Haven't I seen this video already? Anyways, great choice using D&D units over real metric ones, gives the campaigns always a old timey fantasy feel to it!
Your quote is from Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. Gandalf said this: "I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." Charles Dickens wrote: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
How does the game handle split screen co-op? Playing DOS2 on a split screen with my wife was the closest to an actual tabletop experience I got from a video game, my best cRPG experience and one of the top gaming experiences in general. We hope we can get something similar or better from BG3.
How is the writing? I have found the writing in Divine Divinity Original Sin to be *bad*. Very immature and all over the place. Did they improve? Cheers man, thanks for the review.
It isn't for me either, but I think I'm going for it. I own DOS:2, but restarted it a few times. I really enjoy the world, but sometimes the combat is just a little lon gin the tooth. I like the skill checks and this still sounds like an improvement over their older games.
I know everyone says this, but I just wanna add in as well. Your reviews are the greatest on this platform. I trust your opinion more than anyone else's. Thank you so much for the content, we appreciate you!
Unbelievably excited for this game, have also abstained from playing any early access or watching any reviews to keep myself cleaned of spoilers except this review cause I love them so much. Hope the game lives up to the hype and that everyone has a good time with it!
ACG is one of the only people I genuinely trust with reviews. It's so hard to tell who is being genuine now since everyone is paid or sponsored in _some way_ How do we know their opinion wasn't skewed by the $3k they get? Shit, it would sway me for sure! Lmao
The accessibility of the complicated and turn-based combat in these Larian games is really excellent. Never thought I’d be enjoying the combat in a game like this.
Same. I have never enjoyed CRPG's because of the combat in those games. But here, it just clicks. The combst is so satisfying once you get the basic mechanics
Never, EVER underestimate Larian. The studio is basically what CD Projekt could be, If they didn't let marketing division make executive decissions. Hands down the best RPG creators in the world. Larian Studios - I salute you all.
I mean also bioware still ok (despite some hiccups but hopefully this will be a bit of a rivalry and I don't see any evil or greed despite being who they owned by) and firaxis they're still doing good nowadays didn't do much@joceja23
@@changsiah2 Bioware is not okay, bro. Anthem was a flop and they are shadow of themselves for a long time and I don't see them changing that while they are under EA's boot.
CDPR only own 35% of their company, so have to answer heavily to shareholders. Sven and his wife own 70% total of Larian, and so ultimately decide the direction. (1 share = 1 vote at general meetings too).
Serious credit where it's due.. Laramie understands contrast and color in their visuals. And not just coloring contrast but clarity too and it's importants... it's such a shockingly rare treat actually in modern games. This is like the visually spiritual polar opposite to elden ring... and even breath of the wild in how they actually maintain the color depth rather than just having a great out washed over broken TV looking and it's always popped, ever since the early builds. There's always this striking like I catch with how colorful it's been and how detailed and while the actual gameplay hasn't always been the most clear in terms of UI and the chaos etc.. unless probably because you're playing it and it's turn-based and that makes sense.. but in terms of like everything that presenting to you has always just been so crisp.. and it looks better than a lot of the high expensive modern rendering smeary garbage just by that virtue alone.. I can't remember the last time I saw this getting embraced so wholesale maybe The Witcher 3 and it's original form.. but this is kind of like taking that to another level and treating it as like part of its entire visual DNA it seems. honestly sometimes with modern games I feel like I'm being gaslit as somebody that's a camera operator who has good vision... I feel like with every year the urgency that Tim Sweeney needs to replace his glasses, having been chipped and peeled.. poorly formulated light transitioning coatings.. Vaseline water cracks.. and just the general prescription that's been in in long since need of a refresh.. as it seems like all of these things that that affect corrective lenses in the worst of ways have started to become part of the visual makeup and best practices brought about by talks at GDC and unreal and just in AAA in general.. like it's a photographer chromatic aberrations the devil.. you go through a lot of effort to make sure you don't have it it certainly not a feature of quality camera equipment. Despite having its place in distortion effects.. it shouldn't be part of your regular vision if it is then you need to clean your glasses lol.. or get new ones.. and it's certainly shouldn't be part of camera, although sometimes there's not much you can do in that regard depending on how much budget you have.. it's the look of cheap glass basically or dirt.. and and they used to add dirt to the screen and they still do LOL.. humans aren't cameras goodness gracious LOL
One thing I am a bit surprised about is the lack of faces for the character creator. In a game that relies on so many close in dialogue moments, its a bit disappointing to only have a few different faces with minor variations. I wonder why they didn't have an option to customize faces, was it to avoid issues with facial animations?
They may do what they did with DOS2. Add more in the future. I think they made such an effort on world building, class design, dialogue etc, that faces were more than likely a afterthought. Like they did with DOS2.
this may not be my cup of tea but I'm glad to see a deep DND-inspired RPG game with this scope and ambition came to fruition from an experienced studio. Great review Karak, hope you get your well-earned rest after playing this
I love how you introduced the classes. I’ve never played Baldurs Gate before but I am obsessed with Divinity Sin 1&2 so it’s nice to hear that the classes are similar. Makes me more pumped.
Even if the execution might not be as good.... the way you describe side quests vs main quest reminds me of The Secret World/Secret World Legends. Which I love for its world and lore. But hearing you mention how it's all connected in furthering your understanding of your surroundings, and the people within, that's how SWL also connects each side quests. So I was already invested in wanting this game, but since I truly loved that aspect of SWL, and can safely bet that this game will execute that portion a lot better, it's a no-brainer now at this point! Update: haven't enjoyed a game like this in such a long time! It's truly worth it!
Technically, the druid is also the best "commander of animals" since you can either turn into them or summon them with various spells. Ranger is more of a archer with spells.
