The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Reviews

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26.9.2017

You've probably heard it all before: Best game ever, CDPR rules, yada yada, I won't repeat it, I will attempt to tell at least something new and in as much compact way as possible.-From open-world RPGs, this is no doubt the best looking one of them all. Totally blows Skyrim out of the water. And it is even better than Horizon: Zero Dawn in appearance, which is 2 years younger game, especially noticeable when you take a look at the water effects and lip-sync precision.It is, however, not the best looking of ALL games, but to be fair, open world games can be held to a different standard than more linear ones, like Uncharted 4.-Best side-quest system in all open-world games. Before ME:A was released,I was wondering, would they keep up with this new standard which finally puts an end to the incredibly boring fetch quest system, tolerated for far too long? How ME:A did it, it's another story.Side-quests are fully scripted, full cutscenes, fully voiced, they are on equal quality with main quests. From my 160 hour gameplay, there was not even a SINGLE fetch quest. Not even one. No exceptions.How they did it? Pure effort, nothing else.-A story balanced on a simple, understandable main aim, yet at the same time, elaborated deeply, which is all free to listen to, free to explore, as long as the player wishes to. How the game develops and ends, also is directly dependent on the choices you make. Sometimes there's instant effect, other times you will see the effect of your choices long, long time after you've made them.There 3 points make this game into a winner it is:-Great graphics-Great side-quests in an open-world-Engaging storyIt is like a toxic mixture of addictiveness and time-sink. And it is great. If you want a good game to devote your time into, Witcher 3 is your best choice.Not just the graphics themselves are great, it's the artstyle. In certain areas, nearly constant storms and trees moving in the wind. Manually controllable day-night cycle, via meditation.You also get long-term romance options. It develops with time. And things can get steamy. There is partial nudity, even at the very beginning at the game. You can also visit a hooker if you want to. And see the action.The has been a lot of thought put into, how to make the game as addictive, as enjoyable, as great as possible.And one final good word: GWENTHowever, this game doesn't have that much polish as many say. That's why 4 stars not 5.If you've played Bloodborne, it might be hard to get used to combat system here.In Witcher 3 there is rather awkward dodging mechanism. You get side-step with O, and long roll with X, which also drains stamina. However, it is quite uncomfortable to attempt to side-step right behind the enemy, and it doesn't even do much if you manage it - there is no backstab mechanism, just another regular attack.Square is light attack, Triangle is strong attack. Can be upgraded to have modified attacks by holding these buttons. You can parry, and counterattack after parry, but only human enemies. Beasts, monsters can't be parried, you will be staggered if attempt to.Also while it's a part of the story, this whole silver sword for monsters, steel sword for humans seems rather weird. You can also never ever dual-wield attack with your swords, despite you always visibly carry two swords on your back, which is more frustrating than I'd like to admit.But the worst of all: potions and inventory. There are a lot of situational potions to use, dozens of them, but in your quick-bar there are only 2 slots for potions. And 2 slots for bombs.So you pause the game, open inventory, then move to consumables, then move to potions, then select the right potion and drink it and only then resume combat. Bloody cumbersome! And you do this every single time you need a specific potion! Same also about weapon oils. Wouldn't be that bad but the inventory is damn laggy. Geralt sometimes appears itemless when you open inventory, only after a second or two gear pops and control for you to use inventory, move around it is granted..The combat also doesn't feel impactful. Swords don't feel impactful. Neither signs do. All of them feel incredibly underwhelming, even when specced up! Also to correctly target signs, which drain your precious stamina bar, you need auto-target, but it's rather clumsy and it is likely to waste your sign to a wrong direction. And the same pause in-game happens again, when you open a window to select the right sign for the situation.Only bombs feel impactful. But there are only 2 slots, in quick cast, forever. And each bomb type starts with only bloody damn 2 bombs max! Later their number can be upgraded to something like 7 but still, c'mon! Once you're out of bombs and potions, you go out of combat and meditate. Isn't that great? Throw 2 bombs, meditate, repeat! WTF..Also I touched about inventory, there are literally over hundred different types of materials, flowers, ores, reagents for armor smithing, weapon smithing, potion brewing and it doesn't even touch the amount of useless vendor junk, whose amount also goes to hundreds! It's way too easy to overburden yourself with garbage, in which case you're forced to destroy something, sell it ASAP or suffer movement penalty - inability to run. And it's way too easy as a new player to get totally overwhelmed and confused, about what kind of items are safe to sell and what are precious and better to be saved?Your horse also is a source of headache and anger. Because your horse is stupid. Randomly stops in the middle of a clear road. Gets stuck in garbage and fences and trees. Is rather clumsy to control and to make it change direction.. Appears in the most possibly inconvenient locations and directions when you call it, like you're on a bridge, call the horse, it spawns way down under it and so on.. also attempts to RUN AWAY from you when you approach to mount it after calling it.The horse is called Roach. Maybe it's a dev troll? The horse is bugged, they couldn't fix it and what the hell, left it and called it Roach. Because roaches are bugs.And final con, I mentioned in the title, the second expansion, Blood & Wine, the whole territory is called Touissaint, in there you will experience incredibly large amount of foliage, tree, grass pop-in during movement. Some even to textures and shadows. It is damn crazy! And it happens to everyone, even on high-end PCs. Just YouTube "Toussaint free roam" or something like that and switch to parts where is free roam during forests, field and look at the all the damn stuff popping in!I tried getting a faster HDD, re-installing the whole damn thing, renewing system, nothing fixed it. It's probably made so by the devs, to "optimize" as even if on the PC, editing foliage distance way beyond officially allowed maximum still does nothing..It's a damn shame because that area is truly beautiful and this issue totally breaks immersion! Luckily, nothing of that happens anywhere else.. the only similar issue, in Novigrad there can be rather disgusting frame rate drops but I guess that's thanks to the "powerful" PS4 hardware.. still better than being milked dry by Intel and Nvidia.. but you get what you pay for.

