KILO
Make it happen!
29/02/2012 at 10:24 Khemm says:
Just like Failout 3! Huzzah! We all know Fallout was always meant to be a 3D first person shooter with RPG elements, but the technology just wasn’t there at the time. Right? RIGHT?!
So, let Bethesda reboot Baldur’s Gate, they’ll give yet another fantastic franchise the Oblivion treatment and everyone will be happy! 99% on Metacritic guaranteed, GOTY awards as well.
29/02/2012 at 11:04 ffordesoon says:
@AmateurScience:
Yeah, it’s interesting, isn’t it? Just recently installed the BG games in preparation for my first proper playthrough, and I was flipping through the manual as a consequence. When I got to the multiplayer section, I was like, “Wait a second, this sounds familiar…”
And then I realized that it was basically the design document for how multiplayer quests work in The Old Republic. XD
29/02/2012 at 11:22 waha says:
inb4 devs
>you press a button AND SOMETHING AWESOME HAPPENS!
baldurs gate is good as it is. it needs neither a remake nor reboot, especially not with D&D 4th Ed.
the only thing about remakes is better graphics for old games but BG2 still looks beautiful.
29/02/2012 at 11:23 Ett_1762 says:
Baldur’s Gate – Better with Kinect!
Shout commands at your party and choose weapons and spells simply by shouting out “Bastard Sword” or “Magic Missile” !
Make your warcaster do spectacular combinations, drawing on both magical and brute strenght!
With minigames!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYh4NugSghE
29/02/2012 at 11:30 RaveTurned says:
Can’t wait for the trailer. WUBWUBWUBWUB!
29/02/2012 at 11:35 tumbleworld says:
I look forward to the new Cover System for arrow-fights, and the hilarious Quick-Time Event traps.
29/02/2012 at 11:41 Melf_Himself says:
Logged in to say “in before re-imagining as an FPS”
Forgot who I was dealing with here :)
29/02/2012 at 11:51 povu says:
Now with Bhaalspawn companion as release day DLC!
29/02/2012 at 12:20 suibhne says:
I can’t wait for the Keldorn DLC.
29/02/2012 at 13:11 MrPyro says:
Thanks guys, you just nearly made me throw up at my desk
29/02/2012 at 14:49 pilouuuu says:
Please let it have QTE!!! And also one of the most distintictive characteristics of this generation: brown colours. Restrictive DRM too, after all we don’t want to play it without hassle if we buy it legitimally. Dealing with DRM is a game of its own! And sexual intercourse. And same sex intercourse. And Boo intercourse (No!!! Not that!!) And boring sidequests. And of course achievemeeeeents! This is going to be the best game ever!
29/02/2012 at 15:34 yeastcapp says:
@ Starayo please please please let this be a F2P FPS with microtransactions!! Also I’d like to see the remake be more ‘dark’ and ‘gritty’ than the original – Candlekeep should be an urban sprawl with Imoen as a brutal thief gang leader.
29/02/2012 at 15:39 Sarlix says:
Noooooo! Stop this madnesss
29/02/2012 at 15:54 ResonanceCascade says:
These FPS jokes get funnier every time you guys make them.
29/02/2012 at 17:33 Roshin says:
Origin only!
Oh wait, that might actually happen.
29/02/2012 at 22:41 Discopanda says:
I can’t believe it took this many comments to reference Origin. Shame, SHAME!
12/03/2012 at 20:57 Kamos says:
Denial -> Anger -> Bargaining -> Depression -> Acceptance
Resistance is futile.
29/02/2012 at 09:19 fuggles says:
I personally look forward to having to move a cursor in first person so that Boo can hit them in the eyes.
29/02/2012 at 09:46 sPOONz says:
Haha, Boo! The hamster right? How could I forget. Happy days.
29/02/2012 at 10:30 sneetch says:
I remember that Minsc left my party because I wasn’t doing his subquest, he left right in the middle of the final fight in his subquest. I think I had to leave the game for a while after that.
I miss Boo. :(
29/02/2012 at 14:19 mckertis says:
Unfortunately, with the new cooldown-based system you can only use Boo every 480 seconds. Mash the button in QTE to recharge him 5% faster.
