I read Baldur's Gate and it was bad. And I mean bad. The main character was pretty much impossible to identify with, and the author decided to toss in some pointless sex for good measure (which tends to put me off). A few years later I naively read Shadows of Amn. Bad again, and now decidedly straying from the plot of the game.
Now, changing the plot is not a bad thing in itself, since games, books and films operate on different narrative principles (something a lot of authors have yet to grasp, considering most adaptations out there). But if you keep faithfully to the plot in a novelization of a game, and then decide to take a turn in the sequel, mess results.
All things considered, I have yet to see a game-based book/film that has some actual quality to it, and isn't just an attempt to cash in on the game's popularity. I've heard some good opinions on a few books, although I'm not quite prepared to try them out yet.
Now, changing the plot is not a bad thing in itself, since games, books and films operate on different narrative principles (something a lot of authors have yet to grasp, considering most adaptations out there). But if you keep faithfully to the plot in a novelization of a game, and then decide to take a turn in the sequel, mess results.
All things considered, I have yet to see a game-based book/film that has some actual quality to it, and isn't just an attempt to cash in on the game's popularity. I've heard some good opinions on a few books, although I'm not quite prepared to try them out yet.
