Coming to XB1, Switch and PS4: Baldur’s Gate 1/2, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and Neverwinter Nights (Update: Release Plans Detailed)

Phantom88 · May 31, 2019

Mudo said:
Now im wondering if I should stop and play BG1+2 on consoles. Will controller be better than touch screen I'm really not sure...

Of course not. The games were created the way they were because computers have mice. Pointing devices. Have you seen how Pillars of Eternity plays on consoles? Its like, jesus christ. Why does this even exist. Its the most unnatural, shoehorned thing ever made. And i suspect these games will be the same. Theres a reason computers got Baldurs Gate and consoles got Dark Alliance - because a controller is not suited for this genre. Imagine every action that requires a mouse click or a quick key press on PC will be handled by menus and submenus upon other submenus. Slowly and akwardly browsing for every tiny action. The character selection will probably require to shift the entire camera until you center the things you want to select in the middle of the screen.

I have no idea why would anyone wanna play these games in this way when its so unsuited for the genre. Continue playing on the ipad

Nolbertos · May 31, 2019

Will be buying all games, physical for Switch is best.

AlanOC91 · May 31, 2019

They really do look beautiful. Very tempted.

Mudo · May 31, 2019

Phantom88 said:
Of course not. The games were created the way they were because computers have mice. Pointing devices. Have you seen how Pillars of Eternity plays on consoles? Its like, jesus christ. Why does this even exist. Its the most unnatural, shoehorned thing ever made. And i suspect these games will be the same. Theres a reason computers got Baldurs Gate and consoles got Dark Alliance - because a controller is not suited for this genre. Imagine every action that requires a mouse click or a quick key press on PC will be handled by menus and submenus upon other submenus. Slowly and akwardly browsing for every tiny action. The character selection will probably require to shift the entire camera until you center the things you want to select in the middle of the screen.

I have no idea why would anyone wanna play these games in this way when its so unsuited for the genre. Continue playing on the ipad

Ok good to know thanks!

jb1234 · May 31, 2019

Quinton said:
I know Planescape Torment is supposed to have a great narrative but what's Icewind Dale like? Does it have a good story too?

Icewind Dale doesn't have much of a story at all. It's a straight hack and slash. Very good at what it does (at least for the time) but don't expect much from the narrative.

Saphirax · May 31, 2019

Mudo said:
Ok good to know thanks!

PoE plays great with a controller. From the impressions so does BG1.

Mudo · May 31, 2019

Saphirax said:
PoE plays great with a controller. From the impressions so does BG1.

Uh oh conflicting theories lol.
On a related note I just started playing Divinity Original Sin 2 on Xbox One X and while it works, the menu item management and selection of objects seems WAY harder than it would be with a mouse...AND there is fucking screen tearing on the X wtf. So I think I'm dropping that for the PC version.

Maybe I'll fire BG up on PC and just compare it to the console version to see for myself

Fevaweva · May 31, 2019

$50! Mama Mia!

PrimeRib · May 31, 2019

Mudo said:
Uh oh conflicting theories lol.
On a related note I just started playing Divinity Original Sin 2 on Xbox One X and while it works, the menu item management and selection of objects seems WAY harder than it would be with a mouse...AND there is fucking screen tearing on the X wtf. So I think I'm dropping that for the PC version.

Maybe I'll fire BG up on PC and just compare it to the console version to see for myself

I have D:OS 2 for Xbox One X and the screen tearing was terrible, got to the last Act and couldn't stand it anymore. Much more enjoyable experience on PC.

I'm interested in the Switch versions of these BioWare/Black Isle classics, for good old school dungeon crawling on the go. Hope the characters aren't ants on the smaller screen ...

Drensch · May 31, 2019

Fevaweva said:
$50! Mama Mia!

I already own all of these games. I would have loved to have gotten then for switch. But at 50$ a pop, I'll have to wait.

TheMan · May 31, 2019

I was hoping for a collection of sorts

BringBackSonics · May 31, 2019

Lowblood said:
Pairing Icewind Dale and Torment together just kind of feels like "Well, they don't pair with anything else here," but it actually works out for me because ID is the one I most want to revisit and I never played Torment.

