I bought this game a week ago and already have 86 hours invested into it, with more coming. I've really, REALLY enjoyed the game setting, mechanics, and (loose) story. BUT... This game crashes all the time. I've never had a game crash this much or this often... and I play Bethesda games religiously! It's 2021, 6 years after release, and no repair, update, settings change, or internet trick is able to prevent it. Sometimes I can string together a few hours of gameplay without a crash, other times it crashes minutes after starting the game. It's a guarantee each time I boot up that the session will end with a crash... the only question is how long I get before it happens. It's not hyperbole... I've never had a game crash this much! That's the ONLY reason I can't give it a better review. The game combines space exploration/space combat with survival mechanics, (repairing/refueling equipment, building new gear, buying new ships) in a very addictive loop. You start with nothing, but through diligence, work, and patience, you slowly build up strength, gear, ships, and possibly even a fleet of ships to do your bidding! There is a lot to see and do, and HUUUUUGGGEEE universe to explore! I've never seen a sandbox this grand before! It's procedurally generated, but that's not a bad thing... there's just enough familiarity system to system to understand how everything works, but enough surprises through RNG to keep it interesting. There's also some light multiplayer elements that make the game feel just a touch like an MMO. Overall, I really, really enjoy this game! Standing on lush moon where the grass is blue, looking up into a sky with two planets, one with rings, giving you an unimaginable sunset was totally worth the price of admission! But if you hate game crashes, your mileage may vary. They are very frequent and beyond annoying! If you enjoy the genre, I'd pick this game up anyway... just be warned. You might luck out, but maybe not. Good luck!
