BG3 never quite feels like Baldur's Gate. It's tone is a little off, perhaps a bit more whimsical. Something about BG1/2 felt more grounded but maybe that's how Forgotten Realms changed in 5E compared to what it was in AD&D2.5. There are even times I almost feel like I'm playing Planescape: Torment with the sheer number of quirky and crazy things going on, along with all the extra-planar activity in this. I would have loved it if Larian had made this a Planescape game instead (though not a Torment sequel). It also feels quite a lot like Divinity: Original Sin 2. The various characters you interact with feel more like characters you would meet in that game than ones you would meet in BG1/2, but maybe that has to do with everything being voice acted and mocapped. The dialogue and the options the game provides are where it really shines though. You are constantly given options of using class specific dialogue on top of tonal dialogue (think good vs evil). Options to deceive, investigate, recall knowledge of history and religion, and so many more truly make conversations the best part of BG3. The turn-based combat is what really lends it that feel of D:OS2, however. Unfortunately, BG3's combat is just not as good as D:OS2's. Dungeons & Dragons' systems simply do not translate well into a video game. Video games have come a long way since BG1/2 and although BG3 is using 5E's more updated and streamlined systems rather than AD&D's THAC0, those systems still can't compete with ones that were specifically designed with video games in mind. Concentration, spell/skill usage limits, resting, progression curve, class balance, and so many other mechanics really drag the combat down (along with other aspects of the game). Turn based combat has really come into its own in recent years but the desire to adhere so strictly to the rules of D&D just ignores much of that. I'm still enjoying the game as I near its end, but it really has me wanting for the thing that could have been.
Game crashes at launch on Windows 10. Had to refund the game.
I really want to play this game. I own it. I started it. But it turns out after playing for about 14 hours, it is just too buggy to play. I'm only playing this in coop, not single player. It's pretty disappointing that review sites seem to have only played this game in single player because we are clearly not playing the same game. Load issues, ui issues, audio issues, quest issues, and many other issues are abound. Absolutely wait for multiple patches to come out. One or two patches are not going to cover the shear number of bugs in this game. All that said, it still looks like it could be a cool game. But it should not have been released when it was. Not sure if GOG lets me edit reviews later down the line after patches get released. If not, feel free to disregard this review after a few months.
