This is easily the BEST game this gen. I have never played Elder Scrolls until now and I am blown away. Whether it's exploring, crafting, completing quests, this game will keep you busy for months. I can't put the controller down. I'm 7 hours in and have only completed 1 quest...the rest of the time I'm exploring the vast world hunting animals and making equipment. Bethesda proves once again they are the kings of RPG games.
But of course with a game this large it comes with minor glitches. So far I've seen a few NPC's "ghost walking" (legs not moving but NPC goes into place) and a few game lockups. Bethesda will fix these in time.
The good outweighs the bad. You're doing yourself a diservice not picking this up. Game of the Year 2011 for sure.