A reminder that forum rules require us to be respectful of one another.
That's why I said that he and I have nothing more to discuss instead of what I really wanted to say but thought better of. There is absolutely no point in arguing with someone like him, he has chosen not to see already.
The only thing I will say on the matter is a reminder to everyone of the OP's topic for discussion:
"I have read some various reviews about this game. Is it a fun play or is it a let down? Next, I read that some writer is a "SJW" and there is some liberal notions that were put into the game, such as, gay and/or transgender characters? If that is true, is it annoyingly obvious or easily dismissed and not a hinder to enjoyment?"
As everyone can clearly see, it is intended to be a political discussion to some degree. Naturally politics will cause some friction (imho this level of heat is not disrespectful, so long as it doesn't escalate out of hand). If anyone cannot handle viewpoints ranging through the progressive-conservative spectrum than it is probably a good idea to NOT view this thread (or any thread where the word "SJW" or "Mizhena" is used in the op for that matter).
Anyway time to get back on topic. Hopefully I will be able to answer soon if "liberal notions" exist more/less in a evil-playthough. So far seems about the same as a good-playthrough, but I have only just started so I could be wrong (I'm still in baldur's gate lol).
As long as people have different opinions, it will never be over. If it STAYS a discussion, rather than bickering or personal attacks, I would say its a good thing though. Discussion is always welcome.
As long as people have different opinions, it will never be over. If it STAYS a discussion, rather than bickering or personal attacks, I would say its a good thing though. Discussion is always welcome.
While I agree, I'm not sure that view is widely held here.
I remember Fallout 2 back in the days where you could marry Miria as a female character and no one actually gave a sh*t.
It's not about the gay and trans (or whatever they call it nowdays) thing , it's about how they / the developers / writers present it to the gamers.
The ones i mentioned about are adult people at their 25+ to even 50+ and they should know that people are not equal , no matter if we speak about irl or in game. You cannot compare Melissan to a random Mage or Cleric you meet in a random Temple or Demogorgon to the random Gnome that passes the street.
Yet these random Mage , Cleric or Gnome can be a part of something much bigger or give you something that the above mentioned strong entities can not!
It's about ''professional'' writing that is neutral to all the bullsh*t and pseudo modern garbage that plagues peoples life every day.
As for the gameplay ... the expansion is great and i like all the new items.
I just finished SoD and that in itself is remarkable, since most games nowadays bore me quickly and I never see their end.
In case of SoD I was actually sad to see it end. It wasn't short, but I'd loved it to continue some more...
Overall, they did a pretty good job imho. It felt more like a mix between BGII and IWD than BGI. The characters, especially the new ones, and their interactions were very well done, as was the overall story, it filled the gap between the games much better than I anticipated after reading all the negative feedback.
I enjoyed the quests and encounters. Most of them were well thought-out. Likewise I was impressed with the item design, they created a huge amount of very unique and useful items without making them overpowered.
The area art is about the best I've seen in any IE game, very impressive.
Big congratulations go to the audio department. The voice-overs were well done. Being able to listen to Minsc once again was a treat. And the music was most excellent, adding a lot to the overall atmosphere. For instance, the assault on Dragonspear was a great scene gameplay-wise, but accompanied with the score by Sam Hulick it literally sent shivers down my spine.
But what impressed me most, was the overall attention to detail, something you rarely see nowadays. Just look at the gorgeous manuals... even the Release Notes are authored with much care!
SoD wasn't a let down for me and I don't think it's much worse than other games in terms of writing. I mean, let's be honest, Baldur's Gate games don't have stellar writing in general. It's decent, and SoD is decent. My biggest complaint about story is ending - that was pretty repetetive and uninspired for me. Expansion has quite unique atmosphere for me (like each game has, maybe with exception of TotSC) - it was kinda like a mix between BG1 and ToB. I finished it once and I didn't even talk to Mizhena (I played as cartoonishly evil assassin, who doesn't bother talking to those inferior, puny humans with no divine essence within them ), so I don't feel like any "SJW propaganda" was pushed down my throat. So, yea. I recommend it.
Kinda late to the party here but my 2 cents.. I've been playing BG when my friend gave me 5 CDs to load and have loved it ever since. When Beam released Bg:EE1-2-& SoD for Mac (years later) I bought them and have played on & off since. My first impression of SoD was the improved graphics. It was almost a shock at first but after an hour or 2 I got used to it & love it. I also love the improved dialogue. Makes it a little more like table play. I haven't seen where anything has been 'shoved down my throat'. Don't understand where we can play a game where we're basicly KILLING stuff to improve char, but get upset about a dev. NPC design.
Comments
The only thing I will say on the matter is a reminder to everyone of the OP's topic for discussion:
As everyone can clearly see, it is intended to be a political discussion to some degree. Naturally politics will cause some friction (imho this level of heat is not disrespectful, so long as it doesn't escalate out of hand). If anyone cannot handle viewpoints ranging through the progressive-conservative spectrum than it is probably a good idea to NOT view this thread (or any thread where the word "SJW" or "Mizhena" is used in the op for that matter).
Anyway time to get back on topic. Hopefully I will be able to answer soon if "liberal notions" exist more/less in a evil-playthough. So far seems about the same as a good-playthrough, but I have only just started so I could be wrong (I'm still in baldur's gate lol).
It's not about the gay and trans (or whatever they call it nowdays) thing , it's about how they / the developers / writers present it to the gamers.
The ones i mentioned about are adult people at their 25+ to even 50+ and they should know that people are not equal , no matter if we speak about irl or in game.
You cannot compare Melissan to a random Mage or Cleric you meet in a random Temple or Demogorgon to the random Gnome that passes the street.
Yet these random Mage , Cleric or Gnome can be a part of something much bigger or give you something that the above mentioned strong entities can not!
It's about ''professional'' writing that is neutral to all the bullsh*t and pseudo modern garbage that plagues peoples life every day.
As for the gameplay ... the expansion is great and i like all the new items.
In case of SoD I was actually sad to see it end. It wasn't short, but I'd loved it to continue some more...
Overall, they did a pretty good job imho. It felt more like a mix between BGII and IWD than BGI. The characters, especially the new ones, and their interactions were very well done, as was the overall story, it filled the gap between the games much better than I anticipated after reading all the negative feedback.
I enjoyed the quests and encounters. Most of them were well thought-out. Likewise I was impressed with the item design, they created a huge amount of very unique and useful items without making them overpowered.
The area art is about the best I've seen in any IE game, very impressive.
Big congratulations go to the audio department. The voice-overs were well done. Being able to listen to Minsc once again was a treat. And the music was most excellent, adding a lot to the overall atmosphere. For instance, the assault on Dragonspear was a great scene gameplay-wise, but accompanied with the score by Sam Hulick it literally sent shivers down my spine.
But what impressed me most, was the overall attention to detail, something you rarely see nowadays. Just look at the gorgeous manuals... even the Release Notes are authored with much care!
I finished it once and I didn't even talk to Mizhena (I played as cartoonishly evil assassin, who doesn't bother talking to those inferior, puny humans with no divine essence within them ), so I don't feel like any "SJW propaganda" was pushed down my throat.
So, yea. I recommend it.