Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear

 PC
  • Publisher: Beamdog
  • Release Date: Mar 31, 2016
User Score
3.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 577 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 194 out of 577
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 577
  3. Negative: 353 out of 577

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  1. MarcusSofurious
    Apr 11, 2016
    0
    I cant believe a game was released with such game breaking bugs. First of all my save file has been corrupted four times. So consider my impression of the game 4x as tiresome as it needed to be.
    I tried to slog through the resets and crashes, but the dialogue is horrendous. Characters seem to be lables and ideas rather than living and breathing. They dont fit with the setting.
    Its very    I cant believe a game was released with such game breaking bugs. First of all my save file has been corrupted four times. So consider my impression of the game 4x as tiresome as it needed to be.
    I tried to slog through the resets and crashes, but the dialogue is horrendous. Characters seem to be lables and ideas rather than living and breathing. They dont fit with the setting.
    Its very reminiscent of a cosmonaut at a dog show, aure maybe theirs a convoluted reason for him being there, but he keeps shouting russian propoganda at people and spilling vodka everywhere.

    It's trash. Not because of the constant crashes and wipes, not because of the horrible, childish dialogue, but both. I cant mindlessly ignore the dialogue due to the crashing, and I cant forgive the crashing because theirs nothing good to come back to.

    Save your money, this is not a completed game, and it shames any goodwill I had with the franchise    … Expand
  2. elManicho
    May 19, 2016
    0
    Problems:
    1) graphics seem degraded. Game looks like a cartoon now.
    2) AI is still stupid as ever. 3)some encounters are silly. Bunch of undead around a tomb (dinner table)? 4) screen scroll doesn't work nicely. 5) everything seems blurry. Like someone spilled smoke over the game. Original game was far more crispy and clear. 6) new class is supposed to dance. No animation....why? So    Problems:
    1) graphics seem degraded. Game looks like a cartoon now.
    2) AI is still stupid as ever.
    3)some encounters are silly. Bunch of undead around a tomb (dinner table)?
    4) screen scroll doesn't work nicely.
    5) everything seems blurry. Like someone spilled smoke over the game. Original game was far more crispy and clear.
    6) new class is supposed to dance. No animation....why? So hard to add some non 1pp stuff in the game? Hire that Sentrizeal guy, do yourselves a favour.
    7) while rather nice, new areas don't really look as BG. So people pls stop writing nonsense line in the course of "it feels like old BG" because it doesn't. Some may like it, some may not; but new areas have nothing to do with original, for bad or for worse.
    8) crashes. gotta love ctds.
    9) Options menu. Click a red box, I can barely tell if an option is now on or off - it's still red, just mildly less. If this is a game for handicapped people, I don't want to know what it would look like if it weren't.
    10) LUA options. Is this so impossible to implement in game, rather than keeping a seperate file that looks like this:
    SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Journal Popups','0')
    SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Classic Selection Circles','0').........................

    This is awful. Clumsy, lame, seems more like WiP than something a proper game would endorse.

    11) Portraits. Where to begin? What happened to Imoen? Did Sarevok beat her up ? there were supposed to be some new ones. I found 2 male and 2 female, both of fairly low quality looking as they just arrived from Arcanum of Steamworks; a quick google search will net you several dozen better ones.
    12) LoB mode is nothing more than a very simple mod can do - unlike the game implementation, mod actually works properly.
    13) Most importantly, it's linear. No BG game is so linear as SoD.
    14) The devs begging for positives reviews in their forums was hilarious and just sad.
    15) Deleting negative reviews, really? I'll keep posting, it just shows how corrupt these guys are.    … Expand
  3. MRGamer
    Apr 14, 2016
    0
    Beamdog, all you had to do was treat the original game with respect, and any reasonable attempt at an expansion would have sold hand over fist day one. Instead, you had the nerve to "fix" what was not broken, and add unnecessary elements that detract from the game and change beloved core characters from the original. When you reflect on this as a business decision, realize that you lostBeamdog, all you had to do was treat the original game with respect, and any reasonable attempt at an expansion would have sold hand over fist day one. Instead, you had the nerve to "fix" what was not broken, and add unnecessary elements that detract from the game and change beloved core characters from the original. When you reflect on this as a business decision, realize that you lost sales, not because of the supposed political drama and shortcomings of customers' worldviews, but simply because you deviated from an original IP that was a sure thing. In my case, I am a long time fan of the original games, and hold them in such esteem that I will not suffer an expansion that is not true to the original. I chose to get a refund on Steam for this reason. I had modest expectations for this expansion, and would gladly have purchased it, but Beamdog could not leave well enough alone and just take my money.… Expand
  4. Badgerbeer
    Apr 20, 2016
    0
    Very poor game experience underpinned by many short comings in the story, dialogue options and a myriad of game breaking bugs. This is particularly damming as it was the story line and NPC personalities that made the original so great back in the day. The voice acting was also poor in comparison to the memorable lines delivered in the original back in 1998. Many of the new additions do notVery poor game experience underpinned by many short comings in the story, dialogue options and a myriad of game breaking bugs. This is particularly damming as it was the story line and NPC personalities that made the original so great back in the day. The voice acting was also poor in comparison to the memorable lines delivered in the original back in 1998. Many of the new additions do not fit into the story line at all such as new character classes and races and the new NPCs are exceptionally poor and forced upon you at times. One could be forgiven for thinking that the new development team / writers had not actually played the originals? Unnecessary changes were also made to fondly remembered original NPCs that did not match their character at all.

    Multiplayer did not work, but that may be a positive as there is little content or replay value to actually warrant me and colleagues to play this together.

    Overall I would recommend any fan of the original game from 1998 and its sequel to NOT play this expansion or the enhanced editions for that matter, as this is a very poor product hiding behind the Baldur's Gate name and there is certainly nothing here to warrant the title of "enhanced"

    I should also bring to your attention that Beamdog actively encouraged their "fans" to artificially boost review scores were possible, in response to the negative reception the expansion received.    … Expand
  5. Originald
    Apr 23, 2016
    0
    While no game is perfect, when Baldur’s Gate (BG) was originally released in 1998 and subsequently followed by a sequel in 2000, I was blown away. The narrative was compelling, the dialogue witty and intelligent, fantastic villains, excellent voice acting, spending time worshiping the ground my Drow Goddess Viconia DeVir walks upon.... oh wait I digress.... but the list of positives couldWhile no game is perfect, when Baldur’s Gate (BG) was originally released in 1998 and subsequently followed by a sequel in 2000, I was blown away. The narrative was compelling, the dialogue witty and intelligent, fantastic villains, excellent voice acting, spending time worshiping the ground my Drow Goddess Viconia DeVir walks upon.... oh wait I digress.... but the list of positives could go on and on. Sure games have moved on since then, with the likes of Dragon Age, Mass Effect, The Witcher, Dark Souls etc. but the original BG series will always be among the RPG greats.

    Hence when four years ago it was announced the games were being revamped with the possibility of new expansions or sequels I was very excited.

    Alas these enhanced editions have been nothing more than severe disappointments and the new expansion Siege of Dragonspear continues the trend of mediocrity one has come to associate with Beamdog products.

    The game was found wanting in almost all areas, including but certainly not limited to:
    Numerous game breaking bugs with clear evidence of lack of QA
    Exceptionally poor writing, dialogue, lackluster character development, lack of insight into how interactions should work
    Spelling and grammatical mistakes
    New party NPCs which are uninteresting, lack charisma and in some instances have no genuine reason for actually being in the game.
    New classes and race specialisms that are completely unrelated to the plot or setting
    New areas that are completely out of place and do not serve any purpose other than to say, hey look its new content!
    A stark contrast in the sense of humour used in the original, the new material lacks any sort of emotional impact
    Unwanted changes to the personality of old party NPCs
    Lack of understanding of D&D lore
    Lack of respect for the original game material
    No new challenges and a watering down of difficulty
    Failed to address balance issues by importing BG2 mechanics into BG1
    Performance issues even on high spec machines
    NPCs are forced upon you in a failed attempt to bring some sort of cohesion to the plot
    Things which are supposed to be Easter Eggs or Jokes (I assume) but achieve nothing but break the game immersion
    Attempts at doing multiplayer did not work
    Importing saved games resulted in crashes almost like malware
    No innovation or creative flair

    The list could go on and on but as there is a word limit here I have kept it succinct.

    While it was good to see some old voice actors return e.g. David Warner reprising his role as the villain Irenicus, Jim Cummings as Minsc, it was sad to see such talented people wasted on this expansion through its poor writing and execution. Even such talented individuals can only perform as well as the script they are given unfortunately.

    As for Beamdog, well for reasons unknown over the past four years there are individuals at Beamdog who decided to alienate a large section of the fan base of the original games by adding unwanted features to the enhanced versions, not listening to constructive feedback, changing things which did not need changing and so on, making promises on game content and translations to encourage pre-orders that were subsequently broken.

    Many genuine fans of the original BG games and D&D have been silenced, banned, discriminated against, trolled upon and subsequently discredited on their official forum over the years, so it comes as no surprise that when Beamdog finally released a new expansion it has failed so miserably to impress the target audience of such a game, the majority of whom do not actually use the official Beamdog forums.

    The lack of professionalism permeates Beamdog's ranks is not only confined to its own forum though, as evidenced when Beamdog actively encouraged individuals to give artificially high review scores in attempts to circumvent the barrage of negative criticism received for the poor quality of their
    products. Unfortunately for Beamdog they cannot silence people on metacritic, steam, YouTube, twitter and other social media as they have done within the confines of their own forum.

    Beamdogs main achievement with this expansion is to merely undermine the original games legacy once again with another below par release.

    In comparison to more modern game titles available in 2016 or even if one prefers retro style games, one cannot recommend investing any time or money in this expansion.

