How can a game this unoriginal get such a high score? = Bioware....
This isn't a bad thing, because those games were good.
Sure I could complain about a bunch of little things that niggle me about the game, but that would just be nitpicking.
The Story/plot is more refined and purposefully designed than ever before. This game probably does decisions moral or otherwise better than any other game out there. The variety of possiblities for nonlinear play is considerable. It is easy to see how you could relpay this game and change huge chunks of the plot.
The graphics are good enough for a game like this.
The sound is efficient and precise.
The dialogue is exceptional. The inter party banter and the voices for the characters has to be the best I've ever seen in a game. The characters have more dimensions than ever and some of them are actually genuinely entertaining.
Yes it is unoriginal, yes it is basically the same gameplay as biowares previous RPGs of this type...however it is executed to perfection. It is like someone giving you a diamond then giving you another diamond that is even bigger and shinier.
Having played 65 hours and still not completed the game I would say it is more than value for money.
A shame some of the voice actors are not used more though, such as Flemeth especially. It is though a great and addictive ride with reasonably challenging combat.
Overall a wonderful RPG journey, those that don't like it probably haven't given it enough of a chance or have struggled with the combat and gotten frustrated.