29/02/2012 at 15:36 Werthead says:
“I miss Boo.”
Don’t worry, I hear BioWare paid him loads for his MASS EFFECT 2 cameo.
29/02/2012 at 09:19 Tretiak says:
Something to do with Steam release? http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2491920
29/02/2012 at 09:21 RaytraceRat says:
I just bought Baldurs Gate on GOG, should I buy it on steam also? :)
29/02/2012 at 09:22 John Walker says:
Nope – Beamdog told GameBanshee it was nothing to do with that.
29/02/2012 at 09:28 Tretiak says:
Maybe Ipad remake :(
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/02/baldurs-gate-website-lurches-to-life/
29/02/2012 at 09:31 BoZo says:
You can play it on android already!
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.sourceforge.gemrb
29/02/2012 at 10:00 PearlChoco says:
Achievements?
29/02/2012 at 13:50 Lemming says:
Damn! I only bought all the IE games on Impulse a few weeks ago! Right, I’m not getting it on Steam unless they add achievements or something.
29/02/2012 at 17:53 Snargelfargen says:
Why are steam achievements so important that you would buy the game a second time? Not trying to be critical, I don’t think I understand.
29/02/2012 at 18:45 Lemming says:
Because achievements usually mean a set of challenges and a reason to play the game again, other than the usual ones. More is always good.
29/02/2012 at 19:26 Snargelfargen says:
Fair enough, more is always better. I guess I’m just used to seeing achievements more often in games that revolve around high scores charts or competitive gameplay.
Baldur’s Gate is definitely set up for challenging and new gameplay though. You can try soloing the game, or having a party made entirely of thieves, or not pausing in battles or many, many other things. Achievements seem redundant when there are already so many opportunities for re-playing the game.
Edit: Just realized I am assuming you have already played the games. If not, you are in luck because they are almost infinitely replayable! BG2 in particular. /end derail
29/02/2012 at 09:20 RaytraceRat says:
It will be remade as a real time action-strategy game with pause, with completely generic and forgettable characters and weapons called Swrod or Krossbow.
29/02/2012 at 09:31 Joshua says:
You mean like – exactly in the spirit of the original :P.
29/02/2012 at 10:35 sneetch says:
Yeah, that’s not a remake, that’s a reprint. :P
29/02/2012 at 09:21 oipic says:
Oh-so-subtly ‘buried’ in the HTML:
February 28, 2012
Shadowy Figure- Raise Dead : Infinity Engine
For years, I clung to the memory of it. Then the memory of the memory.
And then… it returned. Better than it was before.
Pore over the tapestries and works of art hanging from our walls if you wish, Child of Bhaal… perhaps you will find a clue. But patience, ah… patience would reveal it all.
As the silver moon waxes and wanes, so too does life.
EDIT: this is now more than a little redundant given the code has since been unhidden in the original post. :)
29/02/2012 at 09:21 Jams O'Donnell says:
I think I’d honestly prefer this to be 2D than 3D — they crammed so much more into the environments in BG/IWD/PS:T than they ever achieved with NWN, or than Bioware managed with Dragon Age. “Raise Dead : Infinity Engine” gives me hope.
29/02/2012 at 21:59 SirDimos says:
Upvote, +1, this, ^
I really hope that they keep the same 2d isometric viewpoint. Neverwinter Nights didn’t have as much personality – graphically – as did the Baldur’s Gate series. Plus, I think party management is easier when you just accept the 2d nature of the genre, rather than trying to implement some half first-person/half isometric viewpoint like they did in NWN.
I personally hope that it has the same sort of hand-drawn graphical style to it as well, though it’s been so long since a AAA title has been released with that sort of graphics, that I kinda doubt it’ll happen. I think it’s because fancy graphics are easier to sell and it’s hard to show on a box/website how fantastic the storyline and gameplay are.
29/02/2012 at 09:22 LuNatic says:
EA don’t have the D&D license, so they can’t make a sequel ‘tailored to the modern market’, thank goodness.
29/02/2012 at 10:52 codename_bloodfist says:
Unfortunately, WotC aren’t much better in that regard. I don’t want to start any kind of nerd war here, but you can’t really argue that the 4th edition has been streamlined as… whatever is usually streamlined.