Yal fools have no life. I get it but still, 20 hours a day on a fictional game that has no meaning on our lives besides being happy that you making progress in a fantasy world
Man. Larian Studios have become the collective king of crpgs. So grateful to the team for reviving Baldur’s Gate and showing it the love it deserves. Most anticipated RPG in my lifetime.
It really felt like an in-person tabletop D&D game to me too except for one instance when trying not to walk through poison clouds in that Grove. Meanwhile, there are mounds of other things i could habe climbed over in a tabletop game but not in a video game that the devs didn't anticipate the player wanting to do.
Really, this isn't my sort of game and I doubt I'll buy it, but I love the review and I love that it exists. Lotta unhappy customers out there right now, and this seems a return to the joyous, artistic and experimental games of old, when developers wanted to show you the characters they could develop and the stories they could make, rather than the products they could develop and the money they could make.
@@shadowskill111 Having played DOS 2, and BG3 EA... Unless the subsequent acts fall down (and it really sounds as though that is not the case), I'd say BG3 actually needs a new, bigger pair of shoes. It's fantastic on every level, and I say this as somebody who absolutely loved (and still loves) DOS2.
One of the last good development studios, at least when compared to anything not considered to be "indie". The only other one that comed to my mind would probably be fromsoft. This is truly a magnificent accomplishment. I really hope Larian never gets sold to a big greedy publisher.
Something I love about BG3 is stepping away when I need some food, sleep, etc. and strategizing how I want to approach a particular battle. I probably have several hours of afk time throughout my 100+ hours, but was I really afk when I'm constantly thinking about strategy, new builds, etc.? No other game has done this to me.
It just released on Xbox, and I immediately came here before dropping the $80 for the deluxe edition. I'm beyond excited to finally dive into this game. Especially after hearing your thoughts on it
Nobody I know has the creative, and often comical, approach to game reviews as ACG. Listening to the character creation section of this video kept a constant smile on my face.
Ive found that ACG reviews are the most learned than any other, in sound design and execution. Not sure what he does outside of game reviews but his understanding of sound is unmatched in the industry imo.
I want this game to succeed so well that it sends a message to the industry that we want quality content, no more MTX crap etc. But I doubt this will sell well enough to do that, which is a shame. Needs 10 million or more sales realistically. I'm also really nervous about playing this because the EA showed it has the same frustrations as I got from DOS2 - enemies can move further and attack more than you can per turn. It just feels...unfair, all the time, especially at the start when you're so weak. I dunno. I have really mixed feelings that this game will blow me away with the story but frustrate me in the actual combat.
This game sold 1 million units in 2020 when early access started. Sven Vicke by Larian said in an interview, that sales after EA are usually around ten times the EA sales. Not taking into account any additional sales since 2020, this equation alone would let them hit the 10 million in sales you're deeming necessary for this game to do well.
It won't get 10mil for the simple reason that it's not releasing on consoles simultaneously. Ps5 is in September and Xbox is in 2024, and usually in that sort of situation, the console releases sort of just eek out with no fanfare and minimal marketing so people don't even notice.
It's not like the industry doesn't know. They don't care. Just like grocery stores know the customers would be a bit happier if they did some nice things but lower profits. Their priority isn't your happiness. It's getting the maximum amount of people to hand over their money for the minimum amount of effort, resources, and manhours from them.
I've never played a Baldur's Gate game before, but I've always wanted to. The third entry in the series looks really good so far, so I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks, Karak! I appreciate the hard work! God bless and stay safe!
I'll note, you dont really need to have played the other games, it will help, and there are certainly plenty of lore vids online, but it eases you in well enough I think, and there are books or folk to talk to to help get you up to speed ^_^
the early access alone is already the size of many triple a games with an insane amount of content and fully voiced outcomes. the amount of detail and effort put into the game especially the community interaction is what makes this game special. i hope more people dont pass this game up because its not an action combat game
I hadn't played a full-on CRPG/RPG like this since Dungeon Siege in...2002. It took about 1 hour of gameplay to be completely hooked, It's beautifully daunting, intriguing, interesting, and most importantly, fun. I'm actually impressed by the controller adaptation Larian made. I honestly thought it would be super cumbersome, but it turned out to be fairly intuitive. Once in a generation game sounds quite right imo. Also, love the reviews!
It's taken years in beta, and it seems well worth it! This is how game companies should treat their products. Larian has done for BG3, what CDPR should have done for Cyberpunk 2077. I look forward to years of future CRPGs based of this engine, if they can keep up the quality!
Tieflings aren't people who have made deals with devils, FYI. They're people whose family lines have been "tainted" by devils or demons. Sometimes that means an ancestor made deals with a fiend, but the most common route tends to involve a direct familiar connection to such an entity.
So excited, and so happy to see full controller support. Played about 10 hours on my deck and I cannot wait for the full version to finish downloading.
@@times7171 it's definitely not the most stable experience in terms of frame rate, but honestly on the decks screen I think it looks great - it's good enough I've been happy playing it docked too, but I'm not the most framerate or graphics sensitive. I think because it's turn based framerate matters less too, I think it's around 20-30ish most of the time.
I also have to add the armor cosmetic and designs are more distinctive, pleasing to look at compared to those beggar clothes in D4 (and you need to pay for the 'better-looking' ones).
180 hours later, finally done with the game. It's been a blast, but looking back, the combat in DOS2 was done better, with much easier ways to "combo" stuff :(
Not a single game has me sucked in like this one in a long time. DOS2 and Wasteland 3 come to mind, but bg3 is on another level, it can hold its own to the classics like neverwinter nights, Planescape torment and of cause BG2 or Icewind dale. Playind diablo 4 and this back to back one has to be quite dense not to see the huge difference in love and care that went into them.
I just found out about you and this baldurs gate review made me subscribe. It was really informative and also really funny. I like that you covered everything thoroughly without spoilers. Thank you for such a great review. What is your opinion on the illithid powers?
