Firstly, I am absolutely flabbergasted by the negative reviews for Siege of Dragonspear. It really seems like Beamdog were stuck in a no-win scenario: if they change anything, they ruin the spirit of Baldur's gate; if they change nothing, there are too few improvements.
I put playing this on hold for many years due to the negative criticism, and I can now after completing it definitely say that it is totally unreserved. Note that I played this in 2021, so bugs which may have affected early players may be gone now.
I think the story is decent (not great, but surely not terrible) and gives an interesting account of the events occurring between BG1 and BG2. I didn't expect much in this regard, so I was happy to see that. I also felt that both the quests, dialog and environments were very much in the spirit of Baldur's Gate. The main difference is the linearity of the story and chapters. However, I expected an expansion pack, not a new game, and as such I am without a doubt satisfied with this and had a really good time.
And just a comment on the "political content": there is absolutely nothing in this game that is more out of place than anything in either BG1 or BG2.
If you felt like Durlags Tower and the last mission really brought down baldur gate 1, then this is a good refreshment. Even with like 1 or 2 characters i didnt really struggle on core rules and overall had a pretty decent time. Definitely worth it for $5-$10.
I don't get all the negative reviews, so I felt compelled to write one that doesn't trash this expansion for minor quibbles: It's true that it's not perfect but the good totally overwhelms the bad.
STORY:
The main plot is well written, D&D compliant, and it works well as a bridge between Baldur's Gate 1 and 2; it has mistery, nuances and complexities like in BG1 and most of the side quests are quite engaging (the dungeons are particularly awesome). Some minor quests are a bit on the cheesy/boring side, but what RPG doesn't have some of those kind? Anyway the "fan fiction writing" some reviewers mentioned simply isn't here.
NPCs:
The NPCs in your party have the same personalities they had in BG1 with the better interactions of BG2. They are not annoying at all, even the new NPCs in this expansion are quite interesting and likable.
BUGS:
Didn't find any worth mentioning.
GUI:
This is the only area where I felt they didn't get it right. It's too dark and flat, so it's not easy to navigate, and they changed GUI elements that were better before in BG1 EE. But you can apply a GUI mod, and there are quite few for the Enhanced Edition that are good, thank god.
ROLE PLAYING:
It's more linear than BG1 or BG2, because the map is made on sections that you have to explore in an given order: when you advance in the map previous areas become unreachable, so you have to be sure to have explored everything in an area before moving forward, Having said so, there's a lot to do and discover in the single areas and the approaches to the situations can be chosen like in previous BGs. Being a war campaign with no villages (only encampments and fortresses) it also offers different situations than the cities of BG1 and BG2.
LONGEVITY:
It easily exceeds the advertised 25 hours of gameplay; it can reach the 30/35 hours mark if you do everything this expansion has to offer,
DIFFICULTY:
It's a little bit easier than the old Baldur's Gates, but this is not necessarily bad: it features more balanced fights that are still challenging (more so if you are at a low level or ill equipped) and some modern aids to overcome the limitations of inventory space. Maybe some items you can buy or find are a little on the powerful side, but most of those are hidden/related to optional quests, and anyway you'll never feel like an invincible god.
So in the end it almost feels like a long lost expansion, and the modern addictions to the formula don't detract from the enjoyment but add variety and some welcome improvements. It's also reasonably consistent if you plan to play BG1, this and then BG2 (as I'm doing, and as I would advise to do).
It would be 4.5 stars, but I'll give this game 5 stars rather than 4, because the low rating this quality title is getting is simply ridiculous.
I have played essentially all the IE games and newer games in the same genre such as Pillars of Eternity. I write my first review on GoG as a consequence of seeing the many 1/5 star reviews; this expansion deserves far better. Disclaimer: I did not read any reviews before playing the expansion, therefore these are my experiences with the game as of early 2017.
The story and gameplay of SoD is very much in the spirit of the Baldur's Gate games. The game picks up right after BG1 with the same main character. Many of the beloved companions return, including much of the original voice cast, and the story ties BG1 and BG2 well together with sufficient mystery and foreshadowing (finally giving meaning to the BG2 beginning). There is less exploration compared to BG1, however there are still plenty of optional characters, quests, and events (including fighting a well after dropping a weapon, rather than gold, into it, and also there are secrets that can only be found using infravision). Your expectations going into the expansion should be, exactly that: it is an expansion to BG1, i.e. not a full BG-game in the series. For this reason the game length is about 25h, and most of the mechanics are identical to those of BG1. This is also the reason I give it 4/5 as it is only an expansion.
So, why are there so many bad reviews on GoG? Well the initial reviews seems to be good, however there has been a sh**storm involving a transgender character and possibly some out-of-character remarks by Minsc. It seems that the developers have patched the game to reduce the controversy:
http://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-siege-of-dragonspear-mod-cuts-transgender-reference/
Regarding multiplayer I cannot give any feedback as I always play these games in singleplayer.
I can only comment on how I experienced the game long after many of the reviews here, and I did not notice any tacked on political statement (I was not aware that I was "supposed to" be offended even if there were some remnants left after that patch). So, if you are not involved in the SJW/anti SJW debate (good for you!) and you want more BG story, then this expansion is a lovely return to the characters and setting we all love. By the way, Chris Avellone was also positve about the expansion before the whole sh**storm, so I guess that also counts for something.
DS is best equivalent to ToB meets IWD 1.
-If you can ignore some terrible voices, and some sjw garbage here and there, you will find an actually fun mini campaign that unnecessarily sets up BG2.
-The Good: What DS does well is gameplay
+ The new gear, items, equipment, and weapons are fantastic, either by random or standard placing, the new additions feel right at home and do improve the overall game.
+ DS has done a great job with introducing new enemies, enemy variants, and adding in enemies from different Infinity Engine games like Planescape, IWD, and BG1/2/ToB.
+ The maps and art are another area of good. They have done well here with level and map design, art looks great and there is even good interactivity with several areas
- The Neutral:
+ The story of DS is alright, nothing about it is groundbreaking. The biggest weakness lies in it being a mini campaign in-between a much better game and story of BG2. Like I stated, DS unnecessarily sets up BG2 which is unneeded. It reminds me of PoE2 in the vain of a character on a "divine" quest.
+ The returning VAs; those who do return to reprise their roles do a decent if not well job. The last time they had taken up these roles were the late 1990s so it is understandable if they may sound a tad off.
+ The difficultly was fine for me, there may be a few spikes but if you have played BG before it is nothing new. DS is better when you playthrough the game again, not a first run.
- The Bad
+ The most notable negative aspect is the terrible new voices, not all are bad and some are fine but many of these new voices and new characters sound awful. I much prefer the charming early 1990s inhouse voices than where ever these nerd VAs came from. Think fan films.
+ last but not least, the forced SJW agenda content, it is small but annoying and not needed.
My final verdict, Beamdog has alot of potential here, but it would have been better just to make a new game in the same engine than a DLC for BG1
