LTTP: The Witcher 3 is not the GOTG I was Led to Believe (Also I Think I Prefer DA: Inquisition)

[Stoney Mason]

It was the best game I played of that generation and I still firmly believe that. I think it's a much better game than Inquisition and that's not saying I hate inquisition. I like that game. But Witcher 3 is simply in a class above. In these open world big rpg's breaking them down into component parts and trying to stack them up doesn't work for me. I play it as a whole experience. And that whole experience is where the Witcher 3 broke ground even if it has flaws like every other game out there.

But opinions are fine. I'm completely fine with somebody having a different opinion on the subject. But there is absolutely a reason that game hit a nerve like it did. Same with Skyrim. A game that I find people on here often try to retro review and make it out like it wasn't a big deal.

 

[Panam]

I don't like Breath of the Wild combat at all but I think I might still give it the slight edge over the Witcher 3

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Is it "serviceable"?

 

[The-JUV]

But I quoted you on the graphics, and I think that point is nonsensical. Especially when you're looking through the limitations of a console.
Absolutely fair to compare art direction (where I disagree with you), but comparing the graphics is just not something you can directly do for games that far apart.

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Overall I agree and maybe I am being too hard on the graphics, but Horizon Zero Dawn is now over 4.5 years old and I think its graphics largely hold up and still look amazing, though just my opinion.

 

[The-JUV]

Is it "serviceable"?

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For the Witcher 3? I would say serviceable enough that because the story was really good and interesting I didn't stop playing the game. If the story sucked I would have dropped the game for sure though because of the combat.

 

[Vidpixel]

I love The Witcher 3 so much. Yeah, the combat isn't the best, but the story and characters kept me so invested, and Novigrad blew my mind with how detailed it was and how much time you spend there. And the game just keeps going, even when you think it's about to end, and never feels like it's dragging either because the story is so engrossing (at least for me). First game on the PS4 that really impressed me.

 

[Westbahnhof]

Overall I agree and maybe I am being too hard on the graphics, but Horizon Zero Dawn is now over 4.5 years old and I think its graphics largely hold up and still look amazing, though just my opinion.

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I think graphics comparisons are always tricky, especially when it comes to multi-platform (like the Witcher 3) and solo platform (Horizon Zero Dawn).
The Witcher 3 still looks amazing on PC, in my opinion. And I love what they did for Blood&Wine, art wise.

 

[Alek]

I think the combat is bad but on the other hand I also think the combat in Assassins Creed, Yakuza, and Judgement are also pretty bad. Even open world narrative shooters like Far Cry 3 or even Ghost Recon Wildlands have pretty awful gameplay mechanics in many ways.

It seems almost universal that the scope of these open world style of games gets in the way of delivering on all fronts.

Ghost of Tsushima has good combat, but it's much more focused and I found gets pretty repetitive as a result. You don't really have a lot of options, and there are just a handful of enemy types throughout the whole game.

I think the Witcher's combat is dull and feels unresponsive but it serves its purpose when it needs to. So long as you don't push the difficulty too high you can mostly ignore much of the bad design.

 

[The-JUV]

I love The Witcher 3 so much. Yeah, the combat isn't the best, but the story and characters kept me so invested, and Novigrad blew my mind with how detailed it was and how much time you spend there. And the game just keeps going, even when you think it's about to end, and never feels like it's dragging either because the story is so engrossing (at least for me). First game on the PS4 that really impressed me.

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yeah you just hit the 3 things I liked most about the game!

 

[Nezacant]

Witcher 3's combat is so much better if you place the game on its highest difficulty. Anything other than that then most of the combat systems are useless. PC version shines here too as you can use UI mods to quickly apply blade oils and potions depending on the fight. Shame they never fixed that in the base game. I also love DA:I. It's combat is worse than W3 though. I feel like Dark Souls has ruined combat for a lot of action RPGs however.

Agree about the party aspect of DA:I over W3. I love RPGs with parties but W3 didn't suffer from not having an adventuring party.

