Baldur’s Gate 3 wasn’t on my radar but I took a chance and it revived me from a multi-year gaming rut. BG3 is the kind of game that has been sorely missing from the genre and industry for too long. Had I ever played BG1/2, I’m sure I’d appreciate BG3’s feats even more. 50+ hrs in and only just entered Act 2. A great story, characters, soundtrack, and imagining of the D&D world. It's a game focused on player choice, where you get so invested in the story and characters, you're often tempted to save scum. Gameplay and combat are great but difficult–sometimes maybe too difficult (on Balanced difficulty). More often than not, I’ve simply enjoyed immersing myself and exploring the world. The soundtrack pulls you in with iconic permutations of the “Down by the River” theme, battle rhythms, and atmosphere like “Wash My Dreams Away”.

BG3 is now on my shortlist of favorite games and it no doubt will be for many others. It will be a game talked about for years to come. Simply put, the difference between BG3 and many other games out there, is it’s a game I want to see to the end–even if it takes me another 50+ hrs of heartache. I can’t say that about most games today.