Bioware might be a sinking Ship of Theseus, but Larian definitely picked up the slack on this. I don't know why anybody would even need to see store review scores, at this point. This game is one of the most popular and heavily laden with awards in a decade, at least. More than worth the purchase.
The game always had an excellent story, but since 2.0 onwards the world has felt really alive. Its not even the big additions, its the little ones. The extra lines of dialogue to tie Phantom Liberty into other missions, being able to call your date to your apartment and hang out. Listening to the radio station made up of community sourced songs. It went from a good story driving the world to a good story existing in a world that drives itself. Since 2.0 I've probably played at least 8 hours a week, just driving, exploring, listening to music and occassionaly pulling over to flatline some gonks. Best way to wind down after those RL gigs.
If you believe, like I do, that gaming is an under appreciated tool in the area of art and storytelling, not because nobody uses it for such but because it is an industry of literally infinite potential in that area, then this is a game you will appreciate. The graphics are crap. The gameplay is basically just moving around to interact with different objects so that the story can progress. There is no a-list voice acting. There is even the occasional spelling mistake in the dialogue. Not one of those details changes the fact that this is one of the best games I've ever seen in my life. The story and the soundtrack are so powerfully moving that they blow away any other concern you could have about the quality. The story will sink it's hooks right into the core of you and drag you along on an emotional journey, kicking and screaming sometimes, to the bitter-sweet end. If you think gaming is more than just distraction and pretty colours. If you can appreciate a game as art, this is for you. Play it. Then, like me, probably try to force as many other people to play it as possible, because it's a great way to figure out which of your friends are replicants.
