Baldur's Gate... dot com. Remake/update? - by Shadowcat
Phatose on 3/12/2012 at 21:35
Without license to the Planescape setting, a direct sequel seems impossible anyway. Sigil and the various planes were as much characters as the NPCs were, and I'd imagine the races of the cast would require licensing as well, which means they're out.
So, you have a sequel that takes place in an entirely different world, with none of the same characters and merely thematic similarities. That's only a 'sequel' if you're Square-Enix.
Renzatic on 4/12/2012 at 01:20
Quote Posted by dethtoll
Oh god. So we can expect another CREEPYCOOLDARK 90s-vintage fantasy freakshow setting with 900 pages of purple prose in the hopes that nerds desperate to claim some legitimacy to their favourite mediums will mistake density for depth. At least this being 2012 the gameplay might be halfway tolerable, but I'm not holding my breath.
It might not be true, but the impression you give when talking about PS:T is that you either judged it too quickly, or are trying to be a contrarian about it all.
Like, except for the very beginning, there isn't much in the game that's CREEPYCOOLDARK 90's style. It's weird, strange, and odd, but that's because of the setting more than anything.
Purple prose? We've all seen examples of purple prose. Planescape doesn't have that much in it.
Density for the sake of density? It's a wordy game, mostly because it explains things that'd be difficult to show without resorting to a metric ton of extra animations dedicated to a single scene, or without requiring an extra 6 discs of prerendered animations. If anything, it comes across as trying to emulate an actual D&D session. And that requires a bunch of words.
It's like the most sensitive of Dethtoll topics, and we all try to avoid talking about it because it's the one thing that seems to set you off without fail. But really. You're being way too harsh on the game.
june gloom on 4/12/2012 at 07:23
Am I? Am I really? First impressions are everything, and yet I gave this game as many chances as I could. Chris Avellone's strength is not in fantasy settings, particularly not restrictive tabletop licenses like Planescape, which as a rule tries far too hard to be WEIRD AND DARK and just comes off silly. I mean that's not really Avellone's fault, he's just working in what was given him, but the sheer amount of endless exposition and description is exhausting, even for today's games that have scripts, what, 30, 40 times thicker than games 10 years ago? And trust me, if it was any purpler it'd need a tourniquet. I could show printouts of that shit to any beginner's creative writing teacher and it'd come back with so much red ink you'd think someone was murdered. Avellone has improved greatly in the years since, and we're all a little richer for it.
Neb on 4/12/2012 at 07:55
[video=youtube;uxs3g0Xgh7k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxs3g0Xgh7k[/video]
demagogue on 4/12/2012 at 11:30
That's it. Name of my band is now The Shithump Horror.
Thirith on 4/12/2012 at 13:10
I might grant you the purple prose thing, dethtoll, but the creepycooldark thing? There's entirely too much humour (in the form of irony, sarcasm, absurdity, meta commentary etc.) in the game. Criticising it for its overwhelming weirdness, perhaps, but you seem to have played a different game from the one I've played.
Jason Moyer on 4/12/2012 at 20:53
Quote Posted by dethtoll
Am I? Am I really? First impressions are everything, and yet I gave this game as many chances as I could.
The opening sprawl of dialog is the only part of the game I'm not really fond of (well...and the combat, but it's not shitty/unplayable like Arcanum or something). It took me 10 years to get past that but it was worth it.
Yeah, it's technically a D&D setting, but not really. It tears down D&D cliches even more than KotOR II attacked Star Wars. I mean, for fuck's sake, he turned rats into maybe the most fearsome enemy in the game without pulling a "hurrr durr RAT BOSS LULZ" move.
ZylonBane on 4/12/2012 at 20:56
Quote Posted by dethtoll
Am I? Am I really?
Yes. Really.
Quote Posted by Jason Moyer
It tears down D&D cliches even more than KotOR II attacked Star Wars. I mean, for fuck's sake, he turned rats into maybe the most fearsome enemy in the game without pulling a "hurrr durr RAT BOSS LULZ" move.
This is the part that seems to be doing mach speed over Dethtoll's head, that PS:T is a massive exercise in subverting cliches. You have a game where death is little more than an inconvenience (and sometimes even a solution), lawful demons, an evil angel, a chaste succubus, a "whorehouse" for
intellectual lusts, no armors, almost no weapon upgrading, and so on.
Then you have absolutely tons of side quests, a grade-A (well, B+) set of voice actors, gaining XP by just chatting with your party members, and the ability to sell your own party members into slavery, if you're feeling evil.
june gloom on 4/12/2012 at 21:03
Don't you think you're too harsh on Silent Hill 2 though?
june gloom on 4/12/2012 at 21:11
And anyway all that sounds great! Too bad the game completely fails at making me give a shit. For someone who's telling me I missed the point you sure missed the point of why I don't like the game.