Well being BG1 and 2 veteran I'd say you're not gonna understand some easter eggs and references. Nothing big but to have a FULL experience playing previous games is necessary. However unless you're a die hard DnD fan it would be hard to invest 80+ hours into BG 1 and 2 them being 25 years old games.
I dont know why but I just can't get into the turn based combat. It completely takes me out of the experience. Everything else about this game sounds so amazing and I would love to play it but the combat unfortunately is a deal breaker.
GOTY. There’s nothing else I could say. If you love role play or fantasy. This game is for you and it is a fucking masterpiece with hundreds of hours of replay value. Original release date In September would have been a fight between this or Starfield. I’m 100% positive I’ll still be playing this in September and I probably won’t even pick up SF now. Larian studios set a bar on what a finished game really feels like on top of shade towards micro transactions. They are the lord and savior no one really talked about and their product is phenomenal. Player count just keeps rising!
This style of game is not my cup tea. However, I'm pumped for everyone having an absolute blast and super happy for the Devs to see this level of success!
Yeah I’m DEFINITELY going to get this Game since not only to experience the closest thing to learning about Dungeons and Dragons (since I only got into the game a few months back) but also cause it’s probably the best RPG to probably come out this summer. I’m probably either going to play as a Female Dwarf (cause Dwarf race don’t get enough love), a Half Orc Barbarian and even a Dragonborn Sorcerer that follows the path of Vengeance.
Video just got me even more hype as I sit and watch the 120 gig download chip away. Even brought my steam deck to work I can download it with hotspot so hopefully it be ready when I get home.
Barbarian> *Hits you with a Large Salami* DM> Roll 2D6 18. DM> "You stagger back from the log of meat the Barbarian just hit you with and the first thing out of your mouth other than the shock?" You> "OW!" As you reel in pain throbbing your shoulder where the Salami impacted Barbarian> "Huh, That did more damage than I thought It would." *Adds it to his pack* You > "You do know your supposed to eat those right?" "RIGHT?" Barbarian just gives you a dirty look and walks away.
Switching from GW2 to play this game. In a lot of ways this game seems like it will play like GW1 did, a Competitive/Cooperative Online Role Playing Game. The amount of detail and roleplaying aspects... I'm totally excited to get in to what this game is offering. I just setup my characters yesterday thinking about what I want to do with each "toon".
Currently 50 hours into a session and I'm still only partway through exploring the first act. This review summarises my exact feelings towards this game, the depth and complexity are genuinely remarkable, yet it retains an accessibility of only giving you as much complexity as you go looking for. If you want to be a straight up fighter with 4 attacks in a turn and leave the rest to others then you can. If you want to manage spell slots, class features, and a complex coordination of buffs etc. then it will let you do that too. I've particularly been impressed by how many options are available that are emergent from your gameplay - strength, for instance, appears to just be a combat focused skill. Except, strength also governs your jump distance, giving you a whole host of new solutions to puzzles, platforming, and combat situations. Whatever role you decide to play, it will bring its own flavour to both the narrative moments in dialogue and in pure gameplay situations. Genuinely a masterpiece.
Sounds daunting. I can see how good the game is but i also see that it's probably months of time investment to play through it. Or a week or two of entire days off.
dont remember the last time i've been so excited for a game. bg1, 2, icewind dale etc were my childhood and larian is the only studio to have filled that whole with DoS1 and 2, and now this! COME ON DOWNLOAD SPEED!
Yeah this is quite literally my favorite game of all time. After a 160 hour play through I’ve never wanted to go right back into it trying other classes and play styles, gotta see the evil chaotic path of this game!!
The biggest accomplishment of BG3 is being able to play a complex CRPG with a controller. They've also ditched the worst thing about old crpg's which was real-time combat.
Yeah lack of turn based was the only reason I never got into the original BG games. I own them and still want to play them properly one day though, especially after already spending 40 amazing hours in this insanely good and lore rich world since BG3's full launch.
I'm waiting ever so patiently for the physical version which is early next year I think they said, this is everything I've ever wanted in a game, not that other game company where there very epitome of a greedy parasite, I'm certainly ain't talking more about that here, larian studios have mastercrafted the definitive experience I've been looking for, thank you so much for this vid, take care till the next one 👍
So being new to PC gaming, I have Wrath of the Righteous sitting in my backlog, which I'll probably play first. But this looks amazing and I'll probably snag it at some point.
If you're new to PC gaming, Wrath of the Righteous is probably going to be overwhelming and you'll have a ton of things to learn, unless you're already familiar with the tabletop game. Even though BG 3 is complex and challenging, it's still like a simplified and forgiving version of Wrath of the Righteous.
Somewhat related, has there ever been a film like Princess Bride, but instead it cuts to a group of people playing DnD? Maybe the (4th wall breaking) social aspect of the game often gets downplayed or even omitted entirely in DnD based shows and movies since having two story lines in two worlds would be too much or something? The people playing the game should be a much bigger part of the story since they are so central to the experience of playing the game, and it's so lame when a DnD movie plays it super straight and doesn't show that at all. It would then be like any other fantasy movie. It would be cool if the story lines of the group of friends/strangers intertwines with their campaign and the conclusion of one influences the other by the end, for better or worse. A real life example would be the story of id Software's ill fated DnD campaign. I think that would be a great premise for a movie.
I was on the fence about buying this game, but after this review I went to the steam and pulled up the game, only to find out.. I had bought it last July. Great review as always, time to play!
HI ACG, you have earned the reputation you have. I stopped to follow a bunch of reviewers because they were more concerned to be an insider that to be true keep doing the great job.
I'm typically not that into these types of games (I thought Divinity 2 was just okay meh), but for some reason, I don't know why: This looks really cool. I think it's the promise of AAA-quality audiovisual mixed with experimentation.