29.4.2016

This game has been around a while now, and has been pretty much reviewed to death, so I'll try and be brief.There are a few niggles with this game, unavoidable in a game so ambitious, and the Witcher 3 does us the dubious favour of frontloading the game with them, so much so that my initial impressions of the game were pretty poor.The bad:- The movement/climbing mechanics are decidedly poor and awkward. It's not just a case of a character's animation cycles being sometimes obstructive, as in a game like Red Dead Redemption; Witcher 3 movement is just bad at times, with unnatural, glitchy-looking movements and stiff animations. And the less said about the horse movement the better. I don't know,maybe I'm expecting too much - Rockstar has spoiled us with their character animations.- The otherwise nuanced, fast-paced and satisfying combat is spoiled by ridiculously acrobatic dodging and swordplay juxtaposed against a snail's-pace combat walking speed, very little difference between light and strong attacks, jenky targeting system and agro range, and automatic weapon sheathing at the wrong time. Agro'd enemies will frequently run towards you then back to their starting position, waiting for you to either catch up to them at a crawl - only able to actually target them when they're within about ten feet - or they'll just stand there while you whittle down their health from 20 feet away with a crossbow. Winning a fight often feels like a victory against the rickety combat system, rather than against your actual foe, which is a real shame considering the depth of the oils/potions/mutagens systems that complement the combat.- The way points of interest are marked, by visiting a job board, stinks a little of Assassin's Creed to me, kind of like the Viewpoints that drop a bunch of markers on the map when climbed. It's just personal taste, but it seems a little game-y to me and works against the otherwise organic feel of the game.- Why do all the characters hate using the personal pronoun, especially Geralt!? Guess it's supposed to give a more realistic, unrehearsed feel to the dialogue. Just don't like it. Think it actually makes everything sound a little more forced and scripted when every character is clearly avoiding the word "I". Don't know, maybe it's a Polish thing, not picked up in translation.Those things aside, once I actually got into the meat of the game ...Actually, one more complaint: After the tutorial section, upon running through a small companion conversation, you're placed into a fight with a bunch of ghouls straight away. Having jumped straight into Death March difficulty on my first playthrough, I was torn apart by the ghouls and had to rewatch that conversation about six times, as it doesn't autosave once the conversation's over. I had to break away from combat, run down the hill out of agro range, save, then jump back into the fight. Just kind of an annoying oversight for so early in the game.Anyway, those things aside, once I actually got into the meat of the game, it's actually pretty damn amazing. It's carried mostly by the exquisite world design - that extends to the environment, skyboxes, creature/NPC art/ animation & sound design .... everything here combines to make it the most compelling game world I've ever played. Though voice acting is always going to be mixed bag in a game of this scope, it's of unusually high quality overall here; peasants and bandits speak in a variety of fairly authentic UK dialects (and I was delighted to hear a Geordie bandit call me an arse-muncher); the occupying Nilfgaardians, an analog for the Holy Roman Empire, speak in a clipped Germanic tongue, and the emperor's steward oddly stood out for me as being absolutely brilliantly played, drawn and animated. I haven't been to the Skellige isles yet, but I'm expecting it to be either a mix of Celtic or Nordic accents. It's weird that I'm actually looking forward to hearing the voice acting used there, I've never said that about a game's voice-acting before. Charles Dance as the emperor is, of course, a highlight, but the performance for Geralt is actually the least interesting, gruff, flat and dry; however the lore of Witchers being emotionless swords-for-hire actually lends itself well to the playable character being something of a tabula rasa, a blank slate for the player to imprint onto.Ambient design like the lighting and the trees are just phenomenal. I've spent a while just looking at all the trees swaying in high winds - and I mean ALL the trees. 3D tree models don't seem to be demoted to 2d sprites when they're off in the distance; or at least if they are, they're still convincingly animated, giving a real feeling that the whole game world is moving. Standing on a hilltop looking out at the top of a swaying forest just looks great - and the draw distance is pretty impressive.The game world is absolutely huge, and incredibly detailed. So far I've only been visiting little villages nestled amongst the forests picking up monster-hunting jobs. I haven't even set foot in any of the major cities, but the amount of quality content I've found already is astounding. However, you never feel overwhelmingly bombarded with things to do. The game is very well-paced, geared toward getting one job done at a time, planning for your encounters, and visiting the many points of interest marked on the map only when you feel you're ready for an unanticipated encounter. Levelling up is slow, incremental and actually feels like an accomplishment, and you'll be grateful for each skill point you earn on the harder difficulties.Hmm. I said I would make it short. I lied.Read any professional review and you'll find other praise for the game such as the depth of side quests, persistence of your actions in the world, etc. It's all true. A truly brilliant game that sets a new benchmark for RPGs, despite a few flaws. One that I would recommend to any gamer. In fact, I'm actually tempted to sell my copy and buy new to support the devs. But that would be silly

