>>718718348
They were probably banking on the open world being a bigger draw than it actually turned out to be.

>>713017083
Stars used to be the end of the level. The end goal that sent you back to start over with the next target There was structure to the level design, even if it also granted you a lot of freedom to choose your objective. Nowadays, you just stay in the same area until you've squeezed it dry. I don't think this does much for the game's longevity in the long run....