How Fallout and Baldur's Gate Changed RPGs Forever - IGN Game Changers

The key minds behind Fallout and Baldur's Gate give an inside look into the earliest days of of the RPG revolution.
Watch episode 1 of IGN's Game Changers:
How One Man Changed the Video Game Industry Forever
• How One Man Changed th...
The Controversial Beginning's of Fallout's SPECIAL System
• The Controversial Begi...
12 Game Developers' Advice For Breaking Into the Industry
• 12 Game Developers' Ad...
38 New Games That You Don’t Know Enough About
• 38 New Games That You ...
-----------------------------­---
Follow IGN for more!
-----------------------------­---
KZbin: kzbin.info...
IGN OFFICIAL APP: www.ign.com/mobile
FACEBOOK: / ign
TWITTER: / ign
INSTAGRAM: igndotcom?hl=en
WEBSITE: www.ign.com/
GOOGLE+: plus.google.com/+IGN
#ign #gamechangers

[@eltrouble]

Now this here is the kind of content I would love to see more of from IGN.

[@IGN]

Have you checked out our Secret Origins series yet?

[@jono6421]

that baldurs gate soundtrack will always make me want to start up a new game and go burn 100 hours playing again.

[@krzysiekkopciewicz5901]

/watch?v=5B0srsB0n3g

[@phillconklin382]

The enhanced edition for console comes out today.

[@thewitness7147]

Fallout not only changed RPGS , it changed my life, it made me addicted to video games, I wouldve been the president of America if it wasnt for my addiction.

[@0786RICARDO]

Or a crack addict

[@Skumtomten1]

Well, that would imply you become president based on merit, which you evidently do not.

[@Cat-sv3yk]

you would have been named king in the north permanently if not for video games.

[@MetalJesusRocks]

Shame this has so few views. This is QUALITY stuff here!! Loved this.

[@JD..........]

MetalJesusRocks Yea ya know, only the history of the RPG.

[@stuff2review]

Baldur's Gate 2 and Fallout 2 are my absolute favorite isometric RPGs and some of my most cherished gaming experiences! Would really like to play more games like that!

[@papalou3380]

Baldur's Gate will forever be one of the best games in history

[@Jimboola]

God I loved Baldur's Gate. I was probably addicted in fact... right Boo? **squeak squeak**

[@chrispostings2935]

You must gather your party before venturing forth.

[@valentinachim4870]

damn i read both those comments with the in game voice in my head

[@Jimboola]

Valentin Achim Classic!

[@gymnodinium9]

I still play, still my favorite game (BG2)

[@0786RICARDO]

"BOO?? I WILL CRUSH!! CRUSH YOU TO GOO!!"

[@elmurdoc]

Baldurs Gate Series are my favorite game ever, especially BG2

[@Playchoice10]

WHO ELSE STILL PLAYS FALLOUT 1 AND 2?

[@Archon331]

I just love how the guy has such big smile on his face when talking about BG, hes soo proud (and hes right to be). I wish people like this would still make games today :(

[@Eyelohim]

I still play baldurs's gate. I have baldur's gate 1 and the sword coast, and Baldur's gate 2, including Shadows of amn and Throne of bhaal, and also Icewind dale enhanced version, which includes also Heart of winter. And than i have Planescape torment. Those games will always be one if the best to me. And fallout tactics....Oohhh my god! Only people with real taste of hardcore rpg can understand those classic games.

[@Knight73k]

These are true RPG"s, exploration, player choices, consequences, good music, good gameplay, just wonderful experiences. RPG"s released now days lack any of these features.

[@7dayspking]

Not true that 'RPGs' today lack these features but you're right about these being real RPGs. It's actually the RPGs BEFORE Fallout 1 (1997) that lacked these features. They were mostly hack'n Slash, puzzlers, strategy or linear story games and lacked the 'role playing' of a role playing game.

[@spitfire5381]

Love old school Fallout. wish the new ones were a little more like that. I remember one playthrough, where i lowered my intelligence below 2. It caused my character to only talk gibberish. That playthrough was VERY interesting

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

Wasteland 2 is probably your best bet in terms of old-school Fallout.

[@Dr.Quarex]

@@mikrobyo1790 Wrong, Brian Fargo is always involved in the design too, just not as much as the others. Plus, the storyline for Wasteland 2 was written by a Fallout designer, Jason Anderson. Also most importantly, Wasteland 2 was not perfect, but it sure was satisfying and well worth the sequel it is itself getting.

[@zzxp1]

Yeah, wasteland 2 was kind of a waste...

