I'm an old school gamer... I grew up in the time of the original Baldur's Gate, and so that series has a cherished place in my heart. Planescape: Toment, Icewind Dale... ahhhh... fond memories. Anyway, when it was annouched that Larian Studios were doing the sequel almost two decades later... my heart melted, Larian who made the incredibly Divinity: Original Sin games... these guys knew how to make games that were beautiful and captivating, with worlds that you just wanted to drink in and just melt into!

I held off buying Baldur's Gate 3.... I have a stupid long backlog, and recently I treated myself to Jagged Alliance 3 (another cherished series...). But whilst I was on tour last week, I thought... no, I will pick up Baldur's Gate 3, if only to support a developer who is doing everything right.

Of course, the download is in excess of 100 GB... so, I wasn't going to do that on a mobile connection... and I never touch the cess-pits that is hotel wifi. I would have to just wait a few more days until I got home.

... and now that it is loaded... I am just slowly savouring the world! There really are just some games that you just play slowly... it isn't just a game with mechanics to beat... but a place and world to lose yourself in. I'm drunk at that stage of this game... it is everything that I had hoped for... and more!

So, this isn't a review... not even a first impressions. But just a little bit of fanboy-ing about the first little bits of contact that I've had with the game!

Oh wow... explicit content... sure! I'm an adult... and games can be for adults and not just a kids past-time!

Oh... different difficulty settings for the various "core"-ness of your hardness! I'm on balanced... I'm not a pushover, but I'm not a masochist either. I want the game as the developer thought it should be played!

OMG... the reviews weren't lying when they were talking about the detail of character creation! You can roll and design your own character, or you can take one of the pre-cut characters (who would otherwise appear in your game as companions.

... well, as always, I rolled my own... that is what roleplaying games is all about, right?

...but even the predefined characters have this amazing little intro where they talk a bit about their motivations and backstory. Fully voiced and animated... these are the little touches that make a game into a work of art and from a developer who REALLY cares about games as games, and not as a profit machine.

My first session with the game, I only just finished the character creation stage. I was THAT enthralled by the whole thing!

Larian, I love you guys.. don't ever sell out to a bigger company!

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