I get it. I liked Divinity but it lost me halfway through (mostly the story) and it frustrated me a bit. I stopped playing and didn't really play any other crpg since. But This looks amazing, I hope the narrative holds up.
I hated the over reliance on battles all revolving around elemental and environmental effects on D2. Will this be different? I’m old school, I just want my fighter to hit things with pointy weapons, my archer to fire arrows and my magic user to do what magic users do.
This feels a fair bit like Divinity 2 honestly, though it's better in nearly every way from what I've seen. That said, it still has a lot of that Larian vibe to it which I personally find a bit off-putting at times. Still, it's a pretty uniquely deep crpg, so I think anyone who likes that genre at all should give it a go.
I'm reminded of a Reddit post on a D&D sub that said Gandalf was a Fighter pretending to be a Wizard all based on class mechanics(probably based on 3E but I can't remember right now). I got a kick out of it even if it wasn't correct.
@@Sheamu5 what are the bard "instruments"? I'd probably go bard on my first playthrough, if there were varied options. storytelling, chanting, humming, whistling, dancing, stomping, etc.
ACG, when using the controller layout, you can sneak with the whole party by holding the DPAD down. (Btw, to hold a torch (when equipped) hold DPAD up)
Just my thoughts with the game so far.
www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming
Haven't I seen this video already?
Anyways, great choice using D&D units over real metric ones, gives the campaigns always a old timey fantasy feel to it!
Your quote is from Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. Gandalf said this: "I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
Charles Dickens wrote: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
How does the game handle split screen co-op? Playing DOS2 on a split screen with my wife was the closest to an actual tabletop experience I got from a video game, my best cRPG experience and one of the top gaming experiences in general. We hope we can get something similar or better from BG3.
How is the writing? I have found the writing in Divine Divinity Original Sin to be *bad*. Very immature and all over the place. Did they improve? Cheers man, thanks for the review.
Spam views 😂😂💩💩💩💩💩🤡🤡🤡
I want this level of depth and complexity, but in a sci-fi or post-apocalyptic setting so bad.
We can just hope one day someone makes a Starfinder game.
i been saying this for years bro smh hopefully one day we get it i really want a walking dead game with the last of us quality 🔥
Have you tried Wasteland 3? It doesn't have this level of depth and complexity, but still a very very good game. I was a 10/10 game in my book.
@@MegaPunch THE DELUGE OF BLOOD!!
Bought it based on this trusted review.
You went the extra mile for the spoiler free review. Thank you!
The dark urge , on character , money for revuew too some ...rly
Agreed! Thank you! Also… will you be doing a PS5 performance review?
I have seen many class breakdowns over the decades but I have to say I cant believe how succinct and spot-on you were, with yours.
Man. Really dude that does my heart good today Host. Thanks man
It’s so damn wel done, summarized in 1 or 2 simple sentences😌👌🏼
@@ACGreviews love you brother
It’s not for me but pumped for everyone who has been anticipating this madness.
That's a sweet comment got love from me ❤️ ✊
Yeah not everyone loves DnD but those who do will absolutely love it. Hope you enjoy other games!
not for me too but it's really nice to see another people will enjoy this game
It isn't for me either, but I think I'm going for it. I own DOS:2, but restarted it a few times. I really enjoy the world, but sometimes the combat is just a little lon gin the tooth. I like the skill checks and this still sounds like an improvement over their older games.
sometimes u just gotta try something, could still end up for u, trust me i was the same
I know everyone says this, but I just wanna add in as well. Your reviews are the greatest on this platform. I trust your opinion more than anyone else's. Thank you so much for the content, we appreciate you!
Thanks
Unbelievably excited for this game, have also abstained from playing any early access or watching any reviews to keep myself cleaned of spoilers except this review cause I love them so much. Hope the game lives up to the hype and that everyone has a good time with it!
I played about an hour and a half and was like "yep, this is special, see ya in a year." 3 years later 😂
Worth the wait for sure though
@@nickh4354 same. Played 7 hrs of act 1 and was like aight bet gonna be goty when it launches and now downloading again for today
ACG is one of the only people I genuinely trust with reviews. It's so hard to tell who is being genuine now since everyone is paid or sponsored in _some way_
How do we know their opinion wasn't skewed by the $3k they get? Shit, it would sway me for sure! Lmao
Me, too
same, going in blind and have never been this stoked for a release!
The accessibility of the complicated and turn-based combat in these Larian games is really excellent. Never thought I’d be enjoying the combat in a game like this.
Same. I have never enjoyed CRPG's because of the combat in those games. But here, it just clicks. The combst is so satisfying once you get the basic mechanics
Never, EVER underestimate Larian. The studio is basically what CD Projekt could be, If they didn't let marketing division make executive decissions. Hands down the best RPG creators in the world.
Larian Studios - I salute you all.
Never change, Larian!
I mean CD projekt Red is an evil or greedy but yeah they kind of overhyped cyberpunk 2077 also hater
I mean also bioware still ok (despite some hiccups but hopefully this will be a bit of a rivalry and I don't see any evil or greed despite being who they owned by) and firaxis they're still doing good nowadays didn't do much@joceja23
@@changsiah2 Bioware is not okay, bro. Anthem was a flop and they are shadow of themselves for a long time and I don't see them changing that while they are under EA's boot.
CDPR only own 35% of their company, so have to answer heavily to shareholders. Sven and his wife own 70% total of Larian, and so ultimately decide the direction. (1 share = 1 vote at general meetings too).
Serious credit where it's due.. Laramie understands contrast and color in their visuals. And not just coloring contrast but clarity too and it's importants... it's such a shockingly rare treat actually in modern games. This is like the visually spiritual polar opposite to elden ring... and even breath of the wild in how they actually maintain the color depth rather than just having a great out washed over broken TV looking and it's always popped, ever since the early builds.