23.5.2015

Having never played either of the two previous instalments of this epic RPG series from the game developers at CD Projekt Red, this game wasn't a feature on my "must-buy" list. However, I was inevitably caught up in all the hype generated in the weeks leading up to its release, and having just purchased an Xbox One the month previous, I decided to invest. What an amazing decision this turned out to be.The Witcher 3 is a 3rd-person RPG, where you play as Geralt of Rivia. He is a Witcher, a human with extraordinary skills, strength and reflexes who can be "hired" to aid people in strife.Whether that means -1 finding/rescuing a missing spouse, child, family member or friend,2 clearing an area of bandits,aggressive wildlife/monsters or supernatural entities such as wraiths,3 Following clues to find lost treasure.The list of jobs people call upon a Witcher to perform is seemingly endless. This is where you as Geralt, come into play.Upon starting the game, the first thing you will undoubtedly notice are the graphics. They are beautiful.Stunningly beautiful.Winds and grass bend in the breeze, clouds drift by overhead, puddles of water on the road to wide expanses of lakes shimmer with reflected sun and moonlight, shadows dance and beams of light dart through trees and windows.You can get lost just in the aesthetics of this game alone.The story starts with Geralt on the trail of his former love, Yennefer. The old idiom of "the path of true love never runs smooth" is clearly evident as the game guides you through its informative and enjoyable tutorial. Which can be skipped for those of you who are Witcher veterans.You are tasked with finding information on your misplaced lover, however you soon come to realise that people aren't keen on giving up their knowledge for free. Thusly, a steady stream of quests start to accumulate in your quest log.From my current point of progression in the game, about 15 hours in, this seems to be a hard and fast rule of thumb.If you want something from someone, they'll inevitably want something from you in return.I am unable to fill in much more of the story for you, as I have spent much of my time so far, wandering and exploring off the beaten path. This is where The Witcher 3 truly shines.As you explore the world, question mark symbols will appear on your map, luring you to discover what secret is hidden there.A bandit camp perhaps?An abandoned village, which, when cleared of any hostile adversaries, will be repopulated by the local villagers.Hidden treasure? Which will always be guarded.A monster nest? Which can be destroyed.A Place of Power which, when activated, will bestow you with a temporary buff and upon first use, grant you an ability point for levelling up.You are truly rewarded for exploration, gaining experience needed for levelling up and acquiring loot. Whether this loot be new weapons or armour, new diagrams for weapon or armour fabrication, rare herbs for use in brewing potions and other alchemical pursuits or scraps of books or hastily scrawled letters which will start hidden quests, the pull of exploration never diminishes and never gets dull.Anyone familiar with games like Fallout or Skyrim will be well-versed in levelling up your character as you progress in level.As you level up, you gain Ability Points which can be used as best befits your style of play.Want to make Geralt a hardy, sword-swinging, bomb-throwing warrior or maybe you'd prefer a stealthy, crossbow-wielding rogue or yet even a master of the arcane arts - slinging fire and turning enemies against their friends as you dominate them mentally, you can do all of this and so much more.A double-click on the left thumb stick will call Roach to your side, Geralt's faithful steed. Whether you need him to traverse the terrain more quickly or wade into battle, decapitating your enemies in the saddle, Roach will always be there for you.There are merchants who will sell armour, weapons, herbs and all manner of useful items, far to numerous to list here. They will also buy any unwanted items you may have from you.There are blacksmiths who will forge you new weapons and armour, dismantle any old equipment you have for parts or repair your items for you after a particularly trying battle.There are gamers who will challenge you to a game of Gwent. A very addictive war-based card game which is deceptively simple yet surprisingly difficult to master.There are contract boards dotted about in towns and villages with quests and information posted thereon.The amount of activities in this game is staggering and I'm only 15 hours in.Combat is satisfying, tactical and cunningly complex.Swordplay, parrying and countering.Attack from afar with quick and timed crossbow shots.Destroy and bamboozle your enemies with Geralt's impressive utilisation of magics.Or on occasion, it proves beneficial to flee and live to fight another day.Conversation is joyous.The lip-syncing, personality and facial animations are fantastic.You will also decide how to respond to people. It is up to you - conciliatory and friendly or brash and arrogant. You can truly turn Geralt into an individual of your own design.I would love to go into more detail and outline more reasons why you should buy this game, but I currently have the game on pause and cannot wait to go back to it.If you're a fan of Fallout, Oblivion, Fable, Kingdoms of Amalur, Skyrim, Dragon Age, this an absolute no-brainer.Few games start with the ambition this game had and far fewer manage to achieve it.This will be used not just as a benchmark for future RPGs but for all games from this point on.Incredible.WARNING - this will take over your life.10/10