[@doxide]

I will forever remember gunning down the Vault Overseer after he kicked me out. One of the most viscerally satisfying moments in all gaming for me.

[@MrBothandNether]

GO FOR THE EYES, BOO!

[@AuralLnKiller]

MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS!!! I LOVED IT!!! Can't wait for the next one. I like seeing inside of game studios and hearing interviews with developers.

[@twentygoodmen]

And then Bethesda went on to kill the series/genre. Seriously, I saw someone on reddit yesterday claim that Fallout is a silly shooter first and a hardcore RPG second. OBSIDIAN-MAKE FALLOUT GREAT AGAIN

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

The problem with Bethesda's Fallout is that's it's 75% FPS, 25 RPG, when really, it should be the other way around. Obsidian (New Vegas) brought back, improved and even implement new mechanics into the series. I seriously hope for an Obsidian Fallout again. Fallout 4 debatably killed the series, at least for RPG gamers. If Bethesda keeps this up, then Elder Scrolls 6 will just be an open world fantasy adventure. Also, I think it's illegal to have (Neo) Bethesda and Hardcore RPG in the same sentence

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

Saad Waheed It's not a bad game by any means, but it is a bad RPG. This coming from a die hard fan.

[@Crocthunder]

It still makes me immensely sad where its going now and the future of the ES games from Bethesda, never again will I fall into there hype

[@saadwaheed465]

care to explain....?

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

grizzledcroc Maybe they'll learn from their mistakes. Bioware for example are going back to their RPG roots, at least with ME: Andromeda. That being said, I doubt Elder Scroll 6 will have the same depth as Oblvion or Morrowind.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Very well made and produced. You guys did a great job explain the situations in which the ideas for both of these games came into fruition. Really loved how these people thought of making games like these in those times, but I'm happy how they turned out. Esp. the sequel to both of these games are considered some of the best games ever made.

[@IGN]

Conducting the interviews was a blast. Two awesome teams and a bunch of genuinely kind folks!

[@hemangchauhan2864]

IGN That's awesome! Interviews were very important, as it's 10 times more impactful if people hear about the game series from the creators themselves. Looking forward to your next projects :)

[@FlourEater]

even just main theme of BG2 and Fallout still gives me chills. Absolute masterpieces !

[@tedarin]

Playing BG Triology right now! Epic game!

[@qwer9676]

now it’s a trilogy

[@70mavgr]

Watching this opened the memory flood gates. Thankfully Larian Studios with Original Sin 1&2 and Obsidian with Pillars of Eternity I & II showed us that isometric rpg's are far from dead.

[@nilsandersson4654]

its really interesting and strange to hear fallout music over baldurs gate fotage and vice versa :P

[@beckie8011]

This reminds me of all the great content G4 had back in 2002 and 2003! I had a blast watching shows like Icons back in the day and really getting an in depth look into this industry. Keep it up IGN!

[@Bfr3shBrian]

More of these types of videos please

[@peters4167]

I don't understand the point of using footage from BG:EE here. You should've used original game footage. BG2 best bioware game btw.

[@IGN]

Mostly for expediency's sake. We talked with the folks at Bioware a bit about whether or not that was an issue for them, and they agreed that it was fine to use BG:EE footage here.

[@enderlord5347]

IGN some of the footage you used contained the character Rasaad, who was exclusive to the enhanced edition

[@jasuindiloan]

Great show guys! Looking forward to the Everybody's Gone to the Rapture episode!

[@pragueexpat5106]

Cool little documentary, I just wish it was longer and more in-depth. I'm a huge fan of RPGs, especially story-oriented CRPGs made around 1995-2000 "Golden age of RPG" as I personally call it.

[@bryx908]

Swords for everyone! ! stuck in my head since the 90's

[@BTG514]

Where Minsc goes evil stands aside!

[@taptwoproductions456]

i love video games and documentaries. I haven't seen a regular show like this since icons on tech tv. Thanks for bringing this to us ign!

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

I highly recommend a documentary call Video Games: The Movie. It goes in-depth about the gaming industry as a whole. Also, it's narrated by Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin)

[@IGN]

You're welcome!

[@jasuindiloan]

Also, was looking for the name of Arcanum for years and could not find it anywhere! Thanks!!

[@powderedbuns8251]

Fallout used to be so amazing

[@jackt4274]

Played both BG and Fallout games, absolutely adored them. The atmosphere, storytelling and the gameplay mechanics are just beyond their time.

[@LongHairedYetiCave]

Absolutley brilliant respect to the teams ,what they did for gaming is amazing so thank you ,I love the baldurs gate and fallout series and I am so happy to see new crpg's coming up all the time ,I love that genre so thanks to the creators for making hours and hours of gaming special .

