In an article on this site, Ilya Zarembsky asked it in a different way: “What exactly does it mean to preserve a video game?” That article explored a host of opinions from the ivory tower of video game preservation hosted at Pressing Restart, a conference at the NYU Poly Magnet Center in 2013.
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Why isn’t this equation balancing? Or really, at what point is this my fault? Its awards and accolades only add to my confusion. Yet even through a thick, half-feigned veil of historical respect, I couldn’t enjoy Baldur’s Gate 2. Only thirteen years ago, Baldur’s Gate 2 was considered one of videogames’ greatest achievements. Minsc, the party’s tank, screamed, “Make way villainy, a hero is coming through!” as we encountered another idiot horde. A total onslaught of magic and swords emerged in front of me, but where was I in this mess? I was a little arrow, hovering above my pixellated team and clicking, clicking, clicking. But something interesting seems to be at play … let’s take the combat, for example. “English major chooses CliffsNotes over Billy Budd ” is not really a headline. In the grand scheme of things, I realize, this does not matter.
#Baldurs gate enhanced edition faces of good and evil Pc
Sometimes, we call it “fun.” But as I sat playing Baldur’s Gate 2 on a borrowed PC from my university’s library, I couldn’t grasp any sort of joy, ecstasy, or insight. It requires a certain nameless excitement. But to really enjoy a game, you need more than passive, inanimate respect for structure and mechanics.
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Sixty hours of turn-based combat in Fire Emblem? No problem. I’m a huge fan of getting nostalgic, especially when it comes to videogames. Bitter, difficult, and unrelenting frustration. I felt one thing within the ten hours that I played of Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition : frustration. Because this has been a pretty damn dull experience. And in the middle of all this, I pray for vindication and satisfaction. An NPC Golem sits inside of a laboratory, not yet fooled into leading me inside his master’s crypt. The keys to the library sit in the second sewer tunnel, directly behind a black cauldron. Inside its halls, goblins await a band of heroes. The dungeons of Baldur’s Gate 2 have yet to be plundered.