So, this SHOULD have been the best video game of the last 10 years, based on what was promised in early tech demos, media highlights, and the reputation of the studio that made it.

It's still a really good game, but it's just not what it could have been. That's what all the negative reviews are about, people are way harsher with their criticism when they feel betrayed.

Go into it with lowered expectations and you'll have a really good time. It's basically a borderlands style looter-shooter, with VERY light perk based RPG elements, many of which are still completely broken/useless. The driving sucks, but the combat AI is actually pretty good now. Gameplay is great, though a bit on the easy side. Stealth is trash, don't bother with it.

The story and characters are great, but not what was promised. There's no branching storyline, just a traditional RPG with actions that don't matter, and a "point of no return" that you can load back to and try to get all the different endings. Don't expect dragon age or mass effect style story telling, even though that is what the promised. Blame the higher-ups.

It's still a very fun game, for all the flaws. If you've already played GTA and Red Dead 2, and are just desperate for another "big game" this might be it.

So, this SHOULD have been the best video game of the last 10 years, based on what was promised in early tech demos, media highlights, and the reputation of the studio that made it. It's still a really good game, but it's just not what it could have been. That's what all the negative reviews are about, people are way harsher with their criticism when they feel betrayed. Go into it with lowered expectations and you'll have a really good time. It's basically a borderlands style looter-shooter, with VERY light perk based RPG elements, many of which are still completely broken/useless. The driving sucks, but the combat AI is actually pretty good now. Gameplay is great, though a bit on the easy side. Stealth is trash, don't bother with it. The story and characters are great, but not what was promised. There's no branching storyline, just a traditional RPG with actions that don't matter, and a "point of no return" that you can load back to and try to get all the different endings. Don't expect dragon age or mass effect style story telling, even though that is what the promised. Blame the higher-ups. It's still a very fun game, for all the flaws. If you've already played GTA and Red Dead 2, and are just desperate for another "big game" this might be it.