My thoughts on the subject from another thread on criticisms of PoE:
I don't know. We can all be a little hyperbolic, sure, and PoE isn't without it's flaws, but I still think it's damned good.
I can't help but feel that people look back on a lot of the old classics with rose-tinted glasses, too. Those of us who still play BG2, for instance, are generally playing with an expansion pack, a suite of mods, and/or an "enhanced edition" rerelease, and brushing off any remaining rough edges as artifacts of the time. Who honestly plays the vanilla versions of those games?
PoE has its imperfections, and we can hope to see them improved in expansions and sequels, if we're so lucky, but I struggle to think of an all-around better RPG I've ever played. The closest contender would probably be BG2, with PS:T then BG1 trailing behind. After that it's a confusing miasma of Fallout games and KOTOR, I think.
Where BG2 has a wider selection of companions and romance options, PoE's companions are deeper, more original, and much better written. Where BG2 would eventually get the Watcher's Keep mega-dungeon, PoE comes with Od Nua, and where Od Nua comes short against Watcher's Keep in encounter design, it obliterates it in its cohesive vision and its connection to the lore of the world. PoE does away with the arcane and opaque 2nd Ed ADnD ruleset. Its combat is still being balanced, but even on release it wasn't completely breakable (BG1, Arcanum.) Its pathfinding—for all its problems—is better than any of the classics. Its lore is self-contained and doesn't reference fantasy pulp novels. The entire world is, in my opinion, better realized than other RPG I've played (maybe Morrowind or something?) The writing throughout is the best-penned and most mature of any game I've played (including, yes, PS:T.) Its morality is nuanced instead of polarized (KOTOR, Fallout.) And, not for nothing, it's pretty and new, and the sounds and voice acting are great.
It's got a lot of room to grow, sure. Factions could be bigger and more satisfying. Combat's still being balanced and tweaked. Strongholds, frankly, could be scrapped entirely or completely overhauled. I'd like a wider diversity of enemies. There's room to improve on the distribution of found items. Tooltips need improvement, and the glossary needs to be expanded. The OP was spot-on on the significance of our race and class choice outside of combat. The main quest could branch (hnng).
But as a complete, day-one package? It takes the cake for me, at least.
Additionally, my thoughts on Endless Paths vs. Watcher's Keep are here.
Those opinions might be anathema at rpgCodex and some other circles, but whatever. At the very least, PoE has a huge advantage in its modernity over BG2. I loved the game and I'm probably overdue to revisit it, but I've had a much easier time getting friends to delve into PoE than BG or BG2.