I would say that Bethesda certainly built on their experience from the Elder Scrolls games when they were developing Fallout 3, but I don't know that I would count that as a bad thing. Fallout 3 did for Fallout what Ocarina of Time did for Zelda; it allowed players to experience the world from a different point of view. The execution of that experience could be criticized, but I wouldn't fault anyone for experimenting with perspective and gameplay.
@Malicron Honestly, the actual gameplay of the original Fallouts is just godawful and inexcusable. What could have easily been something as smooth as BG1 or Final Fantasy Tactics was instead a clunky mess with horrendous animations and an unfairly steep learning curve. My biggest complaint with the series is that the steepness of Fallout 2's learning curve is titanic in proportion. At least FO1 provided some viable starting weapons and some reasonable low-level enemies rather than immobile plant monsters that dodge attacks like the wind and have more than twice the HP of the player.
FO3 might have fudged the lore and basically cobbled together a plot out of elements of the first two games, but they greatly improved the gameplay and the overall design over the previous iterations.
Even if they make it and it sucks, why do you care? I doubt it would suck, and I also doubt BG 3 would ever get made unless overhaul makes it. Did you see what they did with the BG ip name before? They made some arcade hack and slash games after BG. At least Overhaul would attempt to make an actual rpg.
Staying loyal to FO1, FO2 and FOT! :-) Good retro games should stay retro, not get turned into consolified mainstream FPS rubbish. For me, Fallout3 is just another random fps game that you find hundreds of on almost all platforms.
Staying loyal to FO1, FO2 and FOT! :-) Good retro games should stay retro, not get turned into consolified mainstream FPS rubbish. For me, Fallout3 is just another random fps game that you find hundreds of on almost all platforms.
It's...really not like that at all. For one thing, it's not even limited to the first-person perspective. The amount of RPG mechanics and exploration in that game make such a sentiment laughable, really.
@Zzidolfas86 - I am guessing that you never played FO3 or New Vegas if you think that it is in any way an FPS. Having played it myself, I see almost no resemblance to FPS what so ever other than the POV. But there ends any similarity.
I totally get the love for FO1 and FO2 (tactics was a bit of a jumble in my opinion but to each their own) and I share it. And I totally agree that FO3 is a complete departure from the original. Just saying that "Different" doesn't in all cases mean bad. Ok, in quite a lot of the cases, yes. But not in all cases.
In my opinion, you should try FO3 (fixed. Thanks Dee!) out before passing judgement, and try it with an open mind, not one that is already predisposed towards hating it. If you still hate it, and some do, fine. But don't judge based on appearances and the fact that it is different from the original.
Tried, played and finished all of them tyvm :-) They were all fine games, but there is nothing special, original, new or honestly very catchy about them. I am a very picky person when it comes to games, and fallout3 for me is just not a worthy followup to a fantastic game series. It did not live up to _MY_ expectations, and I honestly dont care about yours
And belive it or not, I am being very open minded about it. This is a series that I played and loved growing up and I am simply not happy with Fallout3. Is it such a problem for you that I dont agree with you and the dude above with a really strange nick... If so you should get out more
Feel free to come with the "your argument is invalid comebacks", I wont bother with responding as this is waaaay off-topic.
@Zzidolfas86 - I am sorry you took my post as offensive as you clearly did. It was not intended as such. Your initial statement was that FO3 was a "consolified mainstream FPS rubbish". I am unclear how anyone who has played the game can have any such thoughts. Clearly I am wrong about that. Obviously you see the game much differently than I do.
You are entitled to your opinion about the game. Fair enough.
I am entitled to mine as well. In mine, Fallout 3 is nothing at all like an FPS. It has significant role play elements and is a wide open sandbox game. there is a rich story line with multiple nodes and potential paths, neither of which are usually present in most FPS games today that I am aware of. It also has a sense of humor and offers a welcome walk in the Fallout Universe in my opinion. If FPS games have one tenth of all of this, I have been playing the wrong FPS games.
But absolutely you are entitled to your opinion on the subject.
I am glad Fallout was brought up, because it was the first thing I thought of when I read the OP. Fallout 3 was a polarizing game. Players and fans of the classic didn't like it, yet new gamers praise it constantly. That isn't what I want BG3 to be and I would rather have developers who were original developers of BG make BG3 than any other company regardless of their financial situation.