27.5.2015

Witcher way should you go?!2014 was possibly the most disappointing year for video games I've experienced in a while, so it was with trepidation that I awaited the Witcher 3 having been burnt by so many games that got me with their hype voodoo. It pleases me no end to confirm that Witcher 3 is a humdinger and a home run right out of the park!*GWENT*In Witcher 3 you resume the story of Geralt of Rivia who is on the trail of his first love Yennefer of Vengerberg. Geralt is a Witcher, a professional monster hunter for hire who uses magic and knowledge of potions and oils to complete his contracts. Geralt's search is set in the background of a massive war between nations as the massive Nilfgaardian Empire continues its subjugation of the Northern Kingdoms.It's in this setting he will take on the most potentially lucrative contract of his life which he also has a personal interest in.*GWENT*Witcher 3 is a 3rd person open world fantasy RPG the scale of which is only shared by games like Skyrim. As Geralt you have large open world sections to explore both freely and also within quest lines. In most villages you will find notice boards, these will feature potential sidequests as well as Witcher contracts, other side quests will be found as you explore and are marked with an exclamation mark. As with all great open world games there is no rush to continue with the main storyline you can go explore and complete things at your own pace. Geralt has access to a horse and later boats to help him traverse the environments. With each explored village or significant location a quick travel sign is unlocked allowing direct travel from signpost to signpost. The open world has many unexplored locations which range from villages, bandit camps, monster nests, treasures and more. It is well worth your time doing this for experience, loot and also the plants and ingredients you can get on the way which are vital to the games alchemy and crafting system.*GWENT*Combat in Witcher 3 is very satisfying, the more prepared you are the more effective you will be in whatever situation you find yourself in. As a Witcher Geralt has two swords at his disposal one which is steel for humans and beasts such as wolves and also a silver sword for the magical enemies of the game. Also Geralt has access to some magic spells which can help in a tight situation, these spells range from ones which shoot fire from your hand to another which covers you in a magical shield. As you progress and explore you will find recipes for potions, bombs and oils for your swords. It's with all these tools you will eventually be able to study the enemy, know its weakness and prepare yourself for the fight.*GWENT*Okay now I've explained that now let's get to my main Witcher addiction..... GWENT! This is a superbly executed card game within the game. Inn Keepers and merchants will sell cards to add to your starter deck but the majority of cards must be won from them and any Gwent side quests. The game is simple enough to be quickly picked up but has so many tactical nuances that I wish it had a multiplayer. I have spent hours forgetting everything else and building my Gwent decks. Gotta catch em all!!Graphically the Witcher is fantastic, as you run across rolling fields in the blazing sun with windmills on one side and a massive medieval city on the other you realise how gorgeous the game is. Then of course the game reminds you this is Witcher and you stumble across a bloody battlefield covered in bodies (lootable ones might I add, yes we are going to hell) or a dark dank marshland infested monsters that want to do a Hannibal Lecter and eat your face off. Main characters are well detailed and no significant glitches have been encountered in my 30 hours+ so far. A tip of the hat has to go to effort put into the main Cities and towns, they are vast and detailed and I really got a sense of a society trying to build walls and hide from the horrors that go on with the world outside.*GWENT*The musical score is fantastic and you also get this free with the game anyway, result! The monsters all have distinct sounds which give you audio queues of what's coming and the ambient sounds are fantastic. The voice acting for me is superb, Geralt isn't the most expressive cat out there but when he talks there is meaning and purpose behind it. And with some of the NPC's there are genuine moments of humour, which is good when there is a hanged man on pretty much every cross roads in game.*GWENT*Overall Witcher 3 is a game that comes highly recommended from me, you definitely get your money's worth with this game in terms of content as well as a map and light toilet reading in the box. Further commendation needs to go to the developers CD Projekt Red, in an age where developers are losing more and more trust with gamers CD Projekt Red have not only delivered but have also thrown in free DLC out of appreciation for the fact gamers have chosen to part with their cash for the game.Now where was I.... oh yes GWENT

19.5.2015

One of the best games i have played so far on the next generation and i'm only around 11 hours in. I must say if you liked Skyrim but are looking for something a bit grander and edge of your seat along with the ultra large scale open world setting then this is the game to get, indeed i would say i've only touched the tip of the iceberg! The Cut scenes alone are stunningly beautiful with gorgeous animations and an epic soundtrack that will leave your eyes drooling with anticipation at what comes next. Excellent graphics given the games size with few Anti Aliasing problems.Witcher 3 is a third person based (so you view the character you play as from an over the shoulder perspective),action role playing game. The game itself is set in an open world environment which is significantly bigger than Witcher 2, from what i've seen at this early stage i would say it's easily bigger than Skyrim so that puts it into perspective how vast and involving this game is. Equally you must be warned that if you don't have the time to play this game on a regular basis then you may regret purchasing it as this is a game that rewards patience and rewards people the more you play. If you are a pick up a game, play it for a few hours then leave it type of gamer, then you might be best served in saving your money, Just like Skyrim this is a game that requires dedication so if you have lots of other games to play then wave goodbye to them as this will easily keep you busy for a few hundred hours! Don't worry though you can use a horse and boat to travel around and indeed fast travel to various locations is available. On screen you get a mini-map which guides you where you need to go which is a massive bonus as i was always getting lost on skyrim. You also get the usual health bar and quick guide buttons, for example "Hold A button" to accelerate the boat which does give you a helping hand if you're lost as to what to do. There is an Inventory where you can keep items on your person such as weapons, alcohol and potions etc... You level up your character using the points based system which can boost your attacking and defending skills besides adding new techniques and adding bonuses to certain weapons like slowing down time.The story literally carries on from Witcher 2 with the main character of Geralt and this will be the ending to the trilogy. Essentially you must stop the Wild Hunt as they invade the Northern Kingdoms and destroy everything in their path. There are four difficulty settings although i would avoid the most basic one called "Just the story" and go straight in with "Story and Sword".... "Blood and Broken Bones" becomes even harder but unless you are a seasoned player i would honestly avoid "Death March" at all costs.Pros: Great combat and skills * Stunning cut scenes and voice acting * Massive open world map with tonnes of things to do * mini-map is a MASSIVE bonus especially with the arrow guiding you around * Fast travel for when you can't be bothered to run or ride a horse * Most of the Characters add something to the game and make you care about them * you can make different choices along the way which can have consequences as to the way things progress * Some good missions off the beaten track * Decent soundtrack * Graphics do impress given the size of the game * The game rewards those that like to explore the far corners of the world * Easy to fathom controlsCons: Starts off slower than i was expecting and takes a good 2 hours to get into its stride * Some of the conversations have to much waffle and could be shortened and would make watching them more enjoyable * No multiplayer or co-op (although to be fair you don't miss it given how much there is to do) * Small amount of frame judder when loading large parts of background sceneryTips: Only buy if you have some serious time to invest in the gameVERDICT (based on 11 hours worth of play): I honestly have to compliment "CD Projekt RED" for the game they have created here, it is truly stunning both in terms of its depth and quality based on what i've played thus far, since picking it up at the midnight launch along with a few friends we have been thoroughly enjoying it. If i have to be critical just for the sake of being fair then i would say the games biggest problem is in it's sheer size so like i said earlier unless you have the time to sink into it then you may end up regretting buying the game, your social life will go right out of the window that's for sure, thankfully my partner and i will share the journey and boy what a journey it's starting to be!Highly Recommended!!

