If you want to play a modern game that takes you back to Balder’s Gate, definitely check out Divinity Original Sin 2. I never played the first, and I was skeptical about it living up to BG 1 and 2, but after the first couple hours I was hooked. It is very much worthy of the comparison.
It's not really the same type of game though - with its AP based turn combat and significantly less serious setting and quest design. Don't get me wrong, it's great, but if you want a Baldur's Gate modernization, it's Pillars of Eternity / Pillars of Eternity 2 / Tyranny what you should be looking at :)
The gameplay is different, but as someone who was both a fan of Baldur's Gate AND Fallout 1/2, I find it noticeably superior, especially when it comes to combat.
As far as "less serious", I'm not sure what you mean. The game has humor in some places, but it's plenty serious as far as the main quests go.
The magic of Baldur's Gate 2 comes from way more than the DnD combat though. The character conflicts, plot, side stories, dark humor, etc. come together in a similar way in DOS2, but in a new world different from the Forgotten Realms.
I'm in the process of playing the first one. I know the second is much better, but I heard the first was good too and I didn't want the disappointment of playing the better one first. So far I really enjoy it, but I wish they had skipped on the voice acting. It's bad and takes away from the game. I read dialog faster than they talk, and now I have them talking slowly while I am trying to read!
I'd like to throw in a mention of Pathfinder: Kingmaker which is based on the Pathfinder tabletop ruleset (a D&D ruleset). Early reviews were plagued by bugs but a number of patches have since fixed most issues.
Although you may be sorely disappointed if playing for the story. The Divinity Original Sin 1 was basically garbage in this respect, a poor attempt at doing Discworld, with neither the vision nor talent that Pratchett had.
Original Sin 2 is much better story-wise, though it's still a game where the best story content is in side quests and environmental storytelling. The animal quests are exceptional.
It was smart of them to include some nostalgia. Previewing the game at a conference, when the voice-over said, "You must gather your party before forth," The crowd cheered.
I feel like Tyranny is greatly under rated. There are rough edges for sure, but the story line and atmosphere sucked me in in a way that I haven't experienced in a long time. Really fun combat system too.
Having played BG, Neverwinter, and after a long hiatus Pillars (but none of the above) can you elaborate a little? I liked the health/encounter system in Pillars. Spamming rests was no longer an option but having per encounter powers and health kept the game fun and balenced.
Yea, this is the multiplayer I've been dreaming of. I really like how it lets you wander around separately and not get automatically stuck in all of their dialogues and decisions. Neverwinter Nights kinda tried to have some of this, but it wasn't quite this smooth.
For anyone interested - Neverwinter Nights Enhanced Edition is on sale for $6 on Steam, GOG, and Beamdog. $2 on Android. The multiplayer scene is having a bit of renaissance thanks to it, here's the live player world (mini-MMO) list: https://nwn.beamdog.net/
