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Hey im finnaly about to get baldurs gate, i've been wanting it for awhile now and just havent gotten around to it.Well anyway, my question is which one should I get. Which one is the best, or am I going to have to buy the first one first because the others are sequels.

The Baldur's Gate titles really constitude one epic storyline. As such, its good to play them in order. Start with Baldur's Gate. After that, play Tales of the Sword Coast, then BGII: Shadows of Amn, and BGII: Throne of Bhaal. Really, for the most part, I'd only consider Tales of the Sword Coast optional. The others are really "must plays."

For game play purposes, Shadows of Amn is vastly improved over the first Baldur's Gate. But BG has a story that really can't be missed if you want to thoroughly understand what's going on in the rest of the installement. And, it's still a very good game in its own right.

Okay, i'll just get one after the other then. But one more question, are the expansions and #3 on consoles or just the pc?

Baldur's Gate, Tales of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal are all on PC. There are several Baldur's Gate games on console (including Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II), but the PC games are very different and much more interesting. Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale II are also fabulous games centered around the Forgotten Realms game set, but they concentrate more on fighting and the story lines, while very good, aren't as involving as the Baldur's Gate series. I hope this helps!

The Baldur's Gate PC games are much better than the console Dark Alliance games, by most accounts (which, really, are more "action RPGs."). I, personally, didn't care for the Icewind Dale titles which use the same engine as the PC Baldur's Gate titles (they were too hack and slash for my taste), but many others disagree. Still, regardless, play the Baldur's Gate PC titles first. They remain two of the best RPG's out there.

i played baldurs gate I and BG2- shadows of amn
but they devour your time so i stopped after that.

[QUOTE=stormcloud]i played baldurs gate I and BG2- shadows of amn
but they devour your time so i stopped after that.[/QUOTE]

stormcloud, you should really give those games another try or play some of the other Forgotten Realms RPGs. I know how addicting they can get, but with a little effort you can just play 20 minutes a day and progress slowly while having a great time. It makes my work day a lot easier, and smashing goblins and trolls always puts me in a better mood.

It's true the Icewind Dale games are much more combat oriented, but it's almost like practice for the Baldur's Gate games. Since the engine and tactics are similar, you can use different strategies. More enemies = more time kicking some serious monster/villain butt!

[QUOTE=stormcloud]i played baldurs gate I and BG2- shadows of amn
but they devour your time so i stopped after that.[/QUOTE]
That's a good point for people who have a real life.

However, if you still want play Throne of Bhaal, you might be happy to know that it doesn't take as long to finish as Shadows of Amn. It doesn't feel like a short game at all, but the areas are fairly straightforward (with the exception of the maze and the puzzles in Watcher's Keep), and the action is swift in the sense that you'll move from battle to battle fairly quickly. I played it for several hours a day and finished it the first time in about a week.

I think I will try the ones on PC, but I still want the console ones,too. I heard they were good also.

The console games are really different, but I definately own and enjoy both of them. Not as many choices in character, but the stories are good and they are definately fun.

Question

Do you have the games or are thinking of buying them? If so just ask and I can give you a great site to get baldurs gate the original saga (which is a 3 cd version with tales of the sword coast included(the expansion)) <-- which I highly recommend as it raises the experience cap and adds new areas. Also you cannot buy the baldurs gate game in stores which believe me I looked for for a long time. Bg2, however, you can still buy in stores.
The console games are fairly good games and much more action and less running around erands to do. I recommend all of these games.

[QUOTE=FireLighter]Do you have the games or are thinking of buying them? If so just ask and I can give you a great site to get baldurs gate the original saga (which is a 3 cd version with tales of the sword coast included(the expansion)) <-- which I highly recommend as it raises the experience cap and adds new areas. Also you cannot buy the baldurs gate game in stores which believe me I looked for for a long time. Bg2, however, you can still buy in stores.
The console games are fairly good games and much more action and less running around erands to do. I recommend all of these games.[/QUOTE]

nah. I dont have any(yet!) but iam going to get them. Im hoping to get them all, im having little rpg disease right now.