Will have to figure out which console to go with...can't imagine there should be much in the way of performance differences.

I think its pretty smart. PS:T is regarded by many as one of the best RPGs, while IWD is a great dungeon crawler style, I don't think it has reached the 'teir' that BG and PS:T got.

BringBackSonics · May 31, 2019

Mudo said:
Uh oh conflicting theories lol.
On a related note I just started playing Divinity Original Sin 2 on Xbox One X and while it works, the menu item management and selection of objects seems WAY harder than it would be with a mouse...AND there is fucking screen tearing on the X wtf. So I think I'm dropping that for the PC version.

Maybe I'll fire BG up on PC and just compare it to the console version to see for myself

There tends to be a bit of 'PC is best' for certain games. Saw some of that while talking about PoE and more recently Stellaris and CIV on console.

Stellaris on Console is GREAT and I've put thousands of hours of it on PC as well .

Deleted member 12867 · May 31, 2019

I couldn't imagine playing these games with a controller. Are there any crpgs on console that play well? I'd love to have these on switch but really worried about the control scheme.

PrimeRib · May 31, 2019

Undeniably, the PC is the best way to experience these games. But it doesn't mean it's the only way. I've found the console rendition of the Divinity series to be very well thought out, although there's no denying that it just takes longer to point and click on environment items like barrels/chests/bodies for looting, etc. when you're moving a thumbtack around instead of a mouse. I imagine these games will play out similarly. It's a concession worth making if you don't have a PC, certainly.

Deleted member 3010 · May 31, 2019

AlanOC91 said:
They really do look beautiful. Very tempted.

Oh shit.

Is that an american physical release announced yet?

If not, I'm importing the FUCK outta this.

EDIT: Nevermind, just saw the last page, it comes out here too! YAY!

Pooroomoo · May 31, 2019

Fevaweva said:
$50! Mama Mia!

Drensch said:
I already own all of these games. I would have loved to have gotten then for switch. But at 50$ a pop, I'll have to wait.

it's $50 for each two games, physical (except for Neverwinter Nights). "Baldur's Gate I and II will be packaged together, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale are also paired up, and lastly Neverwinter Nights is available separately. Each physical release is priced at $49.99"

Quinton · May 31, 2019

jb1234 said:
Icewind Dale doesn't have much of a story at all. It's a straight hack and slash. Very good at what it does (at least for the time) but don't expect much from the narrative.

Ah, okay. Thanks.

Drensch · May 31, 2019

Pooroomoo said:
it's $50 for each two games, physical (except for Neverwinter Nights). "Baldur's Gate I and II will be packaged together, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale are also paired up, and lastly Neverwinter Nights is available separately. Each physical release is priced at $49.99"

Yeah, but it'd be a lot easier to swallow at 39 or ideally 29.

Phantom · May 31, 2019

These prices are absurd

Thrill_house · May 31, 2019

Wow Torment on consoles. Never thought I would see that. Great stuff.

Freezasaurus · May 31, 2019

Those asking prices are fucking disgusting. I still gotta buy two of the three, though. I wasn't a huge fan of Neverwinter.

Moist_Owlet · May 31, 2019

cool its coming this fall along with every other fucking game. Industry needs to spread out its releases christ

Mr.Beep · May 31, 2019

I mean I just played NWN a few months ago and had about 30 hotkeys...

Fevaweva · Jun 1, 2019

Pooroomoo said:
it's $50 for each two games, physical (except for Neverwinter Nights). "Baldur's Gate I and II will be packaged together, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale are also paired up, and lastly Neverwinter Nights is available separately. Each physical release is priced at $49.99"

I was about to argue that I paid at least $10 for each of those games, but if the ports are great then I understand why the price is high.

iamaustrian · Jun 1, 2019

AlanOC91 said:
They really do look beautiful. Very tempted.

Oh god. Thats literally thousands of gaming hours there.

I didn't read anything but is the switch touchscreen in any sort used?

EDarkness · Jun 1, 2019

Is Neverwinter Nights gonna have all of the level creation stuff or is it just the base game and expansions?