29/02/2012 at 11:17 IchigoRXC says:
Yeah, one of my friends just started getting into 4e and was like… did Bioware get involved in making this? Commenting on the dumbing down and streamlining of all the RPG aspects that they are so well known for.
29/02/2012 at 11:39 tumbleworld says:
I used to work for WotC. It’s bad taste to speak ill of the dead however, so I’ll just remind you all that they are now a department of Hasbro, owners of Atari and of My Little Pony. Can you see the patterns emerging…?
29/02/2012 at 15:40 RakeShark says:
… they’re going to make plastic toys that say friendship-related quotes in french?
29/02/2012 at 17:49 Snargelfargen says:
4th edition was designed to be played on a grid like a boardgame, and a lot of the rules were simplified as a result. It would still make for a fun pc game, although magic wouldn’t be nearly as overpowered as it is in the Baldur’s Gate series’ mishmash of rules.
29/02/2012 at 17:51 PleasingFungus says:
@tumbleworld
Wiki on WoTC: “The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999.”
D&D 3rd edition was for My Little Pony fans ! ! ! ! ! !
Or you’re being ridiculous.
One of those two!
01/03/2012 at 01:13 InternetBatman says:
The people who do have it are actively doing worse (besides DDO). Have you forgotten about Daggerdale?
29/02/2012 at 09:22 Alexander Norris says:
Not sure how I feel about Irenicus’ best quote being bastardised for an advert. Also, the quote from Alaundo’s prophecies just triggered a Vietnam-esque flashback to those fucking monks.
29/02/2012 at 09:23 CaspianRoach says:
A competitor for Dragon Age franchise? Yes please.
29/02/2012 at 09:39 jezcentral says:
Doubtful, alas.
29/02/2012 at 09:26 JohnArr says:
“Magic is impressive, but now Minsc leads! Swords for everyone! “
29/02/2012 at 09:34 Jams O'Donnell says:
“Go for the eyes, Boo. Go for the eyes!”
Bah, that quote’s been done.
“Boo, too, has small teeth compared to fish-men. But they hurt just the same when they latch onto the eyes, yes sir! “
29/02/2012 at 09:35 Joshua says:
Oh, I’ve just had my FILL of these quote-stealing, meme-recycling, attention-whoring, infinitely-rehasing, what-a-shaming, RPS commenters, who continiously test my will, mettle, reading ability, reading comprehension, and most of all, my PATIENCE. If there is not ANY original comment in those bended heads of ye, I am going to take a blunt object the size of Horace AND his top hat and monocle, and shove it in a place that really lets you appreacite the effects of the mass that this object has! Have I made myself perfectly CLEAR?
29/02/2012 at 09:39 Jams O'Donnell says:
Oh be quiet you joyless sap!
29/02/2012 at 09:40 Sidorovich says:
Are you looking at me? Are you looking at me?!
29/02/2012 at 09:47 Icarus says:
STOP TOUCHING MEEEEE.
29/02/2012 at 10:10 Luke says:
Ooo, squirrels, Boo! Quick, throw nuts!
29/02/2012 at 11:25 bladedsmoke says:
So I kicked him in the HEAD ’til he was DEAD, nyahahaha!
29/02/2012 at 12:14 foop says:
You must gather your party before venturing forth.
29/02/2012 at 12:32 povu says:
Faster than Chitika Fastpaws!
29/02/2012 at 13:54 Dorque says:
Do not ask questions better left to aged sages. Boo is very small, and there is ever so much of Minsk to search.
29/02/2012 at 13:56 Lemming says:
Surprised no one has said this one yet. Usually the portent of doom:
“Hi, Friend!”
29/02/2012 at 14:45 Jimbo says:
http://www.minscandboo.com/quotes/Full-plate-and-packing-steel.WAV
29/02/2012 at 15:11 TsunamiWombat says:
Hahaha, Smart guy dies, and Tiax goes on to rule.
29/02/2012 at 15:41 Sarlix says:
YOUR KNEECAPS ARE MINE
29/02/2012 at 17:25 Tei says:
This is silly! Buttons are not how one escapes dungeons! I would smash the button and rain beatings liberally down on the wizard for playing such a trick!
