This is not a good game. Well, neither of them are. Escape from Butcher Bay is a mindless console game, linear and boring. It's almost cartoonlike in story structure. First you try to escape the maximum security, and fail. Then they put you in a maximum, maximum security cell, you try to escape and fail. Then they put you in a maximum, maximum, maximum security cell and try to escape ... but you fail. Guess what, then you're put in a mega, hyper, super, giga triple maximum uber security cell (basically a coffin) and then you finally escape. There was no plot to be seen and the gameplay is so mindless one might just as well be in a solitary cell. If you have played Thief, Deus Ex, Splinter Cell or anything like that; this game is just insulting. You can sleepwalk through it (and not miss any plot, seeing as there isn't any to begin with) Steer clear of this one if you appreciate quality gameplay, plot, variation or anything that makes a game good.
This game is like something out of left field for those expecting a sequel to Baldur's Gate. I was expecting Baldur's Gate with more things set in the Forgotten Realms; - Open World - High Fantasy - Forgotten Realms lore - Continuation of the plot of Baldur's Gate Instead, this game is something of a mess. The main campaign has nothing to do with the plot of Baldur's Gate, it is a very "closed world" where the player is railroaded into the "correct" places, the starting area is tedious and the plot is contrived and littered with steampunk elements. In other words, it is a game similar to Baldur's Gate, but so were Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. It feels and plays like this game was never supposed to be a sequel to Baldur's Gate. The Throne of Bhaal expansion is perhaps the most monotonous, boring, predictable, inconsistent and anti-climactic "end" to the Baldur's Gate "saga" and it is telling that it is completely cut off from the actual Baldur's Gate II game. If this game had been called simply Shadows of Amn and without any reference to Baldur's Gate, things start to make more sense. It would totaly have deserved three stars, but one star cut off for being a fake sequel to Baldur's Gate.
This is a re-imagination of the original game, and I enjoyed the original a lot back in 1998, so I had a slight knot in my stomach as I saw this release - knowing that the other 3D Realms icon Dule Nukem - was a kind of a flop. A disappointment, at least to me, since it was very consolified, relied only on checkpoints, did only allow 2 weapons at a time (later expanded to 4 weapons, but still) and was somewhat uneven in gameplay and storytelling. Shadow Warrior of 2013 is something else entirely - Lo Wang is back baby and he is here with the gameplay, the flare and the hardcore violence and humor found in the 90s 3D Realms games. It is delight to play and if you've played Shadow Warrior of 1998 or Duke Nukem 3D of 1996, then you know what you can expect of this incarnation. It is a sibling - a familiar face - but graphically updated and with gameplay enhancements like advanced swordplay and weapon upgrades. This is worth your money. Stop reading already! Buy, download and play. This is what Duke Nukem Forever should have been.
