I know that there are those out there that lampoon games that do not possess full 3D visuals and pretty lights. Let me say this: I actually prefer the 2D worlds and isometric views. I think that these allow for better environments and feel without years of development in graphics. Nowadays too many games hinge on graphics and thus sacrifice gameplay.
Now, I might be biased because I remember such classics as Baldurs Gate and Ultima VII (maybe even VIII, but the jumping sucked... moving platforms grrr...) and even the Exile/Avernum series and Arcanum (massive bugs due to Sierra's meddling...) to an extent. There was the feeling that this was a real world and it allowed for huge areas to explore. I would actually like to see more emphasis on the 2D graphics as it not only simplifies controls for the player, but also allows a larger user-base.
Morrowind is the only game (haven't played Fable) that I have played that has even come close to capturing those traits I love in full 3D, but it is chock-full of errors (my old comp ran it fine, but when I upgraded CTD!) and is limited by current graphic technology and performance. Now I find myself going back to the classics and reveling in their (seemingly) simplistic beauty. Ultima VII had boats you could steer and I even had a cannon I stole from some pirates on it (it was annoying to re-load and hit anything, but I had it dammit, and that's why it was special). I love the addition of food needed to sleep, though your characters do not suffer from long-term fatigue or hunger, probably due to constraints of time required to implement time cycles into BD.
I guess I'm saying to Larian, please do not join the legions of watered-downs in the interest of appealing to some media-induced hype. Continue to focus on game extras like boats and non-linear stories... I think that it would benefit Larian to think back to Ultima VII before thinking too much about their contemporaries visions. Night/day cycles, logical locations for items (the frogs in the lava are kinda outta place, unless they are mutants), and player freedoms.
So far, I think you have done an excellent job reviving these core values that made these games (the above and DD BD!) so great. Keep up the good work and don't forget your roots. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />
