The two greatest video games of all time get new editions

The two greatest video games of all time (arguably) are both being re-released in spanking new editions fit for modern gamers.

First up is StarCraft Remastered. Blizzard have confirmed that they are re-releasing the original, classic StarCraft and its expansion Brood War is a new edition complete with new resolutions (essential as the old game had a locked, low-res perspective) and reworked graphics. Surprisingly, the game is still in 2D and does not use the StarCraft II engine. Although not confirmed, it is also assumed that they will be replacing the old, CG cut-scenes with reworked ones.

The original version of StarCraft will remain available but, impressively, will now be free. Even more startlingly, as StarCraft Remastered uses the same codebase as the original, players will be able to switch between modes at the touch of a button and original players will be able to play against those using the new version of the game in multiplayer.

More controversially, the UI will apparently not be improved. This means that you will still only be able to select 12 units at a time and you won't be able to auto-send newly-built units to resources.

Despite these age-old limitations, StarCraft is still widely regarded as one of the best real-time strategy games of all time (challenged only by Company of Heroes, Hostile Waters and Homeworld), mainly due to its sublime unit balance between three completely different sides and fast-placed gameplay. Arguably, StarCraft II added too many variables to the mix and made the game a bit more challenging, whilst the original's smaller roster still allowed for a wide mix of strategies whilst being more constrained. Less arguably, the original game has a far better-written, more interest and more concise story than the sprawling, increasingly silly sequel.

Also getting the remaster treatment is (probably, although it's not been quite 100% confirmed yet) Planescape: Torment. Widely-regarded as the greatest CRPG of all time, the game is set in the Outer Planes and the bizarre city of Sigil, and sees the player taking on the role of the Nameless One, an immortal entity who has to discover the secrets of his past and the nature of his own reality. The game is notable for its commitment to dialogue, characterisation and ideas over combat, blood and looting. The game recently gained a "spiritual successor" in the form of Torment: Tides of Numenera.

Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition is being handled by Beamdog, who previously handled the expanded and enhanced versions of both Baldur's Gate games and the two Icewind Dale titles.

DRAGON AGE co-creator working on new BALDUR'S GATE game

Ex-BioWare writer David Gaider has joined Beamdog, the development team made up of ex-BioWare and ex-Black Isle staffers working on the new Baldur's Gate game, Siege of Dragonspear.

Gaider joined BioWare in 1999 and wrote material for both Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and its expansion, Throne of Bhaal. He worked on Neverwinter Nights and its two expansions (Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark, on which he was lead writer), as well as the critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

However, Gaider's main claim to fame was working on the Dragon Age franchise. Preliminary development of the franchise began in 2002, when BioWare decided not to make any more Dungeons and Dragons-based games and needed a home-grown, replacement world to set fantasy CRPGs in. Gaider played a very key role in creating Thedas, the continent where the action of Dragon Age takes place, and developing the background lore, politics and key characters of the setting. He also wrote key characters including Morrigan, Alistair and Shale for Dragon Age: Origins and Meredith, Fenris and Cassandra for Dragon Age II. Gaider worked as a writer and designer on Dragon Age: Origins, its expansion Awakening and then on Dragon Age II. He moved up to the role of lead writer on Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Gaider has now come full circle, with Beamdog employing many ex-BioWare personnel including Trent Oster and Brent Knowles, the Dragon Age franchise co-creator who quit the company in 2009 in disquiet at the controversial, action-heavy direction mandated for Dragon Age II by Electronic Arts. Beamdog have recently reissued updated, enhanced editions of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II (and their respective expansions), Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale II. They are currently finalising work on Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, an "interquel" set between BG1 and 2 and expected for release in Spring 2016. Gaider is joining too late to work on that game (which was recently described as feature-complete and now in QA and testing) but will likely play a key role in whatever project Beamdog develop next, including the much-rumoured Baldur's Gate III.

BioWare have been hemorrhaging a lot of talent recently. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, two of the company's co-founders, resigned in 2012. Jennifer Hepler, another writer, left in 2013. Casey Hudson, the director of the successful Mass Effect trilogy, departed in 2014. Although a lot of talent remains, BioWare have no announced projects underway beyond further expansions for Star Wars: The Old Republic and a new Mass Effect game, Andromeda, slated for release later this year or in early 2017. An all-new game, Shadow Realms, was cancelled last year. It is unclear what BioWare will be working on in the future, although rumours persist of a new, single-player focused Star Wars RPG and further Dragon Age games.

