I was thinking about how different some of these reviews read too.
Obviously, there's always to going to be variance because of the subjectivity involved but I can't help but wonder if, in this case, the sheer scale and scope of what is being attempted is adding to it.
How many of these reviewers played the vast majority of CP? How many like the idea of immersing themselves in Nightcity for 100+ hours? How many like it's dark themes? How many are very particular about stealth, gunplay, levelling systems, story and so on.
There's just so much being attempted in this game. One comment often seen was how there are familiar elements from several of the most popular games in recent years in addition to everything else it brings to the table. In other words, there's a lot to experience but also therefore a lot to criticise.
When id Software make a Doom game, they have the luxury of focusing on a very narrow selection of elements. The game is purely about fun, fast and brutal gunplay and only needs to last 15 hours or so. There are fewer mechanics to criticise. Therefore if you can fufill that, you've got the job done. I'm not saying it's easy, but it must be easier to focus on that as opposed to making a game with a much broader range of elements.
I think your right.
And this is obviously just me guessing. But I can't help think that maybe it's due to different type of players. Some like being told exactly what to do next, where to go and what exactly the consequence of a given action you might do have for the story and game before you choose it. So maybe to them it just seems a bit strange or pointless. And maybe those that just enjoy trying to figure it out on their own, go explore and just give it a shot, might simply enjoy it more, because of all the things you can get yourself immersed into, whether that is the city itself, the atmosphere and setting, the RP etc. So they really like it.
For me, I love that not all quests have clear indication from what I understand and you don't know what the consequences of you doing something is. And you can just go about it in the way you prefer, without constantly being told what and how to do it and when to do it. I tried GTA 5 and can see its appeal, the open world etc. But I felt more like a spectator, not really caring about the characters, despite them being well written and all, at least those I saw. But eventually it got a bit boring as it basically just felt like all the other GTA games and have run a bit dry in those. But fully understand why people like them, but I think they would be better, if you could make your own character and had dialog options as well.
I have seen some reviewers complain about some of details, that they are merely plastering rather than all that useful. But to me these are all part of making the game interesting, not everything have to be the most important thing ever or be linked to the main story.
To me it seems like some of the reviewers have just tried to beat the main story as fast as possible, so they could get the review out, which at least as far as I understand it, really take away from the whole experience as you are only getting the minimum of what the story/game has to offer.
So I kind of like, how CDPR added substance to the side missions, so they are not only go kill this guy, hack this, collect 5 of these. Which is basically what makes some other open world games side quests boring, when its nothing but that.
