I think some of the difference of opinion comes from people who didn't experience the development of DnD itself from the 2nd edition through to the 5th. One person's "dumbing down" is another person's "streamlining". I love BG1 and 2, spent days loading the box fulls of cd's onto my home computer. But I adore BG3.
I dunno. I started with AD&D 2nd Ed. and I’ll take 5E over that any day. I like BG3 a lot. It’s a very different experience from the first two, but I don’t think I would like it as much if it just felt like a continuation of the originals. All of the spiritual successors to the infinity engine games have disappointed me.
