So I'm currently 35 hours into the game on my PS4, not finished yet. I have already given my feelings on this game before but I'm very much engaged by.
The main story is pretty poor after the first act and the game has new bugs I didn't even think could exist (such as the camera staying in 1st person when driving even through I set it to 3rd).
But what the game does very well is the side quests, I actually give a shit about the side characters in this game. It has moments where the game shuts up and just lets you relax for a while.
It passes my barrier of base level core design in an Open World game and that is 'does every hour feel different but connected?' and the answer is yes.
One minute I'm making sure AI cars get back to base, next minute I'm sneaking into a heavily guarded area. It's a lot of fun and the range is actually vast.
The lighting looks nice, but I will admit, the game is very overproduced.
I'd rather have the game looking a bit more shit but playing smoother over what we got.
Could this game have done with another years worth of development? Absolutely, give it another 3 years. It's clearly unfinished, even through all the features are there.
Now, this game has got a lot of baggage with it, with the abuses that CDR did to their employers and the fact this was overhyped as hell, to the point where it was never going to live up to expectations.
So first of all, CDR needs new management. There is clearly talent within the developers, but I feel the People at the top are squandering that talent. Too much was added in game, and as we've got reports, the game practically started development 3 years ago. There's no getting away from it, CDR have squandered the early promise of Witcher 3 and any good will given to them by that game.
There isn't going to be a redemption arc here, what CDR need to do is create a tight budget for the game, create better working environments and conditions and pay their employees the right sum of money. Doing this won't redeem them, but it will garner a lot of better faith.
At the moment, they are European Bethesda, they just happen to make better games.
Considering I was more looking forward to this game rather than being extremely hyped, I can safely say, I wasn't disappointed. It's a fun game and it's probably one of the better western RPGs I've played since New Vegas.
The game seems to be a good length, I'll probably be around 40-50 hours in upon completion, which is honestly a good amount for me.
I'll replay it again at some point, maybe make a female V and create a different build, try out different styles of play.