Pretty in-depth review after a first playthrough. It took him about 50 hours, but he played the early access, so he breezed through the first act, and he really knows his stuff. Normal people like you and me will probably need 70-80 hours for a playthrough. The game does have some issues, mostly minor bugs towards the end of the game, and the camera and inventory system can be a bit funky. However, with all that said, it seems to be a massive game in its genre. If you like CRPGs or consequence-heavy games, you should seriously consider this one. Plus, it's woke and makes chuds seethe.
I know like nothing about this game and only played a few minutes of Baldur's Gate 2 but the way people are melting down about this game makes me wanna play it. Do you think I should play the old one(s) first? I don't mind jank old games typically.
I dont think you need to play the old ones to "get" this. With that said if you played the old games and liked them there will be some fanservice in Baldurs Gate 3. Simply put if you like CRPGS there is a high chance you will like this. If you never cared for rpgs I dont think this game will change your mind on the gerne.
Is this a separate story? Or should I at least watch story overviews of the first two
It plays in the same world 150 years after Baldurs Gate 2. There are some characters from the first 2 games that appear in it and the city "Baldurs Gate" appears again in it. The game is made in such a way that you can go in blind without any previous knowledge. If you want you could watch a sort summary of the first 2 games I assume. I did stay mostly in the dark about Baldurs Gate 3 (so I dont spoil myself). Others might be able to say more on this topic.
Same channel has a short 12min story recap which I did watch. I think it goes over the most relevant story beats of game 1+2 but I never played them https://youtu.be/__GI7CrYnj8
The older games run on D&D 2ed rules, and this one is on 5ed rules, so the rules are basically completely different. The older ones are good though, just get the definitive editions if you want to, there's like 150 years in between old and the new game though so they're not necessary.
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If you like old games and are new to/interested in CRPGs, there's a lot of older games out there you could play for cheap or free: Baldur's Gate and it's sequel and expansions, Planescape: Torment, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Mask of the Betrayer expansion, Arcanum, (the next few are much newer, but still cheap on sale or often free) Tyranny, Pillars of Eternity, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous.
But if you want to play the big new game and have the money to spend, go for it! This one looks very newcomer friendly.