Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

 PC
User Score
9.2

Universal acclaim- based on 1654 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,520 out of 1654
  2. Mixed: 53 out of 1654
  3. Negative: 81 out of 1654
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  1. TheseusXIII
    Sep 6, 2015
    10
    There are very few games that can captivate like this one. From the moment you awaken and Imoen comes to help you escape the whole game is stellar. From the bickering companions, and this is long before Mass Effect and Dragon Age (The latter of which has gotten worse with every release.) to the epic storyline which, initially at least, centres upon rescuing Imoen. Before revealing itselfThere are very few games that can captivate like this one. From the moment you awaken and Imoen comes to help you escape the whole game is stellar. From the bickering companions, and this is long before Mass Effect and Dragon Age (The latter of which has gotten worse with every release.) to the epic storyline which, initially at least, centres upon rescuing Imoen. Before revealing itself to be somewhat grander in scale, the game rarely has any lulls in the story. My one complaint is that because the character of Imoen was intended to die at Spellhold, she has no real dialogue once she's back in your party. This however is fixed in the equally fantastic Throne Of Bhaal expansion. One conversation in particular she has with Edwin is hilarious.
    Since this game was initially released I have played through it countless times and still haven't done every quest, or seen every outcome. In todays gaming market which is overly saturated with generic shooters and the same Assassins Creed crap released yearly this is a total rarity. There are two games that almost match it and they are The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age: Origins. Of course, since Bioware effectively sold their soul to EA we have seen all of their quality drop dramatically, especially the Dragon Age franchise.
    In summation, one of the best games I have ever played. Buy it.    … Expand
  2. FreedomFromCrap
    Apr 9, 2016
    10
    This is the best RPG that I have ever played, and I have played dozens of them. If you have the money to buy a game, then there is no excuse to pass this one over. It's that good.
  3. JoshA.
    Mar 18, 2003
    10
    From the epic storyline to the superb graphics and environments to the flawless and never-gets-old battle system, this game is one of the greatest role-playing games ever made. It will make you want to take up D&D just to be a part of the world of Faerun!
  4. OK
    Apr 20, 2003
    10
    Quite simply, the greatest game I've ever played.
  5. ChrisL.
    Jun 10, 2002
    10
    This game is by far the best I have ever played. There is so much you can do in it that you can literally play it for hours and hours. The best!
  6. GunhanK.
    Aug 1, 2002
    10
    Quite possibly the most immersive and fun RPG I have ever played to date. Well-balanced, entertaining, challenging enough, looks good, has nice music... What more can one ask for?
  7. EmanuelS.
    Aug 15, 2004
    9
    This game has only two very small problems with it: 1. The portraits suck 2. You get some warning messages far to much. Besides that it is everything you need from a game! It is AWESOME!!!!
  8. AndrewB.
    Oct 5, 2005
    10
    This game has and still is the best game i have played.
  9. Simon
    Mar 30, 2008
    10
    If you haven't played it, you should. The best in RPG.
  10. EdS.
    Aug 23, 2001
    10
    Quite easily the greatest game ever.
  11. RobertC.
    Dec 5, 2003
    10
    I've been playing RPGs eversince NES's Zelda, and this is the best game ever. I know that no reviews can be completely objective, but no other game I know is as fun, intricate, beautiful and once again fun as Baldur's Gate 2. Play it!
  12. FrancoP.
    Sep 10, 2003
    10
    This game is very good, i like it. I don't now english very well, I'm from argentina.
  13. AlexL.
    Dec 22, 2004
    10
    Quite easily the most entertaining RPG I have ever played. This game comes with a boatload of side quests and an entertaining main storyline, and will take a while to beat. There are also some fantastic mods to download.
  14. PRF
    Sep 29, 2005
    10
    300 Hrs of questing this is hte best rpg I have encoutered. Pros the amount of quests and the things you can do. Cons It can take an age to get from a to b and combat can be messy.
  15. BoH.
    Jul 13, 2006
    10
    I still play this game. It is still the best game with the best feeling and addiction level. No other RPG game has com close to matching it. "Hamsters and rangers everywhere - REJOICE!"
  16. MattD.
    Oct 23, 2007
    10
    Even now, years later, there's nothing else that comes close.
  17. DrewC.
    Apr 24, 2002
    10
    Quite easily the BEST game in the history of the world! With amazing graphics and great gameplay this is the greatest game ever.
  18. ArturoV.
    Mar 11, 2006
    10
    This is my second favourite RPG of all time. The story line is great and really pulls you into the game.
  19. BillG.
    Jul 12, 2006
    10
    Fantastic rpg. Highly recommended.
  20. Dean1984
    Jun 23, 2016
    10
    There are two games I have on my number one list. The first one is ff7 the other one is Baldusr gate 2, beacasue guys this is as good as its gets. The story and characters are extremley wellwritten. It blows me away even today. How the heck did bioware pull this off?
    The only bad thing about this game, is that there probably wont be a game of this quality again.
  21. GuerillaTaktics
    May 13, 2016
    10
    A classic in the truest sense of the word. At the time of it's release it was unparalleled and still today in terms of writing it is almost peerless. The characters are colorful, fantastic, and yet somehow believable and not enough can be said about the well written fantasy plot and perhaps one of the most entertaining villains in any RPG Jon Irenicus. If you are a fan of extremely wellA classic in the truest sense of the word. At the time of it's release it was unparalleled and still today in terms of writing it is almost peerless. The characters are colorful, fantastic, and yet somehow believable and not enough can be said about the well written fantasy plot and perhaps one of the most entertaining villains in any RPG Jon Irenicus. If you are a fan of extremely well written RPGs and can look past the old school graphics then do yourself a favor and play this, preferably with some of the great mods available for it these days.… Expand
  22. Calasade
    Jan 10, 2017
    10
    This is the RPG which will likely never be topped and to which all RPGs should aspire. Sheer genius, a captivating story, complex characters, and tons of replayability. All time fave without a doubt.
  23. Joewashere
    Aug 27, 2019
    10
    Shadows over Amn is a love letter to a paradigm: "Content is King." Measured against its production values, this game provides the player with an amount of quality content unmatched, I believe, in any other RPG. The diversity of encounters, spells, quests and, well, just about everything, is staggering, and most of it has a satisfying conclusion with a great piece of loot and a cool fightShadows over Amn is a love letter to a paradigm: "Content is King." Measured against its production values, this game provides the player with an amount of quality content unmatched, I believe, in any other RPG. The diversity of encounters, spells, quests and, well, just about everything, is staggering, and most of it has a satisfying conclusion with a great piece of loot and a cool fight at the end.