I also truly hope that we get a revamped RPG instead of revamped graphics, bells and whistles. If I had to choose between fully voiced over acting, or impactful decision, I will take the latter everytime. I want the company to create a game where not only the ending or beginning are different, but the entire middle is different and can be played in different ways.
I don't want an open world. Open world to me sounds too much like MMOs, and that is not what I want to play. I don't want to go where ever I want to go, I want to be involved in a captivating story that keeps me engaged, thinking and creating meaningful relationships with characters with real emotions and stories where every guard is different and they all didn't take an arrow to the knee.
I want an RPG. I want to play a barbarian or a sorcerer or a bard or an assassin and still have the story make sense to my class choice. I want my actions to express my alignment. If I take from a chest i move toward chaotic, if I turn in a criminal (no matter how minor the crime) I shift over to lawful. I want to be able to pray to different types of deities and wrathfully or peacefully convert others.
I want more than six playable characters (and I want them all for free, none of this you get this guy only as a DLC). I want them to interact. To like each other or be at each other's throats. I want them to flirt and fall in love with each other. I want them to break each other's hearts, I do not want to be the only one with a meaningful relationship, but I do want to be able to fight for one. I want recruitable characters based on my alignment or class or choices I made. I do not want them all available to me at once. Choices should matter, they should be able to walk away without warning. They should be able to rob me in my sleep, or even slit another party members throat.
A newer, shinier engine with next gen graphics will not give this to me. The best it will give me is a Witcher game, where I am pigeon holed to one type of character or worse a Hawke. That is not what I want to play.
I want choice. I want rewards and consequences for those choices. I do not want to be told a story, I want to live it. That is an Role Playing Game. And if Overhaul can deliver that to me, then by all means, they can make Baldur's Gate 3 or any RPG game.
tl;dr: Overhaul has my support if they can deliver a well written story.
Tried, played and finished all of them tyvm :-) They were all fine games, but there is nothing special, original, new or honestly very catchy about them. I am a very picky person when it comes to games, and fallout3 for me is just not a worthy followup to a fantastic game series. It did not live up to _MY_ expectations, and I honestly dont care about yours
And belive it or not, I am being very open minded about it. This is a series that I played and loved growing up and I am simply not happy with Fallout3. Is it such a problem for you that I dont agree with you and the dude above with a really strange nick... If so you should get out more
Feel free to come with the "your argument is invalid comebacks", I wont bother with responding as this is waaaay off-topic.
You're entitled to your opinions. I merely pointed out how, as you presented it, your opinion could be easily dismantled and made you sound as if you'd never actually experienced FO3 beyond looking at screenshots. As somebody who logged over two-hundred hours into FO3, asserting that it was "just another random FPS" struck me as wholly ridiculous. To be honest, I still find your claim that you played it highly dubious based on that assertion.
Anyway, like I said you're entitled to your opinion. But, let's not pretend opinions are somehow sacrosanct, cannot be criticized, and cannot be presented or voiced in a ridiculous way by those that hold them.
@deltago - I am a fan of both the classic Fallout 1-2 and of Fallout 3. But yes, it does tend to be very polarizing. I don't think that the developers had much choice in the direction that Fallout 3 went though. I mean creatively, yes. But I'd bet that someone high up 'Decided' to make it a first person perspective instead of the isometric perspective of the original as the FPS and better graphics tend to sell better these days. With that having been done (or not), I think the team that came out with Fallout 3 did a great job of at least trying to pay homage to the original.
As for open world versus a dedicated story line, I liked the fact that you could wander all over the place in BG1 whereas BG2 you had very specific places you could go with only random encounters between. I personally would like a bit of both. Although it isn't as popular in these forums, I quite liked the intent (if not necessarily the execution) of Storm of Zehir in NWN2. The overhead map allowed you to stomp around across the entire world without having to be bogged down with loading ZONES. It reminded me very much of one of my favorite modules "The lost caverns of Tsojcanth". You had to find the caverns. They weren't merely a way point on the map. But that's my preference and I would be happy either way if they came out with BG3.
If BG3 comes out, I would be perfectly fine if it wasn't necessarily a continuation of Charname from BG1. In fact, I'd be just as happy if we started out as a whole new character and had to find out what ever became of the original companions and Bhaalspawn. That might make for some interesting story telling. Just a thought.
BG:EE is but the tentative first step into the deep plunge that is BG2:EE.
