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The Witcher 3 - any opinions or insight?

Discussion in 'Gaming Forum' started by Unlucky 13, Jan 18, 2015.

  1. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Lately, I've read a lot about the Witcher 3 and watched the trailer that we put out recently. I really know nothing about the series beyond that, but they say that the world of the game is about 20% bigger than Skyrim, and that your choices in the game really shape how the world of the game develops.

    All of that seems really appealing, but does the game (series?) have a strong horror motif? It seems very dark, and thats not my thing. Do you level up? Is there a skill tree? I know that its called a RPG, but I also know that some people will call games that because of the character development and story moreso than the gameplay.

    I'm interested in another RPG, and I really have nothing on my gaming plate other than MLB The Show until the fall.
     
  2. BlameItOnTheHenne

    BlameItOnTheHenne Taking a poop

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    I'm in the same exact boat. Really wish the previous 2 weren't mainly PC exclusive.
     
  3. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I read that there was a plan in place to bring the second one out on at least the XBOX, but that the company hired to do it went under.
     
  4. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    What, the Witcher 2 is absolutely available outside of PC. It was brought out for 360, and was even free this past month with Games for Gold I believe.
     
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  5. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    There's legitimate stat and skill allocation, at least there was in the second installment. The games can be pretty challenging. There isn't a horror motif but it's a very serious spin on fantasy akin to Game of Thrones' take on fantasy. There's the typical fantasy thoroughfare, but there's also a lean on the politics of the world The Witcher exists in. It's no more horrific than the more grim parts of the LotR movies, but it's a lot more mature. The series doesn't really hold back when it comes to gore, or sex.
     
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  6. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    OK, thanks a lot guys. I was just spitting back out what I had read about the 360. Sony is my domain.

    Is the horror and gore pretty constant, or a smaller component? For example, the Dragon Age games involve some too, but its about 20% of the content tops, and I live with and deal with it. Some games, on the other hand, seem like its just what the series is about.
     
  7. invid

    invid Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    It's definitely NOT the latter. The Witcher series seems to be written by pretty intelligent people. Whereas a game like God of War will celebrate gore (which I love) and sometimes sexuality (which sometimes comes across as juvenile), in The Witcher, the both are just products of the medieval setting in which it takes place.
     
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  8. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    OK, thanks a lot man. I'll keep an eye on it then and watch as more is released about it. I could definately go for another Skyrim type (in scale) of experience, especially if the content truely is shaped by your choices like it claims.
     
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  9. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    http://kotaku.com/i-like-that-the-witcher-3-treats-me-like-an-adult-1682550283

    Really good info at Kotaku. And while the info is all very welcome, my feelings on it continue to be a mixed bag.

    My issues with this is that in any game, but especially an RPG, I like (really need) to be able to do battles "my way". What that way is can vary from game to game, but being forced to do things a certain way by the game drives me insane and really drives down the fun level. The Final Fantasy 13 series drove me absolutely crazy with this.

    I also like to take things really slow and easy, extremely cautiously, and make my way through the world of the game at a level where I can deal with the enemies or avoid them when I need to. It sounds like this may not be possible in the Witcher, and you're likely to randomly get your rear end handed to you on a regular basis no matter how you go about it. Again, for me, it drives the enjoyment level down. I'm not a max challenge/difficulty kind of guy.
     
  10. bran

    bran Senior Member

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    love the witcher 1 and 2(also the novels) so i will definitely be picking this up as well. i really like the non leveling enemies.
     
  11. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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  12. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    well, their trailer got me very excited until I saw it's only Xbox One and PS4. Too bad I'm still using PS3 and Xbox 360
     
  13. bran

    bran Senior Member

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    yeah it sucks that the game won't be on ps3 or xbox 360. im not sure the game would have any kind of acceptable performance on those systems. i dont have a ps4 or a xbox one either so i just saved for a while for a new graphics card for my pc to run it.
     
  14. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    yeah, I guess I could run in on my PC. just not the same as the big TV in my basement next to my kegerator
     
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  15. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I upgraded to the PS4 for Dragon Age: Inquisition, and AC: Unity, and it was well worth it. I fully understand that not everyone can afford it, but if you can I say do it. I waited almost a year before I jumped in due to the lack of games, but more are coming.
     
