Retro gaming

Time flies so fast... Before Christmas, I was lucky enough to find out, during a loose conversation with a new colleague, that he is an old-hand when it comes to classic RPGs. We talked a little bit and we recalled the good ol' times of Baldurs Gate. That made me look around the house for the boxes, that as a child, I was able to rescue from my parents ("this is just a box, you do not need it, it is taking space" and this kind of things).

Recalling the past

I still remember reading the review of Baldurs Gate in local (Polish) newspaper called CD-Action. It got 9 out of 10 and if I remember correctly, the short-sighted reviewer argued, that the latest Final Fantasy is better. Quick investigation reveals his name was Allor and it seems he is still working for CD-Action, despite obvious mistake of not giving BG 10/10 ;)

I also remember when I got the game. It was a present for Christmas of the year 1999. I did not expect that at all, I did not ask for it (silly me), but I liked fantasy a lot (I have read LotR and enjoyed it) and liked computer games. My father liked same things and that way I (we) got a wonderful present. At that times there was no option to test games right away, all of this had to wait for next day, but there was something else, that I miss dearly nowadays. Look at the picture below:

Yes, that is right, this is how games were sold then. It is not some kind of special collector edition, no this is just a regular game. Games were much more expensive relative to earnings compared to now. They were sold in large boxes (275 x 220 x 55 mm) with gorgeous graphics and a lot of goodies in there. For example, the original Baldurs Gate was released on 5 CDs (yes, CDs) and was bundled with a thick book, that was instruction, another book (an even thicker book, that was a regular Forgotten Realms book) and a map. Even though I was not able to play, I could read the instruction and I did. I still remember that I read it from start to the end, checking those Thac0 tables, spells and others. It probably sounds funny now, but back then it was something, at least for me.

Next day me and my younger brother installed the game. As I had to leave for something with my dad, my brother was left and was the first to play. I am not sure if he was able to properly understand what this game is about, as when we came back he told us, that he finished the first level. By that, he meant he was able to pass it, like in a Mario-type game. Discovering things for the first time is really charming when you do it, but when you look back at it, it seems funny and strange.

This is enough for the first time, I have to write short and to the point, as otherwise it is taking me too much time and it feels like work, not like a pleasure :) I will try to find other boxes and share some of my treasures with the world!

TL; DR

Baldurs Gate rocks, I was naive when I was young, in the past games had shiny boxes and additional goodies. Check later for more pictures of old boxes.