Much has been said about the NWN 2 OC already and I also concur that it is the digital manifestation of syphillis.
RANT INCOMING GET YOUR HEAD DOWN!!
I've been trying to get into MotB recently and I have to say that even though the writing and whatnot is much better than the OC, it still reeks of Obsidian's flaws, in my opinion. The whole autistic influence system with the companions, for example, and conveyor belt of awkward conversations you have with various cardboard cutouts posing as characters. It's a jarring experience where the level of writing seems to go up and down like a rollercoaster. It's a sad theme for Obsidian - a company that has unrightfully garnered a reputation as being somehow superior to their contemporaries. They're sometimes better - as was proven in the case of New Vegas - but they never could leave that bubble of theirs. What I mean is that their overrall style is so goddamn hamfisted - except for New Vegas, to a degree. I think that was because it was a Fallout game. The DLCs showed worrying signs, though.
I'll never understand any of it, honestly. There aren't many good modern CRPGs out there and I really try to appreciate MotB but even though it's the best fantasy type game Obsidian has made, it still has that black mark of their making. It permeates nearly every conversation and quest like an oppressive miasma. It leads to much frustration, simply because the narrative keeps smacking me over the head and shouting in my ear. I tell you, subtlety is a very fine art and it's one that is often misinterpreted; that includes Obsidian. It's a shame because if anyone could possibly bring about a real positive change in the CRPG climate, it would have been them. However, they're just too rigid and stubborn in the way they do things, unfortunately. The NWN 2 OC is a piece of shit. It's linear and it's juvenile. Fan-fiction tier. MotB is also quite linear but it tries to be more adult, more complex. Yet, I've never really felt like I had the opportunity to truly digest it simply because Obsidian often have this ADHD mentality in their games. I mean, just let me breathe and relax for a minute. You don't need to dump information on me all the time. You don't need to beat me over the head with really obvious plot points. You don't need to make companions into passive aggressive attention whores that wear you down with exposition. You don't need to have overly dramatic or morose try-hard villains that feel they belong in anime. The plot is supposed to be inbedded in the bread of the game. It's supposed to reveal itself naturally and gradually the further you go: a seamless experience, where your own decisions affect your destination - to a degree. But, it's easy to feel like a guest in an Obsidian game, riding shotgun. I guess that's my personal point.
I know a lot people love the sort of stuff Obsidian does but it rubs me the wrong way, for some reason. That being said MotB is still planets apart in terms of quality from the Nuremberg trial that is the OC.
RANT INCOMING GET YOUR HEAD DOWN!!
I've been trying to get into MotB recently and I have to say that even though the writing and whatnot is much better than the OC, it still reeks of Obsidian's flaws, in my opinion. The whole autistic influence system with the companions, for example, and conveyor belt of awkward conversations you have with various cardboard cutouts posing as characters. It's a jarring experience where the level of writing seems to go up and down like a rollercoaster. It's a sad theme for Obsidian - a company that has unrightfully garnered a reputation as being somehow superior to their contemporaries. They're sometimes better - as was proven in the case of New Vegas - but they never could leave that bubble of theirs. What I mean is that their overrall style is so goddamn hamfisted - except for New Vegas, to a degree. I think that was because it was a Fallout game. The DLCs showed worrying signs, though.
I'll never understand any of it, honestly. There aren't many good modern CRPGs out there and I really try to appreciate MotB but even though it's the best fantasy type game Obsidian has made, it still has that black mark of their making. It permeates nearly every conversation and quest like an oppressive miasma. It leads to much frustration, simply because the narrative keeps smacking me over the head and shouting in my ear. I tell you, subtlety is a very fine art and it's one that is often misinterpreted; that includes Obsidian. It's a shame because if anyone could possibly bring about a real positive change in the CRPG climate, it would have been them. However, they're just too rigid and stubborn in the way they do things, unfortunately. The NWN 2 OC is a piece of shit. It's linear and it's juvenile. Fan-fiction tier. MotB is also quite linear but it tries to be more adult, more complex. Yet, I've never really felt like I had the opportunity to truly digest it simply because Obsidian often have this ADHD mentality in their games. I mean, just let me breathe and relax for a minute. You don't need to dump information on me all the time. You don't need to beat me over the head with really obvious plot points. You don't need to make companions into passive aggressive attention whores that wear you down with exposition. You don't need to have overly dramatic or morose try-hard villains that feel they belong in anime. The plot is supposed to be inbedded in the bread of the game. It's supposed to reveal itself naturally and gradually the further you go: a seamless experience, where your own decisions affect your destination - to a degree. But, it's easy to feel like a guest in an Obsidian game, riding shotgun. I guess that's my personal point.
I know a lot people love the sort of stuff Obsidian does but it rubs me the wrong way, for some reason. That being said MotB is still planets apart in terms of quality from the Nuremberg trial that is the OC.
