It's hard to believe I just said that, but there it is. Skyrim was inarguably one of the very best games of last generation, and I think Fallout 4 has topped it handily. That said, if you didn't like Skyrim or Fallout 3, you probably won't like this either. Also you are a terrible person. So yes, this game is amazing and as far as I'm concerned has lived up to the hype. But here's the thing: it didn't immediately suck me into its world the way Skyrim did. For me it wasn't until around 20 hours in that I started wanting to live in this world, but that's probably my own fault because that's when I really started working on the main questline. Up until that point I was basically doing relatively mundane side missions, building up my base, and tweaking my weapons. "This is pretty fun," I was thinking, "but where is that Bethesda magic?" Well yeah, me, it's down the main path. Duh. Bethesda magic in spades. Or some other card suit even better than spades. Not only is there a mindf*** post-apocalyptic cyberpunk neo-noir story that unfolds, but as you pick up missions from the various NPC's in the settlements you pass through, their stories and motivations tie into the plot in deep and convincing ways that make this virtual world spring believably to life. And I know at level 19 I'm still only scratching the surface. I played for 12 hours yesterday, and couldn't wait to wake up and do it again today.