PoE backer here, beta access.
I'm willing to bet a significant sum (like $5 US) that PoE will NOT be shit, but at the same time I have to keep reminding myself that it will definitely not be as good as I want it to be, at least in the first year after its release.
The main reason for this expectation is that from what I've seen of them, these guys are incapable of keeping schedules.
I expect they will keep rebalancing the ruleset, which doesn't appear to be completed one month and a half before release, and it will take them at least half a year to get it about right. A game claiming to follow in the footsteps of the IE classics with an unfinished ruleset just doesn't sound serious, but I'm 99% certain that major changes to the ruleset will follow the release. I think they've made it too complex for their own good if we add in their aim (or is it one of Sawyer's crusades taking place in this game's development process?) to provide
"equal opportunity" for every character build.
Ironically, it seems to me that the red line between old-school games and old-school-inspired/wannabe games is this striving for an artificial balance. I'm just pointing it out, not saying it's a bad thing. I definitely like the idea of being able to replay the game a few times and find different ways around challenges. I also appreciate the burden the team has taken on itself in order to provide this opportunity to players, because that's one of the hardest paths for a game designer to take - predict as many player decisions as possible and provide him with content that's relevant to his decision. But from all the importance OE has been giving it in their appearances, it seems like they are obsessed with the idea that the most moronic character builds have to be viable, which to me seems like a waste of development resources.
The main object of forum wars I've witnessed in the OE forums and here has been the combat system. I'm undecided on whether it's shit or not... It certainly doesn't feel anything like the IE games, but that doesn't make it bad. I also think many people who feel intimidated by the combat system are not trying to imagine learning to play with it from lvl 1 and from having 2 characters in the party. I'm pretty certain it will not feel like such a mess if the player is introduced to it gradually.
Finally, I have to say I really sympathize with the PoE team for the kind of setting they've crafted. Some guys here call it bland, generic, etc, but I think I see signs for it being much better than average, mainly because it's done by people who have had almost complete liberty about what they should end up with. Also, let the skeptics not forget that we still know very little about the story and setting. Personally, I'm filled with respect towards any developer who has the taste and daring to name one of his setting's main regions a celtic-sounding name such as Glanfathan
I understand this like the most tactful way to shove a middle finger up the mainstream hacks who come up with mediocre settings and toponyms like "Frostback mountains" or "West Hill". "We're straight out outta Glanfathan, bitches!". The best kind of casual derps-repellent nowadays is apparently to use names in your lore which they won't be able to pronounce.
The approach to game lore, from what I've seen, has been very serious and mature, and I think we definitely have something to look forward to there. I also think this attention to detail will not be an isolated phenomenon and we'll also get actually interesting NPCs and story/sidequests. I just hope they release the game with combat that's too messed to attract anyone outside hardcore fans.