my biggest issue was the bullet sponging and totally unbalanced combat, youd either be a god that couldnt die or someone who has to land 50 headshots with a sniper rifle to kill someone
Lol you've been downvoted for sharing your opinion after specifically being asked to do so. Also not a single person at the time I write this has provided a reason for why the game is good in their opinion. Great thread!
Here's my opinion: The story is good and the characters are great. I really do feel a connection with the characters and empathise with them. The world feels real but also cinematic. I recall a time where I found myself amongst oil derrigs and there was fog all around lit up with a blue tinge. It was amazing, beautiful, and scary because I was expecting someone to jump out at any time and start firing but it was just me, wandering through the mud, alone at midnight.
I never fast travel, I always walk or drive to my next location, and it's a great experience every time. If I'm driving there is kickass music to listen to, and if I'm walking I see the NPCs going about their daily sidewalk vomit.
I added mods to up the damage, so a fight feels very dangerous. I can kill in a second with my sword, but I can also die in a second from a few bullets. Fights don't usually last very long but they are intense.
It's definitely a great game (now) and worth the time. It does well at immersion, at always having another thing to do, at having meaningful choices, ad at depicting the world.
One time I was riding my motorbike and being impatient, I hit a car and accidentally killed the driver. I reloaded the save.
I mostly drive around obeying the traffic laws (which is difficult because everyone drives on the wrong side of the road) because it gives me that vibe of cruising around as a no-good delinquent, scoping out places for the next job.
Personally I enjoyed the gameplay and found the writing to be so so with some really good moments and some awkward and awful ones (River hitting on a female V, I was with Judy and was frosty with him at every opportunity and he still went on as if I was leading him on. Like MF I could not have been clearer.)
Keeping it spoiler free: at one point my female V was walking past a bunch of the Barghest gang who were non-aggressive, but making degrading comments. One said something about "coming back on all fours" and I turned around and mono-wired his head right off. The entire gang went aggro and I had to kill about 50 of them. Worth it, will do it again next playthrough.
They may have changed it, but I recall the romances were entirely dependent on which voice you chose. Genitalia didn't matter. So you can theoretically make a feminine V with the male voice if you want those male on male options.