I've played a few hours and I'm loving it so far. I get that it isn't reinventing the wheel but I love the way its open world/ side content is structured. There isn't too much of it and the game organically leads you to things, so it doesn't just feel like you're checking off a list. Side quests are usually in longer quest chains so you can get into those stories, and they all make sense as to why Jin would be taking his time away from the main mission to do. There's no "oh no I lost my kitten", at least so far anyway, all the side quests are written fairly well.
The combat is definitely awesome, I think they nailed it.
The combat is definitely awesome, I think they nailed it.