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A bunch of BioWare classics are coming to console this year
Game developers and publishers Skybound Games and Beamdog announced today that they will be working together to bring a collection of classic PC roleplaying games to consoles. The companies will be breathing new life into a number of titles set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe.
'Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition' is coming to PC
BioWare's Dungeons & Dragons-based RPG Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is getting an enhanced edition for PC. The revamped game from Beamdog -- a studio that cut its teeth on remasters of PC classics, such as Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment -- will be up for pre-order tomorrow for 20 bucks.
'Planescape: Torment' remaster arrives on April 11th
For many veteran gamers, Planescape: Torment was a definitive role-playing title -- it combined an unusual setting with a deep story, memorable dialogue and gameplay mechanics that still hold up. If you're one of those fans, you won't have long to wait to relieve that experience on modern hardware. Beamdog, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have revealed that they're launching Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition on April 11th. As with most better remastering efforts, this involves more than a little spit and polish to make the game run on newer hardware.
BioWare writer David Gaider to helm 'Baldur's Gate' series
When longtime BioWare writer David Gaider announced his departure from the studio, many wondered where he would end up next. The answer shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. He's joining Beamdog, a game developer and distributor best known for the "enhanced" remakes of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II. That's notable because Gaider started his career at BioWare working on Baldur's Gate II, before moving on to larger writing roles with Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and, most famously, the ongoing Dragon Age franchise.
Beamdog taps the Infinity Engine for new Baldur's Gate entry
Beamdog, developer of the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition remakes, has announced plans to return to turn-of-the-century Dungeons And Dragons adaptations with a new game it describes as a link between those two roleplaying classics. Currently known only as "Adventure Y," the game will use the same 16-year-old Infinity Engine that powers Beamdog's Enhanced Edition games as well as their original, late-90s incarnations. There's no information available on gameplay, plot or the presence of any miniature giant space hamsters, but it's probably safe to assume Adventure Y will feature the same three-quarters overhead, pseudo-turn-based combat that remains a hallmark of all games built on Infinity Engine technology. Beamdog promises more information on Adventure Y will reach the adorably-titled Beamblog at some point in Spring. [Image: Beamdog]
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition calls RPG fans to yesterdecade
Dungeons & Dragons fans can now expand their game-based inventory with Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, a reworked version of 2000's classic role-playing game from Black Isle Studios. Adventurers can take a trip down Enhanced Edition's ice-slicked memory lane on PC, Mac and Linux via Steam, iOS using the App Store, or Android through Google Play. The mobile versions are available for $9.99, while the Steam version is going for $19.99. As its name suggests, Enhanced Edition has a few new features equipped compared to the original release, including dozens of new spells and items, more than 30 new kits and classes, and content that was cut from the original release. Enhanced Edition also supports cross-platform multiplayer and includes the Heart of Winter expansion, as well as its Trials of the Luremaster add-on. Update: This article has been edited to reflect the Steam version's $19.99 price tag. [Image: Beamdog]
Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition now available for pre-order
Having already enhanced both Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2, developer Beamdog now sets its sights on another Dungeons & Dragons Infinity Engine classic, Icewind Dale. "It is now official, Icewind Dale:Enhanced Edition is available for pre-order on Beamdog," reads a tweet from Trent Oster, creative director on the aforementioned Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. Those who follow Oster's tweet to the game's website will find a brand new pre-order page for Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition that reveals a few key details. Like its predecessors, Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition will appear on PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices, and will feature a purchase price of $20. Unfortunately, Beamdog has yet to decide on a release date for Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, though in the meantime, prospective players can learn all about the various tweaks and improvements Beamdog has planned for the roleplaying classic by visiting this page. [Image: Beamdog]
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition out now on Android
BioWare's classic PC role-playing game, Baldur's Gate, is now available for Android devices in an enhanced port developed by Beamdog studio division Overhaul Games. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition adopted a variety of enhancements and new features during its transition to mobile platforms, and originally launched for iOS platforms in 2012. Enhanced Edition includes all content from the original 1998 Baldur's Gate and its expansion Tales of the Sword Coast, along with The Black Pits arena mode and other new quests available via in-app purchases. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is priced at $9.99. [Image: BioWare / Beamdog]
Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition out now on iPad
Go for the eyes, Boo! Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition finally reached the App Store this morning, after spending over a month in Apple's review process. Overhaul's re-release of BioWare's D&D classic is available to iPad owners for a saving throw of $15. In addition to remastered artwork, gameplay tweaks, and more accessible multiplayer, BG2:EE features the Throne of Bhaal expansion, four new party members, and another venture into the Black Pits for some arena-based combat. Going by Creative Director Trent Oster's tweets, we can expect the long-overdue Android version of the first Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition in the near future, too.
Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition should roll onto iPad 'soon'
Beamdog and Overhaul Games' Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate 2 isn't too far away from reaching the iPad finally, after being stuck in Apple's review process for the last month. According to a tweet posted yesterday by Beamdog Creative Director Trent Oster, the RPG re-release has had its in-app purchases approved, and "should hit soon." The iOS and Android versions were originally due to arrive shortly after the game hit PC and Mac last November, so it's been a bit of a wait for mobile heroes-to-be. Considering Android has yet to receive Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, let alone the sequel, we suspect that version won't hit so shortly. We've reached out to Beamdog to see if we can gather some more info. Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition, priced $25 on PC and Mac, brings a number of additions including four new heroes for your party, higher-def graphics, remastered artwork, and enhanced multiplayer. It also features the Throne of Bhaal expansion, and a follow-up to the first game's Black Pits arena-based campaign.
Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition back on track for PC, Mac
Overhaul Games' rejuvenated Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition will be available for PC and Macs on November 15, the company announced today on its official forums. Android tablet and iPad versions "will follow soon afterwards." Meanwhile, the Mac and PC versions are already available for pre-purchase at $24.95 through Beamdog. Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition includes recreations of the original Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn and its expansion pack, Throne of Bhaal. Additionally, four new characters (and their associated quests) are included in the PC/Mac releases, but iOS/Android users will need to download this content as DLC. Whether this DLC comes at a price, however, was not specified, but we're checking. Update: Beamdog's Trent Oster has informed us that these four characters will be paid DLC on the mobile versions, but that the iOS/Android releases of the game will have a lower cost of entry as a result.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition returns following Atari contract issues
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is once again available to buy through the App Store and distributor Beamdog's site, two months after its removal from those locations at Atari's request. Producer Phillip Daigle confirmed the RPG remake's return. An email apparently sent out by Beamdog CEO Trent Oster, posted on Reddit and sent to us by a reader, says "all outstanding issues with our publishing partner have been resolved." Oster had previously identified the issue-having "publishing partner" as Atari, who requested the game's removal because of contract matters, a month before Atari Inc. auctioned its assets. The email also mentions a "major" BG:EE patch, as well as details on the unreleased Android version of BG:EE. We've reached out to Beamdog to confirm. In our deja review, we said Enhanced Edition was a careful, if not colossal, rework of the BioWare classic: "BG:EE's tune-ups, additions, and even its graphical tweaks aren't there to dazzle, but simply to enhance. If Baldur's Gate is the seminal face of BioWare's RPG beginnings, then Enhanced Edition is its graceful make-up, and Overhaul the doting stylist straining to make sure it all blends in." [Thanks Jochem, Jason!]
Atari requested Baldur's Gate: EE removal from iOS, Oster says
Beamdog CEO Trent Oster has said that Atari is the "unknown publishing partner" behind the removal of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition from the iOS App Store. "At the request of Atari legal we removed the game from sale on Beamdog and the App stores," Oster told Game Informer recently. "Atari is still selling the game through their channels." Those "channels" would be the official Atari site, Steam, and Amazon.com, where the game is still available for sale. It's unclear why Atari wouldn't want the game selling in other places, but Oster has said both a patch and an enhanced sequel have been put on hold due to the dispute. "We're trying to remedy the situation and I'm hopeful we can come to an arrangement," he said to Game Informer. Joystiq has reached out to Atari for more information, and will update here if we hear back.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition patch, sequel on 'indefinite hold'
Trent Oster, creative director on Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, said publisher Beamdog is currently mired in "legal hell" and that work on the current patch and even future aspirations are on "indefinite hold." Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition was pulled from the App store and Beamdog's digital distribution service last week over "contractual issues" with an unnamed publishing partner. "The prognosis [for resuming work on Baldur's Gate] is mixed," Oster told Rock Paper Shotgun. "Best case, we can sort this out soon. Worst case, this could be in legal hell for a while. I like making games, but this contractual dispute bullshit keeps me up at night." The original plan was to offer Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition following the re-launch of the first game, but those plans are on hold now. "Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition is on indefinite hold, as is the current patch," Oster added. Oster even had plans to pursue development on Baldur's Gate 3 down the line, to which he said, "we are still interested in the concept, but currently I'd say we're very demoralized."
