Get your games from trusted sources, make sure the hash lines up, and don’t worry about it. Especially since you’re on Linux–you’ll be absolutely fine. Common sense goes a long way.

I agree 100%

Oh for sure, a lot of that too. But I’ve also noticed an overall essence of boredom and disappointment especially when compared to initial expectation, so it wouldn’t do to dismiss most criticism in this way. Bethesda really fed into the “big immersive universe 25 years in the making” thing and even, for example, emphasized the player’s ship in marketing, even though you hardly really fly the ship at all in-game. NPCs feel flat and buggy, most planets are largely empty, and most quests are just… Fetch quests.

I feel like, as with most Bethesda titles, mods are going to breathe new life into this one eventually.

Sunk cost. Some people got so hyped up for it, they felt like they had to like it. Turns out that’s not how it works and it’s just… Not a great game.