Jump to content
Please support this forum by joining the SH Patreon ×
Sturgeon's House

The Witcher: Wild Hunt


Recommended Posts

So far so impressed. It's visually stunning. The writing is good. People's faces move like they should. They spent a lot of time cutting out shit you don't want to be doing. Combat is cleaned up from the last game, and challenging on Death March (the highest difficulty).

Is it the best RPG ever made? Well, that's not a high bar to clear, but regardless it remains to be seen. I'm liking what I've seen so far, though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't really give this series a fair a chance. Witcher 1 and 2 just seemed like those types of PC RPGs that are clunky just for the sake of being clunky, but I want to give them another shot.

 

Witcher 1 is legitimately clunky. Witcher 2 is one of the best RPGs of the past ten years. Witcher 3 has me currently addicted, so a final assessment is not possible.

It is not necessary to play TW1 before TW2, nor is it necessary to play TW1 or TW2 before TW3. My advice would be to play TW2 and then TW3.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

There's an argument multiple ways on that. One is that Kepler wasn't a very long-lived architecture, especially after the consoles wound up with GCN parts with better compute performance, so its performance is falling off hard, and AMD's win is pushing performance hard in a place Kepler is weak. Another is that NV's leaving driver support to die now that they've released Maxwell parts. Another bit points out that it's the worst in titles with Gameworks features. In that case it's a debate between saying NV is either apathetic about how things perform on GCN and Kepler, another says that they're deliberately trying to tank GCN performance and Kepler's even worse off with what they hit GCN with.

 

All I know is I'm going to be unloading my GTX 970 by the time Pascal hits. I don't trust that thing to last.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have played 37 hours of The Witcher: Wild Hunt. I am having difficulty saying anything about it that doesn't sound overly dramatic, or unconvincingly positive. I could talk at length about its faults, but I wouldn't want people to miss how extraordinary it has been for me playing this game.

It nearly stands alone among modern games in how thoroughly I am conveyed the feeling of "give a shit" that the developers felt while making it. They care deeply about the story, and they wanted to get everything right, and as a player I feel that. I am not enough of a video game aficionado to know if The Witcher: Wild Hunt is the first game that I would feel really earns the medium its place alongside the others as a real art form, but it's the first one I've played that did.

 

It had a life breathed into it by its developers that I've noticed has been absent from other games, at least without the aid of heavy modding. I noticed things like the animations, the way flora and fauna are perfectly placed to reflect real environs and flesh out the world, and how carefully everything was chosen, from the quests to the score. A lot of love went into this game.

Properly comparing it to masterworks in other medium, like those Tolkien or Kubrick, I think TW:WH is entertaining and fun, with an engaging and sometimes surprising plot, but it's not a literary masterpiece. Compared to its competitors in the genre, though?

Bring it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Social justice warrior tries to play Geralt as social justice warrior, whines that game includes funny jokes and unintended consequences, and he still has no friends.

Also spoilers in that article, even if you've completed the game but not all the quests.

 

Here's what the author has to say about himself and the website, in case you (understandably) mistake it for satire:

 

The Leveller is a new media project founded in early 2015, to provide a platform for the voices of underrepresented writers who care about social justice and media diversity, and to offer political narratives built by ordinary people.

The Leveller defines itself against obeisance to the narratives of state and capital, and joins a new generation of internet-only outlets whose journalism is combative and whose biases are worn on their sleeves.  We intend to be a fist that punches only upwards.  Anyone can write for us. While we insist on well-written and properly fact checked articles, one of our core principles is that your voice matters. Our submission guidelines set out a high standard that still gives an unknown writer the chance to get their work out there.

The name of the site is a reference to the historical Levellers, a radical political movement that operated around the time of the English Civil War who agitated for full suffrage, economic redistribution, a free press, freedom of worship and freedom from tyranny. Many of their members were imprisoned and killed for their activism. Despite their betrayal at the hands of Oliver Cromwell, their legacy survived as many of the political rights we now take for granted.

During the founding of the United States of America, the Levellers were cited  by Founding Fathers as the democratic extreme which should be averted. James Madison famously asked: “symptoms of a Levelling spirit, as we have understood, have sufficiently appeared in a certain quarters to give notice of the future danger. How is this danger to be guarded against on republican principles?”

