I've heard from multiple people that the game feels like an MMO and that the story picks up
roughly 5-10 hours into the game.
I disagree on that aspect quite a bit.
Yes the main story takes a long time to get to the juicy bits but that's not bad. As much as I love the Witcher games they love to shove a LOT of the main story early on then slow down mid point. DA: I starts slow and keeps building up and you spend a lot of time early on being told about the world, characters and so on.
It also works to sell the Inquisitor as a legitimate leader instead of an imbecile randomly picked by the plot to lead. Yes you are given a mark, but that doesn't mean shit since people won't listen to you just because of that. You have to gain influence and power to make them even sit at the table with you, because why should they give a toss about a no-name idiot?
Early in the game I saved an influential cleric who helped me speak with the Chantry, then I turned a refugee camp she was running into an Inquisition camp, taking care of the refugees, building supply routes, watch towers, assigning soldiers on various tasks. Then I cleared a road to a horse breeder in order to gain steeds for the Inquisition. Slowly you work to gain followers, supplies, territory and power. You work to build connections and you protect trade routes.
Beyond that you also have to assign your mediate disputes between your advisers. Sure Cassandra by all rights should be in charge, but she defers to you because you are a figurehead people want to due your mark.
It's a Rise to Power, a believable one beyond the shit with the Mark, but you're not there to save the world. You're there to take control of a part of it.
On a final point, outside of the game taking the piss on my decisions and everything it's building for me right now I think I'll like this more then Witcher 3.
Oh sure Witcher 3 will have better writing, better dialogues and better graphics. Combat will just be down to preference not quality since CDPR combat is merely a cheap knockoff from Dark Souls and Batman.
Here's the thing though, I like a game that involves me deeply in the politics, that puts in a position where I can become a powerful political leader if I so desire, and gives the ability to choose how I want to approach things. I got asked several times if I wanted this chance, and my reply has been that yes I do like to lead, I enjoy it greatly and I enjoy having the various choices I get on a political level as I take a small organization and make it one of the dominant powers on the continent.
As much I like Geralt for his wit and intelligence, I am tired of his moaning about involving himself in politics, only doing so with the game constantly shouting that he hates politics. I also couldn't give two shits about Yennefer or Ciri or Dandelion and the story of TW3 where the main focus is going to be saving Ciri is something I couldn't care less about.