There's always this striking like I catch with how colorful it's been and how detailed and while the actual gameplay hasn't always been the most clear in terms of UI and the chaos etc.. unless probably because you're playing it and it's turn-based and that makes sense.. but in terms of like everything that presenting to you has always just been so crisp.. and it looks better than a lot of the high expensive modern rendering smeary garbage just by that virtue alone.. I can't remember the last time I saw this getting embraced so wholesale maybe The Witcher 3 and it's original form.. but this is kind of like taking that to another level and treating it as like part of its entire visual DNA it seems.
honestly sometimes with modern games I feel like I'm being gaslit as somebody that's a camera operator who has good vision... I feel like with every year the urgency that Tim Sweeney needs to replace his glasses, having been chipped and peeled.. poorly formulated light transitioning coatings.. Vaseline water cracks.. and just the general prescription that's been in in long since need of a refresh.. as it seems like all of these things that that affect corrective lenses in the worst of ways have started to become part of the visual makeup and best practices brought about by talks at GDC and unreal and just in AAA in general..
like it's a photographer chromatic aberrations the devil.. you go through a lot of effort to make sure you don't have it it certainly not a feature of quality camera equipment. Despite having its place in distortion effects.. it shouldn't be part of your regular vision if it is then you need to clean your glasses lol.. or get new ones.. and it's certainly shouldn't be part of camera, although sometimes there's not much you can do in that regard depending on how much budget you have.. it's the look of cheap glass basically or dirt.. and and they used to add dirt to the screen and they still do LOL.. humans aren't cameras goodness gracious LOL
I didn’t understand most of what you said, but seems like you’re the right person to ask - how is HDR implementation in BG3?
@@304enjoyer3he’s the mayor of yaptown
One thing I am a bit surprised about is the lack of faces for the character creator. In a game that relies on so many close in dialogue moments, its a bit disappointing to only have a few different faces with minor variations. I wonder why they didn't have an option to customize faces, was it to avoid issues with facial animations?
They may do what they did with DOS2. Add more in the future. I think they made such an effort on world building, class design, dialogue etc, that faces were more than likely a afterthought. Like they did with DOS2.
I think because the animations were done with motion capture so limiting the amount of faces allowed for a higher quality
Glad you liked what you've played so far. Ready to start the 120+ GB download in a couple hours.
just FYI, the total installed game is 122gb. The download should be smaller.
Heaven help us
Thank god I have gigabit internet.
Ouch. That'll be about a two day download with my rural ISP.
@@Saucebrunette 105 gb download
this may not be my cup of tea but I'm glad to see a deep DND-inspired RPG game with this scope and ambition came to fruition from an experienced studio. Great review Karak, hope you get your well-earned rest after playing this
It’s deep and inspired because it is a dungeons and dragons game
@@joshuarogers5563 and because a team of 400 people have spent years of their working lives in pursuit of creating the deepest RPG ever made
I love how you introduced the classes. I’ve never played Baldurs Gate before but I am obsessed with Divinity Sin 1&2 so it’s nice to hear that the classes are similar. Makes me more pumped.
This game is how you make side quests.
I never thought I would enjoy a classic RPG like this but baldurs gate has totally sucked me in. Such a great game
Even if the execution might not be as good.... the way you describe side quests vs main quest reminds me of The Secret World/Secret World Legends. Which I love for its world and lore.
But hearing you mention how it's all connected in furthering your understanding of your surroundings, and the people within, that's how SWL also connects each side quests.
So I was already invested in wanting this game, but since I truly loved that aspect of SWL, and can safely bet that this game will execute that portion a lot better, it's a no-brainer now at this point!
Update: haven't enjoyed a game like this in such a long time! It's truly worth it!
Technically, the druid is also the best "commander of animals" since you can either turn into them or summon them with various spells. Ranger is more of a archer with spells.
20 Hours in 1 day I feel you brother. This is the best game I've ever played.
what🤯
Yal fools have no life. I get it but still, 20 hours a day on a fictional game that has no meaning on our lives besides being happy that you making progress in a fantasy world
@@cjc4426 you’re a grown man with a mirror selfie as your profile pic. You literally cannot say anything to anyone goofball
Man. Larian Studios have become the collective king of crpgs. So grateful to the team for reviving Baldur’s Gate and showing it the love it deserves. Most anticipated RPG in my lifetime.
You are, quite literally, the only reviewer I trust, and love your review
Thanks so much man. I appreciate it it a ton
I used to trust SkillUp until his garbage FF16 review.
@@ThwipThwipBoom Word. I only trust reviewers who likes the same games I do.
@@ThwipThwipBoom lmao
@@clevelandbrown4571 Exactly! He also never covered Hogwarts Legacy back in February and then blocked me on Twitter for pointing it out. Like, wtf?
This game looks awesome... but I have never liked turn based....so IDK if I can go for it... thoughts?
Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Elden Ring, no matter what RPG you've played, Dungeons and Dragons is the origin of them all.
It really felt like an in-person tabletop D&D game to me too except for one instance when trying not to walk through poison clouds in that Grove. Meanwhile, there are mounds of other things i could habe climbed over in a tabletop game but not in a video game that the devs didn't anticipate the player wanting to do.
Really, this isn't my sort of game and I doubt I'll buy it, but I love the review and I love that it exists. Lotta unhappy customers out there right now, and this seems a return to the joyous, artistic and experimental games of old, when developers wanted to show you the characters they could develop and the stories they could make, rather than the products they could develop and the money they could make.
This is going to be the greatest CRPG of all time.
It’s going to have big shoes to fill from Larians last game Divinity Original Sin 2.
@@shadowskill111 Having played DOS 2, and BG3 EA... Unless the subsequent acts fall down (and it really sounds as though that is not the case), I'd say BG3 actually needs a new, bigger pair of shoes. It's fantastic on every level, and I say this as somebody who absolutely loved (and still loves) DOS2.