The graphics complaint is a bit strange to me... It's a 6 year old game. I would say the graphics were on par if not better than DA:I which only came out a year before.

 

[Lotus]

Yeah the combat is the main reason i could never get into it. It's horrible

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Took me over a year to beat this solely because of that. In the end I just put it on the easiest difficulty, and enjoyed the excellent storytelling

Comparing Witcher 3 to Breath of the Wild is funny considering how much the combat and weapon durability blows.

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BotW's combat is a lot more fun to play around with, and I vastly prefer their answer to dealing with weapon durability (the weapons are basically ammo, you move on when it's about to break) as opposed to W3 where you have to stop everything you're doing and go back to repair stuff you can't let go of

 

[John Harker]

At the time, I stopped playing in favor of DA Inquisition with the intent of coming back eventually.

fast forward, I think pretty fondly of Witcher 3 but never touched it again and DAI ended up being my GOTY and after the Solas DLC, one of my favorite in years so :🤷: I feel ya

 

[giapel]

I got TW3 on the switch and gave up shortly after the bloody baron quest. I know I'm unfair to the game and it probably has many redeeming qualities but it suffers in comparison to botw(different games yada yada yada). Nowadays, if your game is not playable (ie enjoyable) without a minimap then I'm not bothering.

 

[Panam]

BotW's combat is a lot more fun to play around with, and I vastly prefer their answer to dealing with weapon durability (the weapons are basically ammo, you move on when it's about to break) as opposed to W3 where you have to stop everything you're doing and go back to repair stuff you can't let go of

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Honestly never had a problem with repairing in TW3 considering you can carry around repair kits. At worst you can mod it out of the game together with other nitpicks like inventory space.

 

[Panam]

I got TW3 on the switch and gave up shortly after the bloody baron quest. I know I'm unfair to the game and it probably has many redeeming qualities but it suffers in comparison to botw(different games yada yada yada). Nowadays, if your game is not playable (ie enjoyable) without a minimap then I'm not bothering.

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How do you even begin to imagine playing Breath of the Wild without the map (neither really needs the minimap, that's just nitpicking)? It's so heavily reliant on fast travel and scouring where to go next to explore.

 

[The Traveller]

I really enjoyed both games, but for different reasons. They both have their strengths.

Witcher 3 I felt was the better game overall because of the world, characters, and writing. The combat needed some balancing, the cross bow was entirely useless and it lacks the real-time finesse of something like dark souls. Also that combat music was super grating on my ears...

I did prefer the more tactical combat of Inquisition. Playing the roll of tank and managing the battlefield was more engaging. The "open world" and its quests though often made it feel like it was knocking off a check list of errands for people rather than fleshing out the world. I'm playing pillars recently and they have excellent quest design, it meshes with the world so well.

 

[The Iron Banana]

Yeah I get that and maybe I am misremembering, but I always thought many still claimed it to be one of the best looking open world games on console to this day. It still looks good I'm not saying it's ugly at all, and maybe my expectations were just a bit too high due to how much praise this game gets on here.

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There was a lot of attention placed on how the open world should look which means they chose the right kinds of plants for the environment. It's pretty accurate and attention to detail I can appreciate. The RDR games of course are comparable. I wish more open world games would focus on the small stuff like that.

 

[Phellps]

The world is wonderful and the story is good - when it's not written for immature straight teenage boys, which is whenever a busty woman shows up -, but the gameplay is just really basic and the combat just wasn't very fun. And a lot of quests consist of running in circles in some forest following tracks or smell to find the next beast you're going to spam Quen and slash at.

Overall it's a solid 8/10, but definitely not the GOTG for me.

 

[ciddative]

I got strong Witcher 3 vibes when I played BOTW. It has been more influential than you realise

 

[Scarface]

LOVE the world and the story. I really enjoyed the witcher contracts and how supernatural things can get.

The combat and the way the game feels to play is what prevented me from finishing the game, though.