5.9.2016

The original Witcher was a great game, whereas the sequel was even better, bigger and more beautiful in every aspect. Following on this trend of building upon and improving their achievements, CD PROJEKT RED, the small Polish developer that has been humbling gaming behemoths for years, released their best game yet. And what a game this is!THE BEST VIRTUAL WORLD I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCEDYes, the world of THE WITCHER III is huge, far larger than SKYRIM. Far more importantly though, it feels more real and it is full of life.The game throws you in a world of unparalleled beauty with details that keep unfolding the closer you observe it. Every spade of grass and every pebble looks real and obeys the laws of physics as set by the new REDengine.From the night and day and weather cycles to gear that gets damaged and needs to be repaired by blacksmiths and from growing facial hair to NPCs with real lives, the world of The Witcher absorbs you in and never, ever lets you go. The flames of Igni feel absolutely real as do bodies of water. Beasts and humans will do the unexpected whereas the skies sheltering your travels are absolutely mesmerizing. One can easily spend hours in the game simply observing the gorgeous world around him.There are some concessions to absolute realism one can take advantage off (quick traveling and in-battle repairs for example); however, purists can ignore them and sink in the extra hours to go old school.Now, all these come at a price. A couple of weeks ago, I made sure to upgrade to a nVidia 960 (pouring with a brand new 352.86 driver) and 12GB of RAM just for this game (at some point, CD PROJEKT has to ask ASUS for dividends!) and the game runs smoothly at Ultra.(Also, no save-files crashes this time around. So far).AN EPIC SCORE FOR AN EPIC STORYOnce more, the music is an essential part of both the atmosphere and the gaming experience. The composers are different than those of the previous games and this translates into a novel approach to the world of Geralt of Rivia. You will recognize a number of variations on themes from the previous games and it feels like meeting old friends, matured yet still dear to you; however, I found the music more subtle and effective and not less powerful.CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS OF DESTRUCTIONRemember the days form the very first Witcher when you basically finished the game with the same sword and kept saving every last oren to buy the 5,000O leather jacket? Well, Geralt not only yields an extra crossbow but he also enjoys an ever growing choice of armor and weapons. Combine this with a huge library of books and an endless supply of potion and bombs ingredients and you will soon find your hero to be overburdened. And then you realize that there is no storage chest! Not to worry, the game now employes Roach's saddlebag (buy it as soon as possible and enlarged it). This way your storage is always close by. And, take my advice, do NOT sell anything! From ingredients to older swords, you will need them for crafting. And even find loot is abundant, it always feel great to gather all the ingredients to finally forge a sword or a piece of armor whose schematics you had been carrying for some time.IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTROLLING THE WORLD AROUND YOUSome people have been complaining about the PC controls and, up to a point, I can understand why. As with all games, I remap almost everything so that I am able to use only the right end of the keyboard (arrows for movement are default here but I use the Num-keys 1-5 to select my Sign, Num-0 to use it, / for the steel sword, * for the silver one, and so on). The game is enjoyable when set at the highest difficulty one can survive at so having quickly accessible controls are essential. That is why I hope to see a key-rebinding option Menu soon and not have to dive in the input.settings file.This Complete Edition includes the original game with all its Expansions and all of its DLCs. And if they are known for anything is offering a more than fair value for the released products.WITH MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS!

25.4.2016

I don't often write reviews but feel compelled to do so on this occasion, not only to evangelise on how good this game is, but also to publically congratulate the game designers for the most gorgeously rich game I have ever played.At first the game took a little getting used to, the magic/mutagens confusing me a little at first, but this is not a negative comment just a statement about my own impatience, but I'm glad I took the time to learn the system as it paid off.There is almost too many good things I can say about this game and will invariable miss out a lot of stuff, so to help me capture it and you in reading it,I think its worth splitting this up into sub-headers - take the time to read...Storyline - I've played a few MMO's and found myself in the past skipping dialogue to get back into the action. However, I've not done that at all with Witcher, the story is actually really engaging and the character acting is incredibly authentic from the lowliest Merchant to the most prolific characters. This leads to level of engagement I've not experienced before and I grew to really care about what was going on.Characters - The character acting is excellent. Geralt does sound a little emotionless, but I guess that's Witcher's for you. However, his interactions with other characters shows his softer side and this actually created a bond between me and those other characters through him, which I didn't expect. I actually found myself being reluctant to pick more mischievous options when given the choice (which I would normally do) as I genuinely wanted to protect the main protagonists. I was also surprised by the adult content, nudity and sex scenes, but rather than being gratuitous, lent more authenticity to the story and added depth to the game and the relationships between characters.Size - The world in which Geralt inhabits is truly huge and no detail is overlooked. I was simply blown away by the scale. Tip - Enjoy it, don't fast travel your way through the lands...(well not all the time).Gameplay - The fighting, spells, alchemy, Sailing, Horse Riding, Gwent (a card game) etc. require some thought, this is not just a hack and slash game. My knowledge and use of items and skills seemed to evolve naturally as the game progressed and in the end I was employing more varied tactics intuitively to defeat foes (read the bestiary for tips on monster weaknesses)!Quests - Linked together by great story and characters, the quests make sense. They actually seem worth doing. Think MMO, collect 10 turtle skins, kill five bears etc, yawn...Zzzzzzz. The Quests and sub-quests are brilliant, simply delightful, challenging and rewarding.Graphics - Oh my god, stunning! The world is massive, but this has not stopped the developers creating a rich and beautifully detailed environment, on ground, above and below (including on the waves and beneath). My advice would be to stop regularly and take it in! You can almost smell the clear mountain air and the wind in your face, on the downside, you can almost taste the stench of the cities!!Despite the world being huge, I opted out more often than not of "fast travel" as I wanted to see the world, not skip it...unusual for me to say the least but I really didn't want to miss out on some of the views, which are spectacular.Level Progression - I am currently level 17, no idea how far up it will go, but with expansions round the corner, I think I'll keep playing and growing. Weapons and gear always look great, realistic and not garish...(authentic)...Final words. I love this game. I think you'll love this game and I think we'll keep loving it - Well done Namco Bandai.