29/02/2012 at 09:27 Hardtarget says:
I would absolutely love an updated HD remake
29/02/2012 at 09:35 Robin says:
Especially since the High-Res Mod makes the game crash like crazy, for me.
29/02/2012 at 18:43 RedWurm says:
Weird, I’ve been playing the series using Baldur’s Gate Trilogy and the widescreen mod, looks lovely, never had a problem running it.
29/02/2012 at 09:31 BoZo says:
Sounds like a remake.
29/02/2012 at 09:33 BlackestTea says:
Wow. If this turns out to be news, rather than non-news, I shall be the most excited person in the world. Baldur’s Gate 2 was perhaps the single biggest game in my gaming life. I spend months replaying it over and over again just to find more options and find myself going back to it every odd year or so for a spell of nostalgia. Even an HD remake would make me most happy.
At the same time – there seems to be so much potential to ruin it completely. Oh, sweet cynicism, bar me from embracing something that might hurt me so much!
29/02/2012 at 11:26 bladedsmoke says:
Amen, brudda. Preach it.
29/02/2012 at 09:37 Sidorovich says:
I really don’t know how I feel about a HD remake.
Does this mean the Black Hound is forever lost to the night?
Also, I thought Atari was still butchering the hell out of the D&D license?
29/02/2012 at 09:39 AmateurScience says:
Is an HD remake necessary though?
There are a great deal of (very) talented and dedicated people out there who have ported BG1 into the BG2 engine (BG TuTu, BGT), which will scale right up to any resolution you want using a widely available tool (infinity engine widescreen mod). Those painted backdrops and character models look absolutely fantastic just by scaling them up. There’s even full detailed instructions with links stickied in the GoG Baldur’s Gate forum:
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/baldurs_gate_series/baldurs_gate_2_essential_mods/page1
I just recently completed a fresh playthrough from BG1 right through to the end of Throne of Bhaal. It really is a great game.
Actually on that note, if it’s a sequel I would be most disappointed: BG is one of those rare games that actually finishes the story completely.
29/02/2012 at 09:49 Shmutt says:
Awesome! How long did it take you??
At my game rate of an hour per night, it will probably take me about a million nights.
29/02/2012 at 10:02 AmateurScience says:
It was a solid several weeks of about 4-5 hours a night (I was working away from home in a quite remote location with only my laptop for company). So it should last you for a wee while!
It’s soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo looooooooooooooooooooooooooong. But great, especially the step up from 1 to 2. The difference in quests/story/interaction is stunning.
29/02/2012 at 10:27 Khemm says:
There’s also a Widescreen mod for all Infinity Engine based games:
http://www.gibberlings3.net/widescreen/
29/02/2012 at 18:03 Snargelfargen says:
I guess porting BG1 to the BG2 engine and giving it widescreen support would be nice. It would definitely make installing the series easier next time I try.
It’s… not a terribly exciting idea though. I’m happy the game is being supported and all, but rereleasing a game that is still purchaseable doesn’t merit so much hype.
Edit @AmateurScience: Good job playing through them all! I started over christmas, but stalled towards the end of TotSC. It’s about time I got back into it, thanks for the inspiration.
29/02/2012 at 09:40 Maxheadroom says:
Ah bollox,
I spent 20 minutes deciding between Baulders gate 2 / Icewind Dale 2 on the GoG sale. Eventually went for BG2 but if id known they were remaking/rebooting it id have gone for Icewind Dale 2 and waited for a new Baulders Gate
29/02/2012 at 09:50 Sidorovich says:
Lucky escape. Icewind Dale 2 was pants (the orginal was superb however)
29/02/2012 at 09:56 N'Al says:
Lies, filthy lies. IWD2 was excellent.
29/02/2012 at 10:22 Memph says:
ID1 was fantastic. And far, far prettier and atmospheric than BG1′s bare minimum corridor dungeon layouts. ID2 instantly dropped the ball by running on a lesser version of the engine. Omitting 3D accel made it run like a crab on crutches and look like one that failed to cross a road. It was like if Quake 3 had come out on the Quake 1 engine.
29/02/2012 at 14:42 Gasmask Hero says:
20 minutes, huh? You know about the Gamersgate sale, don’t you? About what you can get for £5?
