I didn't get a chance to play the bigger and more expensive titles yet, but I really liked Shadowrun Returns and particularly Dragonfall, despite any criticism directed at them. Sure, they're not the most open and deep RPGs in terms of mechanics, you only get to level up one character and from what I've heard it's not faithful to the P&P rules, but the tactical combat still felt satisfying and enjoyable to me, and the atmosphere, the soundtrack, the writing and the themes were awesome, so all in all they were very engaging and fun to me and felt like a breath of fresh air in the genre, so I played through them rather quickly, which is always a good sign.

This was my biggest gripe with DA:I. I couldn't figure out how to turn off the horrid AI and when I wanted to bait a single target with one character the entire party would zerg rush into the middle of the enemy encampment engaging in combat and get slaughtered.

Agreed, it was a letdown to see DA:I like that. I vastly preferred how it was in the original dragon age, where you could custom the AI a great deal with priority lists (same as NWN2). DA:I was lacking in that regard.

I've just finished Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. I'd never played it before (I finished the first one the last year) and it's actually a great game, overall on playability terms. However, I think the plot is not the best. In my opinion some subquest have a better story than the main plot. Maybe the fact of I played Planescape: Torment make me onditional on this side (for me Torment have one of the best plot in games history), but thre isn't a doubt about BG II is a jewel, maybe a king among rpg games. It is huge, with cool character and reactivity (including reactivity in relationship with npcs).

If I compare this with Pillars of Eternity, I prefer this one. I am not sayind PoE is a better game (both share the same estructure and similar mechanics, but they belongs to different ages so it has no sense to say what is better), it's just I enjoyed much more PoE, overall the plot, I think it has a better writing with an original point of view about fantasy worlds. I have to recognise characters are more developing in BG II, even the music is better in BG II, but PoE wins in accesibility and amusement.

BG II was the real king in crpg games years ago, and it can be proudly since with PoE he has a truly heir.