  16. bran

    bran Senior Member

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    sounds like an awesome setup with the big screen and kegerator. i just have my PC hitched up on my flat screen in the living room.
     
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  17. Ohio Fanatic

    Ohio Fanatic Twuaddle or bust Club Member

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    came close to doing the same this Xmas, but spent such an obscene amount of money on XMas for the family that I couldn't pull the trigger
     
  18. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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  19. daphins

    daphins A-Style

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    Here's the DL on the witcher...



    The first one was a good story, but forgettable playing mechanics. They're based on a set of novels, so the sorry lines are good and the dev's can tell a great story. It's set in a dark medieval setting, with monsters, spells, etc. Think Game of thrones. There's sex, blood, gore, politics, deception. They're really fun. Fighting in the first one was essentially timing mouse clicks. The areas were pretty linear and it was not free-roam.

    The Witcher 2 took it up a huge notch. It was one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. The levels were very linear, not free roam but you made chives that had a huge impact on the ending. Different characters died, areas got skipped, etc. It was super cool, very well told, and totally a challenge. The crappy little enemies can be a chlallenge because they swam you all at once. The bigger enemies are hard because you have to approach them right. Timing is important, you need the right material for weapons. The path to victory isn't always clear, you figure out how to destroy the big monsters by reading books on hunting them, and sifting through folklore.

    They're a blast. I was SUPER stoked when they said the witcher 3 would be free roam. The game are gorgeous, have killer sound tracks, they're hard, meant for adults.

    If they launch it, and it's truly free-roam and not horribly horribly broken like these games usually are, I think it has a shot at GOTY. I enjoyed TW2 more than any RPG since FF7.
     
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  20. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Thanks a lot for the feedback. Its certainly what I was looking for when I started the thread. I think that I have a much better idea of the game than I did when I started the thread, but I'm still on the fence. On one hand, I'd love a really well made RPG and there aren't any other games I'm buying between April and the end of August. On the other, there are a lot of things about the game - fundamental, foundational things - that I find unapealling. So....I guess we'll see, lol.
     
  21. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    http://kotaku.com/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-the-kotaku-review-1703766283

    Really good, and really long, review at Kotaku.

    I remain on the fence, as I don;t want to commit myself to a game I won't enjoy playing, but the article did remove one of my biggest fears - that I would simply be overmatched and overwhelmed by the complex combat. The games to which the combat is compared to are ones I would never play. However, the article states that on normal mode, the game is actually "too easy" eventually, as you get overleveled and can get by with using your simpler attacks. Music to my ears, lol.
     
  22. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    The words "good" and "Kotaku" do not belong together in the same sentence unless the word "not" is between them.
     
  23. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    LOL, do you have other good suggestions for gaming websites that are updated every day with new content, talk about the same kinds of things, and cater to console gamers the same way? I'm always looking for more. I've mostly given up on IGN, game informer, gamespot, and gamefreaks (though I do like the latter's section on deals). I find Kotaku good in that they seem to, in general, talk about things in a level headed way and often cater to people who've been gaming for a long time. I'd say I have an interest in about 20% of their content, which is much higher than other outlets too.
     
  24. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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    Siliconera, N4G, The Escapist, and Giant Bomb all come to mind.
     
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  25. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Cool. I've never heard of them and will check them out.
     
  26. BlameItOnTheHenne

    BlameItOnTheHenne Taking a poop

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    It's currently $6 off on PSN up until launch.
     
  27. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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  28. bran

    bran Senior Member

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    man im hyped for this, loved the first 2 games and the books as well and this looks like it merges the book and games seamlessly.
     
  29. daphins

    daphins A-Style

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    GOTY


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  30. BlameItOnTheHenne

    BlameItOnTheHenne Taking a poop

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    So far, yes.
     
  31. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I bit the bullet and got it. Couldn't pass up Target's offer of free guide. I'll install it tonight and see whats to see.
     