New BALDUR'S GATE game announced

Fourteen years after the release of the last game in the Baldur's Gate saga, Throne of Bhaal, it's been officially announced that we're getting a new one. Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear will be released "soon" by Beamdog Games for PC and tablet devices.

Siege of Dragonspear is an "interquel", taking place between Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. The new game will take approximately 25 hours to complete and will use the same Infinity Engine as the old games. It is officially an expansion to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition (despite being almost as large as the entire original game), so you will require that to play it.

This isn't Baldur's Gate III but more of an extra episode in the saga, filling in the blanks on what happened between the first two games. There wasn't much of a narrative gap between the two games, beyond murky mentions that something happened that encouraged you to leave Baldur's Gate after you'd saved it in the first game.

The new game has some interesting pedigree: the developers have avoided the "evil for evil's sake" villains of the original game and even got the much-in-demand Chris Avellone on board to review the script. There's also been updates to the graphics, UI and inventory systems which will roll out across all of the other Infinity Engine Enhanced Editions as well.

Apparently Beamdog want to ultimately combine Baldur's Gate, Tales of the Sword Coast, Siege of Dragonspear, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal into one humungous mega-game that will take hundreds of hours to complete and take players from Level 1 to (at least) 27. But that project is apparently still a way off in the future.

New BALDUR'S GATE game to be made

In unexpected news, Beamdog have announced they are making a new Baldur's Gate game using the Infinity Engine, the old 2D engine used to create the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale series, along with the classic Planescape: Torment.

The new game is an 'interquel', set between the two Baldur's Gate titles, presumably in the few months that elapsed after the end of the first game and before our heroes are captured in the wilderness and taken to Amn to begin the events of the second.

This is a curious decision, likely driven by budgetary and licensing constraints. Beamdog are working with Atari (the D&D licence holders) and Wizards of the Coast (the current owners of the D&D brand itself) and apparently getting them to all work together has been a nightmare so far. Given they are working together on the re-releases of the Infinity Engine games, it may make sense to try to squeeze a new game out whilst there is a window of opportunity to do so and while the isometric RPG market is seeing a resurgence in popularity due to the high sales of Divinity: Original Sin and Wasteland 2, not to mention the upcoming Pillars of Eternity. On the other hand, using the Infinity Engine in all is creaking glory is probably not the best idea, there is no real narrative gap between the first two games that needs to be filled and apart from its head, Trent Oster, Beamdog has very few personnel working for it who also worked on the original games. Certainly most of the major writers and creative forces are now with other companies, or still at BioWare.

Beamdog plan to release the new game later in 2015, so it'll be interesting to see what direction it takes. Meanwhile, Obsidian, who do have many of the writers and creative forces behind the Infinity Engine games working for them, are due to ship Pillars of Eternity, a modern 'spiritual successor' to the Baldur's Gate series, in the next few months.

Release date given for BALDUR'S GATE ENHANCED EDITION

Beamdog have announced that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will be released on PC, iPad and Mac on 18 September this year, with an Android version to follow a few weeks or months later.

They have also given more details about what the remake will consist of. As well as being made compatible with modern operating systems and graphics resolutions, the game's user interface has been updated, with many of the improvements from Baldur's Gate II ported back to the original game. The cut scenes have been re-rendered and new cut scenes added. There are three new recruitable characters: a Calishite monk, a half-elf wild mage and an half-orc blackguard. There's also a whole new quest, in which you create six new characters and take on a formidable challenge extending across multiple levels of a dungeon. The game features the original music and voices, but also some new music and voice work. The game's expansion, Tales of the Sword Coast, has also been integrated into the original game as well.

Of course, the 'improvements' from the new edition can be, if you wish, safely ignored if you just wish to enjoy the original adventure as BioWare intended back in 1998. Assuming this is successful, an enhanced edition of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (incorporating its own expansion, Throne of Bhaal) will follow next year.