No Man's Sky added more content, so if you liked the original base game at all then I guess you can say it got improved.
But for me exploration just for the sake of exploration is of no interest, so short of overhauling the core of the game nothing would really make me like it.
that's the thing, how would you define "good" exploration? having to constantly run somewhere new to unlock more shit and/or items with a bigger number? otherwise wanting to know what's behind the next hill/star system is pretty much exploration for exploration's sake.
not saying it's good or bad, it scratches different itches. it's like comparing a linear game with an open world game. different strokes for different folks and all...
I can't speak to No Man's Sky's quality now so I'll take the general public's word for it that it's good now.
What I do dislike about Internet Historian's take (and he's had other shitty takes like this before) is his excuse-making and the idea that the studio are good guys because they fixed it. Their director committed fraud and should have been put in jail. Not the little fraud that most big studios commit now, the major fraud of selling a product that promised LOTS of specific features that were nowhere to be seen, to the point where it simply was not what they offered. It was willful lying and "I got so excited" or "I wasn't used to the public and I got scared and just said yes to anything" is not an acceptable excuse.
for what? saying "yes" when asked if there's multiplayer? you really want to be blown the fuck out in court for a non-committing answer that isn't even legally binding, not to mention didn't define any timeframes, descriptions or anything else? let me know how that works out, might as well try sony next for their bullshots and killzone 2 trailer...
the reason they're considered the "good guys" is how they fixed their fuckup. fuck-ups aren't the issue and can always happen intentional or not (and if you kept tracked that closely what they "promised" I have to wonder how you can conveniently ignore all the shit that happened, like literally get their studio flooded over fucking christmas), but instead of taking the money and run or dump out a quick sequel as "fix" (you'd have to buy again) they've been updating the game since 2016 for no additional cost. no dlc, no cosmetic microtransactions, no battlepass, nothing.
and lastly, since I seem to have to point that out every time that topic comes up: if you still fell for the hype and pr-shit in 2016 (or even now), after molynoux, after spore, after all the sony shit, after todd's sweet little lies, after watch_dogs.... you're a fucking retard. any closer look would've shown you hello games only other game was joe danger, only had a handful of people and even had to pay for the flight to the VGX themselves. reddit and it's company of retards later running around with their own headcanon claiming IT'S BIGGER THAN STAR CITIZEN BRO was on them, and on you for falling for that shit. anyone else who kept their expectations realistic (because there is a thing like "too good to be true") had no issue with the game, certainly not calling for someone to get sued 7 fucking years later.
all in all I take an indie studio getting fucked over and maybe promising too much by being out of their depth, then more than redeeming themselves, over the usual shit EA, sony and anyone else pulls. because context fucking matters.
