WotR is remarkably deep. I see most of the people criticizing the game here doing so from a "good palythrouugh" point of view, but there's more ways to play this game. If you choose the demon mythic path the way Arushalee evolves might be way different for example. If you play as an Aeon you get to do stuff that's not so common in any CRpgs, not to mention what happens with some of the late game mythic paths. Besides this, each Mythic Path changes the game considerably both mechanically and storywise.
About the companions, I honestly don't get all the vitriol. Are they perfect? Not in the least, but they are not as bad as some people claim here either. For example, I personally detest Camelia (for obvious reasons) and I decided to stop her in her personal quest even if that meant losing her as a companion, but that doesn't mean I consider her a bad character that damages the game. Quite the contrary, because she's certainly something you don't expect in a CRPG. And this is true for many other companions in the game. And let's be honest, the likes of Viconia (and I love her btw) Jaheira and even Minsc were not such great characters from a literary standing point, yet most of us remember them fondly.
