40 hours in, and I can safely say this game is awesome. There may or may not be spoilers in this description, read on if you're feeling brave. I didn't care to put spoiler tags around things that may ruin it. =P
My favorite part of the game is that the game is very hard. Not impossible, but it definitely makes you play tactically. It's no hack-and-slash, and it requires a lot more tactical thought than Baldur's Gate ever did. I had to turn down the difficulty for one boss fight early on, but the rest have been manageable and nothing takes more than a dozen reloads to beat. When you beat some parts in the game, you feel really really good about yourself. Or at least I do!
Potions early on are very scarce, and it's nice to have someone in your party to make potions from the just-as-rare materials (early on) required to make them. Potions are your best friend in this game. And a healing mage, too. You'll find that shops in this game don't usually carry more than one or two items you need, so you'll find yourself spending a majority of your money on potions. Or at least I did.
I ran into a bug that set me back an hour at one point ([spoiler]I picked up a key in a Ruined Temple where I was trying to find an Urn of Sacred Ashes and it vanished[/spoiler]) and the game does crash on occasion. Luckily, quicksaving takes 2-3 seconds tops and it's hotkeyed nicely.
Graphics-wise, the game isn't that special. It looks like Neverwinter Nights 2. On my computer, the game definitely lags a bit during cutscenes.
But oh man, gameplay in this game is the cake, and the storyline and twists are the icing on that delicious cake. Choice plays a huge part in the game. There are six unique beginnings (and I'm sure there are unique endings too) and every choice you make shapes the story somehow. I can't give you the story of the beginning because the beginning depends on the class/race you pick. And if I tell you any more, I could be incorrect, as I haven't tried the other 5 beginnings!
Oddly enough, moral behavior choices, while everywhere in dialogues, doesn't seem to play a huge role in the game. You can steal with absolutely no worry (just like in NWN2... which always frustrated me) and evil/good decisions only shape your relationship with your teammates. Nothing with your looks. No karma bar or anything like in KOTOR. And the relationship changes only occur with people in your active party -- if you're the greatest most honorable person in the world, the evil people back in your camp couldn't care less. If they're with you, they care.
Parallels with WoW... the interface. The ! over shopkeepers and people w/ quests. The little mini map in the upper right. Button mashing when it comes to fighting (you have the little bar for spells just like in WoW) easy mobs (when it comes to hard mobs, a little more tactical strategy is required). Little things that make me miss WoW.
And there's already downloadable content out there to increase the already-gigantic 80 hours of gameplay.
Overall, really really awesome game. 4.5/5 stars.
