The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt (Microsoft Xbox One, 2015)

CD Projekt's fantasy RPG returns with a massive open world and fierce new protagonists capable of destroying whole settlements in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Gamers once again take control of Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter with supernatural powers, and one of the last remaining witchers in the world. The titular Wild Hunt refers to a mysterious group of deathly riders who are thought to steal people's spirits, incorporate the ill-gotten souls into their undead army, and then lay waste to large swaths of land. Only Geralt can halt their deadly progress.

Players can freely explore vast environments, including bustling cities, dense forests, fetid swamps, open seas, and even underwater locales, with horses, sailboats, and a fast-travel system serving to help gamers cover long distances. The tactical combat system finds Geralt using a variety of melee weapons, magic attacks, and ranged items like his new crossbow, and players can also engage in mounted combat, or use the environment to inflict damage. New witcher senses help gamers gain clues about their surroundings, new climbing mechanics let them clamber over rocky terrain, and they can still concoct potions and craft items to help them on their adventures.

Wild Hunt features realistic weather patterns and day/night cycles, with some of the game's mythical beasts exhibiting wildly different behavior and abilities depending on the time of day. CD Projekt estimates the main storyline to last about 50 hours, with another 50 hours of gameplay coming in the form of leveled side quests. As in the two previous games in the series, Wild Hunt's missions offer a variety of difficult moral dilemmas, and the choices players make early in the game can have a dramatic effect on events much later in the story.