21.5.2015

Let's start by saying i wanted to give this 5 stars - and may change this if the problems with the game are eventually fixed. It seems by a number of comments here that a lot of people are getting on fine with the game. However, as the developer's forums will show, a lot of people are having issues with the games mostly with the graphics.I am playing on Xbox 1. Disc version (from Amazon not the download version from XLive) - I have jerky video on cut scenes, have had glitches where characters disappear or are left either floating in air (when they should be on a horse or disappearing below the ground! so only their hair shows above it!!But the worst thing, by far, is the text size in the hud and menus,it is simply too small to see (i am 6 feet from a 50 inch HD telly) and is grey text on black background.I played an hour but have given up simply because i can't read the stuff i want to read in the inventory/bestiary etc. The developer's forums are full of people with the same issue on different platforms as well as X1.Yes, the game looks astonishing, and yes it plays well and YES i really do want to play it and give it good marks . . . but this issue of the text size really is a deal breaker for me. So it's 3 out of 5 until this is sorted, and then i will change the score.The only reason for posting this here (and on the developer's forums) is just to give a heads up to other x1 users who may get the game and have a similar experience - it's not your x1 that's at fault or your telly settings, it is the game.For those who are having a great experience (and there are many) - i hope to join your number in due course! LOLUPDATE: well, i am afraid i have now gone from 3 stars to 1 star - pity there isn't a zero option - on top the graphic issues, i now have the game crashing (at the end of a cut scene) and manual saves disappearing, and unable to interact with traders/merchants in any of the map areas other than the very start in the training area! the developer's forums are full of problems being reported - but no response - what i can't understand is why some people's games are fine and others are really bad - surely we all have the same hardware and the game software is the same?! i think i will be returning this to Amazon and asking for a full refund.UPDATE: okay, so the developer's forums have thrown up a lot of issues for some folk and there are some work arounds. Game saves are still a bit of an issue, but I have moved the game install to the internal hard drive, and now whenever i get save issues i delete the hard drive saves, reboot the machine (making sure the power brick goes from white to red before rebooting) and then let the game resync with the cloud saves (done automatically on x1) and this seems to get the save system back on track. The same reboot also sorts out graphic issues I get after playing the game for extended periods (had one where all the people in game had gone and just their clothes floating about with their arms outstretched like scarecrows! Freaky!!Anyway - I though it was only fair to review my earlier statements in light of being some 25% through the game. It looks fantastic (best looking game I have played on x1 so far), game play is great, the dialogue scripting is top rate and at times very funny and I am now thoroughly enjoying the game. Putting the niggles aside, I would now rate this as my game of the year so far. So have moved from my first day's 1 star to a full 5 star rating.Any one who was debating whether to get this should take the plunge. This is a top class RPG and well worth the money.

31.8.2018

First things first, I haven't completed this. I've played for almost 100 hours and I haven't even started the DLC stories. Witcher 3 is big, like really BIG.I hadn't played Witcher or Witcher 2 prior to this, but thought I'd give it a go based on reviews and I was not disappointed. In fact I was shocked a game as good as this hadn't piqued my interest sooner. I'm not a big fan of RPGs, but this element of the game seems to blend in so comfortably with the gameplay that you don't have to give it too much attention. I struggled to get into the game at first. In fact I had to get as far as the Bloody Baron mission before the game really got me engaged.It's at this point the story felt like it made a real switch into something a lot deeper than I expected.Graphically, the game is beautiful. The world feels very much 'alive' with very detailed, lush environments. Cities are vibrant and full of NPCs whilst remote villages are sparse and sometimes abandoned. The level of detail is immense. For example, bodies found hanging often have details of the crime tagged to the post. Characters are also very well fleshed out and the voice acting is excellent. The world just feels very 'real', filled with stories, lore and people with agendas. The main story is very engaging with many characters coming into play and lots of twists and turns. It can be difficult to keep up with it if you go off on a lot of side quests, but it tends to be quite memorable. There's the option of crafting as well, which opens up a whole new world and is quite a staple of any RPG.The controls are very easy to get used to, and once you master the art of switching between spells, they become very useful. They can be clunky at times and there's a bit of lag when it comes to combat. It feels like Geralt moves a bit slower than you do. But the animations are great and varied. Geralt's horse Roach could do with some work. He's great for getting around on, but sometimes does get stuck and can't always follow a path. It can be frustrating at times when you want to mount up quickly, but he's not in the right spot. Or you want to traverse some questionable terrain and he struggles a bit. Fighting whilst on a horse is also pretty weak with strikes having to be timed perfectly. But when you do master the controls and fighting abilities, there's a real sense of accomplishment when taking down some of the bigger bosses.But when the game shines, boy does it shine! I've delved into every quest and second guessed crucial decisions. I've spent hours just exploring and hunting. I've let myself become distracted by side quests and a sense of exploration. CD Projekt have built an amazing world and ensured there's enough going on to make Witcher 3 well worth the investment. Not just financially, but of your time. These developers haven't jumped on the 'in game purchases' or 'loot boxes' bandwagon but instead have created a game with everything in it. It's a complete experience and in my opinion one of the very few games worth the RRP. Despite it's shortcomings, this is quite easily one of the best games I have ever played.

