Has anyone find the intro one? It doesn't seem to be in my movies folder and I would be very VERY disappointed if it wasn't there when I start it in few hours.
I really hate to say it, but I agree. They're supposed to be replacements for, and improvements of, the originals, taking advantage of how far we've come since 1998. Instead they have less animation than the originals, shorter run-times, fewer things to see, and otherwise in most respects come across as inferior to the originals.
If I gave a flying crap about the videos in BG instead of just clicking through most of them anyway, I might be upset. Since I don't, I will shrug and play the game.
The transitions to the HD Bhaal skull in both the intro and outro cinematic look horrible. Not really a fan of the whole outro cinematic to be honest. The rest is okay, I guess.
People do realize these aren't full scale animations but rather hand drawn artwork rendered as videos, right?
Yes, but I feel like they went with this style because it was easier/cheaper. It doesn't really "feel " like BG to me. Somebody earlier said the movies feel like a graphic novel. That doesn't jive with high fantasy to me.
I have a Mac so I've only seen the intro. Maybe I will change my mind when I've seen the rest.
People do realize these aren't full scale animations but rather hand drawn artwork rendered as videos, right?
Certainly, but it doesn't change anything. The full scale animations of 1998 easily beat out the choppy pseudo-animation of the hand drawn artwork from 2012, which is not the impression you want to give with an 'enhancement.' A replacement is supposed to improve what came before, not make it worse.
I think we can agree that the cinematics weren't enhanced so much, but rather replaced - apparently under budget and time constraints. I agree that the intro and outro transitions into the Bhaal symbol look almost amateurish and both scenes are a letdown. I also think it was a mistake to try to imitate the original 3D scenes with 2D pseudo animations (looks cheap). They should have gone for a non-animated 2D look similar to the BG2 intro.
Anyway I'm still can't wait to play the game. The botched cinematics hurt some of my nostalgia, but on the other hand the new music and interface improvements are awesome and - it's Baldur's Gate after all.
You know, it's slowly getting boring reading, on different occasions "although the game lacks X, or Y isn't working out well, or Z won't be present at all, I'll still play it".
Such sentences serve more and more as a reminder that many of us, including myself, won't be playing the game because they're attracted to its features, but due to nostalgia and a return to childhood/youth.
It's true, though. The new interface etc. are nice additions, which we appreciate. But the main reason for most of us is exactly the one you stated.
Not really a fan of the art style and the skull transition in the ending is just laughable. Hopefully the important stuff is a step forward not backward.
I just realized something... In the beginning of the Intro when zooming into the tome with the lightning flash transition... Thats the sound of the Black Isle logo in BG1.
I thought that was amusing and worth mentioning ^^
I wish they had included a resting inside movie. I kinda miss seeing my room. and the scurrying rats when especially since the inn keepers say "no rats here!"
I think we can agree that the cinematics weren't enhanced so much, but rather replaced - apparently under budget and time constraints. I agree that the intro and outro transitions into the Bhaal symbol look almost amateurish and both scenes are a letdown. I also think it was a mistake to try to imitate the original 3D scenes with 2D pseudo animations (looks cheap). They should have gone for a non-animated 2D look similar to the BG2 intro.
Anyway I'm still can't wait to play the game. The botched cinematics hurt some of my nostalgia, but on the other hand the new music and interface improvements are awesome and - it's Baldur's Gate after all.
Having just finished the game I have to totally agree with you, apart from the first few seconds the entire ending sequence was horribly animated. It completely destroyed my satisfaction at completing the game for first time in years and the original animation kept the atmosphere far better in the great alcove of statues as in the new animation you only see the two next to Sarevok.
The new cinematics are good IMO, but they don't quite match the style of the game. They seem out of place.
Many might disagree, but for some reason, I feel the opposite. I like how the drawings fit in to the IE game. Then again, I don't have a copy of the game yet; I only watched a scene or two through youtube.
Due to demand the missing soundbites and quote the intro has been altered to include them, I was initially happy to hear this until I saw the alterations...
First of all the quote doesn't fit on screen in windowed mode making it unreadable and the soundbites have been sped up then placed ontop of the animation making them sound unnatural and out of place. I like BG:EE and love the artwork, I really want to give it a shinning commendation but the animator needs to be quietly taken behind the building and shot (or for ironic value choked to death before been thrown from the roof) and his job given to someone who can actually animated.
Its the only repeated disappointment I have with the game even in its bug filled incarnation is that every time I see a cut scene I feel like the animator really couldn't be bothered and did the bare minimum to get a pay check.
Just finished the game about five minutes ago. I felt compelled to give some thoughts on the cinematic elements of the enhanced game.
For the most part they're very good. Some aspects disappointed me... (Forgive the possible minor spoilers to those new to the game)
Edit: Actually, you started with an endgame spoiler, so I will add spoiler tags. -Jalily
Firstly, the opening scene where Sarevok tosses the nameless Bhaalspawn from the top of the Iron Throne headquarters - this fellow doesn't scared sh*tless, like the guy in the original did. He's just lying there looking rather... Too accepting of his fate and slightly gormless. His expression doesn't match the desperation of what he's saying. The original animation showed that the guy trying to get away from Sarevok was desperate and scared.
