I agree that on the abstract level none of this really matters, it's like there are two extremes that both work in their own right, but the middleground is never quite satisfying. The BG1 and 2 sprites are acceptable because they're always far away, and really just placeholders for the story in your head. All the drama is based on text. But once you have a camera swooping in for dramatic cutscenes, every detail matters. I think the characters in BG3 are brilliant, not trying to be hyper-real, but rather just appealing. And it works fully with the premade companions that have designs that match the kind of character they are, even custom clothing - the problem is the player being forced into a limited mold, because we want to be just as uncompromizingly unique as the companions, yet here we are, with the same face as the farmhand, and the same leather armor as every other rogue. The player ends up being the least unique character in the party. I don't think the majority plays fantasy RPGs to be a vanilla nobody. Everyone in the world should regard us as unique, and we should be able to look the part.