    Baldur's Gate 2 checks nearly every content-box of an RPG flawlessly: a multitude of quests, vast amounts of unique and interesting loot, a myriad of monsters to fight, and a story which, while not exactly Shakespeare material, is quite solid and has one of video gaming's most memorable villains, voiced by an actor giving the performance of his career. Its sole, lackluster aspect is its mediocre character customization, but even in this it gets more mileage out of AD&D than most games.

    BG2 might have been the start of Bioware's decline with its angsty, teenage romanceable companions, but it is also the mid era RPG at its pinnacle, filled with so much stuff in so many flavours you'll never get bored. Add to this the multitude of mods available for free through fan sites, and this content-brimming titan turns into an exquisite personalized experience as well.    … Expand
  24. TC
    Apr 8, 2002
    9
    There's a learning curve in there, although you can just pick up and play. Once you get to grips with spellcasting, and understand combat effects better - then you're completely hooked. The game is brilliant. I can't give it 10, because nothing is ever perfect. But this is close, real close.
  25. [Anonymous]
    Oct 1, 2002
    9
    THE DWARF! is possibly the coolest looking character (and my favorite). Not only the dwarf but the halfling, and elf. The Half-orc is a nice feature as well as the prestiege classes. I love how they kept the d20 system and I have never beaten the game. I think just making a new character is fun enough that I don't want my characters adventure to end.
  26. PubaH.
    Feb 24, 2002
    10
    Greatest Game ever.
  27. MikeW.
    Mar 26, 2002
    9
    This game rocks, it is just a bit confusing to get used to. I havn't played this game for that long, and I am confused as hell, and I am just starting to get used to it.
  28. TimS.
    Mar 20, 2003
    10
    Wow! This is a fantastic rpg! D&D has never been so fun! Throne of Bhaal add-on is just as good!
  29. J.B.
    Aug 11, 2006
    10
    The greatest D&D RPG ever and possibly the greatest CRPG. Combines action with an incredible storyline, great voice acting (mostly), intriguing character interactions, great sound and music, replayability and perfect gameplay. Even after years of play I still run across things I missed the first time through. Incredible game.
  30. Ydun79
    Feb 11, 2019
    10
    Probably the best RPG to date. The sheer scope of it, the characters, the combat, the story, it's all there.
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2000
3
#3 Most Discussed PC Game of 2000
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2000

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
95

Universal acclaim - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. Antagonist
    98
    I'd like my life back, Black Isle.
  2. Electric Playground
    95
    For the first time in a single player game, I truly felt I was playing my way through a pen and paper fantasy campaign.
    Read full review
  3. GamePower
    100
    It's not just vast, but flooded with quests and side adventures. There is always something to do in this game and, after that, there's always something more.
See all critic reviews »