    Final Verdict: All those responsible for this substandard game expansion, and for that matter the "enhanced" versions of the BG games, should be banished indefinitely to the Nine Hells of Baator!!    … Expand
  6. DickTracy
    Apr 8, 2016
    0
    I already knew the writing from Beamdog is weak and sub-par from the previous EE games, so I have low expectations before playing this expansion. My concerns are about gameplay.
    Aside from a barely functional UI, I encountered an incredible amount of bugs in singleplayer of which I'll mention:
    - Localized BG:EE content should not be missing from the SoD build as this expansion is    I already knew the writing from Beamdog is weak and sub-par from the previous EE games, so I have low expectations before playing this expansion. My concerns are about gameplay.
    Aside from a barely functional UI, I encountered an incredible amount of bugs in singleplayer of which I'll mention:

    - Localized BG:EE content should not be missing from the SoD build as this expansion is supposed to bridge between BG1 and BG2
    - Pathfinding issues
    - It should not be possible to cast arcane spells from quick slots while wearing armor
    - Inventory item icons should not have a distorted shadow effect
    - Character AI choices should be remembered after a load
    - Elves should not have access to all mage specializations
    - It should be possible to load an old save game
    - Legacy of Bhaal stats should not be reset to normal for creatures in the area a game is loaded in
    - Proficiencies should not be ignored for the off-hand weapon if you have a weapon with both a ranged and melee function in the main hand
    - Story Mode and Nightmare mode should not randomly activate and deactivate
    - Character record should display the active weapon style bonuses
    - Archer opponents should not attempt to run away while entangled
    - You should be able to trigger the coalition camp attack
    - Neera's quest items should not disappear
    - Romance should end after dialogue with Glint
    - Legacy of Bhall difficult reset randomly
    - Petrified Dynaheir
    - Khalid and Neera should not be killed at the Bridgefort...

    and 50+ more bugs that I logged in the forums, Spoilers and lack of space to mention here.
    As of right now the multiplayer is simply unplayable.
    Until these is fixed updates and patches that allow for a smoother gaming experience, I consider this game inherently broken. This is simply not acceptable.    … Expand
  7. jprepo1
    Oct 1, 2017
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Poorly written, very, very buggy, and pretends to be a socially conscious by writing characters in the most token way possible, inadvertently being disrespectful.

    The game is extremely linear, with almost no choices to actually be made, removing a lot of player agency.

    It also goes back and rewrites some characters, such as Safana, for being not PC enough, which is pretty disrespectful to the source material.

    Oh, and they're begging for good reviews on their forums, which, as you might expect, should be a huge warning sign.

    Has potential, but the developers need to fix their bug and get a whole heck of a lot less preachy.    … Expand
  8. WombatSock
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    The UI is a mess (black boarders and poor arrangement of buttons). The voice acting is terrible. The character development is as interesting as a potato. The cell shading looks silly. Multiplayer doesn't work... and why do my saved games keep getting corrupted?!!

    Baldur's Gate is suppose to be epic and awesome... why does it have to suck now?
  9. Gulskjegg
    Apr 13, 2016
    0
    I played Baldur's Gate when it was released back in 1998, and remember it fondly. I still have images of the original installation CD's plus the Sword Coast expansion. Ultimately, Baldur's Gate set the standard by which all RPG games would be measured. Unfortunately, this latest release is not only bug ridden, but also badly written, and reflects poorly on the quality the developers. To beI played Baldur's Gate when it was released back in 1998, and remember it fondly. I still have images of the original installation CD's plus the Sword Coast expansion. Ultimately, Baldur's Gate set the standard by which all RPG games would be measured. Unfortunately, this latest release is not only bug ridden, but also badly written, and reflects poorly on the quality the developers. To be blunt, this game is an insult to the BG legacy, not an enhancement. Do not reward inferior programmers that are far more interested in pushing their kooky social agenda than they are with creating smooth, bug-free games.… Expand
  10. wallfrog
    Apr 11, 2016
    1
    Pros: Its Baldur's Gate, kinda... I guess? Combat hasn't changed too much, so that helps a bit.

    Cons: Oh Gawd, the writing... much of it isn't just fan fiction quality, its BAD fan fiction quality. I was writing stuff at this level in middle school ffs. Its like they're being bad on purpose. What else..., oh bugs galore. Crashes, slow downs (didn't they swap to a new engine?),    Pros: Its Baldur's Gate, kinda... I guess? Combat hasn't changed too much, so that helps a bit.

    Cons: Oh Gawd, the writing... much of it isn't just fan fiction quality, its BAD fan fiction quality. I was writing stuff at this level in middle school ffs. Its like they're being bad on purpose.

    What else..., oh bugs galore. Crashes, slow downs (didn't they swap to a new engine?), disappearing NPCs (or teleporting, they come and go at times), borked quests, and my personal favorite, missing save files. Thanks so much for wasting 7 hours of progress, Beamdog. Much    … Expand
  11. rarest_pepe
    Apr 8, 2016
    0
    Pros:
    Technically, it's slick, the graphics are nice and the game engine makes the fights and character development enjoyable.
    Cons: Very glitched to the point it's unplayable. The characters are poorly written, I really felt like playing an amateur self-insert fan-fiction mod. Super cringy. The plot is EXTREMLY railroaded. Basically, it's not a Baldur's Gate game, and it's not a    Pros:
    Technically, it's slick, the graphics are nice and the game engine makes the fights and character development enjoyable.

    Cons:
    Very glitched to the point it's unplayable.
    The characters are poorly written, I really felt like playing an amateur self-insert fan-fiction mod. Super cringy.
    The plot is EXTREMLY railroaded.

    Basically, it's not a Baldur's Gate game, and it's not a very good game altogether.    … Expand
  12. CommonBe
    Apr 27, 2016
    0
    Dozens of gamebreaking bugs
    Exceptional poor narrative and woeful writing
    Very poor in comparison to the original games

    Not worth buying in 2016 with so many better RPGs now available
  13. LarsWS
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    A garbled mess of sub-par writing that falls well below that the original Baldur's Gate series. I played and loved those back when they first came out. They are some of my favorite games ever. Siege of Dragonspear does not reach the knees of those games and should be avoided by anyone who wishes to retain their fond memories. I wish I would have never played this.
  14. TrueGamer81
    Jun 17, 2016
    1
    I understand a lot of people are taking exception to the "SJW" agenda perceived in the game. The problem is I've heard some gamers use "SJW" and "leftist" almost interchangeably. Well I want to clear something up: I'm a leftist, I am an actual leftist and despise SJWs and their divisive, self-righteous, identity politics laden, petty bourgeois rhetoric. Just thought I'd point this outI understand a lot of people are taking exception to the "SJW" agenda perceived in the game. The problem is I've heard some gamers use "SJW" and "leftist" almost interchangeably. Well I want to clear something up: I'm a leftist, I am an actual leftist and despise SJWs and their divisive, self-righteous, identity politics laden, petty bourgeois rhetoric. Just thought I'd point this out because I don't want people to associate true left-wing politics with little crybaby liberals, and I certainly don't want the political left associated with this awful, awful game.

    That is all.    … Expand
  15. Saber-Scorpion
    Apr 6, 2016
    2
    Pros:
    - Some of the old voice actors are back.
    - The gameplay is still pretty much Baldur's Gate, which is of course fine. Cons: - Most of the other new voice actors are pretty bad, and every line is voiced now for no reason, unlike in any other Baldur's Gate game. - There are quite a few bugs, and many previously-working mods are currently broken. - Many changes to the user    Pros:
    - Some of the old voice actors are back.
    - The gameplay is still pretty much Baldur's Gate, which is of course fine.

    Cons:
    - Most of the other new voice actors are pretty bad, and every line is voiced now for no reason, unlike in any other Baldur's Gate game.
    - There are quite a few bugs, and many previously-working mods are currently broken.
    - Many changes to the user interface and graphical style are unwelcome. Some can be disabled in the options, but most cannot. Many of them are there to hold the player's hand, and feel distinctly out of place.
    - The storyline plays fast and loose with established lore and characters, at best. At worst, the writers use it as a soapbox for political commentary on modern themes like gender politics and the refugee crisis. And the iconic character Minsc now gets to spout Internet memes. How wonderful.

    This feels more like fan fiction than a genuine entry in the classic Baldur's Gate series. It wasn't needed. I recommend just playing the original games as they were meant to be played.    … Expand
  16. KrekkaBlade
    Jun 9, 2016
    0
    I could look past all the technical issues and questionable design choices, but the writing is simply horrid.

    Safana's "transformation" of character is, simply put, retarded and inconsistent, the game is very linear (unlike true Baldur's Gate games), sometimes the Chaotic Evil characters aren't offered dialogue options that suit their alignment and on top of all these glaring issues,    I could look past all the technical issues and questionable design choices, but the writing is simply horrid.

    Safana's "transformation" of character is, simply put, retarded and inconsistent, the game is very linear (unlike true Baldur's Gate games), sometimes the Chaotic Evil characters aren't offered dialogue options that suit their alignment and on top of all these glaring issues, they have the guts to mock their own playerbase.

    This is not Baldur's Gate, as you might've guessed reading the other reviews. If Beamdog wants to force their agendas in a game, they should do it in a series of their own. I hope WotC takes their rights to the BG franchise back, because Beamdog has neither the skill nor the knowledge of how to do a proper fun, well-written RPG.    … Expand
  17. NoBadGames
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    This game is completely broken in it's current state. My save got corrupted and I had to restart all over again. To add insult to injury multiplayer flat out doesn't work and the writing is bad fan fiction tier (that is being generous). Do yourself a favor and skip this one. I wish I had.
  18. karmasleeper
    Apr 11, 2016
    3
    Linear gameplay, few consequential choices, restricted travel, bugs everywhere, terrible UI with awful arrangement, lame story, bad writing with shoehorned "vibrant" characters, and my save games got corrupted.

    Black Isle Studios is no more. The golden age of RPGs has passed us by. This game may look the part, but it's a modern piece of trash through and through.
  19. Medowin
    Apr 4, 2016
    2
    The graphics for the game somehow managed to be WORSE than the original due to terrible line filters on the sprites. The length of the campaign is extremely short and the characters are so terribly written that it's cringeworthy and is completely irreverent to established characters.

