I have tomorrow off. I can finally give this lovely game the time it deserves. Haha.
I'd say I have a total of 8-9 hours into it so far, with quite a bit of exploring and looting involved. So, maybe a solid 5 into the story. Based off trophies, you've gotten pretty closer to catching me.
I think the game is fantastic. It's beautiful, the score is incredible and the combat is a lot of fun. But like you touched on, the biggest upgrade is the story. Finally Kratos is not just a screaming cartoon character. The father/son story is coming along nicely and they've definitely touched on a few things I am eagerly waiting to see the conclusion of.
Even though I am early on, and the gaming year is just starting, this has definitely snatched the crown from Far Cry as the top game on my board for 2018. I am looking forward to Detroit, Spider-man and Red Dead 2 taking a crack at it. Another amazing year in games.