EDIT:

I created a video review for Patch #8. If you want to check it out I put a link at the end of this review. I know a lot of people found this initial review helpful and I hope my most recent one can help people decide whether or not they want to buy the game!

So should you get Baldur's Gate 3? If you really like Larian RPG games then probably yeah, it's a lot like their other games with a few major differences that might make you not enjoy the game:

1) The skills don't have CDs like in other games, they're based on 5E D&D so they're based on your class, so your class selection is very important and you'll need a balanced party.

2) If you're big into D&D games like me you might be frustrated at some of the Larian game mechanics, like Ray of Frost leaving ice beneath the feet of enemies and similar spells leaving fields on the ground that debuff or damage targets. Ray of Frost is the biggest offender since slipping on ice ends your turn, or your opponents turn making it the best mage cantrip for its RNG value.

Is this game a sequel to Baldur's Gate 1 and 2?

No, so far it seems like it has nothing to do with the other Baldur's Gates game besides the fact you're trying to get to Baldur's Gate to some degree but can't because monsters are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ around in the countryside, as per usual. Your character is also not a Bhaalspawn so I'm not sure why they called it Baldur's Gate 3 when more accurately it should be like: Baldur's Gate: The Mind Flayering or something similar.

Does the game run well?

Depends on your machine, mine is fairly powerful and with the game ready Nvidia Driver the game runs smooth, however textures kinda pop in weirdly, the game is in Early Access so it's expected that the graphics aren't full up to snuff yet.

Does the combat feel good?

Yeah, it feels pretty good they got the 5E stuff in game to work really well and they added in special weapon attacks that make a big difference. The Combat is deadly, but fair and you have loads of options to subvert encounters and crush your enemies. Beyond that it's not a big murder hobo affair either you do murder many things but I was surprised when I actually found some friendly monsters who'd normally be murder hobo fodder. Larian also wisely shot the alignment system of D&D in the head behind a shed which was a good move since 5E doesn't really use that system very much anyways. I find the AI however has a hard time handling stealth attacks, where I can sometimes get three free stealth attacks against monsters if I have my rogue hidden well, perhaps that's a bug or a reward for good positioning I can't say.

How is the Story? (Don't worry, no spoilers)

Story is pretty fine and the characters you meet along the way are interesting. Some are a bit hostile towards you but due to the situation you find yourself in I think it's 100% natural that your party will be distrustful towards each other and your character. However I found that even the more nasty characters do warm up to you quickly, or at the very least treat you as a decent person. I read some reviews after playing where reviewers complained that the party ALWAYS hated you. But I only ever felt that one NPC hated me, and now after a few hours into the game they talk to me as an ally and have even confided into me about some of their own secrets making me feel like it's something that could easily become a true friendship. One praise I'll give it that others will call negative is that some persuasion options might not be good ideas. Please use your common sense, you might not want to tell sensitive things about your situation to certain people or even if you pass your check it might have a negative outcome, in this case passing the check makes a really bad situation a bit less bad. You also get special dialogue options due to some special magical powers you get rather early on in the game though I'll avoid calling them by name because that could be a spoiler which give you OP persuasion options that you cannot fail, however I like that the game implies that by using these powers you can get some negative backlash, these options even let you learn extra details about certain characters that share your condition though I have opted not to use them since I assume it will worsen my relationship with the character. The only downside of conversations is that in single player you can't change who is talking to perform skill checks. I had a Dex check in a conversation to pick a lock but couldn't let the rogue do his job to pick the lock. There was also lacking a dialogue option of me just using the key I had on me to unlock the shackles the guy was trapped in. The animations in conversation are also fairly stiff looking and your character only has a few stances they take, they're kinda annoying and I hope they add more variety to them.

So how good is the game in Early Access?

I'd say pretty good, you get a large area to explore and the characters are varied and the story interesting if a bit high fantasy, though I feel Baldur's Gate was also High Fantasy, I will say I'm not a fan of certain named characters existing in the world like Volo who I found, but I was happy to learn you can also mindlessly murder such refferences and rob their dead caracasses with only minimal consequences (I bribed a guard like 200 gold after I killed Volo and stole all of his swag, it was super worth I'd recommend murdering Volo in every game he's in.) Beyond that I'd say the game is on the right track to be a cool RPG, though the game requires patience if you want to avoid murder hoboing, the game gives most characters even goblins actual names which makes talking to them and learning their secrets worthwhile, I'd recommend talking to as many people as your patience can handle to solve problems non-violently since some fights are nearly unwinnable. Also don't forget to scout around with your rogue to find shenanigans to cheese encounters and make sure you're not about to walk into a hornets nest.

Patch 8 Review: https://youtu.be/aukz9SodB44