    If you were hoping this campaign would revive the Baldur's Gate franchise, think again. What a terrible    The graphics for the game somehow managed to be WORSE than the original due to terrible line filters on the sprites. The length of the campaign is extremely short and the characters are so terribly written that it's cringeworthy and is completely irreverent to established characters.

    If you were hoping this campaign would revive the Baldur's Gate franchise, think again. What a terrible insult to a once great game.    … Expand
  20. titmo71
    Apr 8, 2016
    0
    This game is trash. Do not waste your money, time, or effort on this debacle unless your into junior high level fan fiction and have an affinity for game breaking bugs.
  21. lman03
    Apr 19, 2016
    0
    This game is bad. I read all these reviews that said it was the most amazing thing ever, but they lied to me. The graphics are bad, the story is bad, the gameplay is bad, the UI is bad. I don't know how it got a good rating and good reviews from the game news sites.
  22. FreedomFromCrap
    Apr 9, 2016
    0
    I rarely rate a game 0, but this one deserved it. Not only was the writing and dialogue among the worst that I have ever seen, but my save corrupted several hours into the game. I was forced with either quitting or restarting from the beginning. I had no motivation to replay the content that I had already played, because to be honest, the game is just not good... I rated this 0 becauseI rarely rate a game 0, but this one deserved it. Not only was the writing and dialogue among the worst that I have ever seen, but my save corrupted several hours into the game. I was forced with either quitting or restarting from the beginning. I had no motivation to replay the content that I had already played, because to be honest, the game is just not good... I rated this 0 because with frequent save corruption it's nearly unplayable. If the save corruption was fixed, then I would rate this at about 3.… Expand
  23. Stikbomma
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    Game has tons of very annoying BUGS. The open-world adventurous feel of the original is gone.. The writing (outside of the SJW stuff) is just plain corny and amateur, and not in the same vein as BG1 at all. And yet, the developers are attacking the fan-base of the original game for being disappointed about all the game's problems. Seriously, who does that??? If they had just come out andGame has tons of very annoying BUGS. The open-world adventurous feel of the original is gone.. The writing (outside of the SJW stuff) is just plain corny and amateur, and not in the same vein as BG1 at all. And yet, the developers are attacking the fan-base of the original game for being disappointed about all the game's problems. Seriously, who does that??? If they had just come out and said "look, we apologize, the game has a bunch of issues, but we're working asap to fix them" then that is how you respond to this situation, but instead, they imply we are all liars and bigots and racists, when in fact most of us are just complaining about all the bugs in the game and not a trans character. Marketing 101 Beamdog, if you alienate your brand champions, you are DONE. And even on that note (the SJW stuff), yes the original games flirted with some LGBT ideas you could say, but never forced them down your throat. It's just wrong on so many levels.… Expand
  24. paulrevere
    Apr 16, 2016
    0
    Would you like a new Harry Potter novel in which Ron would be rich and Hermione would have an average intelligence level to not discriminate anyone? Would you like a new Tolkien novel where hobbits were taller to not discriminate anyone?

    Most likely NO. If you add to an existing series - in this case Baldur's Gate - stick to the lore. If you don't want to stick to the lore, create    Would you like a new Harry Potter novel in which Ron would be rich and Hermione would have an average intelligence level to not discriminate anyone? Would you like a new Tolkien novel where hobbits were taller to not discriminate anyone?

    Most likely NO.

    If you add to an existing series - in this case Baldur's Gate - stick to the lore. If you don't want to stick to the lore, create your own IP and leave the original untouched.

    Siege of Dragonspear is a total failure. I wish it would have never been released. It befouled my beloved Baldur's Gate.    … Expand
  25. Zarthos
    Apr 16, 2016
    0
    This is my first ever game review, and the writing and story to this game are outrageous. The story deviates from the norms of Baldur's Gate, with added, unnesaccery political ideology.
  26. AnduinX
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    This game is extremely buggy and crashes frequently. If you dare to brave this game, I would suggest having MANY backup saves so you do not have to restart from the beginning. Multiplayer is non-functional. The personalities of well known characters like Jaheira have been changed to conform to some kind of political agenda by the writer. All in all, this is one of the worst games that IThis game is extremely buggy and crashes frequently. If you dare to brave this game, I would suggest having MANY backup saves so you do not have to restart from the beginning. Multiplayer is non-functional. The personalities of well known characters like Jaheira have been changed to conform to some kind of political agenda by the writer. All in all, this is one of the worst games that I have ever attempted to complete, and the injection of politics into the game only makes it worse.… Expand
  27. Bansai
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    The game just doesn't work properly, it's buggy, multiplayer practically doesn't work, and there are some worriesome changes to some characters personalities that are not canon with the series, which is weird considering it's a bridge, not a sequel/prequel.
  28. Fawks
    Apr 20, 2016
    0
    The writing is not even fanfiction worthy. I still can't believe what they did to Safana. How Beamdog's genius writers can explain her sudden personality shifts between first and second games.
  29. coconner
    Apr 8, 2016
    0
    Its just bad. I had to restart three times because of game breaking bugs. The writing is on the level of poor fanfiction. Established characters have had their personality changed, multiplayer support is non-existent.
  30. Vordrak
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    This is a difficult one.

    I played the original Baldur's Gate back in the late 90s / early noughties, when I was still at University. It is a game I have never forgotten - in fact, even today nearly 20 years later I still have saved character files from the original CD-ROM version of the game. Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition was an opportunity to allow fans to relive a great game, but    This is a difficult one.

    I played the original Baldur's Gate back in the late 90s / early noughties, when I was still at University. It is a game I have never forgotten - in fact, even today nearly 20 years later I still have saved character files from the original CD-ROM version of the game.

    Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition was an opportunity to allow fans to relive a great game, but sadly it has added little to the franchise whilst there have been many complaints of bugs.

    Even so, I decided to give the new expansion Siege of Dragonspear Keep a fair try as it was on offer. After buying and installing the game, I fired it up. My first concern was that I still cannot import my characters from the original Baldur's Gate. A casual forum search reveals that this is by no means an uncommon problem and has been known about since 2012. For a product that owes so much to nostalgia, that is no minor flaw.

    The expansion coincides with the 2.0 patch for the 'Enhanced' version of the game. Unfortunately new settings introduced for animated characters are, to put it kindly, unaesthetic. Users have described this as making the game look worse, although it should be noted that the settings can be turned off.

    Finally, the writing in Siege of Dragonspear is clumsy in the extreme compared to the original. The game's writing includes a certain amount of political comment - not in itself unwelcome in any artistic genre. However, the heavy-handed preachiness is unwelcome as is the impression of an unfamiliarity with the game's setting. There is a jarring disconnect between the original game and the new DLC.

    As I already own a copy of the original game, I am left with the feeling I have gained nothing from my purchase other than wasted time and annoyance.    … Expand
  31. SansVitriol
    Apr 5, 2016
    1
    Don't believe the astroturfing here, this expansion is rotten. No one likes forced agendas, but that aside, the writing in this is simply terrible. Avoid, even if it's free (your time has value, this expansion doesn't).
  32. Oskorei
    Apr 15, 2016
    0
    There's two main things wrong with this add-on:
    1. Shallow story filled with blunt propaganda. That's what happens when you hire teen fairy girl/trans to write story for serious game.
    2. Lack of Baldur's Gatish feeling. It's not Baldur's Gate anymore, everything just screams about it. In the result there's no atmosphere, no reason to play. I'll better go and play original series for the    There's two main things wrong with this add-on:
    1. Shallow story filled with blunt propaganda. That's what happens when you hire teen fairy girl/trans to write story for serious game.
    2. Lack of Baldur's Gatish feeling. It's not Baldur's Gate anymore, everything just screams about it. In the result there's no atmosphere, no reason to play.
    I'll better go and play original series for the tenth time.    … Expand
  33. MushroomKing
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    Now also includes a bunch of anti Gamer messages, diversity for diversities sake so blatantly forced on the player that you are assured to go "what?" and changes the personality of already established characters cause the writers thought BG was too sexist.
  34. AwesomeButton01
    Apr 9, 2016
    1
    Summary: The only valid reason to spend money on Siege of Dragonspear is if you are looking for an Infinity Engine dungeon crawl, and are completely immune to irritation on account of its linearity, limited freedom of travel between areas which runs counter to the Baldur's Gate tradition, embarrassingly bad writing, and to top it off - an uglified 'enhanced' user interface.

    I spent some    Summary: The only valid reason to spend money on Siege of Dragonspear is if you are looking for an Infinity Engine dungeon crawl, and are completely immune to irritation on account of its linearity, limited freedom of travel between areas which runs counter to the Baldur's Gate tradition, embarrassingly bad writing, and to top it off - an uglified 'enhanced' user interface.

    I spent some time wondering if this game was even worth writing about at all. In the end I thought people should at least be forewarned of what expects them in this paid mod/DLC.

    Siege of Dragonspear's only redeeming value is the Infinity Engine and its combat. That's about the only thing that has not been tainted by Beamdog's incompetence in every aspect, and has even been somewhat improved by tailoring combat encounters, and AI scripting.

    That's about the only good news though. The Baldur's Gate games have always been the most open-ended of the Infinity Engine games, up until the rushed Throne of Bhaal, allowing you a lot of freedom in which area you'd visit and which quest you'd approach next. The designers at Beamdog however decided to make their own lives easier at the expense of gameplay, and have made Siege of Dragonspear a railroaded, linear slog through each large area and multiple smaller areas connected to it. This reminded me of a game that I and a team of students I had never met in person had to put together in a week's time for a software academy course - sure, our game had to run from the windows command prompt, but the gameplay was pretty much the same - you move from room to room, kill the enemies and can't go back. I didn't expect to get the same kind of gameplay from a purported "Baldur's Gate expansion".

    Regarding writing - my opinion is if you're looking for good writing in computer games, you're better off reading a book, or playing one of select few adventure games (Grim Fandango and The Longest Journey are the first that come to mind). Sometimes however there are writers so ignorant of their own lack of talent and so full of themselves that the results of their labor deserve a mention in a review.

