[Threadfin]

It is, by my standards anyway. Some folks won't care for it I suppose. But I think if you like this type of game, Divinity Original Sin 1/2 are games that stand out.

I think we tend to apply a bit of a nostaglia filter when remembering games like Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Icewind Dale and Planescape. They were, and still are, fantastic titles. But viewed through the prism of the modern conventions they tend to lose some of that shine, at least in my view. When they were released nearly 20 years ago they were far and above everything else. With the release of the modern wave -- games like Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Divinity Original Sin, Wasteland 2 and Pathfinder Kingmaker -- we have much of what made those older games great, but re-imagined. Re-imagined with better graphics, GUIs, inventory systems, sound, voiced dialog and more. So it's old-school goodness wrapped in a modern veneer. That's a nice combination.

Having played most of these newer RPGs, DOS 2 for me rises to the top. I loved Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire. Expertly written, robust character building, fantastic story, a unique ship mechanic. The combat was Real Time with Pause (RtwP) at release, but some time later they added a turn-based mode, and that sealed the deal for me and I bought it. It made it more my style, but it was plain that I was playing a RtwP system rigged for turn based. Things as key as initiative and reload times were shunted aside in the TB mode. I paid little attention, but still it was clear. I enjoyed the run all the same.

Kingmaker has some neat ideas. The whole 'run your own barony' mechanic is interesting, even if in practice it was a little underwhelming. This game has a more organic feel to it and I love the teamwork feats. Pacing seemed off to me, but still a really good RPG.

No game is for everyone, and this is obviously my own opinion, but I see no weaknesses In DOS 2. From graphics, to companions, to quests to mechanics it's all so polished and accomplished. If I had a complaint through my first run it was that the final act seemed unfinished. But with the release of the Definitive Edition, this is to have been addressed. Still in the mid-game, so I will see when I get there.

Mechanically it stands out, not just in the normal sense, but because the toolbox you are given is so robust. The myriad of solutions it allows is mind-blowing. Not just combat, but in navigating the world and levels, in puzzle-solving, in just about everything. There are so many ways to go about it. For everything you accomplish, there were probably a half a dozen ways to do it that never even occurred to you. It's a thinking-man's RPG that rewards innovative problem solving.

It's a fairly crowded isometric landscape at the moment, and I don't think a player could go wrong choosing any of the titles I've mentioned in this post. But if I could only choose one of them DOS 2 would be it.