First, I think it is important to provide some demographics. I was just starting college when the first Baldurs Gate came out. It was the first PC game I ever played on my then brand new Celeron computer. That was over 20-years ago. I have since played every Infinity Game RPG, all the BioWare golden age games among many others. I always come back to BG1/2. It is my favorite game series of all time by far.
With the above said, I was not going to buy BG3 initially. The reason for my hesitance was that I felt the turn based combat was the antithesis of one of Baldurs Gate’s core mechanics (RTwP). I also had read reviews of DOS 1/2, which I have never played, and was turned off by the reported emphasis on environmental factors. Nonetheless, in a moment of weakness, I decided to give it a shot. My feedback is below:
Verdict: This game is surprisingly good! I actually felt that I got my money’s worth just out of the limited gameplay available in EA. That is not to say it is perfect, but I actually like the story elements better than NWN2, which was the last RPG that really gave me a feel similar to the BG series.
The Good:
— Combat is deep and complex, with enemies actively targeting the weakest high threat character.
— Graphics are visually spectacular.
— Voice acting is fantastic (particularly the narrator).
—I appreciate the fact the game has a slow power creep. I am not being expedited to high levels and I actually like the fact that powerful equipment is rare.
—Choices actually matter.
The Bad:
— Although I don’t hate the environmental effects and use of surface effects, I do feel they are over used. A little salt makes food better but too much makes it unpleasant. Too many enemies have powerful and expensive explosive flasks, oils, arrows, etc. In my opinion, these should be reserved for rare fights, where its use would really spice things up. As it stands, I feel it is a little too core to the experience (overly salty).
— Enemies seem to have advantages that the player does not. For instance, many enemies seem to have unlimited spell uses.
— I typically play a wizard and the class needs some help. I have not played pen and paper DND since I was a teenager (AD&D), so I can’t speak intelligently to 5e balance, but it seems like the duration on spells like sleep is too short. Also, the extra HP on some mobs hurts. I really hope mages get a boost or mob HP gets set to core rules.
— I find that the information on spells is not detailed enough. I can’t read the spells and know how long it lasts, if it is concentration based, extra effects, etc. (unless I am missing something?).
— Some battles are ridiculously hard and need fine tuning. Although I avoided “barrelmancy” for the most part, the only way I could defeat the Githyanki was by suiciding Shadowheart into the main group, dropping barrels, and blowing them up. Although I can play like this, it’s not how I like to play.
What I would like to see in final game:
— More detailed item descriptions . One of the best aspects of BG 1/2 was the ability to read the history of the powerful weapons you find. Carsomyr or Staff of the Magi would just not be the same had they not had the history.
—Random encounters. The occasional random encounter would be nice. As of now, it seems like the world is empty after you clear out the preplanned battles.
—Short easy battles to break up the long complicated battles. These battles help reset the player and highlight that we are getting stronger. Also, it would be nice to se some old BG favorites. I want to see a band of diseased gibberlings or zvarts!
—A core DND mode. I would like a mode where AC, monsters, AC, are set to core.
Overall, good job! I think I am fairly reflective of a generation of RPG gamer that I think will like the game if they give it a chance. I like the game enough that I am thinking about buying a copy for my three kids so we can play together, which I have never done. This game is the real deal.
