Maybe you don't need to compare BG2 and BG3 because they are of different times? BG3 is not created just for BG2 fans. I'll tell you more, I've never played BG2 and I won't, because it's too old for me to get into it. BG3 is created not only for fans of the series, but also to attract new players. So I don't understand people who constantly compare a new game to a literally VERY OLD game, and expect same from it.
You said it yourself. "Not ONLY for the fans of the series". But ALSO, if not primarily for them. Currently it's so far from BG it could be any other franchise. If the game is claimed (and marketed) to be a proper entry in a series, it's fair to expect it to be at least remotely recognizable as such. If they don't care about the franchise, they could just make D:OS3. Or Faerun Adventures, or whatever. It's also not a matter of "expecting same" - clearly the game is expected to be more "modern" or even "driving the genre forward" - but it can be BOTH modern and faithful to the series.
And that VERY OLD game is still VERY GOOD. It makes sense to compare it, both because it's the previous entry and because it's just a great game in the same genre.