I think the added content to BG:EE is quite spot on and fitting for the game. The fact that the romance/friendship paths were as short as they are and that other added content feels a little brief suits the game.
We shouldn't forget that BG1 is a quick and brief game in it's own right. Yes, there are things to explore out there, but first few times i played the game it was quite quick. The main quest itself hurries you along at a frightening pace and other quests such as rescuing Dynaheir, ulcaster etc etc is done away with very quickly.
This can't be compared to BG2, where you are forced and encouraged to go questing and exploring the world once you escape Chateu Irenicus. There are huge sidequests with deep stories to them, npc's with great long-spanding story arcs and personalities I am yet to see in any other game since. (NWN and Dragon Age doesn't compare.. not by a long shot, and their 3d engines are just a lot of fail compared to Infinity).
That said, I believe the content Beamdog will add to BG2:EE will be lot more extensive and on par with what the original game offers, just like how BG:EE's new content flows perfectly into that game and doesn't seem alien to the original game at all.
This is also reflected in the modding community, where the biggest, best and deepest mods are in fact made for Bg2, and keep in mind that several modders are in fact working with Beamdog now.
BG2:EE will be an entirely different beast to wrangle than BG:EE, simply because the nature of that game is so much more diverse and deep, so with a successfull BG:EE in my eyes, I think they'll do a stellar job at 2EE too.
As for BG3.. 2EE will be the real test, won't it? If the content they make for 2EE flows as seamlessly into the original game, and is on par with it, just like how BG:EE feels.. well.. it's looking good so far.
I would really really like to see a BG3. I'd probably prefer for it to stick to its roots as much as possible (in graphics or 'feel'. I know how ambiguous that sounds)
I, for one, just really like the Forgotten Realms as a setting and no game has ever made it more real for me than BG or its sequels have. Judging by what I've seen already in BG:EE, I think this team has what it takes to make a fully original sequel which would satisfy me. I just hope they get the chance.
That said, it makes me happy to know that there are fans of Baldur's Gate out there who feel so strongly about the series that they flesh out their ideas for a perfect sequel and...let's say...'refuse to settle for less' ^^''
I used to think that. I was one of those die hard fans who wasn't about to give Bethesda the time and day. Didn't think they had what it took to make a Fallout game. My belief was that only the original designers could do it right.
I saw the game trailers and my mind started to change. I said what the hell and bought Fallout 3. Played it and haven't looked back since. One of the best games (with mods) that I still play. What Obsidian did with Fallout New Vegas, was almost perfection. After they patched it of course.
Staying loyal to FO1, FO2 and FOT! :-) Good retro games should stay retro, not get turned into consolified mainstream FPS rubbish. For me, Fallout3 is just another random fps game that you find hundreds of on almost all platforms.
I played Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 when they both got released and hit the shelves. I'm not going to blindly follow a retro RPG standard in some vain attempt to sound hip, when there have been clear examples you can bring an authentic tactical fighting experience with DA:O, with a top down view n all that.
Baldur's Gate has a huge hype train behind it,
I want Baldur's Gate 3 to have a huge budget, so whatever they do they can make sure the art style is great and for there to be big attention to detail and overall a huge amount of content and a fleshed out story.
I'm not going to sit here and blindly follow a game developer who polluted Baldur's Gate 1 with additional story lines I literally immediately had no care for. (Maybe its me but I always role with the same party :[)
Why would Beamdog follow a "retro RPG" standard? Are you of the opinion that if you typed it, it must be the truth? Their hands were tied when it came to adding new content and its scope, I honestly thought that was abundantly clear. We'll currently have to wait out the legal debacle, of course. Who knows, maybe Beambog will be better off than before.
I assume that you hate what inxile are doing with Torment and Obsidian with Eternity. There's little that puts me off as much as today's low-risk AAA gaming, but I'm repeating myself.
I would love a BG3, but from what I recall of what Trent and co. said about a possible BG3 I'm not sure what they have in mind is something I'd actually want to play. I'd rather have a continuation, but it seems like they're interested in just making an entirely new game but keep the name BG3. Not something I'd look forward to honestly.
I would love a BG3, but from what I recall of what Trent and co. said about a possible BG3 I'm not sure what they have in mind is something I'd actually want to play. I'd rather have a continuation, but it seems like they're interested in just making an entirely new game but keep the name BG3. Not something I'd look forward to honestly.
There's really nothing to continue. CHARNAME's story is over.
