In BG 2 I felt like my character was the main protagonist in an epic tale. In BG 3 that is not the case. Now the tale may be epic (to early to tell) but my character is no more the main protagonist than his companions. The story is not about him it is about us -as in him and his companions-.
Also, there is no day/night cycle. So, there is no waiting until nightfall to infiltrate a camp or creep through a city unnoticed. Or waiting for daytime to explore a graveyard with a low-level party. In BG 2 one place could be wildly different during the day and during the night.
Don’t get me wrong I am thoroughly enjoying BG 3 but so far, I am not getting any BG 2 or BG 1 vibes at all. The only similarities I see so far is that it takes place in the same world
