博德之门3

My biased opinion as an older gamer: Good D+D video games have been a rarity recently. Neverwinter Nights and The original Baldur's Gate games being unsurpassed as yet. They took place in the original Faerun universe which has a well-developed and well-loved world in which to set their stories. Other D+D games like Pillars, Pathfinder and Crown of the Magister used their own fantasy worlds which didn't quite cut it for a D+D game (although still good). Then there was Larian with their technically accomplished Original SIn games which were brought down by uninteresting world building and wacky, comical gameplay which was hard to get immersed in. It's like they were enjoying poking fun at the fantasy tropes a little too much, creating parodies of rpg games. Baldur's Gate 3 has given Larian a great D+D setting for them to build a brilliantly accomplished game in. The D+D ruleset has also elevated their creation and makes the tactical battles very interesting. Now we have the best D+D game since those classics from years ago. Unfortunately, Larian have spoiled it a little by their overuse of their comical environmental special effects (exploding barrels and pools of electrified water etc.) They also have a ridiculous amout of love/sex content between every single character which can fortunately be avoided by not clicking on the corny chat up lines! Still, a great game. Highly recommended.

So unlike most reviews here I’ve purchased the game and I have played it. If anyone tells you it’s not rough around the edges they’re just outright lying to you. Online play is currently borked and there are all kinds of animation issues. I have not crashed yet, character customization is nice, story is interesting enough from what I’ve seen. I’ve enjoyed the characters I’ve run into. Is it Baldur’s Gate? Yeah, I mean, it’s in the Forgotten Realms setting. I think a lot of folks have some rose tinted glasses when looking back at the original games. They were great for their time but it’s time to move on. Is this DOS3? Absolutely not. DOS2’s combat has been more interesting and the game itself doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously as BG3 seems to. Am I glad I paid full price for an Early Access game? Absolutely. The game has a lot of potential and extra revenue for the developer is just going to make it that much better. Think of it like backing a kickstarter, the more money it gets the more stretch goals we unlock. It’s going to be a great game from what I’ve seen.

Disappointing there is no demo, instead you're asked to pay $60+ for a game you haven't seen and won't really for a long time before the full product is released. There are dozens of Forgotten Realms games if the setting is what you want, this is supposed to be Baldur's Gate, which to me is a game involving preparing and arrranging your party for real time combat where you pause the action and reorient your party to the changing landscape of the battle. Turn based Divinity Original Sin gameplay is another animal entirely. Disappointing that real time with pausing gameplay is almost entirely missing from modern gaming.

Have played a lot and tried almost all of the different classes for a few levels each. The game shows a lot of promise and there's quite a bit of gameplay meat to chew on. I feel engaged with the story and appreciate the tactical options in combat. Some changes have been made from tabletop and I'm happy with them for the most part although I believe disengaging has become too easy. I have experienced some bugs here and there but for the most part the game has functioned as expected the majority of the time.

I had my reservations when Larian made it known that there would be fully animated dialogue, because it has been tackled by many other titles without success. But, they have delivered beyond my expectations on that front for Early Access, and met their other goals for BG3. Anyone who says this iteration is untrue to the spirit of Baldur's Gate is stuck in past. The game is not yet done. We don't know how this story is going to unfold. And, truth be told, even if it isn't a continuation of the Bhaalspawn saga, I won't be fussed. It's "Baldur's Gate", not "Bhaal's Brood". There is good writing here, and the presentation of its format, music and voice acting are a delight. In terms of gameplay, it strikes a good balance between DOS2 and D&D, though it can still be improved. Even so, it's a good representation of my own experiences with pen and paper adventures and, more importantly, it's fun. Buy it if you like the idea of contributing to the development of this game - I can't imagine the $60 price tag is for anyone else. There's a lot here already that is highly playable - it is an exellent prototype - but don't expect a full and finished product.