    Most people talking about the writing of SoD concentrate on specific instances which caused outrage for various reasons. However I do not think he problem with the game's writing is the themes, sadly it's far more basic - it's the inability of the writer to create distinctive characters, even after such characters have been served to her on a silver platter with the BG license. Playing the game just a couple of hours beyond the starter dungeon nets tens of examples of:
    - Every last female character of any importance speaks with the same vocabulary, uses the same sort of "witty responses" and sarcasm, and its language is stylistically indistinguishable from the next.
    - Every female character is obligated to express her superiority to men at every opportunity, in general or in particular - whether that be her father, her boyfriend, her traveling companion (Dynaheir/Minsc), or a male PC. Examples range from Corwyn's daughter, to Skie and her father, to Viconia and some generic duergar friend of hers who serves no other purpose except for her to spite him, to the Safana and Coran exchange. You don't even have to look closely for those examples.
    - Minsc has to act as if he's signed a contract with a hamster pets shop chain, by which he is bound to mention Boo in literally, and I mean literally, every other sentence that comes out of his mouth. The Boo jokes are so overdone, that as much of a fan as you could be, you could seriously grow to hate Minsc by the end.

    This inability to draw distinctive characters generally speaks of lack of good literary examples and culture around which a distinctive writer's style could develop, and lack of personal experience with and understanding of real-life people. I'm sorry, but the writing team in this game is worthless as a writer and should never have been let near SoD's script.

    So, what exactly is left of a Baldur's Gate game when you remove the cheerful high fantasy atmosphere and characters, and the open world? Character progression and combat, supposedly. As for character advancement - if you start at the XP cap for BGI (160,000) you may only advance by two levels in SoD (up to 500,000 XP). Most of character customization comes from items you find in shops and in dungeons. Unfortunately combat in itself isn't enough motivation for me to play through this game, especially since this is not all that a Baldur's Gate game is supposed to be.

    As a D&D and Infinity Engine games longtime fan, SoD was a huge disappointment for me. The more you care about the series, the less I could advise you to buy this so-called expansion. Really a paid mod with a fanfic-level of writing, and some above average dungeon crawling, lasting between 15-20 hours on Core Rules/Normal difficulty.    … Expand
  35. Saturday
    Apr 4, 2016
    1
    From a game POV this project is a mess. A cash in and a tarnishing to the Baldurs Gate IP

    1 Lots of bugs , the bugs have bugs. 2 Writing by someones infant weened on cringy daytime TV 3 Looks worse than the modding communities efforts 4 It breaks many mods 5 Not true to the lore 6 Multi player does not work Only reason it is getting a 1 is because David Warner (Irenicus) is    From a game POV this project is a mess. A cash in and a tarnishing to the Baldurs Gate IP

    1 Lots of bugs , the bugs have bugs.
    2 Writing by someones infant weened on cringy daytime TV
    3 Looks worse than the modding communities efforts
    4 It breaks many mods
    5 Not true to the lore
    6 Multi player does not work

    Only reason it is getting a 1 is because David Warner (Irenicus) is back and also does a voice set.

    Avoid    … Expand
  36. Zhorge
    Apr 30, 2016
    3
    I'm a long-time fan of the BG series. I've played every original release and original XPAC of the game through multiple times. I think it's one of the greatest CRPGs ever done.

    This not a worthy addition to the BG Universe. Rather, this is a fourth-rate, bug-filled disaster that's being over-accoladed because of the controversy surrounding a character. Frankly, pretty much nobody    I'm a long-time fan of the BG series. I've played every original release and original XPAC of the game through multiple times. I think it's one of the greatest CRPGs ever done.

    This not a worthy addition to the BG Universe. Rather, this is a fourth-rate, bug-filled disaster that's being over-accoladed because of the controversy surrounding a character. Frankly, pretty much nobody cares but for the fact the character was a ham-fisted, poorly-written token to modern political BS.

    That ham-fisted approach was just one symptom of the overwhelmingly ham-fisted, juvenile writing. The new characters are shallow, superficial and uninteresting. The dialogs are poor. Even beloved characters were wrecked. Add in the game play is even more linear than the original and choices are mostly inconsequential coupled with crashed, the UI being utter garbage, I can't see anyone wanting to waste their $20 on this disaster.

    Also, FWIW, I did not finish the expansion. It was that bad. My only regret is that instead of bailing early enough to get my Steam Refund, I held out hoping it'd improve. It did not.    … Expand
  37. drthrax66
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    Full of bugs and horrible writing. The original was good mostly because of the writing and the story, this is doesn't even come close to it. Thus there is no point in playing this since the gameplay itself is just meh and outdated
  38. Trunkis
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    Doesn't feel like Baldur's Gate at all.
    Linear progression through the game with previous areas becoming unavailable once you pass to the next.
    Lazy writing that lends to little roleplaying options.
    Bugs, bugs and more bugs.
  39. Devout_Buddhist
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    I've been a BG fan since I was a little kid and BG occupies a special place in my heart....and this feels nothing like BG. This is horrible. A slap in the face to BG fans. Don't waste your money.
  40. Maleficento
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    18 year old game and probably an even older engine; still can't get it to work without constant crashes. Serious beamdog?
    Massively dissapointed in this mess, and that's a shame because I've loved Baldurs Gate for a very long time.
  41. Etherlad
    Apr 5, 2016
    2
    Gamebreaking Bugs, hamfisted Story, bad Voiceacting and terrible Story.
    This is not what Baldurs Gate-Fans deserve. Best to keep sticking to the classics and Mods.
  42. slimbag
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    Game is broken beyond repair, you are better off playing the original games if you actually want to play a good RPG and not some attempt to make a quick buck on the back of the fans.
  43. Scotsmn1
    Apr 5, 2016
    2
    Boy, what a rollercoaster. I played BG1 as a young adult and enjoyed it, then a few years later played BG2 and absolutely loved it. Much later, Beamdog came out with the enhanced editions, and I liked the way they just fixed them up a bit, increased resolution, stuff that improved the games without taking away what made them the classics that they are today. That’s why when I heardBoy, what a rollercoaster. I played BG1 as a young adult and enjoyed it, then a few years later played BG2 and absolutely loved it. Much later, Beamdog came out with the enhanced editions, and I liked the way they just fixed them up a bit, increased resolution, stuff that improved the games without taking away what made them the classics that they are today. That’s why when I heard Beamdog was going to be making a game that sat in between 1 & 2 I was thrilled. They respected the previous games and had demonstrated they could get things done, so I came into this with high hopes of hitting that nostalgia button while being introduced to a new and hooking story. Well… for the most part I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, there were some parts of the game I truly enjoyed and the humor was pretty good, but the downsides of this game left a bad taste in my mouth overall. It’s quite buggy, which to be fair, is something a lot of games tend to be these days when they come out, so it’s a minor gripe. But, what bothers me the most is that parts of the game felt forced. I sorta had the feeling I was being led by the nose instead of being able to explore the world as I chose. The options presented during a lot of the dialog felt a bit flat and restrictive (not all, some of the writers were better than others). Overall, the story just felt like a let-down. It wasn’t bad, but considering the time between the last game and this one, the vast pool of ideas that could have been come up with during this time, it simply didn’t deliver in the way I had hoped. Also, and you have probably heard this in other reviews, there was a liberal/political slant to this game that I didn’t find attractive. I tend to be a conservative person, and with the inclusion of gay and transsexual characters I felt like the game was trying to force me into accepting this, not just in the game, but outside of it as well. That can taint an experience, and it tainted mine. The female NPCs are not likeable at all in that they are trying very hard to force dominant personalities onto them. It’s not necessary. Anyhoot, for the more liberal minded people out there, the game might be worth the $20 since hey, it’s all the Baldur’s Gate you’re getting, lackluster writing or not. For me, I’m just disappointed that Beamdog had to go there and make this a political type of game instead of concentrating on interesting story and FUN.… Expand
  44. EvanWeaksauce
    Apr 30, 2016
    0
    Just the fact that my last review was taken down when it was written tactfully and tastefully really tells you all you need to know. Massive amounts of damage control are being exerted toward this SJW pet project. I will keep re-writing my review but I no longer have the energy to right several thousand words for it to be deleted because I disagree with the premise of this game, not toJust the fact that my last review was taken down when it was written tactfully and tastefully really tells you all you need to know. Massive amounts of damage control are being exerted toward this SJW pet project. I will keep re-writing my review but I no longer have the energy to right several thousand words for it to be deleted because I disagree with the premise of this game, not to mention it's filled with bugs, crashes, and no new or original content was really added. Recycled sprites etc. Stay away from this game.… Expand
  45. MetaKen7
    Jun 3, 2016
    0
    Don't bother with this garbage.

    Get the original un-enhanced editions along with the BGtutu mod. After that, you can download the fan-made Dark Side of the Sword Coast, which is infinitely better than what Beamdog has created here with Siege of Dragonspear. Also FYI the company behind this game are attempting to remove all negative critics (this is roughly my 14th time posting) and    Don't bother with this garbage.

    Get the original un-enhanced editions along with the BGtutu mod. After that, you can download the fan-made Dark Side of the Sword Coast, which is infinitely better than what Beamdog has created here with Siege of Dragonspear.