 

[Burly]

I'm just finishing up Witcher 3 and I really like the first 2/3 of this game, but I have completely lost the plot in the last 1/3.

Spoiler

Like apparently these mythological Horsemen of the Apocalypse that have been chasing Ciri, are actually just elves in spooky armor. Also they like to hang out and throw a kegger with the locals once a year, that no one has ever heard about until now. Also Geralt was one of them at some point? But he forgot. Er... well now he remembers. But they don't tell us, the player, anything about that.

 

[Killzig]

I like both games, but you're complaining about the combat in TW3 while DA:I has bad combat with absolutely insufferable HP bloat on some enemies. At least with TW3 you can obliterate most things once you figure out alchemy. Is there just a different scale for games that have more of an action presentation?

 

[cowbanana]

I absolutely loved The Witcher 3, such a fantastic and atmospheric game on PC. The overall story and main characters are great and there's so many details and minor stories to explore and experience on the side. Masterclass game.

And since you mention DAI, well... that's one of the wost games I've played. Terrible writing/characters and a game desing that can best be described as a dull single player MMO. Just terrible.

 

[The-JUV]

I like both games, but you're complaining about the combat in TW3 while DA:I has bad combat with absolutely insufferable HP bloat on some enemies. At least with TW3 you can obliterate most things once you figure out alchemy. Is there just a different scale for games that have more of an action presentation?

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I never said that DA:I has better combat just that I think I prefer DA:I over TW3 in general, but again that could be due to the fact I played DA:I on release where I really enjoyed the game, whereas I did not play TW3 on release. However, one of the main points as to why I like DA:I over TW3 deals with the party aspects of the game that are lacking in TW3.

 

[OneTrueJack]

I'm glad another brave voice has joined me at my "Witcher 3 is overrated" camp. It's a very good game but I would hesitate to ever call it great because of what I fund to be significant shortcomings in both narrative and gameplay. A game buoyed by the strength of its visual presentation (relative to scope and genre) and the depth of its quality side content.

 

[Prine]

DA: Inquisition ? Lol

Collect 5 mandrake root, 10 cloth, wandering in vast land with nothing but filler is better then Red Baron quest?

Cannot take anything you say seriously OP, sorry. Quite possibly the worse display of judgement I've seen on era.

DA I was trash.

 

[KomandaHeck]

I'll never understand how people so vehemently hate the combat in this game. Its not great, arguably not even that good, but it's not even remotely as bad as people like to claim.

For an open-world action RPG, it's a miracle the combat is as decent as it is.

 

[Graven]

I think TW3 combat is fine, it can be improved, but i did have fun doing battles, easily one of my favorite games of all time.

DA:I however was a miserable experience in almost every aspect, the visuals were nice, but eveything else was a drag.

Dragon Age 2 is better than Inquisition IMO.

 

[Deleted member 4346]

Now onto the things I dislike about this game;

1) The combat fucking blows in this game no offense, and this is still something that is quite important to me in general. Normally I would have dropped this game with how bad the combat is, but the story was great and kept me going to the finish line.

2) I honestly don't think the graphics are that special, now I'm assuming on PC it looks way better, but on a PS4Pro and comparing to a lot of the Sony first party games and RDR2, I just wasn't that impressed by the graphics.

3) Continuing with (2) I also don't think the art direction is that special in this game either. Breath of the Wild while technically is graphically inferior, I absolutely preferred its open world and use of color and art direction to get me interested in exploring its open world. More recently Ghost of Tsushima has a way more interesting open world to explore, and with much better combat.

4) Lack of a party. This last reason I think overall is why I may prefer Dragon Age Inquisition. While there are definitely awesome characters in the Witcher 3, the lack of a party and having that customization is a huge downer for me. I also found the lore in the Dragon Age games to be a bit more interesting than what you get in the Witcher 3, though I think the main quest line in the Witcher 3 itself is told better.