  32. daphins

    daphins A-Style

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    Quick first impressions

    1. Production value is high, world is great looking. Very harsh.

    2. It's a lot easier than the last one. I re-started my game and put it on insane mode (or whatever the highest one is) and it's now in the vein of the previous iteration, probably a little harder. Looking forward to leveling up so I can get a more solid character.

    3. I need more time to play it as I've spent some time bumping around, but nothing too crazy yet. Hopefully this weekend


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  33. MikeHoncho

    MikeHoncho -=| Censored |=-

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    [video=youtube;SfjLRuE1CLw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfjLRuE1CLw[/video]
    Best review I've seen.
     
  34. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    I played for three hours last night, and I'm not sure that I accomplished all that much. After the initial parts where you're led on where to go and what to do, I found it tough to find any NPCs who would say anything, or even any monsters to fight. Wandered around and completed parts of a few quests though.

    Graphics are great, as are voice actors so far. Interface reminds me of Skyrim in some ways. I found the control of the character to be clumsy though. At least so far, not on par with other similar games. The menus are a little non-user friendly too, and the text is so small that I literally had to get up off of the couch and move closer to the TV to read it a few times (on my 60" TV).

    Like it so far though.
     
  35. Desides

    Desides Well-Known Member

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  36. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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  37. daphins

    daphins A-Style

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    Lol you're not. I had the same issue. Think I saw an option for bigger menus? I'll dig.

    Also controls are a bit too snappy for my taste on PS4. Had to turn down the sensitivity.


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  38. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    Can't wait to beat 2 and get to this.
     
  39. Unlucky 13

    Unlucky 13 Team Raheem Club Member

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    Yeah, the controls don't feel as responsive to me as they do in games like Dragon Age: Inquisition or Skyrim (to compare similar titles). His movements are very abrupt and stiff. I've gotten more used to it though, and it's not hindering me in battle.

    For me though, battle is a definate challenge. In spite of what others are saying around the web, playing on default, I'm getting my rear handed to me. Went after a level 2 boss after I'd leveled to 3, followed all of the suggested actions beforehand, got the best equipment that I can come across at this point, and it still took me three tries to defeat it, and even then I had a sliver of health left. I suppose I likely need to get better at dodging, which is NOT typically my thing.

    I did figure out the basics of crafting and alchemy last night though, so I'm learning.
     
  40. daphins

    daphins A-Style

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    Finally getting time to dig into this game. I'm really enjoying it though it has its quirks.

    The controls are more stuff and less fluid than say skyrim. It's not a deal breaker for me, but it does ini show the limitations of making such a vast game with a small studio. That and the visual bugs, but honestly that's to be expected. All open world games struggle out of the chute with this stuff outside of GTA V, but I haven't encountered anything world breaking. Some goofy Popups, a few clipped mg issues, the reflection channel on the water went black for awhile...that was interesting. The game looks good, downright beautiful in some areas, and shows an incredible amount of detail in stuff like the interiors of abandoned huts, painted flowers in inn's etc.

    Full disclosure, I'm playing on the hardest difficulty , and I spent the first 4 hours getting my **** kicked by low-level enemies...and still do. Meditating doesn't heal me, so I also spend a lot of time finding consumables (beehives anyone?) to get enough food to support poor fighting habits.

    That's the Witcher though. I've recently turned the corner where I can fight small groups of comparable level characters and come out ok, and it's very rewarding when you do. Drowners are low-level jobbers in any other game. Put them in the Witcher though and 3 of them will tear you apart if you don't watch out. A crappy little drowned can take 20% of your life if they hit you in the back. 3 of them running around you is hard to manage, and they don't take turns attacking like in Texas Walker :) it's all about timing so you don't get hit, and being in position to strike and get out. It's different than skyrim in that way. Equipment is less of a deciding factor here.

    You'll find that the contracts you take out are moreso like this. Pre-prep and research will likely become a big part as you advance. In TW2 I'd almost always lose to a contract monster the first time because I didn't know its capabilities, or how to hurt it. Pre-prep with the right oils, mutagens, etc. make this game unique.

    It's a blast though and so much more rewarding to me. I recently happened upon a "place of power) guarded by a huge level 6 bear (I was level 2 at the time). Took me about 10 minutes of dodging and striking to drop him. Felt good :)


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