Unlike most reviewers it seems, I enjoyed the linear first part of the game way more than the last open world part
Keeping you busy is part of the problem though.
You see I really enjoyed the first 2/3rds of the game where it was totally story driven and very linear. For me that was great and I really enjoyed it to follow along with the story.
For me where it fell apart was when you got to the wide open space and you could grind like it seems a lot of people like to do, it fell apart for me. That just was not enjoyable for me.
I did as many of the side missions during that time as I could, and they were ok, but not as good as the first part of the game.
I will say I also was disappointed by the final sequence in the game, where it was one long boss battle after another. There are no saves in there, so it was like one long 4 hour session, with a lot of trial and error. Not really my favorite kind of gameplay.
With all that said, I sure am glad I did end up playing the game after reading all the negative criticism. Funny how it turned out I actually liked what a lot of people where complaining about. Very highly recommended by me if you feel like sinking a lot of time into one game.