The Dark Queen of Krynn,
It represents the culmination of the Gold Boxes, the best they ever reach. It has all the advantages of an open RPG, while not making you feel lost (often happen in games too open), you always knows what you can do, and what the main quest want you to do.
BioWare kepts some elements in it RPGs, but it also drops quite many. BioWare kepts the story driving...but instead of been relaxed while I play the game, I am stressed, not good, not good at all. Japanese RPGs are the only one which are about as clear, but, they are extremely more simple and no offense, but you can't disgress, you go forward and losing in a Japanese RPG is almost impossible, it is the difference between relaxing and sleeping. The Gold Boxes are RPGs and Strategy games; so they where relaxing and challenging while been heavily story-driven. How could it be better?
I still mourns SSI and doesn't see this changing anytime soon. Sure, there are interesting games here and there, but never, any game, has remotedly feels as complete, as total, as encompassing, as a good story-driven RPG/Strategic game such as these Gold Boxes. The Sword of Aragon was an interesting twist, a very neat one, but still not the same. The 14 year old boy which discovers SSI is still looking for them,19 years later! I still remember the sweetness, the raw pleasure of discovering a new Gold Box... And that is a legacy!
The genre still awaits, hasn't been touched since. Sure Baldur Gate retake SOME aspects very well, but it also ignore quite many completely. Baldur Gate is extremely simple and easy compared to these oldies. It is fun to be able to complete the game on easy mode, but it is also fun to be able to find interesting challenges (not RT challenges mind you). I may even try Mass Effect (unless I try Witcher, the gamble coin will decide today)...but Mass Effects seems to be dropping even more from Baldur Gate, erring further in the mist, away from the salvation, away and lost...
EDIT: About the challenge, building a full team instead of 1 character and been handed down a successfull team (Minsk, Imoen, Aerie, Jaheira, etc...), this is more challenging. Of course you can developp stronger builds then the generic build (Minsk isn't even close to a fighter I build and by far the best fighting in BG with Sarevok). You where able to developp stronger teams, but the challenges where accordingly stronger. See, if I build only 1 character, I won't explore much of the characters, I will explore 1 set, a tank (maybe offensive tank). If I build a whole team, then I will explore the full spectrum of the game.
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