The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) (PC) (CD Projekt RED)
0The Witcher series hasn't really clicked with me in the past; I've always respected CD Projekt's vision and ambition but the stiff characterizations, tedious quest design and clunky mechanics meant that Geralt never felt like the Great White Hope of Western RPGs to me. In particular, Witcher 2 went in the completely wrong direction by increasing the action game elements while simultaneously scaling down the world to an almost claustrophobic extent (the wonderful visuals notwithstanding, TW2's environments always felt like a bunch of pretty corridors strung together rather than a cohesive fantasy landscape).
That being said, the third installment is clearly a beast of its own. It's been obvious from early on in the game's development that CD Projekt now aspires to move far beyond the "quirky European RPG" niche and even have a stab at dethroning its major US-based competitors like Bethesda and Bioware. It remains to be seen whether TW3 can truly out-Skyrim Skyrim, but because of the gorgeous and incredibly detailed world combined with a staggering amount of "real" quests (i.e. not just collectibles and mindless busywork), Geralt's final adventure certainly makes a stronger first impression than most games I've played in years.