Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra :: I was disappointed by the shift towards polished linearity in Baldur's Gate II.

[quote name="Ice Cream Jonsey"][quote]The idiot in me wants to ask "WHAT MAKES BALDUR'S GATE II MORE TACTICAL THAN [insert title of any comparable game, let's say CLOSE COMBAT]?" But the idiot savant in me understands that more tactical != better. The fact that you had more fun with BGII is all the proof you need for this assertion, because that's the whole fucking point of games. The ultimate argument against Close Combat might very well be that a reasonable person could fail to even make it all the way to the end of the box copy before unceremoniously dumping it back on the shelf at Babbages, now suffering from a case of terminal boredom only curable by ten minutes of Blazing Lazers on the TurboGrafx-16 demo unit outside. [/quote] Hahah -- you know what, *I* confused choice with tactics a little. And a game that had nothing to do with the z axis probably shouldn't have the "best" tactical combat. Here is what I should have said instead -- (And you are absolutely right about Close Combat. I read the box and put it back on the shelf. I have no idea if it's a good game or not.) The choice you have in BG2 <i>is</i> pretty awesome, though. I remember setting up traps in an area I was sure would have combat with one class. I liked that if I knew where a fight would take place, I could control the THEATER OF BATTLE. /grognard. There was the spell skulltrap, but also that one class... argh. Hunter? Ranger? Trapper? I don't remember. That guy kicked ass, though. It seems like they implemeneted every awesome D&D spell in BG2. A lot of them, when cast, was just a rainbow of spell flavors, but I don't care, I thought they looked awesome. OK, sitting and looking pretty is not really tactics, otherwise the best X-COM game would be Kate Upton. To me, in BG2, I had six characters who all did things completely different from one another. I was missing out on using certain classes, sure, but I am OK with that. I like thinking, throughout an entire game, "Huh, wish I had a Druid here" and just pressing on, because the six I made are the six I'm going with. ICJ[/quote]