So it looks like open world games now a days are going for always bigger and bigger open worlds.

Games like Xenoblade X, Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 have massive open worlds.

I personally dont like that.

Big open worlds have several disadvantages:

- feeling empty

- feeling forgetable / not unique

- no bonds between player and world

- long ways

Older games like Gothic got an much smaller open worlds which i liked alot.

Instead of havin like 40 settlements in the witcher 3 which arnt much different to each other and just 2-3 quest per settlement, i would prefer 7-8 settlement, which are highly unique, with unique residents. I want to get 10+ quest per settlement so i will stay there for a long time and get to know the hinterland. I wont need an minimap or questmarkers, i would know my "hood".

It depends.Big worlds can be exciting if there is always something to do and it is not big spaces betwenn quests.And the same can be said for small worlds, since it is easier to make it more enjoyable, due to better design, more content per space and so on.I personally like both, something even liking more linear games than open world games, because they sometimes tell better stories or is more enjoyable overall, becuase they dont have the "feeling empty" problem

Big worlds, small worlds, medium worlds, who cares? More variety = Better. If a world is too big, there are thousands of games with smaller worlds. No need to turn game design into one standardized pile of dogshit. Celebrate diversity, and encourage progress. As resources grow, so too will the depth of larger worlds. Better to have developers familiar with creating large worlds, so they can focus on filling those worlds in the future

Big Worlds if its more than just an empty map. Its about the diversity of the word and the content. If the budget is not there to fill a big world its pointless.

I can't speak for the others but Fallout 4 certainly isn't empty. The amount of content is staggering and there is always somewhere to explore. Since I also run about 20 settlements, I can also say that I'm very attached to the world. It has plenty of touches that make it feel unique, too, like sneaking up on raiders and listening them tell crazy stories to one another (the one about the guy pretending to ride a motorcycle around the wasteland is hilarious) or stumbling on random encounters, like the two guys who look identical and both claim the other one is a synth.

They just aren't for everyone. You have to like to explore and find new situations, you have to like creating your own story in your head as you go. Some people like to go on a ride, to just strap themselves in and let the game take them down a path, and that's fine, but it's not inherently better. It's just different.

tell me 1 aaa open world game with an smaller world released in 2015

Small but focused..

Most open worlds feel empty and are filled with pointless little collectables and quests.

It really doesn't make sense to me, do we encourage homogenization in movies, books, music etc...?  No, of course not.  We allow creators to create, and explore the depths of their minds and imaginations, as it should be in all forms of art and entertainment.

A good game with a big world is better than a good game with a small world so I'll go big world.

Depends on the game. Elder Scrolls should be as big as possible.
Zelda should probably stick to a certain limit.
FIFA should definitely stick to a certain limit!!