Yeah, you know about that. You know. And you’re fine with it. I can tell.
29/02/2012 at 09:43 Bluerps says:
I say they remake it as a smartphone game.
Seriously, though. A new Infinity Engine and a modernized Baldur’s Gate would be really nice. I wonder what they’ll do about the rules. I mean, there have been two entirely new D&Ds since BG2.
29/02/2012 at 09:55 Vjaas says:
I read the new D&D rules are property of WotC, and the BG franchise is now EA’s.
See where this might be a problem…
29/02/2012 at 10:48 mondomau says:
“the BG franchise is now EA’s”
Well, fuck.
29/02/2012 at 15:40 Werthead says:
Nope, the BALDUR’S GATE and D&D licences are owned by Atari, who inherited them from Interplay (there’s some legal shenanigans that allow the company-that-now-calls-itself-Interplay to release budget collections of the old games though).
BioWare won’t have anything to do with this new BG project, as they are owned by EA who have no legal iron in the fire. If it’s a new game it’ll be Beamdog working with Atari.
29/02/2012 at 18:02 Bluerps says:
@Vjaas: I’m pretty sure that WotC aren’t opposed to licensing their rules.
01/03/2012 at 08:48 Vjaas says:
“BioWare won’t have anything to do with this new BG project, as they are owned by EA who have no legal iron in the fire. If it’s a new game it’ll be Beamdog working with Atari.”
That is a good thing, right? I now feel oddly more reassured.
29/02/2012 at 09:43 TheApologist says:
I think the website just got music. I’m sure it didn’t have music the first time I visited.
29/02/2012 at 09:45 UncleLou says:
Someone on Eurogamer pointed out there are hints that it will be an iOS rerelease. Which isn’t as great as a new BG game, but still terrific news, and more likely than an unknown developer doing a proper BG sequel, I guess.
29/02/2012 at 09:45 Captain Hijinx says:
Oh god. Please just leave it alone.
29/02/2012 at 09:53 cw8 says:
^ That’s pretty much my first thought after reading the title
29/02/2012 at 09:56 TheWhippetLord says:
Yay for the childhood memory defilement brigade and their obsession with ‘leveraging’ decades-old IP rather than have an original thought.
I’m fascinated by the idea in the same way I’d be fascinated if an octagenarian maiden aunt took up pole-dancing. I know the results won’t be pretty, but the sheer wreckage on display when they’re done might well be the most entertaining thing I see alll year.
29/02/2012 at 10:01 BobbyKotickIsTheAntichrist says:
Amen Bruddah!
29/02/2012 at 10:03 Captain Hijinx says:
If it’s just a HD remake then fine, that’s great. People can play fantastic games without them looking so horribly dated. But if it’s something new… I’d rather they didn’t and just made something original.
Actually… What i am really hoping for is an Audiobook.
Bedtime stories as narrated by Jon Irenicus
“Now.. Child of Bhaal… Once upon a time…”
29/02/2012 at 10:18 cw8 says:
Audiobook you say? Maybe he’ll sing halfway through as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80af7iSGiIk
29/02/2012 at 10:21 Alexander Norris says:
David Warner is one of those people who needs to be doing a hell of a lot more voice acting.
29/02/2012 at 09:53 Vjaas says:
Just started playing BG2 for the first time 3 days ago.
Honest to say, it has been like a breath of fresh air in the list of games Ive been trying to get through in the past year or so. I cannot understand how this slipped under my radar. It’s all sorts of amazing :)
So this news already got me pretty pumped!
29/02/2012 at 10:08 Toberoth says:
I’m insanely jealous that you get to play it for the first time. It really is one of the finest games ever made, and it’s aged very well too. Enjoy it!
29/02/2012 at 09:58 Miltrivd says:
Baldur’s Gate appeared in the Steam registry http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2491920.
Here hoping for a, if not HD, decent quality remake. Is hard to get friends to play such an old game and I can’t say the original plays smoothly in modern PCs. I would be happy enough if menus and text gets redone so it’s easily readable at higher resolutions.
29/02/2012 at 10:03 Vjaas says:
The version from GoodOldGames is pretty stable and runs very nicely on Windows7 though.
