Baldur’s Gate II is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. The central quest of the game consists of about 50 to 60 hours of play, while the full game, including all side quests, is estimated to be between 200 and 300 hours. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the protagonist; if the protagonist dies, a saved-game must be loaded, or a new game begun. The game begins with character creation, where, through a series of configuration screens, the player creates a player character protagonist, choosing such things as class, ability scores, appearance, and alignment. Alternatively, an existing character from Baldur’s Gate or Tales of the Sword Coast (the Baldur’s Gate expansion) can be imported. Once in the game world, the player may recruit certain non-player characters (NPCs) to travel with him or her, though only five may do so at a time; and, depending on who is present in the group, bickering, romance, and side quests can result. NPCs in the party often converse with the player or with one another, and at times interject into the player’s conversations with others.
Recommended: