Posted March 28, 2017
high rated
Stig79: The writer didn't acknowledge any of the "flaws". She labeled characters other people had written as sexist, and changed them.
ydobemos: Well, she was right. There is sexism in how Safana and Jaheira are written. It's not outrageously awful (there is certainly much worse sexism in many other games), and it definitely doesn't make Baldur's Gate a bad game, but it's there and it's a flaw. And they didn't "change" them - the original game's dialogue wasn't altered - they merely wrote new stuff with them. And no, I'm not watching a 33-minute video on the subject.
Baldur's Gate wasn't Shakespeare. When it came out, it was a rather by the numbers RPG, with a slightly sophisticated main plot that impressed, one or two great characters (like Minsc) and a lot of standard tropes. People were just happy to be in the AD&D world again after SSI effectively shut down. And it was brought to life with relative splendor and detail.
But ultimately, it was a game looking back for it's inspiration. Looking back towards basement RPG sessions with the guys. Looking back towards the old Forgotten Realms novels that fueled teenage imagination.
You can't make more and throw away those sources.
The problem with Beamdog is they simply aren't coming from the same creative place as the original games were made. They come at it from a lamentably post modern perspective, where everything needs to be deconstructed, and flipped on it's head. They feel compelled to break new ground morally, declare their work morally superior to what came before, even if it's not.
They want to blaze a trail instead of staying true to the past or the source material. And good on them if that's what they want.
They should make a new game and keep their hands off these classics.