29/02/2012 at 10:13 cw8 says:
I got the GoG version as backup to my old boxed CDs. GoG version plays perfectly fine in Win7 with all the goodies and I have it on my portable harddisk and since it’s DRM-free I can replay it anywhere.
29/02/2012 at 10:30 Diogo Ribeiro says:
Baldur’s Gate: The Balduring, a firstperson (spell)shooter in 3D because isometric RPGs are no longer relevant.
Or a BG2 mod. Maybe the game’s modders finally made something worth playing that doesn’t rely on sexual abuse options in romances or absolutely insane difficulty.
29/02/2012 at 10:42 HossNelster says:
they even got a trailer!?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpPU-MtBqrA&feature=youtu.be
01/03/2012 at 07:59 Captain Hijinx says:
That’s a fan made trailer, was made over a year ago. Can be seen on Vimeo and dated as such
29/02/2012 at 10:46 Drayk says:
I would prefer a new Planescape game but I would gladly play another BG game…
But a remake ? No thank you, I already have to much on my plate….
29/02/2012 at 10:55 NegativeZero says:
Also says “As the silver moon waxes and wanes, so too does life. ” at the bottom of the source. Reference to Silverymoon? Don’t forget there’s the upcoming Neverwinter MMORPG which if set around the northern part of the Forgotten Realms would probably encompass places like Baldur’s Gate, this could be preparation for the launch of that.
29/02/2012 at 11:22 Stellar Duck says:
Kind of relevant, if anyone still is left having not played the BG games, Icewind Dale or Planscape Torment: It’s a fiver and a bit on Gamersgate.
http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/DDB-DBAMC/dungeons-and-dragons-anthology-the-master-collection
29/02/2012 at 11:31 Kleppy says:
Holy shit.
29/02/2012 at 11:36 Enzo says:
This is gonna be a port of Baldur’s Gate for iPad. It makes sense cause BG would work very well on touchscreen devices, and also because of this tweet posted by a guy from Atari.
“A new toy for the office. What could we be developing that would require an iMac?”
29/02/2012 at 13:34 Kleppy says:
Honestly, if this is true I will buy an iPad. I don’t care if it makes me a consumer whore, but the thought of having infinity engine games on a tablet is pretty appealing.
01/03/2012 at 06:27 D3xter says:
Honestly, I wish I could hit you people with the full force of my palm through the Internet, there’s a new Announcement about BALDUR’S GATE coming up after what felt like 20 years and some people are wishing that it is something for the iPad? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? Also It’s already playable on Android devices anyway, get one of those Pads instead…
29/02/2012 at 12:20 elnalter says:
Let’s hope Bioware has nothing to do with it.
29/02/2012 at 13:30 povu says:
Baldur’s Gate: Back In Action
Nooooo
29/02/2012 at 15:50 Sarlix says:
I don’t think you put enough emphasis on the Nooo part.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
29/02/2012 at 13:51 alexheretic says:
You must gather your press release before venturing forth.
29/02/2012 at 14:04 InternetBatman says:
It’s probably just a high res remake.
God I hope that they don’t try to do a sequel. Baldur’s Gate was great, but it’s over. Like all great works, it came to an end and there’s no reason to jam another story in for profit.
29/02/2012 at 14:06 RyuRanX says:
800×600?
A high resolution widescreen patch was released years ago. If it’s a HD remake, better have high resolution backgrounds and sprites.
01/03/2012 at 06:43 D3xter says:
What many people are forgetting, is that the Resolution Patches and/or Widescreen Fixes aren’t making the Assets any higher/clearer than 800×600, but only show MORE of the screen, at a res of like 1920×1200 you can barely see anything anymore because everything is really really tiny.
What they should do for a “HD Update” is make it possible to scale up the resolution but keep the Aspect Ratio of what you see at once on the screen as it was at 800×600 instead, which would be done by either rescanning the assets and making some new Pixel Arts or maybe just taking and implementing Higher Res Art that has remained somewhere on devs PCs that were used while making the game.
29/02/2012 at 14:15 deke913 says:
Ho there, wanderer, stay thy course a moment and indulge an old man.
29/02/2012 at 14:25 mckertis says:
Whenever there is talk about some kind of revival – i DEMAND the first ever interview with the devs to start with : “Well, tell us how are you going to ruin THIS franchise.”
