The level cap is 12 in the base game, up to 16 with the White Marches expansion installed. Yes, you can hit the level cap (12) before reaching the end of the main game. Why they did this I don't know. For me though, I was honestly disappointed in the game. I found the story was good enough, but the game play was tedious and I hated the combat mechanics. I slogged my way to the end and have never yet gotten around to playing the White March content. I told myself I'd do it one day but every time I think about firing the game up I just shudder and play something else.

I backed the game on Kickstarter (at a fairly high level). While the game has some very nice elements, it just didn't click with me.

Ok, thanks for your comments. I own the game and hear very good things about it, but have never gotten around to giving it a serious go. I gave it a quick try when I first bought it and got to about the third map location. I liked the writing, combat and the somewhat dark tone. So, given you never played the White March, I take it you wouldn't recommend it? I've read/heard it's very combat-heavy, compared to the main game.

Re: Divinity: Original Sin. I have played and finished the first one, but not the second. Imo, it is a good game and worth playing, but it isn't up there with the CRPG greats (what is though?).

I loved the turn-based combat and the engine in general is excellent. Probably the closest thing I have played to a tabletop RPG. However, there were a few things I didn't like about the game design itself:

- I think the writing is a bit of a weak point. Certainly not on par with BG2, Planescape, Pillars. There aren't many characters that are very memorable, imo.

- I personally didn't like the style of humor. This is obviously subjective - some like it but others seem to hate it. The humor seems to be quite silly and cheesy, with some very annoying characters. Not my cup of tea. The tone of the game in general is not very serious. For example, there are a few enemies that seem almost cartoon-like.

- Didn't like the world-building much. The game world is about as generic as they come, with little that distinguishes it from fantasy worlds you have seen a hundred times. Again, some players might be fine with that, others (like myself) might have been hoping for something more original.

Overall: it's worth playing, but whether you love it or not is probably going to depend strongly on your taste in humor.

Planescape torment >>>> these

The funny thing about games, each one of us a different perspective on it. I didn't get to play much of Pillars and only reason I stopped at the time was due to time constraints. What I did play I enjoyed it. Games like these remind me of Baldur's Gate series and one day I'll get back to it.

In that sense I may unintentionally be biased in favor of it, probably due to nostalgia I admit. So take all the feedback with a grain of salt. Every so often we play an exceptional game (rpg game in this case) in our life and every game after that gets compared to it, regardless if it was published pre or post it's release.

Zenith for example didn't get a good rating, yet I actually enjoyed it despite the fixed camera position that had no way to adjust, scroll or zoom. But you can tell the developers put a lot of care into the story and humor, despite the less than stellar gameplay mechanic choices.

So games like POE, POE 2, DOS, DOS 2 and ones I don't have like Tyranny and Pathfinder, all draw on the past. It's hard to reinvent the wheel, so alot of the combat mechanics always end up looking familiar. The stories too have some similarities or a lot in some cases. But I give credits to the developers for all the good things they were able to put into these games, not an easy feat to make a perfect game that all gamers will love.

Even Baldur's Gate series had glaring faults I didn't recognize until I saw games with more modern gameplay mechanics, but I still hope to replay it again one day since it was the story I loved the most. Even the dated Pool of Radiance series is still one of the loves of my life, Curse of Azure Bonds being one of my all time favorite.

YouTube is your friend! I'm thankful for the community for all the feedback they always give, but a lot of times I have to see it especially if the game is a bit pricier lol.

And most games go on such low discounts these days, I can buy a couple of newer games for the price of a movie ticket (that's not even including the concession stand!)

So to sum it up, everything people say here is true, from each of their own perspective. Pick the one that resonates with you the most. The other titles can wait a bit longer. :)
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I have only played Tyranny, but I really enjoyed it. It's shorter than your average rpg, but that just allows you to replay and see the other story branches more easily. I thought the story and setting did a good job pulling you into the world and getting you invested in the characters. There is a system for companions and factions where you earn Loyalty/Fear and Favour/Wrath respectively so the relationships are more dynamic and responsive.