Shortest. Demo. Ever.
I stumbled across this game, 'Eschalon: Book I', and despite the terrible title and the pre-planned trilogy aspect, I was quite interested. A pretty, old-school RPG with turn-based movement and combat, self-styled 'unlimited character development' and a 'non-linear storyline'.
...unless you want to play a woman.
I installed the demo and was impressed by the opening sequence's production values, but kept in mind the old saw about all that glisters. Starting a new game, I immediately clicked on the 'gender' box... and nothing happened. I tried it again, and rolled my eyes at the thought of the demo having female models and sound effects cut for size, then read the little notice at the bottom of the screen.
'The story of Eschalon: Book I is written for a male character, and you cannot change this trait.'
Oh, I thought to myself, and immediately uninstalled it.
Guys: If you're too lazy to go through your dialogue text and expose it to proofreading and pronoun substitutions, then I'm afraid to read any of it. If you're too protective of your deathless prose to subject it to such a thing, then I don't want to read it. Last, but certainly not least, if your story demands that the protagonist be a specific sex so that they can marry the princess, or ascend to very-definitely-hugely-male godhood or whatever else (which is altogether typical of these 'wandering amnesiac' tales), any pretensions to 'unlimited' character development and 'non-linear' story are rendered immediately inoperative.
...unless you want to play a woman.
I installed the demo and was impressed by the opening sequence's production values, but kept in mind the old saw about all that glisters. Starting a new game, I immediately clicked on the 'gender' box... and nothing happened. I tried it again, and rolled my eyes at the thought of the demo having female models and sound effects cut for size, then read the little notice at the bottom of the screen.
'The story of Eschalon: Book I is written for a male character, and you cannot change this trait.'
Oh, I thought to myself, and immediately uninstalled it.
Guys: If you're too lazy to go through your dialogue text and expose it to proofreading and pronoun substitutions, then I'm afraid to read any of it. If you're too protective of your deathless prose to subject it to such a thing, then I don't want to read it. Last, but certainly not least, if your story demands that the protagonist be a specific sex so that they can marry the princess, or ascend to very-definitely-hugely-male godhood or whatever else (which is altogether typical of these 'wandering amnesiac' tales), any pretensions to 'unlimited' character development and 'non-linear' story are rendered immediately inoperative.