Wilco · Jun 1, 2019

This is amazing! Portable baldurs and planescape. And with physical!! So in! Finally the time for a replay as come.
And maybe actually finishing baldur this not just wandering around the world like the previous 10 times I played...

Valcrist · Jun 1, 2019

Will probably buy Baldur's Gate 1+2 on PS4 at launch to see if CRPGs are my thing. Never tried one before.

60fps · Jun 1, 2019

Quinton said:
I know Planescape Torment is supposed to have a great narrative but what's Icewind Dale like? Does it have a good story too?

Think of it this way:

Planescape - Focus on Story
Baldurs Gate - Balanced Mix of Story and Combat
Icewind - Focus on Combat

Quinton · Jun 1, 2019

60fps said:
Think of it this way:

Planescape - Focus on Story
Baldurs Gate - Balanced Mix of Story and Combat
Icewind - Focus on Combat

Makes sense! Interesting variety.

ArnoldJRimmer · Jun 1, 2019

Saphirax said:
PoE plays great with a controller. From the impressions so does BG1.

The only people I have ever heard say this, are people who never played the PC version, and typically people who have never played games on a PC. Ignorance is bliss.

I would guess it's serviceable coming from a background of never having played these type of games on a PC, but if you know better, it will drive you up the wall.

Phantom88 · Jun 1, 2019

ArnoldJRimmer said:
The only people I have ever heard say this, are people who never played the PC version, and typically people who have never played games on a PC. Ignorance is bliss.

I would guess it's serviceable coming from a background of never having played these type of games on a PC, but if you know better, it will drive you up the wall.

Thats about accurate. You know how when you have a console port which doesnt have mouse control in menus. And we have to browse with the keyboard, going through every damn option instead of clicking with the mouse on what you want. Remember how infuriating it is, how shitty it fells? Now imagine console gamers have played games like this their entire lives. Thats why you get statements like the one above.

Pillars on consoles is one of the most ridiculous things ive ever seen gaming wise. I could not name a more shoehorned and unsuited game type for a controller

Altazor · Jun 1, 2019

DarknessTear said:
Will probably buy Baldur's Gate 1+2 on PS4 at launch to see if CRPGs are my thing. Never tried one before.

be ready to learn about Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition ruleset, as seemingly unintuitive it can be 😅

And be ready to have most of your attacks miss and get killed in one or two hits during the early parts of Baldur's Gate 1. Low-level D&D is certainly... a thing. Those dice rolls can be brutal.

But it's really fun once it goes past these very early moments. And BG2 is really fucking good.

Saphirax · Jun 1, 2019

Phantom88 said:
Thats about accurate. You know how when you have a console port which doesnt have mouse control in menus. And we have to browse with the keyboard, going through every damn option instead of clicking with the mouse on what you want. Remember how infuriating it is, how shitty it fells? Now imagine console gamers have played games like this their entire lives. Thats why you get statements like the one above.

Pillars on consoles is one of the most ridiculous things ive ever seen gaming wise. I could not name a more shoehorned and unsuited game type for a controller

ArnoldJRimmer said:
The only people I have ever heard say this, are people who never played the PC version, and typically people who have never played games on a PC. Ignorance is bliss.

I would guess it's serviceable coming from a background of never having played these type of games on a PC, but if you know better, it will drive you up the wall.

I grew up playing CRPGs and I also played PoE on my PC - still don't have any issues with the console ports. Obviously kb&m will always be better for such games, but saying the console ports are awful and the worst thing ever is just hyperbole.

Count of Monte Sawed-Off · Jun 1, 2019

ArnoldJRimmer said:
The only people I have ever heard say this, are people who never played the PC version, and typically people who have never played games on a PC. Ignorance is bliss.

I would guess it's serviceable coming from a background of never having played these type of games on a PC, but if you know better, it will drive you up the wall.

I've been playing these kind of games since the first Baldur's Gate. Mouse and keyboard is definitely better, but the controller for the console version worked fine and a lot better than I expected.