Baldur's Gate pulled from the App Store
Dungeons and Dragons fans may be dismayed to hear that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition was removed from the App Store yesterday. Peter Cohen of iMore reported that Overhaul Games pulled Baldur's Gate due to some contractual issues that need to be resolved. If you previously purchased the game, you can still download and play it though. An available patch to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition cannot be released to users until the resolution of the legal issues. Trent Oster, President of Beamdog and Overhaul Games posted an apology to users and assures us that once the situation is remedied, the game will be reposted.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition pulled from Beamdog, App Store
Beamdog abruptly removed Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition from sale on both the App Store and the company's own portal yesterday, as the studio works to "resolve a number of contractual issues." The removal, made at the request of an unnamed publishing partner, apparently doesn't extend to Steam, where the remake of BioWare's RPG remains on sale. "We are unable to discuss details of the complex legal matters surrounding this issue at this time," Beamdog said in an FAQ section related to the announcement. "Please be aware that we are extremely unhappy with the situation and are doing our best to work past it. We have put a lot of hard work into this series, and are eager for fans to see it." Until those contractual issues are ironed out, the situation means the launch of Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition is on hold. Hopefully things will be resolved with as little delay as possible, lest whatever's getting in the way desires the holy wrath of Boo.
Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition now out on OS X
In case you missed the announcement last week, the Enhanced Edition of the classic RPG Baldur's Gate (that previously came to the iPad) is now available on Mac OS X. You can pick it up directly from Beamdog's website for US$19.99 right now, and we're told it's incoming to the Mac App Store very soon (probably as soon as Apple approves it). This version of Bioware's classic title includes a new adventure to play, three new characters to play with and a number of other technical enhancements, including new character paintings, and support for high-resolution displays. In other words, if you're a Baldur's Gate fan and have been thinking about playing through the title again, this is the way to go for sure. On the iPad, I had a few reservations about this one, mostly that the control scheme tended to lean a little too far to the old-school for it to really work well. But of course on the Mac, that's not an issue, as this game was originally made for a mouse and keyboard. The graphics, though updated, won't stand a chance against modern RPGs like Skyrim and The Witcher, but the story is such a classic one, and Baldur's Gate pioneered Bioware's storytelling and gameplay techniques later seen in games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Baldur's Gate is a valuable piece of RPG history, and it's great to have this excellent edition of it available now on the Mac.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition coming to Mac on Feb. 22
Armchair adventurers take heed: Beamdog has announced that its 2012 remake of the classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons-based title Baldur's Gate is finally arriving on Mac this week on February 22. Developed in conjunction with Overhaul Games, Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition features redrawn artwork and other, well, enhancements that bring the 1998 title by BioWare more in line with today's technological standards. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will initially be available from Beamdog's site for US$19.99. The company plans to bring the game to the Mac App Store as well, but there's no ETA for it there just yet. The iPad version of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition was released on December 7 of last year. If you simply can't wait two days for the Mac release -- and think mouse-based gameplay is très passé -- you can get the tablet version on the App Store for $9.99. [Via Loop Insight]
PSA: Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition now on Steam
The long-awaited Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, which our deja reviewer called "a love letter to its source," has finally arrived for purchase on Steam. This version of the game originally appeared on Beamdog's website, and then showed up on the iPad. You can now add it to your Steam collection for $19.99.Beamdog has said it is gauging sales reception of the "enhanced" re-release to decide on the fate of a potential Icewind Dale remake and a continuation of the Baldur's Gate series.
Deja Review: Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition
This is a Deja Review: A quick look at the new features and relative agelessness of a remade, revived or re-released game. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition isn't the first Overhaul Games re-release to grace this column. That accolade belongs to MDK2 HD. As the name suggests, the 2000 BioWare game underwent a visual facelift in the care of the appropriately named Overhaul.Despite Baldur's Gate being even older than MDK2, and Overhaul likely doing even more work underneath its hood, the developer's name doesn't sit as right with Enhanced Edition. An overhaul implies, at least to me, the taking apart of something, messing around with its innards until it looks and feels like something very new. That's not what this is.BG:EE's tune-ups, additions, and even its graphical tweaks aren't there to dazzle, but simply to enhance. If Baldur's Gate is the seminal face of BioWare's RPG beginnings, then Enhanced Edition is its graceful make-up, and Overhaul the doting stylist straining to make sure it all blends in. This delicate approach is admirable, but en vogue it definitely ain't.%Gallery-173110%