[@nijamase]

At 7:25. What does he mean by "...there were 3 versions of fallout 3"? Van Buren was the 2nd "version" and it got cancelled, Bethesdas F3 was the 3rd version and it got published, but what was the 1st version?

[@adamhasser2010]

There's a really good series of interviews here on IGN (I can't remember what the series is called.) and he's in one of them. You'll have to look it up. It's a pretty interesting watch/listen.

[@LemonTee]

loving this series from ign

[@donstarlancer]

This video is amazing. So glad I found it.

[@saveEarth69]

i loved both games so maybe i'm biased but its true, both had great gameplay and worlds to explore and play in. GO FOR THE EYES BOO, GO, RUN, RUASK!

[@blauwelucht3365]

My best two games ever in one review. It all makes sense now. Bit of a pity they used the new intro of the enhanced edition of baldurs gate. Loved the original one and fits better in this review.

[@moogleworks501]

Nice piece of history.

[@korbeskorner]

Too bad we never got Baldur's Gate 3

[@KreatoR459]

Bg3 is being announced tomorrow!

[@MedievalFantasyTV]

@@KreatoR459 That will be a "sequel" only in name.

[@qwer9676]

L DM the game isn’t even out yet obviously it will have more connections than it just being in baldurs gate

[@guillepankeke2844]

Why there is no mention of icewind dale 1. Like is there some conflict i dont know about?

[@innfraggablekrunkster2633]

Tim Cain is the real MVP

[@Kat1kafka]

i know it has nothing do with this video but I hope obsidian takes over fallout fallout new vegas was great the story the companions all great the dlcs I love how all the dlcs and the main story of the game has a connection to ulysses

[@spicydeath82]

the guys that worked on new vegas aren't at obsidian anymore, so there's no guarantee that another fallout game from them would be anything like new vegas. only guy left from that team is j sawyer.

[@cmdmd]

Did anyone notice the Baldur’s Gate music playing on the background?

[@pillarman-3127]

Baldur's 1 made me stop playing any JRPG and stop buying any console after that. Absolute game changer for me. 😊

[@Marcelo_M.M.]

I had the immense fortune to start playing with this kind of games and for never had touched a console in my life. In a part it says "many think consoles were the future", how in this universe someone could think that, even when PCs were complex, consoles never could have see born such complex games.

[@Scarz3ny]

Great stuff IGN

[@juicebowl]

Baldur's Gate led right into Kotor, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Used to watch my bros for hours playing these games.

[@rmcmelo]

The Baldur's Gate clips shown in this video *are not* from the original game but from the Beamdog's Enhanced Editions, even though they are shown with the original publication date.

[@rmcmelo]

That said, these games (and to a lesser extent Thief: The Dark Project) were everything to me between the late 90s throughout most of the 2000s. Baldur's Gate 2: SoA and Fallout 2 are permanently tied at the number one spot of favourite games ever.

[@RoderickVI]

At first I heard Tim Kaine and thought to myself, at least he did *one* good thing in his lifetime

[@timh35]

I LOVE Baldur's Gate, but i have tried so many times to play Fallout 1 and i never get through more than about 10 hours before i just don't want to play anymore, i don't know why, i think its the mechanics, i wish i was more into it.

[@phillconklin382]

Baldur's Gate 1&2 Enhanced Editions and Icewind Dale come out today on console. :)

[@hazimsone]

+IGN please make a video about emergence of JRPG next time

[@45DegreesSouth]

These games were my childhood !

[@maxwellpalmer6855]

just chiming in to echo what seems to be the prevailing opinion in these comments: great content, best I've seen from IGN in ages.

[@Gagandeep4121]

Baldur's gate III has been announced my friends

[@silkyslapjaw5154]

Huge RPG fan! I've played all of the fallouts, but never got around to BG. So I just bought BGEE and BGEE2 for half off at Steam. Does anyone still play online?

[@garytwinem5275]

Heya, it's me, Imoen!

[@Manufan-og1xg]

Didn't play Fallout 1 and 2 until after 3 but they are both timeless classics, so it doesn't matter when you play them.

[@JnEricsonx]

So happy I got to meet the Bioware founders back in 2011 at the SWTOR launch in NYC. I have a little poster signed by them and a couple of the developers. Bioware was always a company I liked. I'm kinda scared that they're never going to get "it" back, and will next to be killed off by EA.

[@lI-tm2pn]

Make one of how No Man's Sky changed gaming forever.

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

1: Don't overhype games 2: Be wary of developers promises.

