Every single fantasy role-playing video game that exists, from World of Warcraft to The Witcher, started with tabletop RPGs. When RPGs first started, they borrowed the same rules and settings as tabletop games, with Dungeons & Dragons being the most popular.
The Baldur's Gate franchise was one of the earliest RPGs that most players experienced on the PC more than 20 years ago. It currently consists of several games that date back to 1998, when Bioware published the first Baldur's Gate video game for PCs. The series is still going strong, with a new installment, Baldur's Gate 3, scheduled for a release in the near future.
10 The Forgotten Realms
Ever read any of the Dragonlance books or feel immersed in a tabletop campaign that wanted more exploration? The Baldur's Gate franchise offers that chance.
The Forgotten Realms is just one of many D&D campaign settings, but this one has a particular vintage charm. It dates all the way back to the very genesis of tabletop gaming, one of the first fantasy environments created by developer Ed Greenwood in 1967.
9 Badass Villians
A scary villain is the best motivator any player can have, which is why a video game without a convincing villain is always going to be a disappointment.
The actual Lord of Murder is the game's main antagonist, which is a pretty tall order in the first place, and who isn't afraid of Mindflayers? Even Beholders steer clear of those things. It's the former that plays a big part in the most recent game and it's terrifying already.
8 A Continuing Storyline
It's not just the history of the video game franchise that goes a long way. The story that started in 1998 continues throughout the whole franchise in some form, even the most recent installment.
The games start the same way a typical D&D campaign would, with your character essentially starting at zero and building up their skills as the game progresses. Early characters can also be imported into later games so players don't always have to start from scratch.
7 The Combat System
A player doesn't have to be familiar with D&D rules to understand the sophisticated, complex, yet intuitive combat system used by the franchise.
There's a reason virtually every MMO and RPG uses a similar system. Even games like Elder Scrolls, which tend to use different systems also used with tabletop games, still borrow a lot from the classic D&D rules.
6 Available On Several Platforms
It used to be that only PC gamers knew the joy of exploring Baldur's Gate, but today the game is available on a variety of platforms. The game has expanded from PCs and has been available on the PS4, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch for a year now.
It is likely a marketing ploy to drum up enthusiasm for the Baldur's Gate 3, but a welcome change nonetheless. No matter what rig is in a player's gaming cave, the Baldur's Gate franchise can probably run on it.
5 It Looks Gorgeous
Even the early names were noted for their stellar graphics, which was always superior to other games of the time. The most recent installment is being developed by Larian Studios, the same company that produced the Divinity games, another franchise that values beauty as much as substance.
It's not just the graphics themselves, which are based on a proud tradition, but other important features that are new to the franchise, like cut scenes for moments of dialogue. The vintage games have been released in enhanced versions so they look even better than they did back during their initial release.
4 For The Nostalgia
For many RPG gamers who enjoyed early MMO games like Knights of the Old Republic, the Baldur's Gate franchise would have been one of the earliest games they would experience.
Younger gamers who are more familiar with recent titles like Divinity: Original Sin, would also enjoy the franchise, which uses the same basic D&D rules. The game is old enough to bridge the gap between not only two generations but also two separate gaming formats, the RPG and the MMO.
3 The BioWare Legacy
BioWare might have been quiet in the past few years but they never went away. For a while, they faded from the fantasy RPG scene and turned to space opera instead. The Star wars MMOs that so many players know and love were developed in part by a partnership between LucasArts and Bioware.
One of these games, Star Wars: The Old Republic, is one of the few MMOs that can hold it's own against the biggest juggernaut in MMO history, World of Warcraft.
2 There's An App For That
The PC that most gamers had in 1998 can fit into a basic tablet in 2020, and all most all of those old games have been enhanced for use on tablets and phones. A player doesn't exactly need a desktop with a compact disc reader anymore to play a complex RPG game.
It's easy to find and download the apps, too, which are available on platforms like Steam or Google Play. They often include troubleshooting programs too, so don't worry about tweaking the system manually like back in the old days.
1 The Mod Commodity
As anyone who plays various games on Steam can tell you, mods are great fun. They can breathe new life into a familiar game ith features like random starting points or pre-rolled characters.
The Baldur's Gate games have a staying power partly because of the potential for mod commodities. There are mods that alter gameplay, but there are also mods that fix bugs or protect saved files. Any gamer can understand how that can be handy.