there seems to be a sizeable player base who is satisfied with the direction the product is taking.
People who have little idea what makes Baldur's GateBaldur's Gate or who don't care as long as the coat of paint says Baldur's Gate (and sometimes even that is unnecessary). Business as usual when it comes to long-awaited sequels of cherished franchises, then.
Honestly if this game was called "random homebrew D&D game" I wouldn't have a problem, it isn't.
Just imagine someone taking a beloved franchise like Starwars, killing all the main characters everyone loved, adding a bunch of modern day identity politics with a plot so stupid you lose 40 IQ point watching it. Then replace all main characters with Jar Jar Binks activists and Mary Sues.....Just imagine how popular a movie like that would have been right? Phew! glad that never happened. Who would want to live in that world?
Lord of the rings was good because it stuck to the source material, the hobbit was bad because it added so much extra cheese filling it could sold as a pasty.
