[quote]Going by that checklist, you could argue that Mass Effect was like Baldur's Gate too then. In fact, a large number of party-based RPG's would fit the criteria of being "very much like Baldur's Gate".[/quote] I suppose so. I haven't played very many party-based single-player RPGs aside from Bioware games. Speaking of recent games, nothing readily springs to mind other than Final Fantasy which I've never played. I think what made me feel DA was most like BG was the combat -- having to think your way through the action...pausing, controlling, pausing. It brought me right back to the original game where it wasn't just mindless hacking but a team effort between characters.

The only reason people would think of Baldur's Gate when discussing Dragon Age is because BioWare kept claiming it was a spiritual successor. And during those discussions, people generally say it was nothing like Baldur's Gate. I disagree. The tactical combat, the varied subplots, the relationships and banter between characters -- it was VERY much like Baldur's Gate. I'd be interested to hear how you think it actually differed aside from the graphical aspect.