    Also FYI the company behind this game are attempting to remove all negative critics (this is roughly my 14th time posting) and soliciting for the 10/10 reviews you see on here. Pretty disgusting behaviour.    … Expand
  46. Stellen
    Sep 26, 2016
    0
    So many crashes and bugs, not to mentioned corrupted save games, it's just not worth it. It's not even a good game, the story is nothing special and inconsistent and characters just don't seem genuine.
  47. Copestetic85
    Apr 5, 2016
    2
    It plays like a Baldur's Gate game. That's about it. Story's kind of boring, and getting quite a few bugs; save often. There also seems to be some sort of political "agenda" being pushed. I don't care much about all that, though. Just kind of bad compared to the originals ( non-enhanced ).
  48. Romanul
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    The game is a tragedy. The writers chose to shove theit SJW propaganda down our throats. They have every right to do that and I have every right to expect a refund. Tldr avoid this at all costs.
  49. logan0178
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    Baldur's Gate was my all time favorite RPG series. What Beamdog has done here is nothing short of an atrocity. They've taken well established and popular characters and warped their personalities into a twisted mockery of what they were all in the name of the writer's political opinions. I only hope they will stop making these games and sell the rights to the Franchise to someone whoBaldur's Gate was my all time favorite RPG series. What Beamdog has done here is nothing short of an atrocity. They've taken well established and popular characters and warped their personalities into a twisted mockery of what they were all in the name of the writer's political opinions. I only hope they will stop making these games and sell the rights to the Franchise to someone who actually respects it and keep their own political views on Tumbler where it belongs. If you are a fan of Baldur's Gate or any RPG in general I recommend against this game from the bottom of my heart because it's an abortion of story telling and a mockery of the great characters Baldur's Gate was once known for.… Expand
  50. Endiss
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    Completely broken multiplayer. Very poor writing in an expansion pack for a game widely-known for quality writing. Disappointingly linear. Regular bugs. And they somehow made the graphics worse while "updating" an eighteen year old game.

    So far I have only noticed hints at the political agenda that apparently becomes more blatant later on. But perhaps the developers should have spent    Completely broken multiplayer. Very poor writing in an expansion pack for a game widely-known for quality writing. Disappointingly linear. Regular bugs. And they somehow made the graphics worse while "updating" an eighteen year old game.

    So far I have only noticed hints at the political agenda that apparently becomes more blatant later on. But perhaps the developers should have spent less time worrying about showing how progressive they are and more time worrying about not desecrating the beloved game they had been entrusted with.    … Expand
  51. Unseen57678
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    Soooo many glitches. Maybe it'll be fixed eventually, but for now stay away, save corruption is everywhere and it makes playing rather pointless.
    Even if you do manage to play, you quickly find that the writing is nowhere near the quality of the original. How do you slide backward when you have 10+ years to improve?
  52. sperril
    Apr 4, 2016
    1
    Well, I wrote a long review that gave the game a 3 and said specifically that I didn't care about the political debate one way or the other. My bad review was based on the terrible writing. The jarring use of modern slang taking the gamer out of the immersion of the well developed universe. I also praised this DLC for it's fantastic voice work. But my review, which was number 3 on theWell, I wrote a long review that gave the game a 3 and said specifically that I didn't care about the political debate one way or the other. My bad review was based on the terrible writing. The jarring use of modern slang taking the gamer out of the immersion of the well developed universe. I also praised this DLC for it's fantastic voice work. But my review, which was number 3 on the most helpful list last time I looked, has been deleted without any comment from metacritic. I put a lot of time and thought into it. I'm not going to put that much into it a second time. Changing the score to a 1 and moving on.… Expand
  53. Warnoise
    Jun 14, 2016
    0
    Another game destroyed by the plague that is called Feminism.

    We are at dark age where **** and perverse political agendas infiltrating all kinds of entertainment just to brainwash the mass.

    This is a piece of crap and i hope that they g bankrupt because they insulted us, the fans.
  54. NaotaChanel
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    Shoving "transgender" propaganda down peoples throats
    Bashing the original game and attacking the gamers who love it.
    Beamdog has hit a new low in game development.
    Their bullying should not be allowed to stand.
    Boycott any future products from these absolute nightmarish excuses for human beings.
  55. Leprykon
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    Beware, this is not Baldur's Gate game. It's a technical mess with broken interface, very unstable (I literally can't name a recently released game crashing as often as this one) and with some fine, cult-level brainwash attempt for a good measure. Clearly made by people, who know everything is problematic and they have to point it all out, so they couldn't be asked to fix the bugs. I wouldBeware, this is not Baldur's Gate game. It's a technical mess with broken interface, very unstable (I literally can't name a recently released game crashing as often as this one) and with some fine, cult-level brainwash attempt for a good measure. Clearly made by people, who know everything is problematic and they have to point it all out, so they couldn't be asked to fix the bugs. I would give it a 1, bc technically it does run, albeit for unpredictable and rather short periods, but terrible, anti-consumer behavior of devs post-release, makes me retract one point.… Expand
  56. myd00003
    Apr 8, 2016
    0
    I've heard BG hasn't aged well, but I play a lot of retro games, so graphics aren't the most important thing to me. But this expansion is horrendous. Everything looks terrible, including the UI. Everything is worse than how the original was. Multiplayer doesn't work. Writing is bad.
  57. Drackemoor
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    Buggy. Reckless use of the lore. Too much liberal propaganda is being shoveled down my throat. At one point you forget that it is a game and start looking at it as a bad propaganda piece. I do not recommend it
  58. BanBrado
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    Terrible, terrible writing and a host of gameplay bugs come together to make a game that spits on the original Baldur's Gate.

    When the developers themselves start begging for good reviews on their forum you know something went horribly wrong making this game.

    Do not buy this disaster, just play the original Baldur's Gate 1/2 and pretend this mess never happened.
  59. BSim500
    Apr 21, 2016
    0
    It seems blanket "hater" false accusations along with mass scale deletion of non-abusive negative posts have become the new straw-man for deflecting against entirely valid criticism of amateurish writing and multiple game breaking bugs. This "expansion" isn't just bad by itself, the update that accompanies it has actually broken the base game for many too. So many glitches (eg, text boxIt seems blanket "hater" false accusations along with mass scale deletion of non-abusive negative posts have become the new straw-man for deflecting against entirely valid criticism of amateurish writing and multiple game breaking bugs. This "expansion" isn't just bad by itself, the update that accompanies it has actually broken the base game for many too. So many glitches (eg, text box not appearing, UI flickering, save-game corruption, constant crashing, characters disappearing, gear from imported characters disappearing, getting stuck in doors, broken mods, broken multiplayer, dialogue errors, UI degradation that makes the game look WORSE than the original 1998 release, etc). Many of the 10/10 "infallibly perfect" scores contain the usual egocentric "Don't read any reviews that scored less than me", and many others come from recently created accounts with no other game reviews.

    The current 3.7 out of 10 is actually quite accurate given the broken state of the game. And that's in the face of a massive, deliberate and sustained attempt to try and censor as many negative reviews as possible (regardless of non-abuse) plus Beamdog's call to inflate positive reviews as a panicked response to a self-inflicted review bomb caused by non existent QA and "amateur hour" PR. After seeing Beamdog's attitude towards its customers, this is the last game I'll ever be buying from them...    … Expand
  60. coffeethrall
    Apr 6, 2016
    0
    When I learned there was going to be new content for Baldur’s Gate, I was excited and hopeful, as one might be seconds before tearing into a beautifully-wrapped Christmas present. Then the wrapping paper came off and I saw the steaming pile of cow excrement inside, and felt utterly betrayed.

    Beamdog released a buggy mess of an expansion. It has broken quests. Dialogue trees with NPCs    When I learned there was going to be new content for Baldur’s Gate, I was excited and hopeful, as one might be seconds before tearing into a beautifully-wrapped Christmas present. Then the wrapping paper came off and I saw the steaming pile of cow excrement inside, and felt utterly betrayed.

    Beamdog released a buggy mess of an expansion. It has broken quests. Dialogue trees with NPCs glitch and force reloads. It has a broken Multiplayer feature. It has writing which reads like middle school fanfiction. The graphics are somehow *worse* than the 1998 originals. The occasional crashes which occur almost feel like the computer itself fleeing from this accursed program.

    Given the hideous way Beamdog has treated its customers in the days since the release, I have no hope that these issues will be addressed. Give this one a pass.    … Expand
  61. Joseman
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    Unfortunately, this is a buggy and poorly written DLC for Baldur's Gate which delivers nowhere near the quality of the original game. Add in extremist political views forced into the game, and this is something that is not recommended.

    The developer has allegedly asked for fake positive reviews, so beware.
  62. fartholomule
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    A downgrade by any other measure. I can't believe this has been published, it really breaks my heart to see a game I loved so dear in this form. I only played about an hour of it before I had to tap out and get my steam refund.

    My two main issues: 1. The game is buggy as hell, within the first few minutes it froze for about 20 seconds inside the menu. I don't have a slow machine,    A downgrade by any other measure. I can't believe this has been published, it really breaks my heart to see a game I loved so dear in this form. I only played about an hour of it before I had to tap out and get my steam refund.

    My two main issues:

    1. The game is buggy as hell, within the first few minutes it froze for about 20 seconds inside the menu. I don't have a slow machine, it's about 3 years old and was pretty much top tier in its time. i7, GTX780, Windows 7 for reference. It crashed mid-game and I couldn't start it without a full reinstallation. That took an additional 10 minutes.
    2. Internet memes right off the bat. This turns a game form a classic to a passing fad. When will these writers learn some creativity?

    I uninstalled it before reaching the fabled politically loaded content, but if it is the case (and a lot of people are saying so), it's even more reason not to buy it. No one should buy games to get indoctrinated. Games should give you an experience you want, not whatever the authors want shoved down your throat.

    This will be my last BG game purchase. Farewell my old friend.    … Expand
  63. Grenkin
    Jun 14, 2016
    0
    Worst game of 2016!

    Broken quests, cartoony graphics, terrible writing/dialog, crashing, stupid AI, ruined character personalities, and political nonsense where it has no business existing. Thankfully, Steam offers refunds now and that made me happy.
  64. Valko
    Apr 5, 2016
    2
    The new scenario is so bad with all this feminism crap + a lot of bugs and text glitches. Thank God, not all of characters are super girls now, who help weak men to save Forgotten Realms. Too much of sexual propaganda + very weak scenario make new DLC unenjoyble.
  65. Valarian25
    Apr 8, 2016
    3
    Its just not Black Island Quality anymore

    Even if you look away from the heavy "REALLY " heavy handed Social Justice theme, whats left is actually just a poor shade of former glory. I dont really thing the writers here liked the original game and decided to "improve" it, by adding allot of content that is more SJW friendly. Combine this with bugs and you got a clear score of 3 in    Its just not Black Island Quality anymore

    Even if you look away from the heavy "REALLY " heavy handed Social Justice theme, whats left is actually just a poor shade of former glory.

