Jon Irenicus
| Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | BioWare |
| Publisher(s) |
Black Isle Studios Interplay Entertainment |
| 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 |
Windows
Mac OS
|
| 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) |
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 and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rule set. The game, which is powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist, with the others being certain characters from the game world.
Baldur's Gate II, taking place south of the events of Baldur's Gate, is set in the country of Amn, mainly in and around the city of Athkatla. The game 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 the mage Jon Irenicus. The game's plot revolves around the machinations of Irenicus and the protagonist's encounters with him. The game's development began in January 1999. BioWare set out to improve upon the first Baldur's Gate in every way possible. From a list of constructive criticism (compiled from the suggestions of fans, reviews, and internal suggestions) a list of features to be added to the game was distilled: some of these were 800 x 600 resolution, 3D support, and character kits. In Baldur's Gate, the game's engine and content were being developed at the same time; whereas in Baldur's Gate II, the engine was running from the start.
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. Baldur's Gate II is often noted as one of the greatest role-playing games of all time, and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. An expansion pack, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, was released in June 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 in November 2013.
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