I'm really looking forward to this game. In fact, now that I think about it, I'm anticipating Original Sin's release with higher hopes than I've ever had for a video game. Partly that's due to my personal tastes and the emotional engagement arising from such a legendary kickstarter sure, but I ask myself - why am I looking forward to this game so much? And am I managing my expectations reasonably?
Original Sin is essentially being kickfinished rather than kickstartered, so Larian has been able to show & tell us a lot about the game, and their community engagement has been excellent. We have a fair idea of what the game will be like, if not the finer details and how it will actually play. Larian have also been receiving widespread praise and even industry awards in recognition of the quality of the game's development. And the latest updates have been very reassuring and encouraging - I'm so glad they're taking the time they need to implement all those juicy stretch goals properly, and even managing to release the modkit with alpha. Larian appears to be 'doing it right'.
So why worry? Well if something seems too good to be true it usually isn't. I realise Original Sin will have weaknesses, game mechanic imbalances and bugs like every other game ever. And problems can arise in development; things may not work out as well as could be hoped. There's a lot can happen in a game's development. That said, I'm pretty confident that I'll have a lot of fun with the game, regardless of how high it actually manages to climb the mountain of RPG greatness.
With this in mind, I would just like to say to Larian, hey no pressure despite the expectations, ours or yours. I understand video game development is an art, and sometimes the cake just doesn't come out of the oven as you'd like. I look forward to eating the cake regardless. Aim for the stars and land where you may.
In any event, I still can't help but go a little gaga when I think of a richly atmospheric and interactive world a la Divine Divinity, adding a deep turn-based combat system and a party to go adventuring with (featuring that exciting dialogue system). Then consider all those stretch goals and the modkit
I'm interested in others' thoughts about the potential of Original Sin and how they feel about it. So what (if any) are your expectations and why?
