baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition
Latest
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]
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 encounters a release date
Come November 15, Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition will make its debut on the PC, Mac, iOS and Android platforms. That date appeared this morning on the game's official website, where developer Overhaul Games has also added a pre-order link. Overhaul Games seems to be adding many of the same features found in its previous Baldur's Gate remake to Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition (higher-definition graphics, simple multiplayer options, new characters), though this game has a $25 price tag. On the other hand, Baldur's Gate 2: Enhanced Edition should offer more content than its predecessor, as it includes both Baldur's Gate 2 and the Shadows of Amn expansion pack.
Steam weekend sales: 2K games, Baldur's Gate and Final Fantasy 7
Look, we know things have been rough ever since the government shut down. Cars have become sentient; peach cobbler is now physically impossible to produce – it's not easy out there. Still, there are some things we can depend on in these tough times, such as the persistence and regularity of sales on Steam. From now through 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, October 7, a growing selection of 2k Games-published jams have gone under the discount knife, including BioShock Infinite ($26.79), XCOM: Enemy Unknown ($9.99) and a whole bunch of others. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 7 is half-off at $5.99 and Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition can be snagged for a thin $5. Granted, these sales may not make up for the fact that our nation's stop signs now act as portals to Ung'Thagar's Darkest Dark Moon, but every little bit helps until the government comes back online and this all gets straightened out.
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: 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 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%
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition now on iPad
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition rolled onto the App Store today, with the remastered BioWare RPG now available on iPad for $9.99. Trent Oster, head of developer Beamdog, revealed the current version is limited to iOS 6.0, although iOS 5.1 support is in the works.Beamdog released Enhanced Edition for PC last week, with the Mac and Android versions still to come. While BG:EE comes in $10 cheaper on iPad than on PC, certain new inclusions such as Neera and Dorn II Karn are only available as in-app purchases.The game's multiplayer is in beta at launch, but Beamdog said cross-platform multiplayer is coming to the game, meaning iPad rangers will be able to fight alongside PC druids, Mac paladins, and Android thieves. Other combinations will also probably work.
PSA - Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition arrives on PC today, other platforms soon
Beamdog's Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate and its expansion Tales of the Sword Coast launches on PC today, at 3PM ET (12PM Pacific, 8PM Brit-time) to be precise. It's currently going for a pre-order price of $19.99, and can be pre-loaded before its release.Beamdog says its update of BioWare's seminal RPG includes over 400 improvements on the original game, including new characters, quests, and voice sets. The Enhanced Edition also offers native support for high-res widescreen, and nifty-looking cross-platform multiplayer.On the subject of other platforms, Beamdog chief Trent Oster recently disclosed that his team can't control the timing of iOS, Mac, and Android releases. Speaking on Twitter, Oster said a game-stopping bug means the iOS version should hit next week, with Mac and Android versions expected after it.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition gameplay fires off many magic missiles
If you've been anxiously awaiting Beamdog's overhaul to the original Baldur's Gate, we've got some Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition footage for you to sample. Just put on your Cloak of Fire Resistance first – there are lots of magic missiles flying around!
A trio of trailers: Vectrex Regeneration, Baldur's Gate Enhanced and Poker Knight
Well, it happened -- Thanksgiving was last week, Cyber Monday is today and from here on out, we are neck deep in the holiday season. This time of year is particularly busy on the App Store, as various game developers try to get their best products out during the holiday rush, taking advantage of all of those game-hungry users with brand new iDevices. To that end, we've got not one, not two, but three great trailers for upcoming iOS games that we've been waiting for, all ready for you to watch below. Vectrex Regeneration is first -- this is not just a game, but a complete emulator for the old Vectrex video game console. The app includes more than a few old titles (available for in-app purchase, with likely a few freebies to get you interested), and will be out on the App Store later this week. Next up is a new trailer for that Enhanced Edition of Baldur's Gate that we've been expecting on iOS for a while now. As you can see in the video below, this game will be a very faithful (perhaps too faithful?) recreation of the old Baldur's Gate title, except of course that it'll be running on your iPad instead of a computer. Old-school fans will probably love this one, but we'll have to wait and see if it can grab a new audience later on this month. And finally, I haven't heard of Poker Knight until now, but it's piqued my interest big time with the trailer below. The idea looks like a poker game mixed with some fantasy RPG elements, and there's nothing I like better than a genre-crossing puzzle/RPG concoction like that. Poker Knight is due out some time this month as well, so we'll look for it soon. All three of these look great, and they're just a small sampling of what we're in for from the App Store this coming holiday season.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition closing in on new target of Nov. 28
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is still on course to unlock this month, with a new target release date of November 28. The revision, tweeted by Beamdog head Trent Oster, is admittedly only two days different from the former November 30 target. Nonetheless, given the meaty delay endured in September, a slight bump forward is encouraging.While Beamdog is aiming for a cross-platform launch, Oster admitted his studio can't "100% control the release date on iOS, Mac, and Android." What Oster did do was confirm the revamp is compatible with first-generation iPads. So even grandma and grandpa can play on their old-timey tablets, although they've got a few more weeks to wait yet.
GOG shows you how to 'enhance' old Baldur's Gate games
Following the delay of Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition, GOG.com swooped in with a guide for how to make your own enhanced versions of Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2. While the dow noted the delay to the update from Trent Oster's Beamdog, the distributor saw that as an opportunity to post the step-by-step guide to enhance the games' graphics. Credit goes to GOG.com forum user GoJays2025 for putting the guide together.For the record, the enhancement requires six mods, and both of the games. It's convenient, then, that GOG.com has them on sale at $3.49 each. Meanwhile, Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition is scheduled to hit November 30.
Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition pushed to Nov. 30
It looks like fans will have to wait for Baldur's Gate to swing open once again, as Beamdog head Trent Oster has revealed that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition has been delayed. Writing in the Baldur's Gate forums, Oster noted that the overwhelming response to the project – and the resulting influx of volunteers, additions and fixes – has lead Beamdog to push the project back from September 18 to November 30.In other words, it sounds as if the project has grown larger than Beamdog originally intended. "The suggestions, fixes, and translations continue, and more volunteers keep joining," wrote Oster, adding that Beamdog has delayed the project to provide "the best possible product on launch."Oster asks for patience from fans, promising "something a little extra" is in the works for those who have already pre-ordered.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition has cross-platform playability
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will support cross-platform co-op, allowing the iPad to function with Android, Mac and PC, creative director Trent Oster has tweeted. This augments news of multiplayer functionalities first reported in March. To be precise:"#bgee will have co-op multiplayer and will work across platforms. iPad can play with Android, Mac and PC. On happy gaming family."Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will launch September 18 for PC, in September for iOS and Mac, and at an unannounced time for Android devices. It is available for pre-order now, for $18 rather than the full $20 if purchased once it officially launches.
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition arrives Sept. 18, discounted pre-orders now open
The PC version of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will be released on September 18, Overhaul Games revealed following a countdown. The iOS and Mac versions will be released in September; the Android tablet version is TBA. In addition, the developer has revealed some of the new content that the Enhanced Edition will contain, namely new characters and a new adventure.The new character in our gallery, Neera, is "a half-elf wild mage slowly coming to terms with her enormous magical potential." Neera brings with her a new "romantic" adventure, a new area and up to four hours of extra gameplay. The Enhanced Edition also includes The Black Pits, which tasks players with engaging in arena combat at the behest of Baeloth, the "mad drow" who built the pits as a brutal form of entertainment.Pre-orders for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition are now open on the official site. Those who pre-order get the game for $17.99, two bucks off the usual price of $19.99.%Gallery-161171%