Basing our work in both the UK and USA, it seems appropriate to name ourselves after a movement of radicals whose name was dirt to the treacherous elites they called out in either country. The Levellers were used by parliamentarians to defeat the royalists, and then stabbed in the back; so too were the radicals in early American history, whose work was co-opted and whose ideals were corrupted by wealthy slave owners and bankers who had no love for real democracy but created a Republic designed to restrict it. We wish to honour the memory and the future of all Levellers, by calling those same elites to account and asking rude questions about their democratic credentials.

There is always an alternative.

 

 

TL;DR: "We're a bunch of twats."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I've been playing the expansion. Released on time, with fun characters, a new quest arc, and some new elements vs. the old game. You're introduced to four major characters pretty much right off the bat, and they're all really interesting. Also, holy crap, references. I feel like there have been more references in the expansion than in the entire base game.

BTW, one of those four characters is a self-described "cavalier" who is a chauvinistic pig who values nothing more than wenching and fighting. The other characters find him sort of brutally charming to the point of being annoying, and his entire arc is played for laughs.

So much for the game being sexist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some user reviews of TW3 on Metacritic:
 

As of 2015, this is the best story and/or open world rpg ever made. In regards to the story, which is the most important part of any story driven rpg, I should note that the significant accomplishment here isn't the amazing main quest storyline (which is amazing) but rather the quality of the side quests. Until now -every single- open world game (I'm looking at you TES, DAI) suffers from boring, unscripted, often dialog-less side quests ranging from "go kill this" to "go fetch that". In Witcher3 practically every single side quest I have encountered, and make no mistake there are a LOT of them, has not only had scripted dialog but often has fully fleshed out stories filled with plot twists and interesting characters. This is contrasted with the latest Dragon Age game in which pretty much every side quest was a piece of paper you read off the ground that directs you to go loot a chest or kill something, without even a word of dialog. How the devs managed such detail is beyond me, it's an absolutely outstanding accomplishment. 

The graphics were "downgraded" for consoles a little bit, sure, but the game still is the best looking rpg I have ever played, and I found the framerate to be optimized very well, which is something people often overlook. I can run everything on Ultra (except Hairworks) with my old 7970 and maintain >50 fps. I just don't get the 100 negative reviews on here. No other open world game even comes CLOSE to Witcher 3. Looking through those reviews these morons are giving the game 1/10 because they don't like the controls (which are fine), or they claim the graphics are not "great", even though no other open world game comes close in this regard. Ignore them, this game should be rated 100/100.

 

I am normally very reserved in assigning a 10/10 rating to anything. While The Witcher 3 is not perfect, it is one of the finest games I've ever played in 30 years of playing video games. The scope and size of the game is enormous, feels like 2x the size of Skyrim. At about 35 hours in, I've only explored about 50% of the map. This game takes all that was good about Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Skyrim, and of course, previous Witcher titles and wraps them in one cohesive package. Graphics, atmosphere, sound is second to none, the attention to detail is amazing. And the game runs well and is stable: I struggle to remember coming across any bugs. 

I would like to give a shout out to the writers and translators. I don't think I've vocally chuckled or thought that's impressive forshadowing, symbolism, clever writing ect so many times in a game. 

I'd also like to thank the animators for making human and animal movement soooo very good. For the first time in any game I can remember, character's faces actually express emotion correctly and consistantly!

 

First RPG for which I broke off the night since Arcanum (and later I did it only for EU IV). The best RPG I played since Plancape Torment, first since it which makes me to drop a tear from time to time, to make me thought about it before falling asleep. It's has a lot of problems, there are things that may be done better, just like in Planscape, but there are things of really low importance. What it's really important, the story, climate, immersion, filing and just pure pleasure, fact that you fill that you make a difference, choices which really matters and you take a while when balancing options, this all important things that made RPG a RPG, not a action game with rpg elements like Skyrim, this all important stuff is on Superior level to anything that I seen in last 13 years! (i know that Planscape premier was earlier, but I played it first time 13 years ago).

 

It's Thursday, May 21st. The Witcher 3 launched on the 18th. The developers have released two patches to address issues and community concerns already. I have 28 hours of playtime under my belt and I can honestly say this is the most fun I have had in a video game in over a decade. A single player video game, even longer. The Witcher 3 is a 10/10, CD Projekt Red has hit a home run with this one guys. 

