Witcher 3

[[Syl]]

It has its flaws, but this has to be my favorite RPG of all time. The writing and voice acting alone make it more engaging than a lot of TV out there, and I think we're in a golden age of TV right now. Yes, sometimes I skip the dialogue (if I'm in a hurry and it's long enough that I can read the caption), but I always feel guilty about it. And there's an insane amount of dialogue. I'd say the only weak points of it are characters from the previous games, and even they're not horrible.

The maps are huge. I'm talking WOW huge, like it'd probably take a good half hour riding Roach from one end to the other. It'd take about that long just to walk through Novigrad, which is probably the most impressive city in a game that I've ever seen. And it's not just that it's big, but that it breathes. It has character. Sure, it's kind of an ugly character, but that's also part of its charm. In fact, it's probably because everything's so vast that you eventually just lose sight of the detail. All the (largely) unimportant conversations that you hear as you walk by, all the worthless junk you can loot inside practically any building, just fades away into something that feels almost real. I've never been more impressed by my ability to take things for granted. And then you pilot your boat toward some really cool mountain or lighthouse and just say, 'Damn.'

[Avatar]

I'll definitely be getting it, just not in any kind of rush.

--A

[Hashi Lebwohl]

Mrs. Lebwohl really wants this game but we need to upgrade the computer first so she will have to wait a while. She and I will have to time-share it, as well, since my Fallout 4 hits in November.

[Brinn]

Looking forward to playing this. I have it for the PS4 and started it but then put it aside to play Pillars of Eternity on the PC. I'll definitely be getting back to Witcher 3 as soon as I finish Pillars. I'd also like to finish Dragon Age Inquisition sometime but I got 85% of the way through the game doing nearly every quest (I'm a bit of a completionist) but the game crashed and the save was corrupted. I thought that Dragon Age Inquisition was excellent and I'd love to finish the game but going through the whole thing again just seems to be too much for me at this point.

[Avatar]

Multiple saves Brinn, cycle through like 3-5 multiple saves.

--A

[lucimay]

Ger (my ex) was telling me about it, he's played witcher 2 i think.
he says i should get witcher 3 but i'm hesitant to start playing
another game. heh.

[hierachy]

I haven't even finished skyrim yet

[Rigel]

As far as story goes, I still like Alvin's whole arc in the first Witcher game best. In fact, even TW2 had an ultimately more satisfying story than TW3.

Where they killed it, however, is in execution. Individual segments of the story are amazing (The bloody baron, the crone ending, and the Kaer Morhen Drinking Game are some of my favorite moments in gaming... ever).

I was actually a little disappointed in the potions being dumbed down as much as they were. In previous games, preparation for a battle takes almost as long as the battle itself... Now, the potions work instantly, and they're much easier to restock. It took some of the strategy out of the game. On the other hand, it's nice to see signs other than Igni or Aard being useful for once (in the first two, I&A are the only two signs you ever need).

On my third play-through now, and going for completion... That's not something I can say about any video game since the original Legend of Zelda!

[Avatar]

I didn't even bother with signs at all in W2.

--A

[Rabs]

Epic. That's all I have to say.

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I'll get to it in a year or two.

--A

[Avatar]

Guess I got it faster than that.

Enjoying it, and it's running well enough on my 5 year old machine (on sorta medium settings) that I don't feel driven to upgrade yet. (Although I will soon, hopefully with y tax rebate. )

Levelling up is pretty slow though. Played all weekend and I'm only on Level 7.

Still, enjoying it quite a bit. Definite improvement over W2, but the combat still isn't fantastic.

--A

[Avatar]

Still really enjoying it. Writing is excellent, choices and consequences ambiguous with sometime surprising later outcomes.

That said, Skyrim and Fallout are still better, and last night I finally managed to articulate why.

There's nothing to do in it except be the Witcher. There are choices to make, and styles of play to adopt, but although it's a (relatively) open world, there is only one path through it.

In comparison, Skyrim, (still the best open world RPG ever) has all these different paths you can take or explore. You can be an assassin, a thief, a mage, a soldier, whatever. That ability to become part of a faction and impact the faction is what really gives it the replayability.

Still, I'll get the expansions for W3. The above said, it's still damn good.

