After seeing the demo...I'd say there is a 90% chance this game will meet or exceed -my expectations- which is enough to warrant a pre-order from me. I have probably 1000 hours in BG1 and more in BG2, steam says 406 for BG1 and 305 for BG2 but I'd play through them every couple of years....since basically they originally released. 448 hours in DOS1, 651 hours in DOS2, 569 in PoE1, 369 in PoE2, and 637 in P:K.
If it has semi balanced classes that provide diversity and complexity in builds, a good non linear story that can't been seen in a single play through, combat that scales with difficulty, and a variety of party members/builds I'll without a doubt sink the same time as any other modern CRPG.
Will it get the hours of BG1 and BG2? I hope not. The only reason those games reached such acclaim and nostalgia is because there was a serious dry spell for over a decade of anything even remotely similar in scope and quality. The world was taken by FPS's and shiny graphics and the industry as a whole exploded because of it. The year 2000, there were still games aimed at nerds not everyone with eyeballs. Technology has changed, CRPGs are beginning to hit their stride again, and most of us nerds who grew up with infinity engine games make enough money now to support the genre.
I hope and think it will be an amazing game, but I also hope I'm not still playing it instead of something new in 5 years from now.