Of all time I hope not ! We want the genre to keep getting better don't we?
lmao what
The amazing multiplayer was a big part of why OS2 was so good, BG3 has MP?
Hold down on d pad, puts everyone in stealth
One of the last good development studios, at least when compared to anything not considered to be "indie".
The only other one that comed to my mind would probably be fromsoft.
This is truly a magnificent accomplishment. I really hope Larian never gets sold to a big greedy publisher.
Public traded companies are always destroyed by their own success.
I'm so excited to see this go live in 2 hours. Here's hoping the downloads don't crash steam xD
Something I love about BG3 is stepping away when I need some food, sleep, etc. and strategizing how I want to approach a particular battle. I probably have several hours of afk time throughout my 100+ hours, but was I really afk when I'm constantly thinking about strategy, new builds, etc.? No other game has done this to me.
I've experienced the same thing whenever I play games like Sekiro, Persona 5 Royal, or Hollow Knight!
So excited for this game. Larian is one of the most talented and player friendly devs in gaming.
It just released on Xbox, and I immediately came here before dropping the $80 for the deluxe edition. I'm beyond excited to finally dive into this game. Especially after hearing your thoughts on it
The Early Access was alteady bigger than a lot of games. I can't wait for the download to complete.
Nobody I know has the creative, and often comical, approach to game reviews as ACG. Listening to the character creation section of this video kept a constant smile on my face.
Sir. Hats off for finally a reviewer taking a good chunk of the review for a sound quality and mixing analysis.
Thank you the game deserves it.
Ive found that ACG reviews are the most learned than any other, in sound design and execution. Not sure what he does outside of game reviews but his understanding of sound is unmatched in the industry imo.
"sir" 😂
The fact you got past character creation within 5 minutes is a testament to your tight writing!
I want this game to succeed so well that it sends a message to the industry that we want quality content, no more MTX crap etc. But I doubt this will sell well enough to do that, which is a shame. Needs 10 million or more sales realistically. I'm also really nervous about playing this because the EA showed it has the same frustrations as I got from DOS2 - enemies can move further and attack more than you can per turn. It just feels...unfair, all the time, especially at the start when you're so weak. I dunno. I have really mixed feelings that this game will blow me away with the story but frustrate me in the actual combat.
This game sold 1 million units in 2020 when early access started. Sven Vicke by Larian said in an interview, that sales after EA are usually around ten times the EA sales. Not taking into account any additional sales since 2020, this equation alone would let them hit the 10 million in sales you're deeming necessary for this game to do well.
It was #1 on the Global Steam Sellers list.
It won't get 10mil for the simple reason that it's not releasing on consoles simultaneously. Ps5 is in September and Xbox is in 2024, and usually in that sort of situation, the console releases sort of just eek out with no fanfare and minimal marketing so people don't even notice.
It's not like the industry doesn't know. They don't care. Just like grocery stores know the customers would be a bit happier if they did some nice things but lower profits. Their priority isn't your happiness. It's getting the maximum amount of people to hand over their money for the minimum amount of effort, resources, and manhours from them.
300k players on Steam baby
I've never played a Baldur's Gate game before, but I've always wanted to. The third entry in the series looks really good so far, so I'll have to give it a shot. Thanks, Karak! I appreciate the hard work! God bless and stay safe!
I'll note, you dont really need to have played the other games, it will help, and there are certainly plenty of lore vids online, but it eases you in well enough I think, and there are books or folk to talk to to help get you up to speed ^_^
the early access alone is already the size of many triple a games with an insane amount of content and fully voiced outcomes. the amount of detail and effort put into the game especially the community interaction is what makes this game special. i hope more people dont pass this game up because its not an action combat game
I hadn't played a full-on CRPG/RPG like this since Dungeon Siege in...2002. It took about 1 hour of gameplay to be completely hooked, It's beautifully daunting, intriguing, interesting, and most importantly, fun. I'm actually impressed by the controller adaptation Larian made. I honestly thought it would be super cumbersome, but it turned out to be fairly intuitive. Once in a generation game sounds quite right imo. Also, love the reviews!
Best race and classes descriptions ever. Stay awesome my friend!
That first 10 seconds felt like you were pitching cyberpunk's plot
Watching this in 144p because the game is downloading, no blurring needed.
You can enter stealth mode for the entire party by long pressing on down on the d-pad.
bugged for me
@@ACGreviews oh weird
It's taken years in beta, and it seems well worth it! This is how game companies should treat their products. Larian has done for BG3, what CDPR should have done for Cyberpunk 2077.
I look forward to years of future CRPGs based of this engine, if they can keep up the quality!
Voice Acting is phenomenal. Just a level above anything else. Surprisingly the music is amazing
For anyone wondering, any party members that are grouped with you when you long press down on the D-pad with enter stealth with you.
This game seems like the culmination of every rpg desire I’ve ever had.
Tieflings aren't people who have made deals with devils, FYI. They're people whose family lines have been "tainted" by devils or demons. Sometimes that means an ancestor made deals with a fiend, but the most common route tends to involve a direct familiar connection to such an entity.
Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Elden Ring, no matter what RPG you've played, Dungeons and Dragons IS the grandfather of them all/
"Hero off to gather milk" truer words have never been spoken
So excited, and so happy to see full controller support. Played about 10 hours on my deck and I cannot wait for the full version to finish downloading.
how does it fair on the deck?
@@times7171 it's definitely not the most stable experience in terms of frame rate, but honestly on the decks screen I think it looks great - it's good enough I've been happy playing it docked too, but I'm not the most framerate or graphics sensitive. I think because it's turn based framerate matters less too, I think it's around 20-30ish most of the time.
And as Mr. Burns said, "It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times?!"
Excellent review as always, and shout-out for the particularly amazing writing on this one! Can hear your passion and excitement for this game :)
Thank you big time Colin
Thanks, we are living for RPGs since 1998. Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast expansion.
