Larian Banner: Baldur's Gate Patch 9
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Joined: Sep 2016
Location: Ireland
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smokey Offline OP
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Joined: Sep 2016
Location: Ireland
Ok, I’ve only had time to play about 30min of the full game. So far, good job. In particular, the hand-drawn intros have infinitely more personality than any vapidly streamlined CGI. And it’s great that there are several options for muting sounds. Any chance of being able toggle the voices on/off just for origin characters too?

I was always on the fence about voice acting. And I was right, in that your imagination generally does a better job of giving voice to characters. But I also found the acting was good enough that it works very well for some characters, and adds immersive ambience when other non-player characters are having a few bants (though could do without being stuck on repeat).

Then there’s the Red Ponce – I mean, the Red Prince. What the hell happened here? If you turn off all voices, you can read the same text the voice actor is hamming up to the heavens as you always imagined it: the guttural, authoritative snarls and rasps of the quietly vicious badass you’d expect a walking lizard with a demon-snake-for-a-head to be.

Instead the voice recalls all the worst clichés of the pampered, useless dandy prince – without any of the comic knowingness of, say, Shrek’s Prince Charming. When he had a ‘good gods!’ hissy fit at the sight of a bit of magister blood on the ship, I thought are you kidding me? This guy is that pansy prince who wanted to bang his own sister in The Gladiator. He’s every weak, snivelling, foppish beta male rolled into one. He’s lady lizard repellent – but I don’t know if this Red Prince would even care.

Could you count on him going into battle with that voice? I mean, he might break a claw and start whimpering at you about needing a manicure before he’d even think about casting another spell.

I can’t see myself spending an entire game listening to someone this twat. Which is a pity, because the voices in general do add life to the experience. The lines are fine (I can read them in a different voice), but I’m cringing listening to this whiny sap speak them out loud.

Standard disclaimer applies – this is just my opinion. I guarantee there are people out there who love the way they’re camping it up with the prince. That’s fine – listen to him all you want. I just want a mute button specifically for this lad. And probably Fane too, to be perfectly honest. Just a mute button for origin characters that you happen to be playing, if it’s not too much hassle…

Joined: Sep 2016
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journeyman
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Joined: Sep 2016
Don't recruit him to your party if you don't like him. I didn't. I also can't imagine that anyone really likes him. Fane captures the snooty-intellectual sort of character in a much, much better way that is charming and funny. The red prince is just an annoying cunt who was maybe meant to be funny just because of how much of a cunt he is, but I think he just does too good a job at it that it feels all too real and he's too easy to hate.

Joined: Oct 2015
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old hand
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Joined: Oct 2015
Red Prince is better in small doses spread throughout the game.

The fact that he has a chip on his shoulder in spite being reduced, along with the fact that he does do the right thing from time to time, can be endearing or hilarious.

Having him speak all the time sounds egregious.

Joined: Sep 2017
journeyman
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Having had a chance to play the game for a short time ... it's part of why my first time through, I'm NOT taking him with me. I just can't find him all that interesting.

Though when I do take him, I'll take Sebille as well. If only because I expect those two are always going to be in conflict with each other. She hates Lizards, and the Red Prince is just a jerk.


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