15.10.2019

After experiencing The Witcher 3 on the Xbox One X and getting lost in the rich, highly detailed world I never thought it would be possible to port such a massive and complex game to the Nintendo Switch.BUT IT HAPPENED....What the game developers (CD Projekt Red) and Saber Interactive have achieved here is nothing short of phenomenal as not only do you get the FULL original version of The Witcher 3 you also get the two huge expansion packs and all DLC's - All wrapped up in one amazing game package.The level of care and attention to detail necessary to bring this game to the Switch is not to be underestimated and the motivations of the developers are summed up in a note inside the box from CDPR which is a brilliant personal touch (see picture)- I wish more developers would follow the work ethics of CDPR instead of churning out endless pay-to-win nonsense. This game is about advancing and winning through exploration and endeavor, putting in the time and winkling out every last secret The Witcher world has to offer and that is a lesson which is so valuable in 'real' life too.This version of The Witcher 'feels' right, the environment is vibrant and alive, sound design is incredible and with headphones on it is possible to hear enemies approaching from left, right or behind or flocks of birds flying overhead - how that has made the translation from powerful cutting-edge consoles to a handheld device is the very definition of sorcery.Don't listen to people saying that the graphics aren't up to scratch with this version of the game - they are absolutely gorgeous and the constant frame rate allows for a very smooth playing experience too.Thankfully the text on the screen during general play has been made larger and is perfectly readable on the small Switch screen - even the really addictive in-game card game Gwent is here, suitably sized for the screen and setting off on a mission to track down every card available is something I'm looking forward to doing all over again.I'm also looking forward to visiting every region of the expansive map, meeting all the cool characters and finding every last piece of armor, weaponry.......and powering Geralt up to be the bad-ass monster killing hero he was born to be.- Do you like to play beautiful looking games with great gameplay? Buy The Witcher 3- Do you love massive RPG's? Buy The Witcher 3- Do you want to spend time in a beautifully crafted, gigantic, open world full of amazing characters and a vast array of different monsters? Buy The Witcher 3- Can't afford The Witcher 3? Save up and buy it - you will not be disappointed. Go for the physical version of the game, not the download, as it is such a beautifully presented package you will want this in your collection.Check out the pictures associated with this review and the gameplay video (although playback quality on Amazon doesn't represent the real beauty of the game) - The Witcher 3 is truly an amazing achievement and worthy of all the awards it has won over the years.Worth buying a Switch for? YES, most definitely.

24.5.2015

Having played around 15 hours of the game so far I can honestly say that the Witcher 3 is one of the best games I have ever played.For me this game feels like a kind of cross between dragon age (the story/consequences), skyrim (the huge interesting world) and red dead redemption (probably just the horse riding).You play as Geralt of Rivia, legendary Witcher (aka monster hunter) and loveable rogue and, once out of the sizeable starter area you really can just go your own way, either sticking to the main storyline, hunting monsters, solving riddles or just kicking back playing cards (by the way, Gwent is so much fun!). This world is HUGE and CD Projekt have done an amazing job of filling it with really interesting stuff to do.Every mission seems to have a story and twist of its own and the monster contracts are a lot of fun too. Also the attention to detail is astounding. The game looks great on the Xbox one and there are so many nice touches that just make the world so believable (..ahem... Dynamic beard growth...).So far I have only just dipped my toes into the main quest line (which is excellent) but have been having a great time exploring the world, helping various people I meet along the way and killing bad guys. The game start off fairly slow but is well worth sticking with as it is good to take your time at the beginning to get used to the fairly complex combat system. I play on the second highest difficulty and I would recommend that others do the same: although it can be tough! At this level you need to research a monsters weakness and prep for pretty much each battle accordingly in order to survive. To me this adds so much to the game: I have died many times so far but each time I kill a boss or take out a band of monsters makes it worth it. And once you're out of the starter area you will be thankful you took your time with it.... There is just an endless list of things to do.I would say that, although prior knowledge of the Witcher universe is far from essential, I found that reading the books has helped a lot with following the game. I played through the Witcher 2 (and started but didn't finish the first game) but I never really got what was going on until I picked up the books. For me the game is so much more enjoyable now that I have a basic understanding of the world and a few of the characters who inhabit it.Also I have suffered from a rather annoying "please wait" bug on the first loading screen of the game (Xbox one version). I believe the developers are addressing the issue but in the meantime it is enough to clear the system cache and the game works as normal. To be honest I am very surprised at how few glitches I have noticed given the extent of the game and you really should not be put off from buying it because of this; these bugs will be fixed and this game is far from broken so rest assured.Finally all that is left to say is buy this game, you will not regret it and it is sure to be goty 2015. Well done CD Projekt!

