Return to Baldurs Gate?

[The Beggar]

I actually almost bought the digital BG1 and 2 a few days ago to replay them as I've lost my boxed sets somewhere among many moves. Glad I waited a bit.

If it's an engine / graphics update I'll wait for it's release.

If it's BG3, which -could- be epic, I'll buy the old ones off GOG.

Either one would be good for me though. Such amazing stories. If it's an engine /  graphics update I could  see them re-release Planescape and possibly Icewind Dale I/II in the future. There is enough of a following of those games they would sell well I think.

[The Pathfinder]

I would love to see either of those, yes. I can't imagine what Planescape would look like with modern graphics; I was never able to play it without a 25% chance that any magic visual effect would crash my game though.

How does Icewind Dale compare to BG/Planescape? I never played it, but I hear it mentioned with them all the time.

[Porkolt]

Icewind Dale works on the Infinity engine, just like BG, so the gameplay is close to identical.

The plot, however, is wafer-thin, and because you create your entire party from scratch, with no joinable PCs present in the game, a lot of the character-driven interaction is completely lost.

[tropic]

Icewind Dale II is awesome. It uses 3e rules, too (maybe 3.5? I can't recall) so it will be immediately accessible to NWN players.

[tropic]

If I had to guess, I would guess that Oblivion is making an infinity engine game. There was some gossip about this when one of the Oblivion higher-ups mentioned that he'd like to do another RPG in this tradition.

[TheArtist]

New Games done well are always good.

[The Beggar]

Since I'm home on vacation:

1500 EST: Website goes down at 00:00:00 on countdown timer.
1502 EST: I finish my Diet Mountain Dew.
1513 EST: My wife asks me what I'm doing, and then realizes again she married a nerd. She rolls her eyes.

1554 EST: This is posted - http://www.examiner.com/console-gaming-in-national/baldur-s-gate-enhanced-edition-coming-this-summer

Something Baldur's Gate has been teased for the last few days with a countdown clock. Now we know what that something is; Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition for the PC.

Beamdog and Overhaul Games have taken the original Baldur's Gate and updated it with new graphics. No other details about the game have been provided yet other than a planned Summer 2012 release.

UPDATE: Here's the official announcement from Beamdog and Overhaul Games.

"Atari, Wizards of the Coast, and Overhaul Games are pleased to announce work has begun on the Enhanced Edition of Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II.

Since its initial release in 1998, Baldur’s Gate has entertained millions of fans around the globe, and has received countless awards. This classic saga of mystery, intrigue, and adventure has set the standard for Dungeons & Dragons® computer roleplaying games ever since.
 
Overhaul Games has assembled a talented team of artists, programmers and designers to enhance this timeless classic. To remain true to the spirit of the game, the team includes original Baldur’s Gate developers.
 
Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition™ and Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition™ will feature a re-forged version of the Infinity Engine with a variety of modern improvements.
 
Further details regarding platforms, content, etc. will be released later.

[OMGbearisdriving]

I will definitely be in on this.

[Yalta]

OMGbearisdriving, hello! Welcome back?

[TheMacPanther]

!!!!

[BlackLion]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116352-Atari-Reveals-Baldurs-Gate-Enhanced-Edition

Details are still mighty thin but the countdown at baldursgate.com hit zero a few minutes ago, revealing [after a lengthy, chugging pause to address overloaded server issues] the Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition. Not much is known at this point but it's coming from Beamdog, Overhaul Games and Atari, and it's due out this summer. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: We still don't know much, but a Beamdog rep has told Joystiq that the new game will be more than just a graphical overhaul. "This is the Enhanced Edition, it's not a repackage," the rep said. "We have the original source code and are doing a significant update."

"Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition is going to have new content for the game you love," Beamdog chief and Baldur's Gate veteran Trent Oster tweeted following the announcement, "made by some of the original team members."