29/02/2012 at 14:37 Brun says:
The HTML comments make this sound more like a re-release. Which is totally fine with me. Baldur’s Gate 2 was, in my opinion, the last really solid game BioWare produced (it’s either that or KOTOR, I can’t remember which came out last). While DAO was a decent spiritual successor, none of BioWare’s contemporary ongoing franchises really hold a candle to BG2.
29/02/2012 at 15:43 Werthead says:
BG2 was released in 2000 (released the same week as HOMEWORLD: CATACLYSM, IIRC, as I bought them together), THRONE OF BHAAL in 2001. KotOR was 2003 (on X-Box, with the PC version the following year).
29/02/2012 at 15:06 fearghaill says:
am I the only one who finds the cynicism of 90% of these comments kind of depressing?
“LUL it’ll probably be a FPS mirite?” over and over and over, everyone racing to be the first to make the same tired, lazy joke.
29/02/2012 at 15:16 TsunamiWombat says:
Sounds great. In before the soul crushing dissapointment where this is just a shill for the next NWN.
29/02/2012 at 15:34 ThaneSolus says:
A remake like the one for Syndicate? Awesome! its gonna be Baldurs Gate – Casual for challenged people.
Atari is an awfull company, Bioware the same, Black Isle is spread all over the place. I cant see anything good coming…
29/02/2012 at 15:46 Sarlix says:
What is of late with all the remakes and revivals of old games..this should be a good thing..but, well, it feels more like someone digging up a dead relative and defiling them.
29/02/2012 at 15:48 Werthead says:
This is almost certainly a remake, hopefully for PC and Mac but probably with a strong eye towards the tablet/smartphone market. Maybe even browser-based? That could be interesting, especially if it facilitates playing co-op.
In the unlikely event it’s a new game, it’ll probably still be a year or two away, which means it won’t use 4th Edition, as that will be succeeded by the 5th Edition in 2013 and WotC don’t allow new games to be released using old rulesets. BG2 and Bhaal both had to integrate 3rd Edition rules into the game before WotC were happy with them being released (even if they were still more 2E at their core).
If it’s a new game, I’m not sure what the point would be of it being ‘a sequel’. The original series had a definitive ending. If it’s just a new game set in the Forgotten Realms, that makes it no more of a sequel to BALDUR’S GATE than NEVERWINTER NIGHTS was.
29/02/2012 at 15:49 mcnostril says:
I would kill for a Baldur’s Gate remake with the combat system from Temple of Elemental Evil.
Actually I would kill for more games with the combat system from ToEE. Now that was a good turn-based system (don’t recall which edition of D&D it was, but it worked extremely well, looked slick as hell and had quite a lot of depth).
29/02/2012 at 16:14 InternetBatman says:
It was 3.5.
29/02/2012 at 16:18 HeavyStorm says:
As long as it does not use a full turn-based system and rework the attacks of opportunity thing which would stop the game every few seconds…
29/02/2012 at 22:42 MistyMike says:
With the combat system from ToEE killing off the first few gibberlings just outside of Candlekeep would take the avarage person about 8,5 hours.
29/02/2012 at 16:16 HeavyStorm says:
@NegativeZero, you beat me to it.
29/02/2012 at 16:43 BobsLawnService says:
Keep the gorgeous 2D backgrounds and replace the ugly sprites with nice 3D models.
Yes please.
29/02/2012 at 20:35 hinq says:
Looks like it’s been updated, the comments in the source of the page have changed from those listed in the original story:
29/02/2012 at 22:29 DrSlek says:
My money is on a hoax or an iOS/Android port.
01/03/2012 at 00:01 Lemming says:
teaser trailer
01/03/2012 at 03:38 ChiefOfBeef says:
Off the top of my head: most of the quotes going around appear to be Jon Irenicus.
If it’s a whole new game and not a remake, I suspect Irenicus is the player character. I don’t think there would be any point to making him a villain but when he’s trapped in Hell and his powers are ineffective, he still quite clearly is intent on resisting and getting out.
With most RPGs now being entirely voice-acted and Irenicus already modifying his body to stay alive, we’ll be playing some kind of customisable version of him.