Was about to complete the shopping checkout but got a rude shock at the sight of the tons of comments. That tells alot about the game itself (as well as the behavior of the fellows responsible for the mess that is Dragonspear). A big n fat THANKS to the gog peers and their gumption for sparing me a huge disappointment.
A great transitional entry between BG1 and BG2, a which continues Beamdog's amazing artistic remake of the series and outstanding writing. Interface has been redesigned/streamlined a bit, which took a few minutes to adjust to but seems to work much better overall. Only a little ways through the story but so far very happy. I've been playing D&D (tabletop and video games) since 1994, and this still has the old feel with modern aesthetics and sensibilities!
As a side note, I'm absolutely thrilled that BeamDog took a moment--even if it was something as small as two lines of optional dialogue--to give some love to a minority that it deeply involved in the making and playing of games (trans people), who are so often treated as jokes or fetish material in other games.
Cant stand nor will I ever support a company that begs for positive reviews, takes credit for others' work, shoehorns modern political issues into beloved titles, and demeans people with whom they disagree with politically. This is a review of Beamdog as a company, and not the game
So many reviews by butthurt gamergaters. Good god. Make no mistake, the game is great. Well-written, interesting, and like the original games, not afraid to stray into social commentary on occasion (funny how some people see that as a bad thing). The combat and general game structure feels a bit more like Icewind Dale than Baldur's Gate, but since it maintain's Baldur's Gate's rich story tradition, I can hardly consider that a downside. To this 18-year Baldur's Gate vet, Siege of Dragonspear feels like coming home.
Should be 3.5 stars. I got a Steam key as a gift, but if I'd bought it for 20 bucks I wouldn't have regretted it despite some disappointments.
The fights are good, on average better than the original BGs were. This has always been Beamdog's strong point, and they don't disappoint. There are maybe a few too many fights that can be solved by AoE attacks, but this is a minor concern. Really good boss fights.
The companions range from okay to good with Schael Corwin, the Archer, being a definite highlight. Loot is nice, unlike in the original BGs you can safely use pretty much any weapon category. Side quests can be divided into involved dungeon crawls (good) and some mini quests (often generic fetch quests, kinda mediocre overall). There is nice reactivity with regards to quest resolutions.
The main plot is where the game squanders its potential. It's promising, and the antagonist for most of the game, Caelar Argent, could be good, but she's not allowed to be, because Irenicus cameos take up so much time - Irenicus interacts far more with the main character than Caelar. The resolution feels rushed, and surprise, the villain is another old IE acquaintance.
Also, some clarifications regarding complaints about the game pushing an SJW agenda and all that: They are ridiculous. It's safe to say that the game takes a stand, but it does so in the most low-key way imaginable. One particularly classy review here states that the transsexual cleric "blurts out a ludicrous sex change story [...] on first meeting". The character mentions that she was born a man but transitioned to a woman when you ask her about her name. That's it. One line of dialogue. That character is involved in multiple quests. Her trans identity never comes up again. Minsc's Gamergate reference is an easter egg line that I never heard throughout the entire campaign. All these people leaving 1 star reviews are looking to be offended, many probably haven't played the game, and none should be listened to.