The opening animation failed in conveying this to me, but was otherwise awesome.
The Nietzsche quote... Reduce the kerning between the lettering so it appears more centrally in the screen.
The other cinematics throughout the game were nice and crisp, though I miss some of the animation. For instance, the gnolls in the bandit camp abusing the prisoner.
The ending cinematic showing Sarevok dissolving and his divine essence coalescing into the statue along with all the other Bhaal spawn statues before cracking into fragments - Started good, but overall... The biggest disappointment to me stylistically. I don't think the fade-transition technique lent itself well to conveying the speed with which the energy is travelling beneath the ground of the temple.
Secondly, the whole spectacle of this scene is showing ALL the OTHER statues in the chamber. We got to see, a dwarf and an elf either side of Sarevok... That was it. That fails in conveying the scale of Bhaal's activity during the time of troubles in the creation of LOTS of offspring. Especially the way the camera pans out and gives that top down view so you can see ledges, but not statues.
It might have meant extra work detailing the other statues of Bhaal spawn, but it just seems rushed and a tad lazy to omit such a (to me) crucial detail of the games ending.
And the use of the ToB skull in the middle just seemed VERRRYY lazy. It didn't mesh with the handdrawn cinematics and just looked like some one had dumped a crappy photoshop glow filter on it. Why not hand draw that so it actually matches with the style?
Apart from that, I enjoyed replaying this classic game and the new additions. Lots of fun with a Sorcerer.
The new movies are bad, too cold and too static for me, they show us a world where no one lives, only buildings are there. The old Beregost and Nashkel movies were fun and cool, the new ones are just cold. The Intro is terrible, with the new change it is much worse, if you are not native English speaker you can't hear or understand the new phrase - what was added from the original movie. (I haven't seen the ending movie yet.) I liked the dungeon movie though, and the inn and rest movies are acceptable too. I wish we could choose at the beginning of the game which movies to watch in-game. Or if they could just upload the old movies too, and unlock them in the Movies section of the Main Game Menu (where you can watch the new ones now).
Comments
It's in the post above yours....
If I gave a flying crap about the videos in BG instead of just clicking through most of them anyway, I might be upset. Since I don't, I will shrug and play the game.
I have a Mac so I've only seen the intro. Maybe I will change my mind when I've seen the rest.
Anyway I'm still can't wait to play the game. The botched cinematics hurt some of my nostalgia, but on the other hand the new music and interface improvements are awesome and - it's Baldur's Gate after all.
But the cinematics should have been better (Nothing should have been cut)
They remind me too much of the NWN1 cinematics.
I thought that was amusing and worth mentioning ^^
What about that?!
First of all the quote doesn't fit on screen in windowed mode making it unreadable and the soundbites have been sped up then placed ontop of the animation making them sound unnatural and out of place.
I like BG:EE and love the artwork, I really want to give it a shinning commendation but the animator needs to be quietly taken behind the building and shot (or for ironic value choked to death before been thrown from the roof) and his job given to someone who can actually animated.
Its the only repeated disappointment I have with the game even in its bug filled incarnation is that every time I see a cut scene I feel like the animator really couldn't be bothered and did the bare minimum to get a pay check.
For the most part they're very good. Some aspects disappointed me... (Forgive the possible minor spoilers to those new to the game)
Edit: Actually, you started with an endgame spoiler, so I will add spoiler tags. -Jalily
The opening animation failed in conveying this to me, but was otherwise awesome.
The Nietzsche quote... Reduce the kerning between the lettering so it appears more centrally in the screen.
The other cinematics throughout the game were nice and crisp, though I miss some of the animation. For instance, the gnolls in the bandit camp abusing the prisoner.
The ending cinematic showing Sarevok dissolving and his divine essence coalescing into the statue along with all the other Bhaal spawn statues before cracking into fragments - Started good, but overall... The biggest disappointment to me stylistically. I don't think the fade-transition technique lent itself well to conveying the speed with which the energy is travelling beneath the ground of the temple.
Secondly, the whole spectacle of this scene is showing ALL the OTHER statues in the chamber. We got to see, a dwarf and an elf either side of Sarevok... That was it. That fails in conveying the scale of Bhaal's activity during the time of troubles in the creation of LOTS of offspring. Especially the way the camera pans out and gives that top down view so you can see ledges, but not statues.
It might have meant extra work detailing the other statues of Bhaal spawn, but it just seems rushed and a tad lazy to omit such a (to me) crucial detail of the games ending.
And the use of the ToB skull in the middle just seemed VERRRYY lazy. It didn't mesh with the handdrawn cinematics and just looked like some one had dumped a crappy photoshop glow filter on it. Why not hand draw that so it actually matches with the style?
Apart from that, I enjoyed replaying this classic game and the new additions. Lots of fun with a Sorcerer.
I wish we could choose at the beginning of the game which movies to watch in-game. Or if they could just upload the old movies too, and unlock them in the Movies section of the Main Game Menu (where you can watch the new ones now).