A friend of mine once ran a D&D campaign where we played in the Forgotten Realms a few decades after the events of ToB, and a female CHARNAME had become a Lawful Neutral deity of blood and executioners rather than murder. So, there were some ties to the BG franchise, but it was still its own tale. I'd like to see Overhaul do something like that, where we play in the Baldur's Gate city-state but are only vaguely related to the first two games.
I'm not going to sit here and blindly follow a game developer who polluted Baldur's Gate 1 with additional story lines I literally immediately had no care for. (Maybe its me but I always role with the same party :[)
It isn't really Overhaul's fault that your proclivities are incredibly boring.
Based on the added content alone to the EE I honestly don't think that the studio has the chops to give us Baldurs Gate 3. I read on a gamespot news article that Baldur's Gate 3 is very possible, and I think it would be a shame and a travesty to let this glorious IP sink to this kind of low.
Yes I really don't have faith that the developers can bring us a Baldurs Gate 3 - we'd all expect something even better than Baldurs Gate 2. With this developer, I really don't see that as a possibility. Not to mention Baldurs Gate 2 and 1 were built on an engine created over a decade ago. I don't want Baldurs Gate 3 to fall into the hands of a studio too scared to try something new, or too poor to bring a Dragon Age Origins kind of graphical experience.
I want Baldurs Gate 3 to be a next gen game, something epic, not a title crippled and mired to an outdated engine thanks to its predecessors, and unable to get the love it deserve because the current devs are too poor.
It's a great IP, and if they are able to make Baldurs Gate 3, I don't expect anything but a cash grab off an exploit of everyone's nostalga and trust in the brand.
I like the reasoning here, but you can color me nostalgic. I'm all in for the same ole same ole. There's something to be said for holding onto the good old days as opposed to conforming to the new. There is a definite niche in the gaming world for these ancient game engines to make money. I would not overreach.
I played Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 when they both got released and hit the shelves. I'm not going to blindly follow a retro RPG standard in some vain attempt to sound hip, when there have been clear examples you can bring an authentic tactical fighting experience with DA:O, with a top down view n all that.
I think you mean EXAMPLE (singular). I really can't think of another RPG out there that provides the level of tactical combat and the depth of story line that BG does. Even DA:O, which I loved, didn't come close. This isn't any nostalgia or attempt to sound Hip, it is an acknowledgement that no one has come close since then.
Well deserved in my opinion, and in quite a lot of other opinions. The fact that a revival has sold at all after 14 years speaks to that. Add to that the fact that the team who are working on DA3 said "We will look to what worked in BG as a guide" during a recent panel kind of says it all. Even they realize that it is the gold standard.
I want Baldur's Gate 3 to have a huge budget, so whatever they do they can make sure the art style is great and for there to be big attention to detail and overall a huge amount of content and a fleshed out story.
I am just the opposite. I feel that most "Huge budget" titles these days are so afraid of losing money that they feel obligated to hammer things into some trite and true (intentional spelling error) formula that speaks to the widest possible audience instead of the core one. I would like to see a product budget that is appropriate for the task, but not one that forces the developers to have to sell out to the casual gamer market for fear of not being able to feed their families. Give me a small budget project any day.
And I absolutely don't need the finest and most polished high end graphics engine to make it work for me. Good solid graphics is fine. I think the infinity engine is fine for what it does. I don't want to be spending more money on the graphics than on the story and RPG elements.
I'm not going to sit here and blindly follow a game developer who polluted Baldur's Gate 1 with additional story lines I literally immediately had no care for. (Maybe its me but I always role with the same party :[)
Fair enough. You don't like the new content. Others do. And I agree with what was said above. The proof will definitely be in what we see (if we see it) for BG2:EE. That is a more robust story driven adventure and will be the real acid test. lessons learned and some background in the project might surprise and delight even you.
There's really nothing to continue. CHARNAME's story is over.
Well I've seen people put forth a case for dealing with loose ends from the previous games or just continuing the story. Continuing the story can mean adding another chapter to the Bhaalspawn chapter, but it could also be a different story inolving CHARNAME and his/her companions. I don't personally subscribe to the idea some do that you can't have any games after that.
I'm not personally interested in a BG3 where the only continuity you see from previous games is the odd bit of background lore and at best a cameo from an npc or two. That just seems more like a spin off than a sequel. I think that's fine for another game, but not for BG3.
