I've enjoyed Jaheira so far - she seems right; still fierce, but softened a bit with age. Minsc is there, I guess - it would be a stronger, better story if Aerie were the one to rescue him. But I admit by the time I get to the city I've grown attached to the other party members. Even Lae'Zel who I thought would just be a generic warrior character I've come to like.
I disagree about Aerie, compared to Jaheira,she was kind of forgettable and I'm glad, she wasn't made a companion again.
No, I think, it was the right decision to go with the two iconic companions from the first two games. Even though, I'm not a big Minsc fan, I recognise, he has a big fanbase.
I would say she had a lot of potential that wasn't fully realized (like she was never given a real chance to be shown standing up to abusers and slavers - it was tacked into her epilogue. And not enough made of her gnomish connections; like followers of Baervan are supposed to play pranks on their friends so she could have been grown into a more light hearted and whimsical character). But she was, if not chronologically, in every other way the youngest character in BG2 so it would be great to bring her back as still the same big hearted and determined core character, but grown in manu other ways. Despite that all the OG romances have their fans (to be honest I never really cared for Aerie's; I always thought she would have been better written as a little sister type while Imoen can't be around).
I know, you are a big Aerie fan, since two third of your art seems to involve around her, but I think, it was a good decision. SHe wasn't very popular compared to other characters from BG 1 &2 and as I said, Jaheira and Minsc are by far the stronger choices here.
I like Mazzy and would not mind seeing her again , but she wasn't that popular compared to characters like Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Jan Jansen (the most quoted character ever), Viconia or Edwin. I made Mazzy often a cleric/fighter with SHadowkeeper, since I didn't personalyl like any of the cleric characters in BG2. BG1 had Branwen and Yeslick, who were both great, but BG2 did nothing for me in that regard.
And since this thread is about those two: I love, when you meet Jaheiras family - so much fun. ANd being able to convince Rion to help the refugees in Rivington is nice.
And I do like, that you can summon Boo instead of just hear him squeaking in the background like in the first two games. He is so cute.
I do like Minscs recruiting quest from finding the harper doppelgangers in Wyrms Crossing to meeting Nine Finger Keene to to the bank encounter (and yes, I rob those vaults blind) - and especially Minscs and Nine Fingers dialogue in the end.
