Baldur's Gate II : Shadow of Amn + Throne of Bhaal

Baldur's Gate 2 has incredible RPG depth, a strong tactical aspect, and great replay value. The expansion is bigger than most, and adds significant epic-level capabilities for your characters.

The game picks up several years after the events in Baldur's Gate, and continues the plot. If you didn't play that first game there are a few quick recaps of the key points. You can play in single play mode, in which case you make your one main character (or import from Baldur's Gate); multiplay with just you, in which you can make your whole party; or multiplay with friends, in which everyone can make and control one or more characters. In any case, your party has up to six people at a time, and you can dismiss or add characters at will.

Add to this a whole lot of classes, including special 'kits' that are akin to 3rd edition prestige classes and you have a whole lot of room for party customization. There's a host of NPCs that can join your party, some better than others, but all very interesting and with unique side quests. You can have romantic relationships with some of these potential party members, and some will even have romances with other NPCs.

Almost all of the dialogue in the game is spoken, and although there's not much full motion video, when there is it's well done. The plot advances through chapters, and there are numerous side quests that take you to many varied game world locations. The rewards for some of these quests are awesome, and some of the monsters you'll run into are equally so. This is where the tactics come in- your party composition is crucial for winning these big fights. For example, dealing with that red dragon is going to be exceedingly difficult without some protection from fire and fear effects. There are also many ways to solve the various problems you run into. For example, a thief laying some traps in a doorway can turn a tough band of charging enemies into so much cannon fodder. Then again, if you don't have a thief or aren't a very subtle type, you can just fireball the lot of them and clean up what's left with a good old-fashioned sword charge.

The area backgrounds are great, though also largely static. Spell effects look decent. The music and voice acting are also top-notch, and don't get old even after many times through the game. The latter in particular really lends character to the people you meet. It's a testament to the developer's success in this regard that you'll have strongly varied feelings toward nearly all of the NPCs- just as you would expect of real people.

As for the story, it is superb. The scope is truly epic, and the side quests actually interesting. This is more than can be said about much of Neverwinter Nights, for all of the polish and vaunted expandability of that title. Though generally linear, the campaign doesn't seem to be linear. When replaying, though you'll be going to the same places and doing the same things, the different characters you have along will make it seem like a different game. There's also a ton of secrets and hidden areas- you might just find something you didn't see before.

Even if you're not into D&D, don't particularly care for RPGs, and don't give a hoot about Forgotten Realms, this game comes highly recommended.

http://rapidshare.com/files/4991116/BGII_SoA___ToB.part01.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4992175/BGII_SoA___ToB.part02.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4993257/BGII_SoA___ToB.part03.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4994358/BGII_SoA___ToB.part04.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4995538/BGII_SoA___ToB.part05.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4996711/BGII_SoA___ToB.part06.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4998140/BGII_SoA___ToB.part07.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/4999337/BGII_SoA___ToB.part08.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5000460/BGII_SoA___ToB.part09.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5001758/BGII_SoA___ToB.part10.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5003118/BGII_SoA___ToB.part11.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5004542/BGII_SoA___ToB.part12.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5006132/BGII_SoA___ToB.part13.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5007672/BGII_SoA___ToB.part14.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5009267/BGII_SoA___ToB.part15.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5010851/BGII_SoA___ToB.part16.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5012406/BGII_SoA___ToB.part17.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5014181/BGII_SoA___ToB.part18.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5015813/BGII_SoA___ToB.part19.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5017641/BGII_SoA___ToB.part20.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5019477/BGII_SoA___ToB.part21.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5021149/BGII_SoA___ToB.part22.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5022751/BGII_SoA___ToB.part23.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5024365/BGII_SoA___ToB.part24.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5026333/BGII_SoA___ToB.part25.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5028087/BGII_SoA___ToB.part26.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5030070/BGII_SoA___ToB.part27.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5032313/BGII_SoA___ToB.part28.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5034333/BGII_SoA___ToB.part29.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5036440/BGII_SoA___ToB.part30.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5066402/BGII_SoA___ToB.part31.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/5037466/BGII_SoA___ToB.part32.rar