--A

[Avatar]

Got the expansions, and finished the main story line, probably about 70-80 hours in.

Did all my upgrading...most settings on high, detail and texture on ultra, hairworks turned off. Running fantastically on my new set-up.

--A

[Avatar]

Finished the expansions, total play time probably around 120-125 hours. Still got a bunch of question marks hanging around Skellige, but probably not going to bother.

Might run a New Game+ replay at some point, but got better things to do right now...

--A

[Rigel]

I never understood the fascination with Skyrim. I'd try playing for a while, then literally forget to keep playing.

That said, I'm glad you enjoyed TW3. I haven't gotten around to the expansions yet, but I'm still hoping to sometime.

[Avatar]

The expansions were pretty good, especially Blood & Wine.

Skyrim was the first proper open-world RPG I ever played, and I was just blown away by the essential freedom you had, and the persistent living world.

That NPC's didn't just stand around until you arrived, but had whole "lives." Eating and going to bed and interacting with other NPC's. What other game could you head to the merchant and find it closed because it was 1am?

That was just awesome. And the size of it was staggering. So many stories that it was almost impossible to encounter them all.

It was a great game.

--A

[Nathan]

The expansions were pretty good, especially Blood & Wine.

Skyrim was the first proper open-world RPG I ever played, and I was just blown away by the essential freedom you had, and the persistent living world.

That NPC's didn't just stand around until you arrived, but had whole "lives." Eating and going to bed and interacting with other NPC's. What other game could you head to the merchant and find it closed because it was 1am?

That was just awesome. And the size of it was staggering. So many stories that it was almost impossible to encounter them all.

It was a great game.

--A

Although having a 24 hour cycle with shops opening and closing (Fallout 3 had this before Skyrim by the way) is interesting, it's almost meaningless in a game where you can skip time by pressing "T" to wait.

Having each NPC "live" a real life loses its veneer when you realise they do the exact same thing every day with no variation whatsoever.

I'd say the meaningful narrative contributions you can make in games like Fallout New Vegas and The Witcher 3 are far more engaging than a shallow attempt to mimic daily life.

e: Loved Witcher 3 as well, by the way. Certainly the best game of the year. Maybe decade, but we'll have to see what the next four years have in store.

[Rigel]

Skyrim was the first proper open-world RPG I ever played, and I was just blown away by the essential freedom you had, and the persistent living world.

Your first experience with something tends to stand out for you. For me, my first sandbox game was GTA IV, and I have similarly positive memories of it.

What other game could you head to the merchant and find it closed because it was 1am?

Actually, lots of them I know I've seen such things as far back as the SNES, though specific examples from that long ago escape me.

Although having a 24 hour cycle with shops opening and closing (Fallout 3 had this before Skyrim by the way)

They were also made by the same company. Fallout 3 was essentially a Fallout skin of the Elder Scrolls games, though I found the writing much better than I've seen from that series (having played, but never finished, Morrow Wind, Oblivion, and Skyrim). But they're all essentially the same game.

e: Loved Witcher 3 as well, by the way. Certainly the best game of the year. Maybe decade, but we'll have to see what the next four years have in store.

We might just get CD Projekt Red's next game, Cyberpunk 2077, before the turn of the decade. Other than that, there's nothing on my radar, but I just don't play much anymore.

[Avatar]

(Fallout 3 had this before Skyrim by the way)

I know, but I played Skyrim before I played any of the Fallout games, (in fact, I played FONV befoe I played FO3). I also only played Oblivion after Skyrim.

Your first experience with something tends to stand out for you. For me, my first sandbox game was GTA IV, and I have similarly positive memories of it.

I'd played Vice City & San Andreas and loved them as open world sandboxes, but those were action games, not RPG's. Different experience for me.

We might just get CD Projekt Red's next game, Cyberpunk 2077, before the turn of the decade. Other than that, there's nothing on my radar, but I just don't play much anymore.

There's just one thing on my radar at the moment: Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

I've put hundreds of hours into M&B: Warband and a couple of its mods & expansions. (Floris Extended, AD1257 & Viking Conquest). And the very long awaited sequel is looking bloody fantastic. Hoping for a beta by the end of this year (although probably not quite gonna happen). If it's available, I might actually pre-order this one. I can't wait.

--A