Has your opinion changed for any reason?

I have decided to reserve judgement until I get some DLC and the final patches are implemented. I assume I will enjoy it more because I will know how to navigate the story and ignore stuff I don't care about, which I assume will increase the gameplay alot.

For now, I am giving it a break so I don't burn out on it, and weirdly enough, decided to go back to an old game than I sunk so many hours into, that I swore I would never need to play again. Buuuuuuut...well, I never played the Blood and Wine DLC, and I heard its the best. So while I wait for game stuff to be added to MEA and the bugs to be worked out in this game, I am enjoying TW3 gain. I forgot how utterly beautiful that game was (the moving grass, sky, weather, day/night cycles...playing without a HUD or map, which is an option, makes it so freaking immersive). It is really astonishing what those folks accomplished with that game.

And no...I am not trying to say TW3 is better than MEA. As I have said a million times, neither compare to DAO for story and immersion, imo.

I do hope I can dive back into MEA in a few months and really get hooked into the story. I did one full, completionist playthrough and about 1/3 of a 2nd before deciding to stop and try again later.

Fingers crossed! I really, really want to love the game.

Not too much. After my first playthrough I would have given it a 7...mainly because of the overly cumbersome traveling between hubs was frustrating. Now I'd give it an 8.5 because I can play the game more efficiently and I think the game shines in game+ (not having to grind for upgrades and materials is a huge benefit). Combat continues to thrill and challenge as I explore different play styles. I've been fortunate in not having more than a few bug or facial animation issues on PC that some have reported. 250 hours and counting for 70$...I'll take that.