I don't think it's entirely right to compare it to Bethesda RPGs as those are predominantly about wandering around the handcrafted open world and stumbling onto interesting things, be it enemies or side quests or dungeons. CP2077 delivers a weaker experience in that particular regard, that kind of experience wasn't really what they wanted to do. The open world is more kind of there as a backdrop.

However, I also the think the character building is better in CP2077 than a Bethesda game in terms of skills and customization (post 2.0 at least), and most of all the actual mechanics of combat is much more fun. The action combat part plays a bigger role in the overall enjoyment, at least for me.

The game really shines in the stories themselves, the interesting characters and especially the character and facial animations, which are incredibly well done and make dialogue feel really engaging.

This though, is definitely the main thrust of the game, and it is indeed excellent.