I'd still rate this game highly at an 8.5/10 since the story kept me fully engaged and interested to the end, and in 2015 I probably would have liked this game much more. However, with all the other great games that have come out since then, I just can't put this game close to those I would consider for GOTG, and I am somewhat surprised by how highly adored this game is in general.

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It was my Game of the Generation, over Bloodborne and RDR2, but I think most of these criticisms are valid. We've seen other games come out in the last 6 years that have improved on the various aspects that made the Witcher 3 so awesome when it came out. Horizon: Zero Dawn and Breath of the Wild have better combat. Red Dead Redemption 2 and HZD have better art and visuals (among others).

The lack of a party and the shallowness of the character customization did ding the game a bit for me, too, compared to party-based CRPGs. There are RPGs that have single characters but provide more varied playstyles based on how you build your character. TW3's Geralt feels pretty much the same no matter which path you go down, sadly.

For me, though, all of the other open-world games in the GotG conversation have more egregious flaws. RDR2 is an absolute slog to play due to the slow animations of the MC. Bloodborne is similar, brilliant game but the awful framepacing makes it a chore to play after Dark Souls 3 on PC, and the build variety is limited. Breath of the Wild succeeds as a sandbox experience but the awful weapon-breaking system and the lack of narrative/character development/worldbuilding/dungeons makes the game ultimately feel pointless. The Witcher 3's combat isn't great but I think it bothered me less than the flaws in these other games. The game isn't centered around the combat.

 

[thetrin]

The PS4 version of a PC game released in 2015 looks worse than the multi-million dollar open world game made by Rockstar which was released 3 years later.
Like, is this really surprising? TW3 is a 6 years+ old game and the console versions were never a looker to begin with.

TW3 was CDPR first AAA game, first open world game and first multiplatform title with a day and date release, the fact that they pulled a game like TW3 is pretty impressive.

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Witcher 2 was their first AAA game.

 

[Sacrilicious]

Hard disagree. I'm replaying it right now and think it holds up really well.

The comment about graphics is a strange one, but I played it on PC and thought it looked great. No, it's not as ridiculously detailed as RDR2 but it's still very impressive for a 2015.

I always thought the combat was fine by RPG standards (leagues ahead of most open world RPGs) but I know that's a polarizing one. It has some issues, especially how spongey some enemies are, but the core mechanics are solid and I like how it incorporates witcher abilities.

Different strokes I guess, but ranking Inquisition over TW3 is a first for me.

 

[Zachary_Games]

My first playthrough was April of 2020. I never played any of the previous entries. TW3 is my all-time #2 game.

The combat is average. Maybe it feels worse because everything else is 10/10 greatness in comparison? I lowered the difficulty which I found made the combat much more enjoyable.

 

[Killzig]

I never said that DA:I has better combat just that I think I prefer DA:I over TW3 in general, but again that could be due to the fact I played DA:I on release where I really enjoyed the game, whereas I did not play TW3 on release. However, one of the main points as to why I like DA:I over TW3 deals with the party aspects of the game that are lacking in TW3.

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Fair enough. I would also say I like the supporting cast around Geralt and how those relationships developed over the three games more than I liked any of the companions in DA:I and it didn't matter much to me that they weren't present for every combat mission. Made it more memorable when you had those occasions where they did come out or interact for story beats.

 

[Elandyll]

OP, you're not crazy (or we both are).
I too prefer DAI by a long shot.
Dorian is a goat character, and replaying through In Hushed Whispers still gives me shivers at that Leliana scene.

It's just a shame DAI is so bloated with collect-a-thons, some of which are tied to companion quests or interesting locations unfortunately.

 

[Raigor]

Witcher 2 was their first AAA game.

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The Witcher 2 costed $10 million back in 2011.

For comparison; TW3 ended up costing over $81 million and Cyberpunk 2077 reached $300 million.

 

[Thrill_house]

Hands down the absolute best game of the previous gen. The combat wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. CD projekt could pump out stinkers until they go broke and I'll still be thankful we at least got this.

