If Larian do a new IP who would like to see their take on a game similar to XCOM (if not take on the XCOM IP directly) but with their deep story-telling, and depth of game on a similar scale? Finding a way to mix procedural in for some replayability?
Yeah. Me. As I wrote a bit earlier in this thread, I think Larian moving towards XCOM style would be terrific.
Apart from the things I mentioned, one thing that always bugs me is the gradual deflation of excitement of a traditional RPG game, where the first part of the game is a thrilling experience, with much unexplored terrain to cover, and the quest pile getting bigger and bigger. Then at the end the game always peters out. Less and less quests remain open. There is nothing more to do but defeat the end boss, in a final fight that is kind of predictable. It is a long and sad goodbye to a world you've grown to love some. I think it is better to have a game where the tension keeps on rising until the very end. A mission based game could be more gripping than a game based on quests.
The cinematics, the lively characters, the motion capture and voice acting all are very good in BG3 and they could be compellingly paired with permadeath of team members. A mitigating circumstance is that the better your companions get, the less likely will be their death. And the option of romance could really improve your emotional attachment to squad mates, companions that have a real chance of dying. Larian have plenty of room for improving on romantic relationships in their games, and making them integral to the gaming experience. Maybe that will go better if they abandon the sex scenes, which don't do much for story development.
