I know D2 is a 3rd person rpg similar to Two Worlds, Risen, The Witcher, etc. I'm just wondering if it's as deep as the original and is the charm and comedy from DD present?

Also, do they have any story bits in common? I'm about to finish DD, but I've had enough 2D crpg for now and I'm gonna skip Beyond Divinity for some other time.

It is still as deep as DD in terms of character mechanics and roleplaying possibilities, and the whimsical Larian humour is stronger than ever (especially with the addition of the mind reading mechanic). I had my doubts as to how D2 would hold up to its predecessor since the engine is so different, but the original DD spirit is intact, and I've loved D2 from beginning to end. Yes. D2 is a sequel to DD, although quite some time has passed (I must admit I don't actually remember any specifics like dates at this point, I've played DD waaaay long ago). The story link between the two games doesn't drive new comers away, though: you'll be provided with background throughout the game through various sources. I've played D2 with only a vague recollection of DD's plot, and I felt pleasantly at home with the familiar setting and background without being lost because I've forgotten some of the previous story.
Major characters from DD do come back, in a significant way, and this *is* a continuation of DD's story. I've actually never played through Beyond Divinity, to be honest. Couldn't really get into it, for some reason. This wasn't at all detrimental to my enjoyment of D2, since it ties in with DD very smoothly story-wise, like I mentioned above.

If you're still unsure about whether you should buy D2, I heartily recommend that you play it. You really won't regret it, especially since it has been polished to a shine with its update and expansion. :)

I had to read that twice -- it's quite an ambiguous statement, and could be read as 'don't buy' or 'don't hesitate'. I'm fairly certain (after reading the rest of your comments) that you meant 'don't hesitate', but even so...
;-)

I did mean "don't hesitate", and while my sentence is grammatically sound, I agree upon rereading that the statement is a bit ambiguous. I'll rephrase. :)

EDIT: There. No ambiguity any more. ^^

D2 is a worthy sequel to DD. While it may have moved the interface on to a more modern format, all of the care that went into DD is also there. When it was first released it was slighted for not properly finished, and the expansion was more of a conclusion than an actual expansion. Now in its present form it is very good (though it's a shame they made it easier, should have been optional).

I've ranted before about BD, only play it if you're really looking for a game, it's not very good, and is not necessary for the overall story. If you do play it, find the thread about how to avoid the equipment bug before you do, otherwise you might find yourself having to start again after 4 hours of play.

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to write all that up, it answers everything I had questions about. It's much appreciated. Thanks for the heads up about the BD bug, I may actually pass it over for good.

Sounds like the folks that enjoyed DD also enjoyed D2 and that's what I was hoping for.

Actually, that was only an issue in the disk version of the game (in Vista or later, which could be avoided by running the game in Win 9x compatibility mode). There is no problem with the current download version.

Personally I liked BD (though if you are going to skip one in the series, that would be it). While it was certainly not perfect, I though a lot of the criticism was unjustified or exaggerated. It even did a couple things better that DD; changes to the stat system made it possible to have many more varied and viable builds (in DD most warriors ended up with about the same stat distribution), and the summoning dolls were a nice feature (summons that joined your party, which you could customize to a limited degree, or just use to store your excess loot).

I like Beyond DIvinity too.

Just to add my voice to the chorus, yes Divinity II looks like Two Worlds or The Witcher but it feels like Divine Divinity. The story, the atmosphere, the design, it's all in keeping with its predecessor, it's very Larian.

The only things lacking are the insane level of item interaction of DD (not really feasible in a 3D game, or useful), and world size. The size of the world had to be cut waaaay down - watch the 'making of' videos and you'll see they planned and even finished parts of a big "travel the whole world, visit and unite all the races" story that had to be massively cut because of time constraints (kind of breaks my heart to know this).

I experienced it with the download version. Are you saying the gog version has been patched in the last year or two?

Beyond Divinity got a few updates for the Anthology release (higher resolution and widescreen support, Vista/Win7 compatibility fixes), a little over a year ago. Before that the GOG release was the same as the updated disk version (v1.0049; anthology version is 1.500).
When D2:DC was released on GOG both DD and BD were updated to the anthology versions of the game. There is no patch, though; you'll have to download the new installer.