Hey guys, my name's Gary, i'm 36 yrs old...a retired attorney raising 2 kids, and a lifelong lover of rpg and Baldur's Gate. I've done so many run-throughs of Baldur's Gate and BGII that I can't remember some of them. Solo runs, runs with every class, race, and combination thereof. I've downloaded mods to change the game, to randomize the drops so I didn't know where all the best weapons were anymore. Re-bought the enhanced editions, Siege of Dragonspear, ect. All of this is to say, I know BG I and II inside and out, and I come to this game with high expectations. I've also played PoE and DOS, Dragon Age, and Skyrim. None of them captured the magic of BGI or II in my opinion. None of them made me want to endlessly replay, or in some cases, even finish, the game.
What was it that made BGI and II so special? For me, it was the combination of open-world exploration, unforgiving consequences, and exactling specialization.
Why can't a thief pick up a 2 handed greatsword? Why is a cleric restricted to maces and war hammers? Why do druids favor quarterstaffs? There is a logical, realistic explanation for each of these. Sure a thief "could" pick up a 2 hander, but he is a thief. He has spent his life learning to pick pockets, hide in shadows, find traps, and open locks. He has developed high levels of dexterity and charisma. Have you ever picked up a 2 handed sword? It's extremely heavy, and it's double-edged. You will kill yourself with it if you try to use it in battle and don't know what you are doing. THIS is why thieves can't use them in BGI or II. Because it wouldn't make sense. Clerics, likewise, have focused much of their lives on their god/goddesses, learning how to call down their power, and use simpler, less skill intensive weapons as a result. There are common sense reasons behind every specialization, but this leads to the endless replayability. How many times did you come across a weapon of incredible power and couldn't use it effectively. Then did you wonder how powerful your character would be if he had grandmastery in katana's while wielding Celestial Fury? So what did you have to do? Play the game again, this time as a dual-classed fighter/thief who achieved grandmastery in katana's before changing his profession. THIS was the kind of situation that led to unlimited replayability.
Now as to the open-world exploration, do you remember Baldur's Gate I, when you left candlekeep, and the whole sword coast opened up to you, all at once? You could follow the path and course that were recommended for you, that would more the story along, OR you could literally wander the countryside discovering new maps and zones to your hearts content, and very easily be eaten by a wolf or gibberling if you weren't ready for it. This feeling of freedom was unprecedented, and still to this day only truly exists in Baldur's Gate I. Even BGII had a much more linear path that didn't allow travel to other areas unless you had a quest for it. And what happened if you did that in BGI and bit off more than you could chew? Death and reload. If your party member died but not too horribly, you could resurrect with a spell or by taking him to a temple, but if your MC died...no helping hand would be getting him up. That made it more challenging, and also more satisfying.
How do I feel about BG3? Well, it's good. I enjoy playing it. I enjoy the co-op a lot more than single player, because controlling 4 characters by myself in turn-based combat is...tedious. But it's still a good story with gorgeous graphics and it's set in one of my favorite fantasy worlds of all time. But it isn't magical. The terrain forces you to go where you need to go. No true freedom of exploration to be had here. But this is okay, most games are like this nowadays, Pillars of Eternity being the exception.
The weapon and spell structure is almost generic. How does a shield dwarf soldier have the SAME proficiency in war hammers as a rogue soldier? lol, I just can't. How do spells "miss?" I mean, it's magic...now magic misses? BGI and II rolled for damage, not for hit, and included a sophisticated resistence and immunity structure based on class, race, item bonuses, and spell protections, to create a complex and refined system. In comparison, BG3 's magic and weapons systems feel made for a 6 year old. It's dumbed down. The specialization is gone, for the most part. The endless customization seems more focused on cosmetics then skills. You gave me 40 different hair styles to choose from, but you won't give me 5 levels of weapon specialization? I've got a shield dwarf right now that does more damage with a longsword than a battle axe. I don't understand the reasoning behind that, and I think that's because there isn't any. I think Larian just doesn't grasp or value the importance of weapon specialization and how it relates to replayability.
Dialogue is also tedious. I read a lot faster than people talk. I enjoy a cutscene here or there, especially on important interactions. But for some reason Larian has decided every single interaction needs to be voiced and acted. I don't understand this either, but at least they allow me to skip through it with the spacebar.
And finally, it almost seems like the game is doing everything it can to keep you from dying. Lose all your HP? So what, a teammate will just pick you up by the hand and ur back on your feet. Nearly dead? No healing spells? Meh, just hit that campsite button. No need to find a cleric and spend money, or rest to replenish your party's heal spells. Maybe this is appealing to some, but I don't play a game for it to be easy. I want the challenge. BG3 is better than some games about this, but the "help" feature is just lame. You would be much better served doing away with it.
I won't get into the turn-based combat vs real time with pause debate here, as I can see how real time with pause in this game would be difficult to pull off. For the way this game is constructed, I understand the decision.
It's probably way too late for them to do anything with the weapon specializations, but it is my biggest disappointment. I loved being able to take a dwarf fighter all the way to grandmastery with hammers and axes and dual wield one in each hand, then go back and do it again with a different weapon. Now it almost seems like it just doesn't matter what character i am or what weapon i pick up, if i just choose soldier for the background of ANY of my classes.
So, for me, as it stands, good game, will finish it, but will also probably be done with it after 2 or 3 playthroughs, and that is just so extremely disappointing.
