(2) Generally, open world only REALLY works if the game focuses on world-building over telling a coherent story. I've been bitten by that NOT working before, so I don't consider such statements as a positive prospects.
This seems to be a general issue of open-world games. Take Dragon Age: Inquisition. Great game, fun mechanics, but you need to exert actual self-control in order not to spoil it by actually doing side-quests, when they don't make sense story wise.
