There were explosive barrels in the Dark Alliance games as well.
Although I think it bears noting that of the ones mentioned, only Dark Alliance really had anything that could be labeled 'barrelmancy'
Meh. I learned how to play 2nd Ed D&D when I was 8. It wasn’t hard, but it’s still a dumpster fire of a ruleset. Arbitrary race-class prohibitions, non-uniform stat progression where a 15 might be functionally identical to a 9, THAC0, a much more obnoxious spell slot system, it does not hold up. I’ve had friends who didn’t grow up playing it ask me about rules in BG and I just shrug and say “it’s 2nd Edition. It’s all jank.” As much as I love BG 1 and 2, I’d never recommend them to anybody who isn’t explicitly looking for a very retro experience, with all that entails.
In the end, I don't think it really matters whether a BG-style game uses 2nd edition rules or 3rd edition, 5th edition, GURPS, etc. They are all just mediums for the experience of the gameplay and plot, and I don't think any of them are necessarily a barrier in the way of enjoyment in any meaningful way. Certainly I don't see how anything about how 2nd edition spells worked, for instance-ever negatively impacted my enjoyment of the game. Even going back from enjoying systems I prefer more (3rd edition springs to mind), the 'jank' of 2e mechanics really never hurt the game.
On the other hand, I 100% believe that the 2nd edition really heightened BG I+II from a setting/lore perspective, which isn't really something BGIII gets to benefit from. 2e Forgotten Realms>5e Realms no contest.
