I want to love these games. I really do. I've played Returns, Dragonfall and now Hong Kong. But the load times are really killing my enjoyment of these games. Are save files stored on a .txt or something? It should not take 3 minutes to load to a previous save with a i7, 16 GB ram and SSD disk! Thus, what would have been a 4 or 5 star rating (because HK has improved from the previous two titles in several ways, is a 2 star due to performance issues.) PS: Culling the number of saves help somewhat, but the further into the game you get the slower the loads are.
Pro: More of the good stuff from Shadowrun Returns. Setting, most of the game play, gear options, ok story. Con: The load times! OH MY GAIA what's up with the load times from another world!? This game has some severe performance issues. Still can't tell my character exactly what to do.
Pro: It's like Diablo Con: It's like Diablo, but with nothing new
Pro: Everything up to you enter the mines. Story, background, game play, weapons, "freedom". Got a Halo feel. Con: Most after you enter the mines. Story, game play, silly boss fights.
Pro: Setting, character development, gear options, most of the game play. Con: Combat could have been better when it comes to being able to tell what exactly you want to do. "Yes, I want you to go over there and hit that guy, but no, I don't want you to do it from that side which will leave you exposed". Story is a bit meh.
I bought a DVD-set with BG I and II and both expansions a few years ago (sorry GOG, won't be buying it from you). I played it only for a few hours as it really didn't live up to my expectaions at the time (I had been playing Diablo 2 at the time, and kind of compared the two games). A few days ago I picked the game up again, and while I'm still not used to the slow levling and all the dying (yes, I die alot, rushing into battle, neglecting the tactics), I love the story and the feel of the game. If you think this is like Diablo, you will be dissapointed (no hack and slash, no fast levling and early non-standard weapons). If you think it's like Fallout, you'll get suprised (it's harder, more tactics and the turns moves by them selves). But it's still a good game.
So much good have been said about this, so I'll just repost what I wrote about it in my blog a few months back. Beyond Good and Evil (2003) is considered a great game and somewhat of a classic, but it never became a commercial success. I am not going to give you a review, most gaming sites have one. I am not here to give you facts about it either, for that you can read a rather good article about it on the domain of questionable knowledge (wikipedia). I am however saying that if you have never played this game, you have missed out! Get a hold of a copy for your PC, PS2, GameCube (compatible with Wii) or Xbox (not 360 compatible) and I promise you that you will not be disappointed, except for the fact that it did not get the sequels that were planned (although one seems to be on the way now).
