Baldur's Gate II
| Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | BioWare |
| Publisher(s) |
Black Isle Studios Interplay Entertainment |
| Distributor(s) | Wizards of the Coast |
| Director(s) | James Ohlen |
| Producer(s) | Ben Smedstad |
| Designer(s) | Kevin Martens |
| Programmer(s) | Mark Darrah |
| Artist(s) | Marcia Tofer |
| Composer(s) | Michael Hoenig |
| Series | Baldur's Gate |
| Engine | Infinity Engine |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Linux |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 93.97% |
| Metacritic | 95/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame |   |
| CGW | |
| Eurogamer | 9/10 |
| GamePro | |
| GameSpot | 9.2/10 |
| GameSpy | 92/100 |
| GameZone | 9.5/10 |
| IGN | 9.4/10 |
| PC Zone | 8.5/10 |
| FiringSquad | 93% |
| Gameplanet | 5/5 |
| RPGamer | 9/10 |
| Awards | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Award |
| Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences | Character or Story Development (2001) |
| Eurogamer | Best Game (2001) |
| Eurogamer | Best Male Supporting Character (2001) |
| Eurogamer | Best Art Direction (2001) |
| Game Informer | 88th in the Top 200 Games of All Time (2009) |
| GameSpot | The Greatest Games of All Time |
| GameSpot | Role-Playing Game of the Year (2000) |
| GameSpot | Readers' Choice Game of the Year (2000) |
| GameSpy | RPG Game of the Year (2000) |
| IGN | RPG of 2000 |
| IGN | No. 25 in the Top 100 Games of All Time (2005) |
| IGN | No. 2 in the Top 25 Modern PC Games (2010) |
Macintosh
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Black Isle Studios. It is the sequel to Baldur's Gate (1998) and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Like Baldur's Gate, the game is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rule set.
Baldur's Gate II opens shortly after the events of Baldur's Gate and continues the story of the protagonist, Gorion's Ward, whose unique heritage has now gained them the attention of Jon Irenicus. The game's plot revolves around the protagonist's encounters with Irenicus, and is set south of the events in Baldur's Gate in the country of Amn, mainly in and around the city of Athkatla.
The game received critical acclaim upon its release; GameSpy, GameSpot, and IGN awarded Baldur's Gate II their "Role-Playing Game of the Year" awards for 2000, and the game has sold more than two million units. An expansion pack entitled Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, was released on June 21, 2001. Besides adding a large dungeon and enhancements to the game, it concluded the Child of Bhaal saga. Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition, an enhanced version of Baldur's Gate II, was released on November 15, 2013.
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition computer role-playing game. The central quest of the game consists of about sixty hours of play, while the full game, including all side quests, totals around 300 hours. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the protagonist; if the protagonist dies, a saved-game must be loaded, or a new game begun. The game begins with character creation, where, through a series of configuration screens, the player creates a player character protagonist, choosing such things as class, ability scores, appearance, and alignment. Alternatively, an existing character from Baldur's Gate or Tales of the Sword Coast can be imported. Once in the game world, the player may recruit certain non-player characters (NPCs) to travel with him or her, though only five may do so at a time; depending on who is present in the group, bickering, romance, and side quests can result. NPCs in the party often converse with the player or with one another, and at times interject into the player's conversations with others.
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