I'm still actively playing this game and racing to the end, while trying to save all the "small folk" along the way lol. As a long time Baldur's Gate fan I 100% get all of the love this game is getting. I agree, for most people this is a 5/5, instant classic sort of game.

However, as a Baldur's Gate fan I felt like I wanted more. The game feels very liner in that you move through the world in sections divided into 'acts'. You can't just strike out and explore a map. In Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 there was much more open feel to the game. If you saw something on the map you wanted to check out you could just go to it. You might be destroyed by a troll or a dragon but it was fun to feel that open exploration aspect.

Similarly, BG3 is missing a lot of simple RP elements to it. Show up in a town and you get to decide which inn to stay in and also which room type to stay in. If you felt like your coin purse was full you could spend extra gold for your characters to stay in a lavish room. That is now gone, instead replaced by a constant need to "camp", even in the city proper. I don't hate that change but I felt like it made the game loose something. Similarly the temples no longer offer services and you can't donate to the gods of your choice.

It's just small things like that that hurt the game in my opinion. The world very much feels built around you and your adventure rather than being a living breathing place to explore. I still consider this a classic game but really feel that this title missed the mark for me in terms of what I expected from the next Baldu'rs Gate game. I would say Pillars of Eternity 1 & 2 do a better job of updating the formula and building on what was established.

That being said, this is an amazing game with a lot of detail. I highly recommend it to longterm fans and new players as well. I think new players will enjoy it a bit more than old school Baldur's Gate fans, but that's just my opinion.