21.9.2016

Okay so firstly I had never played a Witcher game before this. I had watched The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings briefly on Xbox 360 when I went to see family and was blown away but as having a Playstation I could never play it. Anyway I pre-ordered the original game on release in May last year.I was blown away at how vast the game was. The size of the world was not only absolutely stunning, it was huge, felt lived in and the world was alive! The trees blow in the wind, the cities are bustling with people chattering, the wildlife go around hunting other monsters in packs etc. The graphics are also flawless, I have yet to see a game look as good as this,especially on the scale of this game!The story of this game is also incredibly engaging. The main story has you travelling all over the world to find and save a woman who is not only close to the protagonist but also the key to the safety or destruction of the world which really makes the lengthy story tense throughout. As stated just now the world around you can either be saved or destroyed through the decisions and actions you make not only through the main story but with all of the many side quests you pick up along your travels. This makes every engagement meaningful and you have to think about each action carefully. You meet memorable characters on the way throughout your journey, each with their own agenda and aims of where they want to be in the world and the outcome of these characters also depend on your actions.The gameplay is also really deep and complex if you let it. On easy difficulty you can pretty much hack and slash through most encounters. However on harder difficulties and higher level gameplay you will need to incorporate the use of potions, signs (essentially magic spells each with different uses and effects), dodging and oils. These all need to adapted to each enemy type in the game making battles strategic as you can't change your selection during combat. There is also an extensive perk tree which grant you additional abilities even more moves to use in combat etc.At the time of release this game was incredible albeit with a few frame rate issues and glitches. However coming back to it after the many patches, load of DLC and two huge expansions my opinion of this game has only grown! The expansions both bring two whole new areas to play (Hearts of Stone adding a section to the main Novigrad map and Blood and Wine consists of a completely new and fresh free roam zone to explore) as well as two main quests to play through which are just as incredible as the main story. They add many new armor and weapons sets into the mix as well. On top of all this with the Blood and Wine expansion they have also slightly boosted the already gorgeous graphics for the whole game making it faultless. Most of my time in this game has just been turning the HUD off and taking screenshots!Overall this is the complete package of an already amazing and is a steal at the price it is being sold at.

5.10.2016

Interesting, stunning, sometimes funny and yes, it is an achievement...but it is not perfect.I will keep this short. There are millions of words devoted to this game as it is:VISUALS –Graphics are great on “ultra” if you’ve got the power but even on “high” or “medium,” the game still looks nice. The sheer scale of the game is impressive and there is a wonderful authenticity to everything. Colours are well done, getting even brighter and deeper in the setting of the “Blood & Wine” DLC.NOTE: Favour FPS if you can. While my PC can play The Witcher 3 on “ultra” graphics at around 30 FPS – and this is fine, it is nice to play at a smoother 40/50/60. It just feels better. Ultimately,it is up to you.GAMEPLAY –You can explore, fight with swords, magic and bombs, choose dialogue options, loot boxes, chests, sacks and traverse vast fields, forests, snow-painted hills and even wander city streets. You can hunt monsters and solve the problems of plebes and princes alike with your “Witcher Senses” that highlight otherwise hidden things. You can make weapons and armour, sell stuff to make money, find rare material and scavenge around for the best gear in the game – if you are able to upgrade it, that is. Also, you can customise Geralt himself, to be better with his swords, spells, potions etc.Fundamental gameplay is extremely repetitive. Once you’ve got it down, nothing changes. It is the same basic systems over and over. It gets comfortable actually. Once you get the gist of it, it is nice to fall into the role of a Witcher but after 100 hours, some will be unable or unwilling to keep at-it. The same-old hunts and mini-games, with repeated moving of the goal-posts, will irritate some.SOUND/MUSIC –The sound-effects are marvellous sometimes - very authentic. The music too can be wonderful. It ranges from traditional instruments to the typical orchestra we’ve come to expect providing both energetic, melancholic and sweeping pieces throughout. A little repetition and extended silences is to be expected.STORY/CHARACTERS –Either you know these people or you don’t. If you don’t, it takes a bit of research, to be honest. That, or just go with it.If you do know these characters, then you’ll probably already have your opinions.The story is fine. It isn’t anything too deep and twisting but it gets the player interested when it needs to. There are some parts of the game that drag on for far too long and this can be a terrible burden until you are once again, fed a sufficiently tasty morsel to compel you onward. There are choices the player must make to decide the fate of certain characters, and these choices are never easy, clear or even pleasant to make. There are no promises of a happy ending, here. Many possible endings, to boot.NOTE: Comes with 6 discs, includes EVERYTHING and doesn't take too long to install, ending with GOG. Some glitches remain.

25.6.2016

The good* The graphics are breath-taking in places* Incredibly immersive open world* Lots of ways to customise how your character evolves (once you get used to the mechanics)* The humour (especially love the trolls)* Combat is not simply hack & slash (regardless of what the negative reviews say)* Around 16 free DLCs available (mainly weapons and new looks for characters)* Lacking a great deal of the inherent sexism of RPGs* Side quests and Witcher contracts add an astounding amount of gameplay* Excellent value for money (especially thanks to free DLCs & side quests)* Gwent - the card game you can play within the gameThe bad* Incredibly steep learning curve* Still quite glitchy in places - somake sure you have 2 saves on the go* The main story is not overly engaging in the early stages & starts to drag towards end* Still disappointingly sexist in a very small number of placesI bought this game for my husband & daughter to play, as they love their fantasy RPGs. I tend to steer clear of such games, but after hearing all the rave reviews about it I decided to play it to see what all the fuss was about. At first I couldn't get into it, as there is an incredibly steep learning curve. The assumption seems to be that you've played previous Witcher games and therefore already at least understand the basics (such as potion brewing). I was about to give up, write it off as simply not being my "thing", but on my third or fourth go (about 8-10 hours in) something clicked. I'm not sure what first got me hooked, but I started to understand the mechanics & really got sucked into the various side quests. I love the fact this is a very intelligent game. Your actions have consequences which sometimes you don't see until much further down the line. Don't believe the negative reviews saying you just keep pressing X during battles (though you can if you really want), a decent fight requires a mixture of moves, casting signs (using magic), as well as going into it prepared with the correct oils and weaponry.Final nuggets of adviceIf you want to do well, make the most of this huge open world you have. Don't be afraid to explore and make use of the books Geralt finds along the way, as they often give you potion diagrams or update your bestiary. Do the various treasure hunts (maps can be bought from some merchants), get the decent gear/potions/oils etc. I cannot stress enough how much using the bestiary helps with battles and contracts.Finally, I shall pass on the best piece of advice given to me - do loads of the secondary quests and contracts. These are often far more entertaining than the main story. I racked up over 168 hours of gameplay thanks to this & I still have the two expansions I bought to go.

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