God damn this game is amazing.
Lost track of how many hours I have played it. (In game timer says 6 days for whatever reason) but I hope to spend many many many more in this amazingly crafted world.
Not since Ocarina of Time or Morrowind have I been this immersed in a world. The environments, the weather, NPC routines, characters, lore, etc etc are just so spot on its incredible.
It doesn't feel like CDPR created a world, it feels like they went to a world and captured it in digital form.
Tiny details in armor, or the way the docks of novigrad feel "wet" and it is as if you can smell the air. The way every quest seems like it is a part of the world youre in, not just a tick box. The way decisions, much like day to day decisions in life, have uncertain and often unexpected outcomes. The fantastic writing and well developed characters that inhabit the world. The small towns and farms on the outskirts of larger cities. Ways in which the war has left its mark on the countryside, from abandoned battlefields, scarred inhabitants, corpses littering the land, or just the uneasy tension of common folk.
I could go on for hours about all the tiny details that make this one of the best games I have ever played, but truth be told I would rather go back to playing.
I will also say that I have had my definitive "This is Next Gen" moment of this generation. In terms of not just fidelity, but an immersion that just was not possible before.
I thought it was going to happen first in FO4 or TESVI, and I have posted many times about it being my dream for next/current gen. But Wild Hunt has beat them all to the punch.
I was in an Inn in Novigrad, enjoying the sights and sounds, watching fights, playing gwent, drinking beer and exploring unlocked doors, when I heard the sound of thunder rolling outside, and raindrops hitting heavily.
I walked to a window, and this is what I saw. (Off screen video from my phone mind you)
My dream came true. This is what its all about.
Anyway, I'll stop gushing. Back to Novigrad I go.