    I dont really thing the writers here liked the original game and decided to "improve" it, by adding allot of content that is more SJW friendly.

    Combine this with bugs and you got a clear score of 3 in my book and its only 3 becouse i cant stop my nostalgia from popping up.    … Expand
  66. syn_dreams
    Apr 4, 2016
    2
    The game is buggy.
    The graphics are terrible
    The writing is atrocious.
    The devs are rude.
    In other words; go play the original Baldur's Saga if want to actually enjoy your time in the world.
  67. theirrelephants
    Jun 4, 2016
    0
    The rewriting of character's personalities to fit the studio's political ideologies was disgusting enough (looking at you too, "Shadow Warrior"), but the fact that the rewriting wasn't even competently done makes it unplayable. I've been able to put up with hamfisted ideological self inserts by developers before and still enjoy a game, but I simply can't do it here. The writing is justThe rewriting of character's personalities to fit the studio's political ideologies was disgusting enough (looking at you too, "Shadow Warrior"), but the fact that the rewriting wasn't even competently done makes it unplayable. I've been able to put up with hamfisted ideological self inserts by developers before and still enjoy a game, but I simply can't do it here. The writing is just that awful. Honestly, in some parts of it I found myself wishing that I was playing Dragon Age: Inquisition instead. Jesus Christ.

    I won't say anything about the numerous gamebreaking bugs or awful UI, because everyone else has already mentioned that.

    Basically if you want to enjoy baldur's gate, just download the original and use Tutu. This 'expansion' won't tickle your nostalgia button, it will enrage it. Stay far away.    … Expand
  68. IngoPech
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    This is the 2nd time i'm posting this review because my first review was deleted. Apparently critic isn't allowed.
    First time i gave 1 point, now its going to be zero.
    Patch 2.0/Dragonspear made Baldurs Gate EE a worse game for a number of reasons. -random crashes -mods aren't working properly any longer -questionable graphic update (they managed to make a 16 year old game look    This is the 2nd time i'm posting this review because my first review was deleted. Apparently critic isn't allowed.
    First time i gave 1 point, now its going to be zero.

    Patch 2.0/Dragonspear made Baldurs Gate EE a worse game for a number of reasons.
    -random crashes
    -mods aren't working properly any longer
    -questionable graphic update (they managed to make a 16 year old game look WORSE than on release) I know, these are optional, but when i first started the game after the update i just couldn't believe it how ugly it looked. Funnily enough, the preview screenshots on gog and on steam don't show the ugly new sprites.
    -questionable difficulty changes. Why the f*** does the game lower the difficulty after a few reloads by itself, without asking. I realized this awesome "feature" when i reached the so called "Story mode" which sets all stats to 25 and adds a ton of immunity. Basically Godmode. Obviously i thought it was a bug and tried to reload my game again. Well, i figured it out eventually. What a terrible feature.
    -Voice acting The voice acting in the addon breaks the feel of the original game. I know, many people hate to read and prefer voiced dialogues. But Baldurs Gate has its own style and if suddenly whole dialogues are voiced it just feels out of place and you know immediately that it doesn't belongs to the game. It just feels wrong. They could have saved the money for the (mediocre actually) voice acting and spend it on fixing bugs.
    -Multiplayer Its working barely at best.
    So far this addon has been a huge disappointment. The worst thing is: Even if i refund it, the terrible patch 2.0 will stay. I guess i will let the EE games rest and play the original games with mods for a while. Maybe Beamdog gets their **** together and fixes the issues and i can enjoy playing EE. Hopefully this time it won't take them whole year.

    Steam Achievments are buggy as hell too. Some won't unlock. Others do unlock for the wrong quest... its a mess.    … Expand
  69. kamen22
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    Honestly I'm not really sure where to begin, aside from the obviously grating SJW theme in the game i must say the overall poor writing and bad encounter design, reworking previously fine characters, all make for a pretty non enjoyable experience. What really gets me is the attitude these devs have that people somehow owe them something, as if they're fighting for the common good orHonestly I'm not really sure where to begin, aside from the obviously grating SJW theme in the game i must say the overall poor writing and bad encounter design, reworking previously fine characters, all make for a pretty non enjoyable experience. What really gets me is the attitude these devs have that people somehow owe them something, as if they're fighting for the common good or something when they're just cramming a pointless agenda down out throats.

    I don't hate gays or anything, people do whatever they want to make them happy IDC but this game...Man IDK.

    Terrible, 0/10, aside from the SJW still the rest of the writing sucks aswell and the encounter design is pretty much trash mob after trash mob.    … Expand
  70. MaestroMaven
    Apr 4, 2016
    3
    With multiplayer that is broken, changes with the classic UI, moments of poor writing so bad it is immersion breaking, and a genuinely hostile response from certain members of the dev team towards critics, I cannot give this game better than a 3/10.
  71. Mardukischta
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    I suppose at this point everybody knows already that the developers try to push SJW propaganda down your throat in this game. People play games to get away from **** like this. Furthermore, it just seems really out of place in a medieval world when they discuss SJW fantasies, it takes away from the atmosphere and rpgs live from their atmosphere. I hope this game is a warning to every developer.
  72. UselessThing
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    As a fan of the original games I am highly disappointed with this product. It is not at all what I would have wanted from a follow up to a much beloved classic.
  73. lythoc
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    It's just insane and beyond pathetic what is happening here. Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn has one of the best writing and voice acting ever, yes that includes modern games like the Witcher. I was already a bit more than surprised at what Beamdog did in bg2ee with their new content. I mean how could wizards of the coast ok that? Trent must pull some weight in that community I guess. ButIt's just insane and beyond pathetic what is happening here. Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn has one of the best writing and voice acting ever, yes that includes modern games like the Witcher. I was already a bit more than surprised at what Beamdog did in bg2ee with their new content. I mean how could wizards of the coast ok that? Trent must pull some weight in that community I guess. But now... Beamdog made something appallingly bad and tries to blame the response to some invented 'gamer kids gay hatred'. It's just..I really am stumped and feel numb at this level of calculated stupidity.… Expand
  74. whyteabro
    Apr 4, 2016
    1
    Ripoff that, for reasons unknown, is called expansion pack. With no new sprites, models and so on. Full of bugs and glitches. Truly a shameful attempt of reviving BG, that is. Boycott Beamdog's products.
  75. johnisreal
    Apr 5, 2016
    0
    If you like the original or it's sequel you're probably gonna like this. The UI is crap and there are a ton of bugs with no support. From a game play point of view the problems I have with are mostly nitpicks but they are enough to turn me off. BUT LIKE I SAID: If you like the original you'll probably only be nominally disappointed with this one. The story is bad, the writing is bad,If you like the original or it's sequel you're probably gonna like this. The UI is crap and there are a ton of bugs with no support. From a game play point of view the problems I have with are mostly nitpicks but they are enough to turn me off. BUT LIKE I SAID: If you like the original you'll probably only be nominally disappointed with this one. The story is bad, the writing is bad,

    Bottom line is if you're a new player then get the original first but be aware that it's dated. Game feels very late 90's to me but some people like that. If you're an old player and a completionist... check it out.    … Expand
  76. CarlaMoney
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    While the mechanics of the game are in line with the originals, the story falls short. It sacrifices the narrative and world building of the original Baldur's Gate in order to break the 4th wall and beat players over the head with messages about social issues with the grace and subtlety of a Saturday morning cartoon from the 90's.
    There is no problem with having messages about social    While the mechanics of the game are in line with the originals, the story falls short. It sacrifices the narrative and world building of the original Baldur's Gate in order to break the 4th wall and beat players over the head with messages about social issues with the grace and subtlety of a Saturday morning cartoon from the 90's.
    There is no problem with having messages about social issues in a game. The problem comes when one hijacks another franchise, gut out its soul and fill it with vapid maxims and fables in its place. That is one of the surest ways to kill off a franchise, and it is especially odious when it happens to a well-loved franchise.
    Want social justice? Sure, but stop hijacking the industry and make your own games. You're not going to improve the industry, you're just going to kill it from the inside out.
    Also way to go Beamdog vote brigading reviews, asking their fans for false reviews here and on GOG and steam, and banning members for legitimate concerns in their forums.    … Expand
  77. Sabatasso
    May 2, 2016
    0
    This game is the absolute pinnacle of garbage RPG's as of late. The writing is lazy, boring and, due to this, quite comical at times. This game will be famous for being the absolutely lamest attempt at forcing social justice crap down everyone's throat. If you look away from a completely lame attempt at writing a transgender character (in a world that has real sex change a potion away),This game is the absolute pinnacle of garbage RPG's as of late. The writing is lazy, boring and, due to this, quite comical at times. This game will be famous for being the absolutely lamest attempt at forcing social justice crap down everyone's throat. If you look away from a completely lame attempt at writing a transgender character (in a world that has real sex change a potion away), the rest of the writing is almost as bad. It's just sad. R.I.P. Baldur's Gate, you didn't deserve stain on your legacy.… Expand
  78. InvisibleJim
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    It's a buggy horrible mess with issues transitioning between zones and multiplayer just blows up the client.

    It also has the worst writing that's ever been seen.
  79. peekay00
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    I loved the original baldur's gate games. I played through them a ton. This game was a huge let-down. It's not fun, buggy, UI is bad, and the writing is terrible. The role playing aspect of dialog forces you into stupid situations as well. Do not buy.
  80. tiblimoni
    Apr 3, 2016
    2
    Baldur's Gate was good as it was.

    There's no need to endlessly add to a nearly perfect game. Stop milking the cow before it's starting to be embarrassing. This expansion is mediocre and therefore, given the superb sage told in Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, quite misplaced. It is not entirely bad, but it doesn't deserve to carry the name Baldur's Gate. It simply doesn't. Either play the    Baldur's Gate was good as it was.

    There's no need to endlessly add to a nearly perfect game. Stop milking the cow before it's starting to be embarrassing.

