>>3862501
>Nta, but did the mindflayers just politely invite them for a nice cup of consensual tadpole and made sure they get a safe ride back home?
The reality of what actually happens in the BG3 intro makes the entire comparison worse.

In BG2, you start in the lair of a wizard who kidnapped you for a specific reason (related to the backstory explained in the unfortunately necessary expodump summarzing the events of BG1). Elements of the lair give you initial clues about the villain. There's a portal giving a little teaser of planar travel to come. Your escape opportunity is triggered by an attack from local thieves guild (whose motives come into play later on). The first companions you encounter are all people you already know (Imoen, Minsc, Jaheira). The introduction ends with a clear story goal established (pursue Irenicus/Imoen) and leaves you free to explore the bustling shopping district of a major city.

In BG3 you start randomly abducted to a Nautiloid capable of casually wrecking huge stone buildings, that crashes in hell after crossing different planes while being chased by Githyanki Dragonriders. Your initial encounters are with a friendly intellect devourer and a Gith who should attack you but doesn't only because the tadpoles you each have in your brains force you to talk first. You escape by piloting the planar Nautiloid back to Prime Material and crash landing (again) in the ocean so you can start stranded on a beach like in other Larian games.

Superficially, the functions seem similar. The MC is abducted, an external faction triggers an escape opportunity, you meet a companion or two and get to see inside a major villain's domain. The difference is TASTE and FOCUS. BG2 has a grounded, sane introduction focused on kickstarting the specific conflict between charname and Irenicus, with content appropriate for a Level~7 party. BG3 has a careless introduction focused cramming in as much spectacle and epic off-the-wall crazy shit as possible.