 

[The-JUV]

OP, you're not crazy (or we both are).
I too prefer DAI by a long shot.
Dorian is a goat character, and replaying through In Hushed Whispers still gives me shivers at that Leliana scene.

It's just a shame DAI is so bloated with collect-a-thons, some of which are tied to companion quests or interesting locations unfortunately.

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Yeah if DA:I streamlined and focused on the main quest while removing a lot of those annoying collect-a-thons I think it may be more favorably viewed by others in the long-run. Also, the Solas focused story DLC to set up where the game is heading was really well done and has me very excited for DA4.

 

[bbg_g]

I personally really loved W3. Story was great imo and some of the best side quests in the business. I understand the complaints about the combat but I personally never had an issue with it. I actually kind of liked how clunky it was and how you can't control Geralt on a dime. I personally felt like it added to the "grounded" feeling of the overall vibe.

DA:I though I couldn't even get half-way through and never bothered with it again.

 

[Cameron122]

It was my GOTY 2015 and I didn't even play the dlc. Yea the combat could be better but I loved the quests and I think it has my favorite cities in a third person RPG. Inquisition…I think Dragon Age Origins is the only good game in the series.

 

[stn]

I thought Inquisition was pretty okay but it didn't come close to TW3.

 

[smurfx]

i started the witcher series with this game and i freaking loved it. combat wasn't the best but i loved the world and the sidequest kept me playing. been waiting for the ps5 version to come out to replay it.

 

[Starsunder]

I didn't enjoy it at all, and quit after about 20 hours, having wanted to give it a fair shake. The combat was fucking bad, which is a shame because the world and lore were cool

 

[Neilg]

the multi-million dollar open world game made by Rockstar which was released 3 years later.

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I think it's fairer to call rdr2 a half billion dollar game. all games are multi-million these days...!

 

[uncledonnie]

I just played through DA Inquisition again. It's a great game. Also, not nearly as good as Witcher 3. The criticism of the combat in general is just hyperbole. It's not perfect but it's more than serviceable and if you learn the systems can be highly satisfying. And I know DA is a totally different style of combat but it's also flawed in many ways, moreso in my opinion.

 

[CurseVox]

I seriously don't get the big combat gripes here with Witcher 3. Sure, it's not Dark Souls or anything but it's fine. To say it's trash is just complete nonsense though.

Anyone know when the next gen patch is going to drop for Witcher 3?

 

[Sigurd2990]

I loved the game. I even don't mind the combat. Something about it was super satisfying to play

 

[Leo-Tyrant]

Yeah the combat is the main reason i could never get into it. It's horrible

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Yeah I have tried 3 different times throughout the years to get farther and farther into the game. I never end up playing more than 2-3 hours.

The game also always looks "over-saturated"? I dont like how the light looks in most areas.

There is also a lot of jank which bothered me as it clashed with the seriousness of the aesthetic and models.

 

[Citizencope]

I liked DA:I better also. I played one after the other and I felt lonely in Witcher 3.

 

[No Depth]

Put 350 hours into the game over like two years.

Combat had issues, but horrible feels disingenuous. Enemies often required well-timed attacks and considered use of artes or parries. Use of bestiary and understanding your tools was very helpful. Certainly at least on the highest diff.

It took adjusting to condition to Geralt's animations initially, but it shouldn't take long to understand his ranges and attacks based on distance and direction. It's rather consistent.

That said, magic is OP still(fire and push will decimate most foes). Sword can be as well(outside a few fights). Basically if you push far enough in any skill tree, you can basically overcome most combat obstacles.

Still, I would have put another 350 hours in if the game had more to do. I squeezed every drop and it left me still wanting.

 

[Orange]

CDPR is amazing at world, writing and quest design but the mechanics are just not there for me.

 

[bixente]

I really enjoyed Dragon Age Inquisition. Great game. But The Witcher 3 is on a whole other level.