    This expansion is mediocre and therefore, given the superb sage told in Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, quite misplaced. It is not entirely bad, but it doesn't deserve to carry the name Baldur's Gate. It simply doesn't.

    Either play the original games (-- I do love the enhanced editions by the same team --) or play newer RPGs like the Witcher.    … Expand
  81. eiricur
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    I had high hopes for this game, and the first impression was good despite the sprites looking a bit too cartoon-like. Unfortunately it soon became apparent that the devs have projected their own political views into this game, giving it a "politically correct makeover" so to speak. There's jarring Internet memes in it (which won't age well), and much of the new dialogue uses modernI had high hopes for this game, and the first impression was good despite the sprites looking a bit too cartoon-like. Unfortunately it soon became apparent that the devs have projected their own political views into this game, giving it a "politically correct makeover" so to speak. There's jarring Internet memes in it (which won't age well), and much of the new dialogue uses modern vernacular which seems entirely out of place. The devs also released an update which is riddled with bugs, and the multiplayer is broken. Strongly advice you to replay the classics rather than invest your money in this.… Expand
  82. cdrwrecorders
    Apr 4, 2016
    0
    Well, this is disappointment. PT, BG, Arcanum... those were the times. I always had a soft spot for 2D cRPGs. And now we get more after success of Pillars of Eternity. I was so happy to see new BG. But then i played it. The writing... the bugs...
    This is not worth any time and any money. Go buy or replay old games. You will have more fun.
  83. jrgl
    Apr 6, 2016
    5
    I don't much care for the politics of either 'side' of the whole SJW argument (though I'll try to present a neutral explanation of that in the third paragraph) but the writing in this expansion is very poor particularly in comparison to the original game. There's also bugs out the ass and I'm not willing to forgive that just because it's new. Do note also that the accompanying update toI don't much care for the politics of either 'side' of the whole SJW argument (though I'll try to present a neutral explanation of that in the third paragraph) but the writing in this expansion is very poor particularly in comparison to the original game. There's also bugs out the ass and I'm not willing to forgive that just because it's new. Do note also that the accompanying update to the base game breaks a lot of mods and **** with the UI turning it into something reminiscent of a tablet game. Finally the ending was rail-roaded to all **** I understand it has to try and match up with the existing canon but it could have been done in a better way.

    On the positive side they got many of the original VAs to reprise their roles and that was a nice surprise to me after not following the development too closely. The attempt to link the two games, however poorly executed it might have been, is also praiseworthy.

    Now onto the topic of the political war that seems to have appeared over this expansion. Feel free to skip this part if you only care about the broad picture of the expansion's quality I've given above as it really just comes down to 'poor writing'.

    The character at the centre of the controversy really doesn't fit into the setting. Their views are that of our modern day in a setting where the same issues would just not appear to create those problems that generate such views. You might think of it as someone spouting Marxist terminology in a setting which has not been through the industrial revolution. It's hardly the main problem but it does rather damage suspension of disbelief when it shows up. The changes to existing characters based on one writer's political beliefs are unwelcome also. Regardless of the motive for changing them it just snaps me right out of the game when their personality has completely changed with no explanation. Similarly the overt reference to GG (again something I couldn't care about either way) goes beyond humour and will, I suspect, be more of an annoyance a few years down the line when this has all faded into the background. Direct references to current events never age particularly well. I was rather annoyed by the developer stepping in and demanding positive reviews which, frankly, is the reason I've felt the need to give my view when I'd normally stay silent. Additionally rumours of metacritic itself deleting negative reviews are rather worrying. Surely if anyone deserves that it's the reviews the developer has tried to influence? I am as suspicious of the 9s and 10s as I am of the 1s and 2s for an expansion that is frankly average at best.    … Expand
  84. koriar
    Apr 3, 2016
    0
    I was originally going to just refund the game and move on, but since they are begging for positive reviews on their forums, I figured I should share my experience to balance that out.

    So first I tried importing my save into the game, but the game kept crashing every time I would do so. Eventually I did get in the game, only to find that none of my gear was there. Eventually I gave up    I was originally going to just refund the game and move on, but since they are begging for positive reviews on their forums, I figured I should share my experience to balance that out.

    So first I tried importing my save into the game, but the game kept crashing every time I would do so. Eventually I did get in the game, only to find that none of my gear was there. Eventually I gave up and talked a friend into starting a new character with me... Only to find that the multiplayer doesn't work. It crashes every time you try to save and seemed to randomly decide not to let you unpause. These two issues combined made playing the game in multiplayer impossible.

    I've heard that the expansion also breaks any and all mods for even the base game, but I was going to try the base expansion first so I didn't see those bugs myself.

    So eventually I just decided to play a plain single player game with a new character. And I don't know if it's because I spent the day fighting the game, or if it's a case of general video game writing trends going more in the direction of ME3 and away from roleplaying, but I could not stand the writing. The new UI is bad and I encountered yet more bugs, but the writing was the real killer.

    It was actually kind of a relief, because I knew that I wouldn't have to try to get it working again because there was nothing worth playing behind it all.    … Expand
  85. enut_butter
    Apr 3, 2016
    0
    MP doesn't work at all.

    A bunch of politically correct nonsense jammed into the game for no reason.

    So if you were REALLY wanting to have a transexual as a party member, then this is the game for you.

    Otherwise, avoid like the plague.

    Also corrupts all the mods typically used to play the games.
  86. SpittlePig
    Apr 5, 2016
    5
    I found the modern vocabulary and lame humor taking me out of the game. Could not really connect with the game because of this. There is a 80's surfer dude fully voiced, people with southern accents and other very modern words and terms. They did a bad job on Safana, could not relate to her. The game was too dark and found myself having to hunt for party members. The main story was greatI found the modern vocabulary and lame humor taking me out of the game. Could not really connect with the game because of this. There is a 80's surfer dude fully voiced, people with southern accents and other very modern words and terms. They did a bad job on Safana, could not relate to her. The game was too dark and found myself having to hunt for party members. The main story was great and near the end when they got serious it felt more like a Baldur's Gate. The new U.I. looks bad and was frustrating. The bugs were not too bad. I don't know if it was me or the bugs that kept me from finishing many side quests. Near the end I gave up on them. Khalid was missing, guess it was a bug. Some real innovations using the Infinity engine for effects and quests. Over all I feel as a Baldur's Gate fan a little hurt by not trying to make it not feel like Baldur's Gate. Really could have been a great game if done with a little care for the cannon that was already in stone. The whole GamerGate thing is so crazy, all the hate being thrown out there by homophobic, racist and misogynistic people really put a damper on my enjoyment as well. Minsc, Viconia and Irenicus were well done and voiced beautifully. I think someone not well versed in the early games could enjoy it, for me it felt like not everyone working on this game were on the same page.… Expand
  87. Thrif
    Apr 3, 2016
    0
    Solid storytelling and gameplay that holds up. If you loved the original series you'll enjoy this one, because it's basically just more of it.

    Only downside is that they changed the UI into a downright mess for no apparent reason.
  88. jeremyalexander
    Apr 3, 2016
    7
    This is a great and seamless expansion that fits perfectly in between these classic games. Its score is brought down due to a very buggy release that did the company a disservice as they are gaining a reputation of buggy releases at a time when they are asking for the honor of doing a Baldur's Gate 3. This is unacceptable and they need to hone their programming chops to be taken seriously.This is a great and seamless expansion that fits perfectly in between these classic games. Its score is brought down due to a very buggy release that did the company a disservice as they are gaining a reputation of buggy releases at a time when they are asking for the honor of doing a Baldur's Gate 3. This is unacceptable and they need to hone their programming chops to be taken seriously. However, as I stated, it is impressive to just go in and meld a new experience to a game nearly 2 decades old and have it feel like it belonged there all along. Also, ignore the low score from the Gamer's Gate trolls that keep whining that the company has an agenda. The only agenda is from the loony fringe of the Gamer's Gate that thinks anything that isn't white and male is something to attack. I would also ignore the fanboy's giving this 10's. It is a very good expansion that I cannot recommend until they have shown the commitment to fix it's technical state. Once that aspect is under control, I can say that if you enjoyed this classic series this will feel both new and familiar in a positive way.… Expand
  89. Irenicus218
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    For all of those who are wondering whether to buy SoD: go to youtube and watch someone play it. Do not listen to those who are loudest at the moment. The game in its current state has some bugs (yet minor), otherwise it is great fun if you loved the original games.

    The cry about 'politics being shoe-horned' into the game concerns one minor npc and a single line of text. I do not care.    For all of those who are wondering whether to buy SoD: go to youtube and watch someone play it. Do not listen to those who are loudest at the moment. The game in its current state has some bugs (yet minor), otherwise it is great fun if you loved the original games.

    The cry about 'politics being shoe-horned' into the game concerns one minor npc and a single line of text. I do not care. Even if you think transgender should not be part of a fantasy game, this is not a theme that you will encounter all through the game. Negative reviewers blow it out of proportion big time at the moment.

    Make up your own mind and do not simply listen to those hating on Beamdog right now.    … Expand
  90. ZeshinX
    Apr 4, 2016
    7
    I enjoyed Siege of Dragonspear. It was an enjoyable adventure that did a fairly decent enough job filling in the gap between BG1 and BG2.

    I found the writing a little weak and the plot/story was rather weak, but I suspect that'll happen when you try and squeeze an original story in the middle of a very well established plot line. In that regard, Beamdog did a pretty decent job. Not    I enjoyed Siege of Dragonspear. It was an enjoyable adventure that did a fairly decent enough job filling in the gap between BG1 and BG2.

    I found the writing a little weak and the plot/story was rather weak, but I suspect that'll happen when you try and squeeze an original story in the middle of a very well established plot line. In that regard, Beamdog did a pretty decent job. Not good, not bad. I would very much like to see what they can do when the "shackles" are off and tell a story all their own.