The main difference between this game and other RPGs is the quests are all wonderful. Every side-quest is well thought out and fun to complete. There is absolutely none of that "kill 10 x and loot 8 y" nonsense that plagues modern RPGs like a pox. Everything I have experienced in this game has been consistently enriching and enjoyable. The Witcher 3 even comes loaded with a full-blown TCG that is associated with quests lines of its own that span the entire continent. I have enjoyed traveling from village to village to challenge innkeepers and win their special cards as much as I have enjoyed hunting monsters during witcher contracts. 

It has been a long time since I felt the need to eagerly listen to and dissect every piece of dialogue in a video game. The voice acting is top notch, leading to wonderful, compelling character encounters. In terms of side-quests there is so much to do, so many monsters to hunt, so many problems to solve, and so many Gwent cards to win that most players will find themselves completely overwhelmed in the best possible way. 

The combat is a stellar improvement over The Witcher 2, adapting to the type of monster you're encountering is probably the most exciting part for me. Bringing down a wyvern with a crossbow just feels wonderful, binding a wraith to the physical plain to do maximum damage really immerses you in the game. Preparing for a tough monster during a contract quest feels great, going in knowing you're prepared for the situation is as rewarding as collecting the sweet sweet loot after. 

It has been a long long time since a game convinced me it is occurring in its own world, but the Witcher 3 does it. The last time I felt this way was Ultima Online, circa 1997. Like I said at the beginning of my review, The Witcher 3 is a 10/10.

 

How does one put a game like Witcher 3 under a review? I have been a gamer for nearly 30 years, and every now and then a game company comes along and breaks with the trends of the day and delivers something innovative, something fresh, and something special. Witcher 3 is that type of trend breaking game. CDPR set out to break a few ideals with the whole monetized gaming trend and I for one am very thankful they did just that with their game. But Witcher 3 houses something different, that at first I was frustrated with, but as my time within the game grew, I started to realize exactly what I was experiencing. 
There are two schools of thought on providing players with a sense of choice and freedom within a game story system. Mass Effect, where the player is not aware of the choices long term impacts, yet has the freedom to return and correct their choices, or the Walking Dead style of choice where the player is granted knowledge of the choices they are about to make and thus can make a choice with some level of long term awareness. In both cases the sense of accountability and ownership of the choice is lost with the player, and thus, the choice losses its sense of purpose, or meaning, which hurts the story and the players experience within the game. 
Witcher 3 just changed player choice entirely. Here I became immediately annoyed at the sheer amount of choices from big to small, I was constantly having to make choices as to quests, side quests, main stories, exploration, how to handle a random encounter with bandits, and I was forced to give up trying to even track or pay attention to them all. It just becomes impossible, but in this annoyance I found peace, and a whole new immersive experience. Rather than trying to track my choices so I could attempt to know how my choices would work out later, I just gave up, and let the game work its magic on me. Now I was making choices out of my own feelings, emotions, and mood. If I hated a character I was dealing with, I might react too quickly or aggressively, or if I liked the character I might grant them their life, or let them keep their gold. 
But I was not prepared for the first full realization of my choices until much later when faced with a harsh situation, and my choices ended up costing someone their life. I will not spoil that moment for anyone, but trust me when Gerald ended up flashing back to important moments in my past choices, I realized just how responsible I was for that death. Now the magic here is I wanted to save this person but I could not even if I wanted to, see although I had made important choices are important moments, it really was the smaller choices in between those important moments that shaped the long term out come. I would have had to literally start my game over to have any hope of ensuring different choices for a possible different outcome. The choices are so numerous it caused me to feel ownership and be accountable for my choices, much in the same way we do in real life. 
That moment in Witcher 3 made me realize that CDPR have changed the industry and set a new high standard for player choice in games. Choices that should make the player aware of potential long term impacts were clear just as they would be in real life. The difference is that you had no idea how they would later impact the other multiple story lines within the game. Each having multiple further impacts, all building or taking away from long term changes. It was impossible to track, or understand how a moment earlier could potentially impact something long term later, and this was special. 
As a player I was now fully aware that how I reacted to even the smallest of situations had purpose, had depth, and was important to the world I was playing within Witcher 3. People felt alive, and reacted as such. For the first time in a video game I felt ownership for my choices, and I felt grief and sadness for what I had caused, even though I didn't know it until it was to late. For this reason, I have found myself excited about CDPR and Witcher 3. 
The game is beautiful on so many levels outside of just graphics, and honestly graphics should not be the purpose behind why a game succeeds or fails. Game play, story, immersion, and entertainment are all the right reasons to support a game. The ability for the story to be told on multiple levels, and through the use of player interaction with a world that is alive and fully aware of the player in that world, matters. You will find yourself wanting to know more about the smallest of side quests, and each one has its own story that you will care to learn and explore. Witcher 3 is a special game, many are not even aware of that fact yet, but they will soon enough.

