Beamdog started remastering the classic Infinity Engine CRPGs based on Dungeons & Dragons back in 2012 with Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. It was followed by Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition in 2013 and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition in 2014. In 2016 the developer released a new expansion for the original Baldur's Gate, Siege of Dragonspear (Our Review). Finally, in 2017 and 2018, two other Enhanced Editions came out: Planescape: Torment and Neverwinter Nights. While some fans of the original classics didn't quite like some of the additions to these remasters, most will agree that they are excellent in terms of user experience, whereas the originals required a lot of fanmade patches and tweaks to be playable on modern systems.
Now all of these Enhanced Editions are releasing on consoles this Fall. Skybound Games and Beamdog have partnered and turned the classic Computer RPGs into Console RPGs, making them available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The releases will also include physical editions, which will arrive at major retailers on September 24 in North America, and September 27 in other territories (except for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, which will arrive later in December). There will be a total of three boxed editions, each available for $49.99.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhunANhX3WA
The Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition Pack will include both Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition as well as Siege of Dragonspear. The other boxed edition will include Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, which were made by the same developer, Black Isle Studios. The last boxed edition will include only Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition. All of these remasters include all DLC and restored content, including quests and companions. Neverwinter Nights will also include co-op and online multiplayer. Those modes are also available for the Baldur’s Gate games on PC, but the press release doesn't mention if they will be available for consoles as well. You'll also be able to purchase the games from PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
Beamdog CEO Trent Oster (and co-founder of BioWare, the original developer of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights) spoke of the release as a celebration of the franchise:
It’s been nearly two decades since Baldur’s Gate was born from a D&D campaign between me and the game’s co-creators. The longevity of this series and the games that followed has been both humbling and rewarding. Our team is thrilled to continue that tradition by finally making this wealth of amazing storytelling and gameplay available to everyone on modern consoles.The remasters have been tailored for a natural gameplay experience on consoles so that players who have never experienced the games before on PC will probably enjoy the console experience. A complete breakdown of what to expect in terms of technical details and content can be seen on Skybound Games' official website.
Will you try the console ports of these Infinite Engine classics? Do you expect a smooth experience? Let us know in the comments below!