This game is an anomaly in the absolute best way.
If it ever happens again, I won't be surprised if it's Larian that brings it to pass once more.
You can go into Stealth for the whole group by holding down on the D-Pad.
Only had a chance to play and hour 😱 it looks amazing, i can tell already this is the purest example of a great dnd session in video game format
I also have to add the armor cosmetic and designs are more distinctive, pleasing to look at compared to those beggar clothes in D4 (and you need to pay for the 'better-looking' ones).
180 hours later, finally done with the game. It's been a blast, but looking back, the combat in DOS2 was done better, with much easier ways to "combo" stuff :(
Downloading as we speak. Glad I took off of work tomorrow lol. Going to need this extended weekend.
Not a single game has me sucked in like this one in a long time. DOS2 and Wasteland 3 come to mind, but bg3 is on another level, it can hold its own to the classics like neverwinter nights, Planescape torment and of cause BG2 or Icewind dale. Playind diablo 4 and this back to back one has to be quite dense not to see the huge difference in love and care that went into them.
I just found out about you and this baldurs gate review made me subscribe. It was really informative and also really funny. I like that you covered everything thoroughly without spoilers. Thank you for such a great review. What is your opinion on the illithid powers?
Thanks. And personally l love them.
Dunno if anyone said anything yet but if you want to do group stealth, you would want to hold down on the d-pad.
Never played Baldur's Gate or any Larian titles but am super stoked for this entry! Cant wait to make my half-orc Paladin on my first playthrough
Well being BG1 and 2 veteran I'd say you're not gonna understand some easter eggs and references. Nothing big but to have a FULL experience playing previous games is necessary. However unless you're a die hard DnD fan it would be hard to invest 80+ hours into BG 1 and 2 them being 25 years old games.
You'd better choose an Origin character if you want to savour the full dish.
Started my update before I left for work. My baby is gonna be waiting for me when I get home hahaha. Can't effin wait!!
Thought embargo lifts at launch…?
He bout to get blacklisted again 😂
I might be wrong, but isnt the launch on PC today?
Isn’t today the launch though? August 3rd for pc
The game codes got sent out late for reviewers so it's going to delay reviews
Launch is today.
I dont know why but I just can't get into the turn based combat. It completely takes me out of the experience. Everything else about this game sounds so amazing and I would love to play it but the combat unfortunately is a deal breaker.
I'm so glad to see a launch day success!
GOTY. There’s nothing else I could say. If you love role play or fantasy. This game is for you and it is a fucking masterpiece with hundreds of hours of replay value. Original release date In September would have been a fight between this or Starfield. I’m 100% positive I’ll still be playing this in September and I probably won’t even pick up SF now. Larian studios set a bar on what a finished game really feels like on top of shade towards micro transactions. They are the lord and savior no one really talked about and their product is phenomenal. Player count just keeps rising!
Is this game like disco elysium where there are skill checks and you have passive or active dice rolls to decide the outcome?
Similar yes
Yes, but there's also pretty deep combat systems in place so there's quite a lot of variety in in- and out of combat rolls.
"There is no wrong choice"
The most fundamental difference between BG3 and tabletop dnd.
Hold down on d-pad to toggle party in and out of stealth
This style of game is not my cup tea. However, I'm pumped for everyone having an absolute blast and super happy for the Devs to see this level of success!
Yeah I’m DEFINITELY going to get this Game since not only to experience the closest thing to learning about Dungeons and Dragons (since I only got into the game a few months back) but also cause it’s probably the best RPG to probably come out this summer.
I’m probably either going to play as a Female Dwarf (cause Dwarf race don’t get enough love), a Half Orc Barbarian and even a Dragonborn Sorcerer that follows the path of Vengeance.
Why not try all three? :)
@@ashleyhall153I will have Three separate game files to do that then. When I download the game of course.
Love the review as always Karak! I have been eagerly waiting to play it until the full release. Looks like I won't be disappointed.
Thanks for the blurring ACG. I wanted to watch some reviews but I don't want any reveals/spoilers. Good idea to do it like this.
No problem!
Looks like the natural successor of DOS2. Lots of similarities. Let's see how it develops in the coming months with patches and updated.
Video just got me even more hype as I sit and watch the 120 gig download chip away. Even brought my steam deck to work I can download it with hotspot so hopefully it be ready when I get home.
I'm not usually a fan of turn based games but this one looked so good graphically I figured I'd try it. I'm hooked. It is fantastic in every way.
It's so good!
Barbarian> *Hits you with a Large Salami* DM> Roll 2D6 18. DM> "You stagger back from the log of meat the Barbarian just hit you with and the first thing out of your mouth other than the shock?" You> "OW!" As you reel in pain throbbing your shoulder where the Salami impacted Barbarian> "Huh, That did more damage than I thought It would." *Adds it to his pack* You > "You do know your supposed to eat those right?" "RIGHT?" Barbarian just gives you a dirty look and walks away.
Switching from GW2 to play this game. In a lot of ways this game seems like it will play like GW1 did, a Competitive/Cooperative Online Role Playing Game. The amount of detail and roleplaying aspects... I'm totally excited to get in to what this game is offering. I just setup my characters yesterday thinking about what I want to do with each "toon".
Complete with the search for a competent healer!
@@vindex7309 LOL, so true!
Currently 50 hours into a session and I'm still only partway through exploring the first act. This review summarises my exact feelings towards this game, the depth and complexity are genuinely remarkable, yet it retains an accessibility of only giving you as much complexity as you go looking for. If you want to be a straight up fighter with 4 attacks in a turn and leave the rest to others then you can. If you want to manage spell slots, class features, and a complex coordination of buffs etc. then it will let you do that too. I've particularly been impressed by how many options are available that are emergent from your gameplay - strength, for instance, appears to just be a combat focused skill. Except, strength also governs your jump distance, giving you a whole host of new solutions to puzzles, platforming, and combat situations. Whatever role you decide to play, it will bring its own flavour to both the narrative moments in dialogue and in pure gameplay situations.
Genuinely a masterpiece.
Sounds daunting. I can see how good the game is but i also see that it's probably months of time investment to play through it. Or a week or two of entire days off.
dont remember the last time i've been so excited for a game. bg1, 2, icewind dale etc were my childhood and larian is the only studio to have filled that whole with DoS1 and 2, and now this! COME ON DOWNLOAD SPEED!
Yeah this is quite literally my favorite game of all time. After a 160 hour play through I’ve never wanted to go right back into it trying other classes and play styles, gotta see the evil chaotic path of this game!!
The biggest accomplishment of BG3 is being able to play a complex CRPG with a controller. They've also ditched the worst thing about old crpg's which was real-time combat.
Yeah lack of turn based was the only reason I never got into the original BG games. I own them and still want to play them properly one day though, especially after already spending 40 amazing hours in this insanely good and lore rich world since BG3's full launch.
I'm waiting ever so patiently for the physical version which is early next year I think they said, this is everything I've ever wanted in a game, not that other game company where there very epitome of a greedy parasite, I'm certainly ain't talking more about that here, larian studios have mastercrafted the definitive experience I've been looking for, thank you so much for this vid, take care till the next one 👍
Ok most likely will be buying this badass game instead of D4.
So thanks for this review man helped out a lot in my choice. 💪🏽
Glad I could help!
If by D4 you mean Diablo 4, you should probably stay away from it. It has had a poor reception.
My only complaint so far is how horny all the companions are for the player character. It's honestly obnoxious and immersion breaking
This is the first game of this type since Dragon's Age - Origins that has me so excited, which it also reminds of a lot.
So being new to PC gaming, I have Wrath of the Righteous sitting in my backlog, which I'll probably play first. But this looks amazing and I'll probably snag it at some point.
WotR is a very well made game butttttt I seriously recommend you dive right into BG3.
DND is also VERY beginner friendly. Pathfinder is not
absolutely play this first. game of the fucking century
You have to start from the first Baldur's Gate then move onto BG2 and its expansion before getting to BG3. So get to it chop chop!!
If you're new to PC gaming, Wrath of the Righteous is probably going to be overwhelming and you'll have a ton of things to learn, unless you're already familiar with the tabletop game. Even though BG 3 is complex and challenging, it's still like a simplified and forgiving version of Wrath of the Righteous.
Somewhat related, has there ever been a film like Princess Bride, but instead it cuts to a group of people playing DnD?
Maybe the (4th wall breaking) social aspect of the game often gets downplayed or even omitted entirely in DnD based shows and movies since having two story lines in two worlds would be too much or something? The people playing the game should be a much bigger part of the story since they are so central to the experience of playing the game, and it's so lame when a DnD movie plays it super straight and doesn't show that at all. It would then be like any other fantasy movie.
It would be cool if the story lines of the group of friends/strangers intertwines with their campaign and the conclusion of one influences the other by the end, for better or worse. A real life example would be the story of id Software's ill fated DnD campaign. I think that would be a great premise for a movie.
I was on the fence about buying this game, but after this review I went to the steam and pulled up the game, only to find out.. I had bought it last July. Great review as always, time to play!
HI ACG, you have earned the reputation you have. I stopped to follow a bunch of reviewers because they were more concerned to be an insider that to be true keep doing the great job.
I'm typically not that into these types of games (I thought Divinity 2 was just okay meh), but for some reason, I don't know why: This looks really cool. I think it's the promise of AAA-quality audiovisual mixed with experimentation.
I get it. I liked Divinity but it lost me halfway through (mostly the story) and it frustrated me a bit. I stopped playing and didn't really play any other crpg since. But This looks amazing, I hope the narrative holds up.
I hated the over reliance on battles all revolving around elemental and environmental effects on D2. Will this be different? I’m old school, I just want my fighter to hit things with pointy weapons, my archer to fire arrows and my magic user to do what magic users do.
This feels a fair bit like Divinity 2 honestly, though it's better in nearly every way from what I've seen. That said, it still has a lot of that Larian vibe to it which I personally find a bit off-putting at times. Still, it's a pretty uniquely deep crpg, so I think anyone who likes that genre at all should give it a go.
@@CarfilliotIt's there but very toned down compared to the Divinity games.
@@aaronhumphrey3514 thanks 👍
My 16-19 year old wish I can play this. The amount of patience and knowing is too much for my 41 year old self.
Its just Origin Sin 3
Characters sweat in hot environments. That got me
gandalf is not a sorcerer. Gandalf is a bard. many skilled, talks his way out of most things, inspires people. uses a sword. music is magic in lotr.
I'm reminded of a Reddit post on a D&D sub that said Gandalf was a Fighter pretending to be a Wizard all based on class mechanics(probably based on 3E but I can't remember right now). I got a kick out of it even if it wasn't correct.
If only whistling was an acceptable instrument in bg3
Can bards summon/talk to animals?
@@snorkman2 yes. bards get animal friendship, comprehend languages, and speak with animals as 1st level spells. animal messenger as a 2nd level.
@@Sheamu5 what are the bard "instruments"? I'd probably go bard on my first playthrough, if there were varied options. storytelling, chanting, humming, whistling, dancing, stomping, etc.
ACG, when using the controller layout, you can sneak with the whole party by holding the DPAD down. (Btw, to hold a torch (when equipped) hold DPAD up)
bugged for me
@@ACGreviews Strange, works fine for me. Is your whole party linked (and following you) ?
@@vanardnb known bug for some. Many in our group have it
The dragon age sequel we never got.
No dragon game can even hold a candle to this game imo
@@vladimiralvarez6628wrong. This game has to prove it's as good as DAO. And it hasnt even come close so far. At least in act 1 EA.