I am certain you have seen posts by people who strongly dislike a certain movie for whatever reason; sometimes their dislike turns into a rant at which point I stop reading. People who strongly dislike certain games fall into the same category--they believe that a certain game is trash for a handful of reasons and nothing you say will ever disabuse them of that opinion. I always ask the same question to people in those two groups: if your standards are so high and you so elitist in your views that you trash movies/games because they failed to meet your high expectations, then why are you ranting about it on the Internet instead of getting out there and making your own movies/games? If your artistic vision is so grand then you should be making a masterpiece for the rest of us to enjoy. If not, then perhaps you might want to tone it down a notch.
I think BG3 would not only be a wonderful game but I strongly suspect that even if it used an older engine or a new engine and graphics that give a "retro" look that people would still buy it. Nostalgia for the older games coupled with a compelling and well-written storyline and interesting characters with depth would result in a huge hit. It worked for Fallout 3 and it worked even better with New Vegas, both games I enjoyed. Speaking of games built on newer engines with a retro look, I am also eagerly anticipating Wasteland 2--a few haters have wound up disliking the game based solely on the few videos released via the Kickstarter updates but in general I think it will be very well received and that a new generation of Desert Rangers will be born (I was in the first crop back in 1988).
The best way to get the ball rolling on a BG3, once all the legal difficulties have been settled, would be to Kickstarter the project. I know that I would support it.
Honestly, BG3 will never be as great as BG2 because it's simply not BG2, But it can be something else that is just great on it's own. I welcome any attempt at making a serious BG3 game and I will definitely buy it.
Based on the added content alone to the EE I honestly don't think that the studio has the chops to give us Baldurs Gate 3.
Your argument fails from your first sentence. Because of contractual limitations from the IP holder, they were significantly limited in what they could do. And now you hold that against them as an example of their work is completely short sighted and unfair.
I for one look forward to BG3 and very much hope it comes to fruition.
I would love a BG3, but from what I recall of what Trent and co. said about a possible BG3 I'm not sure what they have in mind is something I'd actually want to play. I'd rather have a continuation, but it seems like they're interested in just making an entirely new game but keep the name BG3. Not something I'd look forward to honestly.
There has never been any intention by anyone to continue the saga of Charname, because, as others have pointed out, it is over with ToB.
Initially (ten years ago) BG III was intended to tell a completely different story, located in the Dale Lands region.
@Mathsorcerer: A fallacious argument - one doesn't need to be a director in order to have a critical opinion of a film. By the same token, you don't need to have the ability to write stories in order to critique them.
Comments
Honestly, the actual gameplay of the original Fallouts is just godawful and inexcusable. What could have easily been something as smooth as BG1 or Final Fantasy Tactics was instead a clunky mess with horrendous animations and an unfairly steep learning curve. My biggest complaint with the series is that the steepness of Fallout 2's learning curve is titanic in proportion. At least FO1 provided some viable starting weapons and some reasonable low-level enemies rather than immobile plant monsters that dodge attacks like the wind and have more than twice the HP of the player.
FO3 might have fudged the lore and basically cobbled together a plot out of elements of the first two games, but they greatly improved the gameplay and the overall design over the previous iterations.
Good retro games should stay retro, not get turned into consolified mainstream FPS rubbish.
For me, Fallout3 is just another random fps game that you find hundreds of on almost all platforms.
I totally get the love for FO1 and FO2 (tactics was a bit of a jumble in my opinion but to each their own) and I share it. And I totally agree that FO3 is a complete departure from the original. Just saying that "Different" doesn't in all cases mean bad. Ok, in quite a lot of the cases, yes. But not in all cases.
In my opinion, you should try FO3 (fixed. Thanks Dee!) out before passing judgement, and try it with an open mind, not one that is already predisposed towards hating it. If you still hate it, and some do, fine. But don't judge based on appearances and the fact that it is different from the original.
All in my opinion only.
They were all fine games, but there is nothing special, original, new or honestly very catchy about them.
I am a very picky person when it comes to games, and fallout3 for me is just not a worthy followup to a fantastic game series. It did not live up to _MY_ expectations, and I honestly dont care about yours
And belive it or not, I am being very open minded about it.
This is a series that I played and loved growing up and I am simply not happy with Fallout3.
Is it such a problem for you that I dont agree with you and the dude above with a really strange nick...
