A retrospective review of Bioware's 1998 CRPG smash hit. Examines the circumstances surrounding the game's early development, the context of the RPG market in the mid-late 90's, the critical response to the game, and how it all comes together. Sorry for the weird changes in my voice in the Visuals/Sound part - I recorded those in a different room. Timestamps and spoilers warnings below:
00:00 Opening
01:14 Overview
07:43 Behind the Scenes
22:25 Gameplay (AD&D and the RTwP System)
38:37 Gameplay (Pacing, Exploration, and World Design)
48:01 Gameplay (The City of Baldur's Gate, Quest Design, Companions)
58:48 Gameplay Summary
01:01:35 Art and Sound (Visuals)
01:13:12 Art and Sound (Sound, Voice Acting and Music)
01:19:48 Different versions of Baldur's Gate
01:26:20 Story and Roleplaying (Story Overview and World Building) MINOR SPOILERS
01:33:51 Story and Roleplaying (The Iron Crisis and The "Problem" with Fantasy) MODERATE SPOILERS
01:37:28 Story and Roleplaying (Dark Dreams and Failed Ambitions) MAJOR SPOILERS
01:45:18 Story and Roleplaying (General Writing and Companions)
01:49:42 Story and Roleplaying (Roleplaying and TSR's Code of Ethics)
01:58:44 Modding
02:13:17 Outro