[@bluntedatbirth1]

I think some of one dude's comments about "PC is dead" were WAY off. It's not like people no longer wanted isometric role playing games for the PC.. They were all playing Diablo 2. Some of that could be attributed to the Playstation 2, which of course, baldur's gate had their own spin off franchise for that system as well.

[@Agent1W]

4:29 It would have been about 15 YEARS before TES V:Skyrim, where you could "plant" things on people.

[@0786RICARDO]

They should put arcades in fallout 76 with especial mission/areas un the like of fallout1 and 2

[@ronnieragier1894]

Baldur's Gate 1&2 number 1 on my list ever.

[@thefather5765]

I'm a simple man, i see Minsc, i click

[@toddharmon8898]

I don't like that the Baldur's Gate clips from the documentary are from Enhanced Edition and uncredited to Beamdog. I see that as a form of plagiarism. IGN should have either credited the source of the clips, or used clips from the original 1998 release. As it is, the video is very misleading about what the game looked like at release, as well as failing to give credit where credit is due.

[@edwhalen2869]

i wish theyd remaster baldurs gate games with todays tech

[@Infinitends]

Ultima 7 da black gate to rule them all

[@mourasantos]

Bethesda, the most incompetent and atrociously overrated developer in the history of this medium, made a mockery of the Fallout franchise. One of the great tragedies in the field of entertainment, this side of the Star Wars prequels.

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

They seem to go downhill with Skyrim, if not earlier. They make great games but it's pretty obvious they don't care for making RPG's anymore and instead aim for the casual/mainstream market. I think Fallout 4 was the breaking point where they took it too far by almost completely stripping the mechanics down to its bare essentials. If it wasn't for Obsidian with New Vegas, the franchise would truly be dead. Developers like CD Projekt RED, Obsidian Entertainment, InXile Entertainment, From Software, Larian Studios and many other are rising simply because they make RPG specifically tailored for RPG gamers, especially when talking about Obsidian and InXile. Bioware is just as guilty with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, although it's rumoured that ME: Andromeda is going back to its RPG roots similar to ME1.

[@JediMasterRadek]

You forgot Iron Tower and Styg Entertainment. Bethesda went down the drain with Oblivion, the only good game they ever made was Morrowind.

[@kylio95]

The only great Bethesda game was Morrowind, that was a truly magnificent RPG and I think it's very underrated, it should be up there close with the likes of Baldur's gate II and Fallout 2. I do like Oblivion don't get me wrong, that was a childhood game for me, but I think people who highly rate Oblivion mostly suffer from Nostalgia, in that case, that was when the series started to go downhill, although the DLC's were very good.

[@kylio95]

PunkCyber sadly Andromeda turned out to be one of the most overhyped and disappointing game in history, I would maybe put it on par with No Mans Sky, what an awful game. Bioware is finished quite frankly.

[@Rafs879]

Let's not forget daggerfall and morrowind, although I do agree, things started going downhill after oblivion (with the exception of shivering isles, maybe)

[@andrzejwysocki609]

RANGERS AND HAMSTERS EVERYWHERE! REJOICE

[@klumpos]

If you're making a video about these old games and talking about those times, maybe have at least some footage from the original baldurs gate, rather than only showing the enhanced edition which came out 14 years after

[@OLee82]

4:19 - This is not correct. The term is several years older than Fallout and Baldur's Gate.

[@vincenzoesposito6253]

Yes, But when on Ps4?

[@Globtroter4Life]

Bethesda get your filthy hands from Fallout franchise!!!

[@SAMURXAI]

I think maybe some of the problems with today's RPG's are the monopoly publishing companies that have their hands in the development. That's why infinity ward split after MW3 and formed respawn. It makes developers lack the passion and the publisher probably gives them restrictions on what can be in the games. These guys were passionate and had nobody telling them what could be in their game. It needs to get back to that.

[@Xaeravoq]

they are showing the enhanced editions but say it was released in 1998 which isnt true

[@valentinachim4870]

Baldurs Gate 2 is to this day the best RPG ever (Witcher 3 is also there imo) but its an shame for an game like BG to fall in obscurity :(

[@gymnodinium9]

I honestly don't understand what people like so much about witcher 3. I tried it and hated it!

[@ImUpsetThatYouStoleMyUsername]

what the hell kind of mods are they using on fallout?

[@Headbangerr-en2cc]

I'm just happy, that Bethesda guys couldn't put their hands on Baldur's Gate.

[@PeterParker-yg6fc]

such a shame the developers of baldurs gate got bought out (bioware) or lack the resources to make awesome games (obsidian). I miss in depth, high production rpgs where it felt arguably more real than reality itself (kotor 1/2, dragon age 1, jade empire).