    I found nothing remarkable about the new joinable NPCs, as I avoided them almost completely except for Corwin (I needed a ranged warrior, and she fit the bill). I wasn't a fan of the new NPCs in the Enhanced Editions, so I just avoided them altogether in SoD (the returning and the new to SoD ones).

    The Shaman class addition is welcome (as are any character options), but one I will never use. Considering the class' main feature (summoning spirits) is not guaranteed to work right away...any shaman in the party will likely spend most of the game standing around (since they can't move when using this ability) crossing their fingers hoping they can contribute (before it's too late). Welcome, but not very useful.

    The UI. I don't mind the layout, though it needs some serious touching up (and frankly, the original layout is still better). The colour of it is horrid though. Just horrid. Devs, wherever your fetish for varying shades of black comes from, please stop. Return this UI to the blue stone/gold GUI we saw in patch 1.3 and I'd honestly have nothing to complain about (or an option to use either would be great).

    As for all the furor over purported gender/sexual identity agendas and political correcting of things....I don't really care. The day a video game can influence my own personal views about life, I have larger issues than what a video game (or its devs) believe.

    Overall, I very much enjoyed myself. I'm eager to see what Beamdog can come up with as a wholly original offering, without any particular constraints to an existing story. I'd still like to see Beamdog create some more (Enhanced) Infinity Engine D&D games, and they'll get my dollars for them.

    With the recent disaster that was Sword Coast Legends, Beamdog looks to be THE place to scratch the CRPG D&D itch for me.    … Expand
  91. mikkle
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    Great in terms of content, fits in well with the original story, plus gives a nice refreshing feel. I like the new interface and content additions. Bug were and always will be during game releases, Beamdog is a small company so give them a break.
  92. GrimLefourbe
    Apr 3, 2016
    9
    This extension is good, it leaves me with the same feelings as the first one, intense fights, random moments of "oh damn, I opened the wrong door", laughter as I read the jokes and the character lines.

    There is 4th wall breaking in this game, and I like it, it's not overbearing but it's there. I would actually give this a 9.5, it's not exactly as Baldur's Gate, it's damn near    This extension is good, it leaves me with the same feelings as the first one, intense fights, random moments of "oh damn, I opened the wrong door", laughter as I read the jokes and the character lines.

    There is 4th wall breaking in this game, and I like it, it's not overbearing but it's there.

    I would actually give this a 9.5, it's not exactly as Baldur's Gate, it's damn near perfect, just as Baldur's Gate was, damn near perfect but not 10/10.

    If you liked the first and aren't triggered by 4th wall breaking, you'll like this.    … Expand
  93. Folsomdsf
    Apr 4, 2016
    7
    Great encounter Design, decent main storyline. Some strong character, some weak(Safana rewrite was god awful). It's much worse in a story way than bg 1/2 and even ignores some of the longstanding canon to pander to the egos of the writers and what they think is right. It's a little disappointing but the game is still good fun and the 2.0 update is welcome.

    Some of the sidequests are    Great encounter Design, decent main storyline. Some strong character, some weak(Safana rewrite was god awful). It's much worse in a story way than bg 1/2 and even ignores some of the longstanding canon to pander to the egos of the writers and what they think is right. It's a little disappointing but the game is still good fun and the 2.0 update is welcome.

    Some of the sidequests are outright garbage btw, especially things like the 'vision quest' that looks better on **** than it would in a baldur's gate game. The game has a few bugs in singleplayer and the multiplayer has multiple and numerous crippling bugs.

    If I wasn't such a huge fan of baldur's gate and more fixated on the encounter I'd probably rate it lower. For me though, it's a solid 7 and enjoyable.    … Expand
  94. Skeira
    Apr 4, 2016
    9
    I've been playing this game for several hours now, and it is running beautifully on my not-so-new laptop! I haven't encountered any bugs at all, which is strange for my usual luck. I loved the original Baldur's Gate games, and so far this one has been very enjoyable as well. I'm liking the new characters enough that I've managed to make room for one in my party (gasp!), and I'm a personI've been playing this game for several hours now, and it is running beautifully on my not-so-new laptop! I haven't encountered any bugs at all, which is strange for my usual luck. I loved the original Baldur's Gate games, and so far this one has been very enjoyable as well. I'm liking the new characters enough that I've managed to make room for one in my party (gasp!), and I'm a person who keeps the same people on every run through because I just can't bear to switch!

    So far my only small complaint is that the character graphics are a bit more cartoonish than I would like... or like they are in front of a green screen or something. But, I forget about it when I'm playing, so it isn't that big a deal.

    Thank you so much to everybody who put effort into making this expansion; it makes me so happy to play a new Baldur's Gate story now, so long after I first played the originals. Definitely worth the twenty bucks!    … Expand
  95. PrinceCharming
    Apr 4, 2016
    9
    What a blast I've had, playing this through the weekend!!! What a sweet, beautiful tale I got to take a part in with this game.

    Well, that is the short of it... In a way, it is difficult attributing a score to what is, by default and design, a game that cannot, and will not, compare to other present day titles in terms of graphics, presentation, and polish. But in the end, there is no    What a blast I've had, playing this through the weekend!!! What a sweet, beautiful tale I got to take a part in with this game.

    Well, that is the short of it... In a way, it is difficult attributing a score to what is, by default and design, a game that cannot, and will not, compare to other present day titles in terms of graphics, presentation, and polish. But in the end, there is no better criterion than the fun I had playing this game, as a veteran of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale from back in the day. The story is lovely; the new angles to this game not seen before in Infinity Engine games is refreshing, and the careful (mostly optional) changes to the UI are helpful.

    Some parts of the game remind me of aspects of Icewind Dale 2 in terms of scope and spectacle on screen, while the plot fits in seamlessly between Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. The new locales, the sheer number of NPCs, the new characters and the fleshing out of old characters make this a very colourful world and worthwhile addition indeed.

    One aspect which has received much attention here, as elsewhere, appears to be the not-merely-straight sexual identity/orientation of some of the new characters and the fleshing out of character relationships, which seems to infuriate a great many gamers. Indeed, the level of, for want of a better word, sheer hatred expressed in some comments is baffling. Now, I wonder who of those "critics" has actually played the game - if they had, they would recognise that this facet indeed is rather unobtrusive and minor. What's more, claims that this is breaking with the "spirit" of the original games apparently disregard the fact that a great level of diversity (for the time) has always a hallmark of the old Baldur's Gate games. (And if the "spirit" of the old games had truly been the embrace of a monoculture, of bigotry and of prejudice, would this really have been a spirit worth upholding?)

    There is a different, more nuanced level of criticism which I can at least somewhat relate to: In a fantasy world where there are so many options of altering one's physical form, a character with a sexual identity different from his physical body seems at least odd, and slightly in conflict with the game world's own logic. For this, and some other minor breaks of immersion, as well as for some bugs (none game stopping, in my experience) in the initial release, I am detracting a point from the score. But for the blast I am having (some 25 hours into the story), I can only recommend this wonderful new addition to the BG canon.    … Expand
  96. roachtbp
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    Beamdog did what some doubted was possible - made a new Baldur's Gate game that lives up to the originals in every respect - great new characters, a story that surpasses the story of the originals (in my opinion), and the same game play we love (with significant improvements). The narrative bridges the gap between BG1 and BG2 amazingly. It is very well written and a pleasure to play!!!Beamdog did what some doubted was possible - made a new Baldur's Gate game that lives up to the originals in every respect - great new characters, a story that surpasses the story of the originals (in my opinion), and the same game play we love (with significant improvements). The narrative bridges the gap between BG1 and BG2 amazingly. It is very well written and a pleasure to play!!! BG fans are in luck!!!… Expand
  97. Ashkala
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    Beautiful locations and art. Voice actors are top notch even after all these years they still manage to nail their performances of old. Personally I love the new UI. Pay no attention to the nonsense about "Gender politics" and such, it's overblown foolishness. A fitting expansion to one of the great series in recent memory. I highly recommend it.
  98. toggle101
    Apr 4, 2016
    9
    Beautiful environments, a UI that makes sense of the chaos that was there before, and old friends I didn't even know I've missed. Siege of Dragonspear is a fitting addition to the series
  99. purudaya
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    If you enjoyed the Baldur's gate series, this expansion marks a welcome return - it's well written, highly polished, innovative, and uses voice actors from the original 1998 series. Great combat, awesome narrative, and roughly 30 hours of solid gameplay - this is Baldur's Gate in every sense of the word.

    Sadly, some people are giving 0 ratings because of a *single line* of optional LGBT    If you enjoyed the Baldur's gate series, this expansion marks a welcome return - it's well written, highly polished, innovative, and uses voice actors from the original 1998 series. Great combat, awesome narrative, and roughly 30 hours of solid gameplay - this is Baldur's Gate in every sense of the word.

    Sadly, some people are giving 0 ratings because of a *single line* of optional LGBT friendly text in a game filled with mountains of dialogue. Most of these people haven't even played Siege of Dragonspear and any suggestions that the game "preaches" or "forces" heavy handed messaging are completely inaccurate. Decide for yourself and don't let other's people's distortions deter you from buying a genuinely wonderful game.

    And if you liked the game, leave a review!    … Expand
  100. JohnMet
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    Thank you beamdog for an awesome game! Much more satisfying and creative content than on the Enhanced Edition. All your hard work seems to have payed off! Now time for BG3!
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Awards & Rankings

24
#24 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
79
#79 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 29, 2016
    75
    Living up to such legacy seemed impossible but Beamdog understands Baldur’s Gate and created a game true to the original. Unfortunately along with the party you need to gather a band of patches, because bugs are crawling all over the place. [06/2016, p.40]
  2. Games.cz
    May 18, 2016
    70
    Decent expansion to the classic RPG, which -in addition to the inevitable technical limitations- suffers mainly due to the uneven quality of the script. All in all, it is a very good excuse to once again venture into the world of Faerûn.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    May 9, 2016
    80
    Beamdog’s expansion embraces both the past and the present. The adventure is inconsistent, ragged and the script could be a lot better, but at its best Siege of Dragonspear captures the essence of Baldur’s Gate - even if fleetingly. [May 2016]
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