I've thought a lot about this. It is unfair to compare the two. They're entirely different games and only have a shared name to connect them. They're as foreign to each other as Fallout 2 (my favorite game of all time) and Fallout 3 & 4. Only the name and a few basic concepts are there to unite them. Take that thin connection out of the equation and you'll see how vastly different they are. BG 2 was made for a different player in a different time. It was intended for those who wished to suffer the long path, think through the puzzles and traps, and savor the sweet sensation of a hard fought victory. In essence, it was made for role players. BG3 is made for an era where the majority of players demand instant satisfaction, questlines that don't require thought, cheap and extremely trendy "romances", and insanely beautiful graphics. In that respect, it is perfectly fitting that it uses 5th edition rules, as they were dumbed down for the same audience (and for the same reasons). It's a fine game. It is fun to play. The graphics are very good. It is not, however, anything even remotely similar to Baldur's Gate 1 and 2. Enjoy it for what it is. If you still find yourself seeking an experience more in line with BG2, then perhaps try a different game like Pathfinder: Kingmaker.
I enjoy both, but I've been a part of this EA because I am excited to see what this game will eventually become. That being said, I have long since abandoned any hopes that it will ever be a true successor to Baldur's Gate 2.
I can not say I share the analogy. I played all Fallouts when they came out, and in 2008 I felt right at home. Sure, it changed from 2D to 3D, from 3rd to 1st person and combat was real-time instead of turn-based. Yet I immediately saw that this was a Fallout game, just from the look.
And then everywhere you saw references, characters and general lore connecting you to the world you played ten years before. Even character building was still very close or at least familiar to me. Plus Bethesda managed to add their own spin on things with environmental storytelling that felt like it was the same in the original games.
Now I played BG2 ten times or so know the location of every item special to me, can remember a lot of characters and the events unfolding, even some rather obscure things. Gameplay-wise I was never much invested in BG2, I mostly just fireballed and dual-wielded my way through it. However jumping into BG3 I never felt at home. I do see things that both games have in common, maybe even some parts of world-building, but this would also apply to Infinity and even more to PoE. I have not seen a character, item, location or even atmosphere that puts me back to Atkathla, or Irenicus' Dungeon, for example. I've seen a reference to space hamsters.
Gameplay mechanics also do not feel very similar or even inspired by BG, which does not mean one does it better, but I recently got Divinity 2 and here I immediately recognized the look, the combat and the gameplay mechanics.
