I am. I played most of the old school CRPGs from the 90's and early 2000s. And I also recently played Divinity Original Sin, which is another 'modern' old school CRPG.
And while my memories of the old ones (Baldur's Gate, NWN, Planescape, etc) are veiled in nostalgia -- and old age -- I view these two latest ones , including PoE, in a good light.
I think PoE is well written, has a good story, and has probably the best (least frustrating?) inventory system of any of the CRPGs that I've played. Compared to Original Sin the inventory management is so much better. I like the combat, but it's one area where Original Sin is far superior for me. The combat in Original Sin is the best of the bunch, by some margin in my opinion.
I do think that PoE is an overall more polished production. I like the writing. It's wordy, as all of these games tend to be, but without being overly done. I'm level 6 I think, about 40 hours in, so plenty of content I haven't seen yet. Quests are varied, characters believable, good combat, a few twists. I think it's a winner in a genre that is enjoying a bit of a resurgence.
One thought that occurred to me early on.... in almost all RPG's it starts off like this.... your character begins stranded or abandoned somewhere, with only the shirt on his back and maybe a medium sized stick to whack over heads. You cautiously make your way, almost certainly fighting off a few young wolves, until you arrive at a town. It's almost always bucolic, an oasis of security in an otherwise hostile world. You love this place. It feels like home. And then there is Pillars of Eternity. The first thing you see in this town is a huge tree with half of the town's residents swinging from ropes by the neck. I knew then that this one would have a little different sensibility than most games.
