I beg to differ. For one, this game offers incredible replay value as even minor choices make the game play out very differently. Go into the Hag's Swamp as a Fighter or a Ranger and the whole environment changes. Speak with the captive Spiders as a Drow and you have a whole new avenue of attack. I have no qualms about replaying sections. Especially if I can try new things, routes or re-attempt things that I previously failed at.
There are things like the Mind Flayer that will kill you with one failed check in dialogue. But that's jsut the thing. If I can reload and try again - that Mind Flayer isn't a threat to me, and I won;t perceive it as such. To me, this is more a single-player D&D campaign. At our table - a TPK is the end of the campaign.
Also, something most players don;t always get... You don;t have to engage in every fight as you encounter it. You can run away every now and then, recuperate, maybe switch out your team and try again. My game will take a *lot* longer than most, this way - but beating it will be an actual achievement, too. Sometimes, when you don;t like the odds - you can try an talk your way out of it. When you this out of necessity rather than seeing the option - it's all way more satisfying to me.
Seriously, I like it that way. Just the other day I lost Charname to the Ravager in Throne of Bhaal [SCS/Ascension] and that was the end of my run of over thirty hours. Still a satisfying run.
I agree o n Tactician mode. I play the originals with mods that add similar features and I couldn't even play without them anymore... But at the same time, I generally know how to beat it, what spells will counter that which is thrown at me; and I just make it longer - and oftentimes not harder.