[@PeterParker-yg6fc]

Andrew Markus i mean they did for a time. bejamin's a work of art in age of mechanical reproduction gets at it perfectly. the problem is games are mainstream now so videogames have largely lost their brilliant "aura"...since idiots are the bottom line to appeal to

[@SpartanWolf222]

It's really interesting how Black Isle Studios (later Obsidian) and BioWare has played off one another as a healthy competition for RPGs. I think the distinctions between them, especially characterization and the experiences they create, are very subtle but vastly different. BioWare, even from its earliest game Baldur's Gate, is very player-focused in its story and progression. Obsidian/Black Isle was very lore/party-based (just look at how Icewind Dale deviates so much from Baldur's Gate.) Bioware focuses on immersing the player into the game world and story; Obsidian/BI focuses on making the world so immersive for the player to express themselves within it. That distinction is what I often notice whenever you see each developer work on the same series (KOTOR 1 vs 2, Never-winter Nights 1 vs 2, and I'd even say Dragon Age 2 vs Tyranny (2016) are trying to do a lot of similar things.)

[@Bravilor]

And not a single mention of Neverwinter Nights :'(

[@forgetfulstranger]

NWN wasn't really big in terms of rpg value but important in bringing rpgs to the 3D realm

[@klmaster5941]

I'm playing baldurs Gate EE In my phone😁👍

[@uliloolilu780]

Same bro I got 1 and 2

[@Demonskunk]

I wish I could understand why everyone seems to love Baldur's gate so much.

[@8o8g91]

how about elder scrolls tho?

[@mourasantos]

atrocious games.

[@SpeedyC16]

Bob G Good games, not so good rpgs

[@mourasantos]

Speedy Cord no. Atrocious games, period. They're not good RPGs, not good FPSes, not good open-world games, not good anything.

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

They're good games but everything after Morrowind was made for the casual gamer, Skyrim in particular.

[@mourasantos]

Speedy Cord but it isn't a matter of opinion, their games are objectively incompetent.

[@williamgraham6640]

Best rpg ever made hands down.

[@JS-so3hl]

Love Balders Gate!!

[@mojebi3804]

Well, they didn't change RPGs that much because most RPGs since them have gone downhill.

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

Very true but THAT Bioware is LONG gone. I doubt we will ever get a Bioware RPG that's as good as Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age: Origins or even ME1 for that matter. As much as I love Bethesda, they keep washing down Fallout to the point where the original Interplay franchise is nearly extinct. Let's hope Obsidian makes the next Fallout. New Vegas brought back the mechanics of the original Fallout games.

[@Bigdaddymittens]

PunkCyber lmao dragon age is literally the most forgettable RPG I've played. Everything is overly cliche.

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

Hayden Onion That is an extremely unpopular opinion, unless you only played Dragon Age 2 which is understandable.

[@Lynchotype]

Mass Effect 2 is their best game tho, it's very likely one of the best written games of all time.

[@ru55ianR3AP3R]

James Marlon The story of is the best in the ME trilogy but it lacks the mechanics on ME1.

[@mourasantos]

lol Every single one of their games prior to the EA takeover are far better written than any installment in the Mass Effect franchise. I can literally think of HUNDREDS of games that were far better written than Mass Effect 2.

[@Rzepik]

Sadly KotOR changed RPGs again. With more cinematic and less tabletop approach.

[@ivanm.r.7363]

thank u. can't wait for the chinese room episode

[@IGN]

Coming up next!

[@johnkirkish57]

Wasn't Ultima Online the first RPG?

[@Azure9577]

No Not even close

[@freshownage]

Go for the eyes Boo, go for the eyes!!1 lol

[@Gad94God]

Playing fallout while watching this video

[@kidwajagstang]

Funny. I played Fallout nonstop. My bro played BG nonstop...

[@theJellyjoker]

Go for the eyes Boo!

[@jessicalee333]

Go fer the eyes, Boo!

[@minigunsun]

Can you at least use original baldur's gate instead of EE. I bet the editing person never heard of this game until the job came in.

[@TheT0nedude]

And Bethesduuuuhhh are changing it back....

[@TheCivildecay]

Wow really loved this vid! But can we all agree that if someone in the industry yells "genre/platform X is dead, and won't sell anymore" we just laugh in his/her face and sent him away? Singleplayer is still alive, 2d is still alive, non-service games are still alive, pc gaming is still a thing, mobile didn't kill consoles, motion control or VR didn't kill regular controllers and screens... These were all predictions made by some industry asshats.