 

Witcher 3.... the bar has now been set. This is what passionate enthusiasts can create when left alone and given enough time and resources. The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece and it is going to be a very tough act to follow, I believe it will be a very long time before we see a game like this again. 

This is a truly deep and mature RPG, brutally hard on the two highest difficulty settings and requiring much, much more from the player than simple button mashing. This is a deep, complex, intelligent and mature RPG for a mature audience. The story goes to great lengths to avoid clichés, and even pokes fun at them at times. For someone like myself, who has more than 15 years of RPG experience, it is a real treat to be able to take part in this world. 

I don't give out perfect 10/10 easily but here is a game that truly deserves it, CD Projekt RED has gone above and beyond to realize their vision. There are few niggles here and there, small things that could be improved perhaps. But knowing CD Projekt RED they will continue to polish this masterpiece a few more times before they finally call it done. 

If you like RPG's buying the Witcher 3 is a no brainer, it is a game you simply have to play. And when you do be sure to savour it and take your time. This is one of the finest RPG's of our generation

 

First of all, yes, this game doesn't look as good as the 2013 trailer. I didn't think it was possible with current hardware. This sparked a "Downgrade" controversy that has 13 year olds claiming this game looks like a cartoony console port. 
Let me get this out of the way. Despite the "downgraded" visuals, this is the most visually stunning open world game I have seen so far. I am constantly stopping my horse and telling myself "Geez, this looks amazing!". 

What's really incredible is how well it looks and performs with modest hardware. My i5 3570k+R9 280 handles the game just fine at 1080p with every thing set to Ultra except for shadows and foliage distance (set to High). Had this game been developed by Ubisoft, you would've needed a Quad SLI/Crossfire set up to run it at 720P with only half the draw distance. 

There has also been claims of the game crashing. I started playing with patch 1.03 and have not had a single technical issue the 18hrs I've played so far. Can you say the same about any other AAA title out there? CDProjectRed needs to be commended for delivering such a solid title, specially when you consider the scope of the game. 

Gameplay-wise, this is truly an evolution of previous Witcher games. The stories and environments are familiar but in a much grander scale. Complex political machinations are delivered in a simple enough way that even a simpleton like myself can understand, yet do not sacrifice any of the entertainment value. 
The combat is much better than previous titles. Don't expect tight controls like Dark Souls, but it is fun and satisfying enough to stop it like feeling like a chore. 

I could go on forever talking about this game and how good it is. I really could! But let me just say it has been years since I bought a game that has made me stop my life just so I could play. The Witcher 3 has exceeded my expectations in every way.

 

I've played every single game on Metacritic's top RPG list, except for Planescape: Torment and Lord of the Rings Online. The Witcher 3 ranks amongst the top. It's the new generation's Baldur's Gate 2. Yes, it's that good. It's that immersive. I've found myself thinking about the world *after* I had stopped playing. If you've ever enjoyed the RPG franchise, or if you enjoy Game of Thrones, or if you just enjoy fantasy in general, you must play The Witcher 3 to not miss out. It would be a tragedy to let this game slip past. Don't let The Witcher 2 scare you away, the game is much different.

 

And for some members of our forum:
 

Simply put: the greatest open world RPG ever made. I don't ever recall a game where I was trying to avoid to the main story, just so I can soak in the lore, the quests, the Witcher's Path and the amazing Slavic story-telling. To me, the greatest achievement of this game is staying true to the original novels - forgive me, Poland, but CDred's games are canon.

 

 

If you're wondering why so many people are waxing poetic about TW3 and CDProjektRED, that's why. Man, TW3 is the kind of game I want to see more of, and I hope everyone gives CDPR all of their money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

As mentioned, my only experience with The Witcher: Wild Hunt video games is that Conan O'Brian/Marshawn Lynch/Gronk parody.

 

Until I learned that Vin Diesel is playing Vin Diesel in a movie called The Last Witch Hunter which has him sporting facial hair and a flaming sword thing.

 

Since this movie has many of the same words in common, I am just going to assume that it is based on the game and hope for the expansion.

 

 

An expansion that involves the redhead Rose Leslie, if ya know what I mean.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...