Does BG2 need a remake?

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So, last Friday my co worker tempted me into buying a Euro Millions lotto ticket with the mention of the £95 million on offer. So, as one does when one is faced with imminent millions, I started thinking about what I would do with the money.

One of the things I decided I would want to do, is setup a foundation to develop a remake of Baldurs Gate 2, including its addon, as Shadows of Amn Parts 1 and 2. I had a grand plan worked out, following an open source-type model(never been involved in open source development so please excuse my ignorance of the subject), where there are a few paid members who work on the main codebase, including the renderer, scripting engine and toolset, and then lots of modders who contribute scripts for quests and dialogs, and possibly also use the toolset to create their favourite D&D monster, or item, or whatever. I had planned to release the whole thing for free, but to ask for donation to help pay for the programmers and give a little something back to the contributors in recognition for their hard work (if said material was judged suitable for publication).

Anyway, I started to wonder whether the owner of the BG copyright (whoever that is now) would let me develop a remake of their game even if it isnt sold for profit (although, arguably, some people would benefit financially from it).

Perhaps more importantly, I started to wonder whether the game actually needs a remake in the first place. Perhaps its a classic, perfectly complete as it is, and remaking it would only mar the perfection that is BG2. What do you guys think? Is BG2 still too new to remake?

Personally I would love a proper 3.5E rules conversion (I know that the Icewind Gate project was never properly completed), but I kinda wonder if a 3D conversion could be handled properly (I didnt enjoy NWN).

Oh, needless to say, I won a whole £7.1 from the lotto, so I wont be funding any games any time soon!

 

So only Atari can produce D&D games, or license others to develop them? Couldnt I get a license from WotC to develop a D&D game, even if it werent a Baldurs Gate remake?

 

I think BG should be left as is. I don't see the point in remakes of story-based games. Sequels, yes, but there should be something new and fresh other than graphics (and hey I like 2D).
Actually I'd like more 2D games please!
(And you won £7 more than I did...)

 

Perhaps we just need more D&D games. I really really enjoy IWD and BG, because of the fact that you can have a party of 6 characters and go adventuring.

NWN just doesnt do it for me, the OC of NWN was absolutely terrible, and it seems NWN2 has its own problems.

Its a pity that MMORPG games are all the rage these days, because they can make so much money for their developers.

 

Yes, there are not enough party-based games. I remember when even the first person RPGs (Eye of the Beholder anyone?) was party-based. Now it's all solo. Snore.

 

the only solo RPG i enjoyed was Diablo 2. I tried WoW, played it for a month, but found it very boring. Playing with other people in a group didnt do it for me either. it quickly became a chore - almost literally.

I guess I dont like the idea of grinding, I prefer questing, and it seems questing isnt popular anymore.

When I was young, people played RP games to escape from life. Now they work in games as much as they work in real life - doesnt sound fun to me.

Anyway, pity it seems a BG2 remake in this century is either very unlikely or impossible. but maybe, if I win those millions someday, we will see another party based D&D RPG with a long and varied campaign with lots of optional quests.

 

this sends shivers of anger down my spine. I'm an old fuddy-duddy for second edition rules, so I'm sure few share my sentiments. I also prefer 2d graphics to 3d. And, furthermore, I love the hand-drawn graphics of the BG games; even the new 3d toolset-based graphics seem so fake to me. . .

 

I was going to say, there is the question of whether conversion to 3D would actually help at all.

3.5ED though, I think is a much better system, but thats just me. I wish there were more IWD/BG style games based on 3.5.

 

I think 2D works really well, no need to complicate things just to make something look prettier (and more hardware consuming). BG was never about graphics anyway although it still looks pretty nice.

As for 3.5 rules, I don't know, it might be interesting but imagine all the powergaming that you could do. Hell, imagine the insane characters Sikret would create for Improved Anvil

Really BG should stay like this, the old looks is just part of it's charm.

(am I the only one here that enjoyed NWN2?)

 

BG2 doesn't need a remake.
Remakes make sense for games for game who look outdated because of the limited hardware resources available at the time created.
BG2 doesn't have this problem. The graphics still look good, things which are not that great were not made because of hardware constraints, but on purpose.

 

BG does not need a remake, its graphic is still really pleasant, even though its several years old. The 2D is one of the things that imo makes the game so charming.

Although, BG2 could do with a small patch, to deal with the various bugs that can be found in the game...that is, if you look for them

 

With the 3rd party mods available for the game, I think any bugs left are so minor as to be inconsequential. Of course, some mods introduce bugs themselves, but even those are minor.

 

Maybe a re-release you can hardly find this game in stores anymore.

I like BGII the way it is.

 

I think there should be another 2D game put out by someone in the Infinity Engine, it doesnt have to nessisarily be a 'Baldur's Gate' game but at least something. I'm itching for the return of strategy-based RPG's and none of this Hack-and-Slash crap. What is wrong with this generation to be duped into this mind-numbing mentality?

 

I don't mind H&S's, the Diablo series is quite appealing to me, I'm more concerned with companies and their seemingly uncontrolable urge to rob us of all our money by constantly throwing pay to play MMO's in our face.

Every time a new RPG comes out I look into it and think this game looks/sounds cool, only to later find out is pay to play. Which is kinda of annoying, gone it seems are the days when companies just made awesome games, good story, great characters, replayability, and of course minature giant space hamsters. Now they just want money, and lots of it.

 

What companies do not realize is that there is still a significant fan base that is crying out for a good replayable non-mmo rpg. They want to make money? Put out an IE RPG game!

 

As much as I'd love a BG remake, I also like the way they already are. Which means they're playable on any computer that has come out in the past 8 years! I also believe it would be too soon anyway, I'm still perfectly content with my old as heck CDs. Although if they kept it 2D but updated the paper dolls, fixed all the bugs and such in the game, I'd be happy! (The fact that cloaks never appeared and Minsc has white hair always kind of annoyed me...)

 

I like BG2 for numerous reasons. It's the last great isometric perspective RPG. The newer rules that IWD2 and NWN use are too burdensome for me. I like just having to deal with the base stats...not dealing with feats and the like.

However....if the game was to be remade....

• The 2D interface should only be refreshed to support a higher resolution.
  The layout should remain the same.
• More NPCs of every race, class, and sex.
• There needs to be 3 to 4 times as much *voiced* inter-party dialog.
• Totally re-written romances (by people who have actually had a relationship other than the one with their hand. While I like Aerie's romance, it's clearly written by a guy. When it comes to romances, let a woman do the writing, and have a guy do the editing.) that have twice as much content...with the ability to flirt at will (Flirt Packs had the right idea).
• Portraits should only be retouched, and extended to full body length instead of just a bust.
• During major battles, the PC should be able to switch into a 3D mode in which he/she gets to literally enter the battle (a little 1st person-ish), but still maintain control of the party.
• And finally, the game should be rated 'MA'. More blood, more booze, more language, and more sex! The PC's the offspring of the Lord of Murder....it's time he/she starts acting like it!

But none of that will ever happen...oh well.