If so you should get out more
Feel free to come with the "your argument is invalid comebacks", I wont bother with responding as this is waaaay off-topic.
And if they won't, I will create a sequel myself.
You are entitled to your opinion about the game. Fair enough.
I am entitled to mine as well. In mine, Fallout 3 is nothing at all like an FPS. It has significant role play elements and is a wide open sandbox game. there is a rich story line with multiple nodes and potential paths, neither of which are usually present in most FPS games today that I am aware of. It also has a sense of humor and offers a welcome walk in the Fallout Universe in my opinion. If FPS games have one tenth of all of this, I have been playing the wrong FPS games.
But absolutely you are entitled to your opinion on the subject.
I also truly hope that we get a revamped RPG instead of revamped graphics, bells and whistles. If I had to choose between fully voiced over acting, or impactful decision, I will take the latter everytime. I want the company to create a game where not only the ending or beginning are different, but the entire middle is different and can be played in different ways.
I don't want an open world. Open world to me sounds too much like MMOs, and that is not what I want to play. I don't want to go where ever I want to go, I want to be involved in a captivating story that keeps me engaged, thinking and creating meaningful relationships with characters with real emotions and stories where every guard is different and they all didn't take an arrow to the knee.
I want an RPG. I want to play a barbarian or a sorcerer or a bard or an assassin and still have the story make sense to my class choice. I want my actions to express my alignment. If I take from a chest i move toward chaotic, if I turn in a criminal (no matter how minor the crime) I shift over to lawful. I want to be able to pray to different types of deities and wrathfully or peacefully convert others.
I want more than six playable characters (and I want them all for free, none of this you get this guy only as a DLC). I want them to interact. To like each other or be at each other's throats. I want them to flirt and fall in love with each other. I want them to break each other's hearts, I do not want to be the only one with a meaningful relationship, but I do want to be able to fight for one. I want recruitable characters based on my alignment or class or choices I made. I do not want them all available to me at once. Choices should matter, they should be able to walk away without warning. They should be able to rob me in my sleep, or even slit another party members throat.
A newer, shinier engine with next gen graphics will not give this to me. The best it will give me is a Witcher game, where I am pigeon holed to one type of character or worse a Hawke. That is not what I want to play.
I want choice. I want rewards and consequences for those choices. I do not want to be told a story, I want to live it. That is an Role Playing Game. And if Overhaul can deliver that to me, then by all means, they can make Baldur's Gate 3 or any RPG game.
tl;dr: Overhaul has my support if they can deliver a well written story.
Anyway, like I said you're entitled to your opinion. But, let's not pretend opinions are somehow sacrosanct, cannot be criticized, and cannot be presented or voiced in a ridiculous way by those that hold them.
As for open world versus a dedicated story line, I liked the fact that you could wander all over the place in BG1 whereas BG2 you had very specific places you could go with only random encounters between. I personally would like a bit of both. Although it isn't as popular in these forums, I quite liked the intent (if not necessarily the execution) of Storm of Zehir in NWN2. The overhead map allowed you to stomp around across the entire world without having to be bogged down with loading ZONES. It reminded me very much of one of my favorite modules "The lost caverns of Tsojcanth". You had to find the caverns. They weren't merely a way point on the map. But that's my preference and I would be happy either way if they came out with BG3.
If BG3 comes out, I would be perfectly fine if it wasn't necessarily a continuation of Charname from BG1. In fact, I'd be just as happy if we started out as a whole new character and had to find out what ever became of the original companions and Bhaalspawn. That might make for some interesting story telling. Just a thought.
BG:EE is but the tentative first step into the deep plunge that is BG2:EE.
I think the added content to BG:EE is quite spot on and fitting for the game.
The fact that the romance/friendship paths were as short as they are and that other added content feels a little brief suits the game.
We shouldn't forget that BG1 is a quick and brief game in it's own right. Yes, there are things to explore out there, but first few times i played the game it was quite quick. The main quest itself hurries you along at a frightening pace and other quests such as rescuing Dynaheir, ulcaster etc etc is done away with very quickly.
This can't be compared to BG2, where you are forced and encouraged to go questing and exploring the world once you escape Chateu Irenicus.
There are huge sidequests with deep stories to them, npc's with great long-spanding story arcs and personalities I am yet to see in any other game since. (NWN and Dragon Age doesn't compare.. not by a long shot, and their 3d engines are just a lot of fail compared to Infinity).
