This is actually a great game
Having spent just over 100 hours in the game, and progressing through roughly two-thirds of the main storyline, I have reached the conlusion: this game is actually pretty good!
Before I go on, some warnings. This is a long post. There wll be spoilers. The following are my own opinions, it doesn't invalidate yours. There wll be an unhealthy amount of Starfield-glazing and Sarah Morgan love.
Cracking on to the spoiler-lite 1st half. I am returning to RPG gaming after a long hiatus, and my last major RPG experiences are all BGS related, Fallout 3, 4 and 76. I am definitely lighter on RPG experience than some of you here, so a lot of love for this game is coming from a place of naivety.
As long time lurker on other Starfield subs, I know there is a lot of criticism of BGS and Starfield. After spending some time on Starfield, I have arrived at the opposite conclusion. Take for example, the lack of hand-crafted POIs and the vast empty spaces on many alien planets. Part of this is undoubtedly caused by practical limitations. You can't handcraft 10,000 locations. However, this is a space RPG isn't it? Space is huge. It's not post-apocalypse Boston. This game is really made for explorers, wandering around wth your companion, admiring the desolation/abundant vistas, marvelling at the star field. I am spending enough time being distracted, so the odds of new POIs being a fresh experience are decent, enough to sustain my interest for a long time.
Will I tire of this eventually? I think so. When is it going to happen? I don't know. This game is best played as you would read a book in cozy comfort. Add the cruise mode from Free Lanes, POIs in space, outpost building, there is so much to do, before spending time on the main quest. This makes it a BGS classic.
If I am tired of cozy comfort, I spend time on the quests. By golly, there are a lot, another BGS classic. There is a lot of commentary that the faction stories are better than the main quest. I do not know how accurate this is. I have just scratched the surface of the UC faction quest, before starting on the main quest. So there is no comparison for me to make. I will find out eventually.
The character for Sarah is actually every well done. I know there is a lot of griping about her being straight-laced and her "nagginess". But she is the brave, strong-willed, and focused leader of Constellation. What sort of person do we need to lead a band consisting of an ex-pirate, ex-cultist, space cowboy, silver-tongued scientist, megacorp CEO, and introverted researcher? Not a wallflower, that's for sure. Her principled approach to things is admirable, not a detractor. I have completed her story quest, and am looking forward to the others'.
I bought the game after Free Lanes, so I had cruise mode from the start. This is a game changer. I can only imagine how it was like without cruise, but instant fast travel being the only way to travel intra-system does not sound very immersive. It is good that BGS is responsing to criticism.
Spoiler warning. Anything after this is spoiler heavy. Do not proceed if you do not want to be spoiled.
>!The main quest by itself is actually well done. I haven't completed it yet, but I am recovering the rest of the Artifacts to meet the Emissary at the Buried Temple. Unfortunately, being a lurker on Starfield subs has spoiled the plot twist that one of your 2 favourite companions wll die. What I did not know is when in the story it would happen.!<
>!The lead up to it did not have a lot of foreshadowing, at least none I can detect. You had to make a sudden decision, to leave for the Eye or not. You know that Sarah was injured but you wouldn't guess that she would not survive. The action was fast and frenetic. You are focused on surviving and evading the Hunter, so your mind isn't on Sarah. When you reach the Eye, you are hit with the scene of her dying, right at the docking area,!< >!wthout the chance for last words, to maximise the impact. !<
>!Suddenly, you are robbed of your favourite companion. Just like that. You can pick 1 of the 3 remaining, but there is now a sudden hole in your life. Because I spent most of my time on the main storyline, there are a lot of unexplored quests and POIs. It now feels hollow going to these places wthout Sarah.!<
>!What makes it worse is learning that the Emissary is Sarah, but not the player's Sarah. Cold and distant, not acknowledging the relationship with the player character in this universe. But there is hope that!< >!progressing to Unity wll allow your player character to redo the past, relive the good times wth her, and make sure a version of Sarah survives, even if your version did not.!<
>!But here's the thing, after bringing Sona back to the lodge, and spending time with Constellation, starting NG isn't a chance to start over with Sarah. It's actually abandoning the members of Constellation, who have grown on me, and abandoning Sarah's ward Sona. Is abandoning your family for your character's life partner selfish? How does abandoning Sona honor Sarah? Side note, I wish they had done more to have Sona react to Sarah's passing. She was the 3rd adult she ever met in her life, surely she would have more to say beyond her usual dialogue.!<
At this point, I am staying away from NG discussions to avoid further spoilers. I am not sure if my character will stay in the current game or barrel towards NG+ for another chance to adventure with Sarah. What I am clear about, is that this is actually a good decision by BGS. I know TES and Fallout is delayed because of this project, but damn, it was worth it.