History, Politics And Current Affairs

It has been 23 years since the legendary BG2 was published. Belgian gaming studio Larian finally brought BG3 on the market. And what can I say, it is nearly perfect. Somgood, indeed, that other publishers are already moaning that Larian has set a standard that is nearly impossible to keep.
- They had three years of Early Access during which they actually LISTENED to feedvaxk
- The feedback was implemented
- The tone is appropriately serious but with lots of room for having fun
- The companions are appropriately quirky and fun
- Nearly every scripted encounter can be solved by talking and guile rather than fighting
- Graphics and sound are GORGEOUS, 11/10
- Every damn animal can be conversed with via magic. Territorial squirrels, asshole eagles, a freaking Owl Bear whose cub can later join your party, a sleepy bear, a grieving dog who lost its human…
- Character generation is flawless. Anything goes, nothing must, nudity and secks scenes can be swotched off in the options menu
- Combat is very tactical and of you are new to D&D rules, you face a steep learning curve, but the tutorial has you covered
- Nothing even remotely "woke" about it, too
- NO LOOT BOXES! NO MICRO TRANSACTIONS! NO DAMN SEASON PASS! Just the game. And in this day and age…
- Am I gushing? DAMN RIGHT I AM! This is the best CRPG I have played in literally DECADES!

If you are into this kind of stuff, go for it! Best sixty Euros I spent for fun in a long time.

Very promising. I bought the early access version, but it was too much for my potato of a computer, so any potential play of the real thing is a long way off.

BG2 for me was one of the best games ever made, with great writing and the excellent AD&D 2E systems combining to build something for the ages. If it is comparable to that, I’d be very impressed. The NPCs in BG2 were a great bunch with excellent voicing and writing; this was made even better by the talented and creative modding community.

When it comes to D&D, in computer games and P&P, I’m very much an advocate of classic archetypes, classic adventures and classic monsters/foes. One ‘funny’ part of all the AD&D computer games, going back to the Gold Box series which began with Pool of Radiance in 1988, is that only that first game really featured the widest range of monstrous foes, including orcs a plenty; there were a very few in BG1, but not much in between. As such, the BG3 list - vampire elf rogue, githyanki fighter, dark elf paladin, tiefling barbarian, human warlock, human wizard and half-elf cleric - is a bit too modern and eclectic for me, but I’ll have to see what it turns out like. I’m also a bit cautious as to the lack of inclusion of alignment, which is a key part of the D&D experience.

It‘s 5th Ed. rules which I know arse-all about. I chose to celebrate the immersiveness, the gameplay and the general awesomeness. It is more than enough for me.
I did not even miss alignment…hm…

I’m a bit cool about 5E, and a lot of the post 2000 3E onwards stuff (which did seem from my perspective to allow players to eat their cake and have it too), but not to the extent of eschewing it and it’s works altogether.

Alignment to me is very important in RPGs for the roleplaying element. When it is removed in favour of maximal flexibility for the player, something is lost along the way in terms of the depth of the game, as happened in Bethesda Studios’ Skyrim and Fallout 4 compared to the previous instalments in ES and Fallout respectively. In BG2, alignment meant that certain companions wouldn’t get along or even be in the same party; that certain quests could or could not be done; that certain items couldn’t be used; and that in each case, there was an opportunity cost to a roleplaying choice. This gave a bit more life to the player character in my view, particularly when combined with the basic in built Reputation system and the added Virtue system from a nice mod.

The immersion, gameplay and positive features are all attractive features and I do have a hopeful and positive view of the game, despite the minor caveats in my opinion. Perhaps my tastes are a bit too old fashioned for how modern games are envisaged.