Platforms and other information have not yet been announced.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/baldurs-gate-enhanced-edition-arrives-this-summer/

Nope, we still don't really know what this Baldur's Gate announcement business is, but we sure do know it's name now: "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition." Huzzah! As previously reported, Beamdog is working on the Baldur's Gate project, though the developer's Overhaul Games division is taking lead. Atari is handling publishing duties, and Wizards of the Coast is licensing its (D&D-based) IP.

From the few details we have, the project sounds an awful lot like an HD remake to us – especially given the fancier logo and "Enhanced Edition" subtitle. We've reached out to Beamdog for clarity on what the game actually is, and what platforms it'll end up on (among other things). For now, know that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will land on whatever those platforms are at some point this summer. We're gonna take a wild guess that it'll be on PC at the very least.

Update: Beamdog reps tell us that the team at Overhaul is adding "new, original content" to the original game to make up the Enhanced Edition. "This is the Enhanced Edition, it's not a repackage. We have the original source code and are doing a significant update." He also confirms that no platforms have been announced just yet.

Update 2: A Beamdog rep also confirms that the company is self-publishing. Though he wouldn't go into detail regarding the new content, he says that "it's being loving crafted in the spirit of the original with the help of some of the original developers." Additionally, Cameron Tofer and Trent Oster have been working on the project ("planning and organizing") for "over a year now." We'll also hear more soon, as the team is planning "regular announcements every week with more details."

The actual announcement website appears to be gone or down.

[OMGbearisdriving]

OMGbearisdriving, hello! Welcome back?

Don't plan on it. I'm a family man these days, don't have the time efu requires. Having a daughter makes life interesting but roleplaying isn't much in the cards

[BlackLion]

Don't plan on it. I'm a family man these days, don't have the time efu requires. Having a daughter makes life interesting but roleplaying isn't much in the cards

Teach her to play a Transmutation Wizard, she can probably handle it and you get a free buffbot.

[BlackLion]

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116361-Beamdog-Boss-Reveals-More-About-Baldurs-Gate-Enhanced-Edition

Details about the Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition are slowly bubbling to the surface.

Yesterday's announcement of the Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition was pretty much a gong show from the word "go." The reveal site crashed the moment the countdown timer hit zero, as we all knew it would, and when the official announcement did finally start making the rounds, it was nothing more than a title - Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition! - and a launch quarter of summer 2012. Oh, and a picture of Sarevok.

Fortunately, Trent Oster, the big hondo at BGEE studio Beamdog, has let a few more details slip by way of his personal Twitter account. It turns out that there will actually be two games, BGEE and BG2EE, also known as the Baldur's Gate 2 Enhanced Edition. The first game will include the original Baldur's Gate plus the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion; BG2EE will include Baldur's Gate 2 plus the Throne of Bhaal expansion. It's the whole shebang, in other words, plus new content including new characters with new voice actors.

But Oster also made it clear that all the important bits will remain untouched. All the original voice files are in the game, so everyone will sound like they're supposed to, and the game will be entirely isometric 2D. It will also continue to make use of the 2nd edition ruleset, as the original Baldur's Gate games did, and the music is being left as-is because it's already so epic.

A few other details of note: The game is being built on the "Infinity Advanced" engine based on the last Throne of Bhaal build, meaning that all the enhancements from that game will be included in this one. It will be a digital-only release through Beamdog, although the studio is "putting some thought into" a Steam release as well, and while it's currently a PC exclusive, Oster hinted that other platforms could be announced next week. The studio is "trying hard not to break mods" and at this point the save game formats are the same, so you might even be able to make use of those old saves you've kept lying around for the past decade. You still have those, right?

Imports from BG1 to BG2 will be supported, controllers will not be supported - this is mouse-and-keyboard only, as it should be - and if you want a truly authentic BioWare experience you can play with just the original content and ignore all the new stuff, although I think that'd be kind of silly. More details will presumably be forthcoming and Oster said some screenshots are on the way as well, hopefully next week, which I'm really looking forward to. We'll keep you posted!

[el groso]

Shut up and take my money