@Zefhyr
It seems as if we are brothers in mind and taste. You summed up all my thoughts and concerns after my 30+h playthrough.

I add:
2b. Please don't rely on heavy blasts (like explosive barrels) in order to shortcut long and lame fights that result from the crippled turn-based fighting system! This seems to me as a belated and poor quick fix to those extreme long and boring fights.