That said, I believe the content Beamdog will add to BG2:EE will be lot more extensive and on par with what the original game offers, just like how BG:EE's new content flows perfectly into that game and doesn't seem alien to the original game at all.
This is also reflected in the modding community, where the biggest, best and deepest mods are in fact made for Bg2, and keep in mind that several modders are in fact working with Beamdog now.
BG2:EE will be an entirely different beast to wrangle than BG:EE, simply because the nature of that game is so much more diverse and deep, so with a successfull BG:EE in my eyes, I think they'll do a stellar job at 2EE too.
As for BG3.. 2EE will be the real test, won't it? If the content they make for 2EE flows as seamlessly into the original game, and is on par with it, just like how BG:EE feels.. well.. it's looking good so far.
I, for one, just really like the Forgotten Realms as a setting and no game has ever made it more real for me than BG or its sequels have. Judging by what I've seen already in BG:EE, I think this team has what it takes to make a fully original sequel which would satisfy me. I just hope they get the chance.
That said, it makes me happy to know that there are fans of Baldur's Gate out there who feel so strongly about the series that they flesh out their ideas for a perfect sequel and...let's say...'refuse to settle for less' ^^''
You folks are all awesome.
I saw the game trailers and my mind started to change. I said what the hell and bought Fallout 3. Played it and haven't looked back since. One of the best games (with mods) that I still play. What Obsidian did with Fallout New Vegas, was almost perfection. After they patched it of course.
It is my hope that the same paradigm can be followed with BGEE despite current developments.
Baldur's Gate has a huge hype train behind it,
I want Baldur's Gate 3 to have a huge budget, so whatever they do they can make sure the art style is great and for there to be big attention to detail and overall a huge amount of content and a fleshed out story.
I'm not going to sit here and blindly follow a game developer who polluted Baldur's Gate 1 with additional story lines I literally immediately had no care for. (Maybe its me but I always role with the same party :[)
I assume that you hate what inxile are doing with Torment and Obsidian with Eternity. There's little that puts me off as much as today's low-risk AAA gaming, but I'm repeating myself.
A friend of mine once ran a D&D campaign where we played in the Forgotten Realms a few decades after the events of ToB, and a female CHARNAME had become a Lawful Neutral deity of blood and executioners rather than murder. So, there were some ties to the BG franchise, but it was still its own tale. I'd like to see Overhaul do something like that, where we play in the Baldur's Gate city-state but are only vaguely related to the first two games. It isn't really Overhaul's fault that your proclivities are incredibly boring.
I like the reasoning here, but you can color me nostalgic. I'm all in for the same ole same ole. There's something to be said for holding onto the good old days as opposed to conforming to the new. There is a definite niche in the gaming world for these ancient game engines to make money. I would not overreach.
And I absolutely don't need the finest and most polished high end graphics engine to make it work for me. Good solid graphics is fine. I think the infinity engine is fine for what it does. I don't want to be spending more money on the graphics than on the story and RPG elements. Fair enough. You don't like the new content. Others do. And I agree with what was said above. The proof will definitely be in what we see (if we see it) for BG2:EE. That is a more robust story driven adventure and will be the real acid test. lessons learned and some background in the project might surprise and delight even you.
I'm not personally interested in a BG3 where the only continuity you see from previous games is the odd bit of background lore and at best a cameo from an npc or two. That just seems more like a spin off than a sequel. I think that's fine for another game, but not for BG3.
I think BG3 would not only be a wonderful game but I strongly suspect that even if it used an older engine or a new engine and graphics that give a "retro" look that people would still buy it. Nostalgia for the older games coupled with a compelling and well-written storyline and interesting characters with depth would result in a huge hit. It worked for Fallout 3 and it worked even better with New Vegas, both games I enjoyed. Speaking of games built on newer engines with a retro look, I am also eagerly anticipating Wasteland 2--a few haters have wound up disliking the game based solely on the few videos released via the Kickstarter updates but in general I think it will be very well received and that a new generation of Desert Rangers will be born (I was in the first crop back in 1988).
The best way to get the ball rolling on a BG3, once all the legal difficulties have been settled, would be to Kickstarter the project. I know that I would support it.
I for one look forward to BG3 and very much hope it comes to fruition.
Initially (ten years ago) BG III was intended to tell a completely different story, located in the Dale Lands region.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur's_Gate_III:_The_Black_Hound