I'm going to be honest: I think the "new standard" that BG3 supposedly set has far more to do with what some people on the internet wish it would represent than anything to do with the quality of the game, and while I like the game I flat out do not think it deserves GOTY, not even close. BG3, while being very fun in the areas that were polished during EA, quickly runs into some glaring problems later in the game. And while Larian's writing has improved to the point where companion characters are now charming, it's still *very* mediocre in terms of overall plot. And there's a LOT of bugs, some of them downright inexcusable imo.
When it's good, it's very good. When it's bad, it's very, very bad. Hopefully patches and updates will smooth things out. (Though they're not going to repair the writing quality.) Tbh, I kind of wonder what people see in it that's so revolutionary or "standard-setting." To be blunt, in many ways it compares rather disfavorably to games I remember playing 15-odd years ago. Thinking of Dragon Age: Origins, specifically. In its moments of greatest polish, BG3 outshines that game. But DAO is in many ways more consistent.