Daggoth · Jun 1, 2019

What's happened to Siege of Dragonspear? Is it rolled into BG1?

Never played it so I have no idea about its length, whether they can get away with charging separately for that as well.

Dancrane212 · Jun 1, 2019

Daggoth said:
What's happened to Siege of Dragonspear? Is it rolled into BG1?

Never played it so I have no idea about its length, whether they can get away with charging separately for that as well.

It's included.

https://www.skybound.com/games/beamdog/baldurs-planescape-neverwinter-console-release

● The Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Pack: Celebrating the series' 20th anniversary, the original Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and its sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition, return with all DLC and restored quest content, as well as the Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear expansion, featuring new original content developed by Beamdog to bridge the two games.

ArnoldJRimmer · Jun 1, 2019

Count of Monte Sawed-Off said:
I've been playing these kind of games since the first Baldur's Gate. Mouse and keyboard is definitely better, but the controller for the console version worked fine and a lot better than I expected.

Better than you expected.... what did you expect? A hot mess is my guess... so its better than a hot mess. Ill give you that :p

Daggoth · Jun 1, 2019

Dancrane212 said:
It's included.

https://www.skybound.com/games/beamdog/baldurs-planescape-neverwinter-console-release

Thanks, didn't see that earlier. I just saw the list of 5 games, the comment about that they'd be split up for digital download, and assumed the worst.

hibikase · Jun 1, 2019

Saphirax said:
I grew up playing CRPGs and I also played PoE on my PC - still don't have any issues with the console ports. Obviously kb&m will always be better for such games, but saying the console ports are awful and the worst thing ever is just hyperbole.

What are you talking about there's never any hyperbole on this forum

Typicalrik · Jun 1, 2019

Never understood why mouse and keyboard isn't available on ps4 and xbox one. Both, especially the Xbox, have the ability to use them. Some games even let you plug and play with them. They should have an option to toggle this on them.

Glio · Jun 1, 2019

Do you know if, apart from the new controls, the Switch versions have touch control?

Apenheul · Jun 1, 2019

I hope the text is readable on the Switch screen in handheld-mode. it looked fine in docked mode footage.

Mechaplum · Jun 1, 2019

Already have these portable on my iPad so will pass, but glad to see that more people will play Torment though.

Mejilan · Jun 1, 2019

I grew up playing cRPGs on PCs. I platinumed PoE on PS4.
It's perfectly fine with a controller. They did a great job adapting the controls.
If Skybound/Beamdog follow a similar control scheme, there shouldn't be any issues.
I'm more concerned with the size of text on the Switch when playing portable.

Freezasaurus · Jun 1, 2019

Sorry if this has already been addressed, but is Baldur's Gate II going to include the expansions as well?

BlackManLovesKUF · Jun 1, 2019

AlanOC91 said:
They really do look beautiful. Very tempted.

Looks so good, it's going to be an absolute blast revisiting these games.

Mejilan · Jun 1, 2019

Freezasaurus said:
Sorry if this has already been addressed, but is Baldur's Gate II going to include the expansions as well?

The BG1&2 pack includes everything, including the independently created (by Beamdog) Dragonspear expansion from a few years back that bridges BG1 and BG2. Technically, I think Dragonspear is rolled into BG1 if you decide to buy them separately/digitally instead of the physical bundles.

Only thing I'm not sure about are the NWN modules and module creator.

Freezasaurus · Jun 1, 2019

Mejilan said:
The BG1&2 pack includes everything, including the independently created (by Beamdog) Dragonspear expansion from a few years back that bridges BG1 and BG2. Technically, I think Dragonspear is rolled into BG1 if you decide to buy them separately/digitally instead of the physical bundles.

Nice. Couldn't imagine it wouldn't include everything for that price.

Coming to XB1, Switch and PS4: Baldur’s Gate 1/2, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and Neverwinter Nights (Update: Release Plans Detailed)

Owner of YGOPRODeck.com

Very low key

User requested account closure

User requested account closure

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site

Writer at Jeux.ca

Tic-Tac-Toe Champion

Specialist at TheGamer / Reviewer at RPG Site

User requested ban

Enlightened