The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [2014]

[Keyrock]

I'm thinking somebody's measurements and/or math is off or not that entire area will actually be traverseable.  I know CDPR is shooting for The RPG To End All RPGs and all, but that's still pretty silly.  Still, the idea of a city that's actually the size of a real life city (or at least a good sized town), rather than the standard video game city that's the size of a real life village is appealing, provided it's actually filled with stuff to do, rather than just streets to wander aimlessly.  Anyway, we'll find out for sure in February, I guess.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Keyrock

[Drowsy Emperor]

In this hobby I've heard all sorts of BS promises, but the fact is that games at best offer incremental improvements over the competition, and even some of the "improvements" over the years lead to getting less in the long run. Just look at the size of Baldur's Gate II in comparison with latter 3D games.

 

So to whatever CDP says, I'd just smile and nod and not believe a word of it.

[Nonek]

Yes, though a fan of the last two games I admit they had problems and I think a healthy degree of scepticism is warranted, no offence to Mr Nightshape is intended of course.

 

You see that far away field, you can plough it.

[teknoman2]

I'm thinking somebody's measurements and/or math is off or not that entire area will actually be traverseable.  I know CDPR is shooting for The RPG To End All RPGs and all, but that's still pretty silly.  Still, the idea of a city that's actually the size of a real life city (or at least a good sized town), rather than the standard video game city that's the size of a real life village is appealing, provided it's actually filled with stuff to do, rather than just streets to wander aimlessly.  Anyway, we'll find out for sure in February, I guess.

i think that is the realistic size of the area, that will be scaled down for the game

[TheChris92]

I really want Shani to return in this game - She's the only female character crafted by CD Projekt I actually like.

[mkreku]

That's way too big.

 

There's no such thing.

[licketysplit]

I really want Shani to return in this game - She's the only female character crafted by CD Projekt I actually like

 

Better than Rayla, Triss, Sile, Ves, Phillipa?..son I am disappoint. Shani can't magically undress or shoot fireballs. She can't challenge Geralt to a dual. She can't outsmart him or aid him really. Too meek imo. Looking forward to Yennefer myself. 

[TheChris92]

Triss was about as interesting as a blocked toilet is to a plumber -- She's more of an expert of getting her ass kidnapped throughout all of Witcher 2, than actually being a mage -- She's a glorified damsel in distress whom Geralt can put his nob in. Not to mention her voice actress sucks a rusty fire hydrant and I downright dislike everything about her personality. Don't even get me started on the other mages or witches or whatever they are -- Ves was okay I suppose but to me Shani was the only female character that actually felt like a independent strong woman, not adhering to bad-ass action girl stereotypes or fragile flower, sardonic tease, and humourless austerity. Heck, she's not perfect but she's the best among a questionable selection of tripe.

Edited April 12, 2014 by TheChris92

[HoonDing]

Cynthia is my new favourite sorry

[Nonek]

Triss was about as interesting as a blocked toilet is to a plumber -- She's more of an expert of getting her ass kidnapped throughout all of Witcher 2, than actually being a mage -- She's a glorified damsel in distress whom Geralt can put his nob in. Not to mention her voice actress sucks a rusty fire hydrant and I downright dislike everything about her personality. Don't even get me started on the other mages or witches or whatever they are -- Ves was okay I suppose but to me Shani was the only female character that actually felt like a independent strong woman, not adhering to bad-ass action girl stereotypes or fragile flower, sardonic tease, and humourless austerity. Heck, she's not perfect but she's the best among a questionable selection of tripe.

 

In fairness damsel in distress was Geralt's role in the first game, where Triss rescued him repeatedly, so turn about seems fair to me. Personally though Philippa is of course my favourite, a character almost on a level with Kreia in my opinion.

 

Edit: I find Triss interesting in only one respect, that is her manipulation of Geralt's feelings and slumbering memories, after Yen's last talk with her on this subject I expect there to be fireworks when the two finally meet. If Yen's memories are restored, and she's not Emhyr's consort herself as Drudanae postulated.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Nonek

[licketysplit]

Triss was about as interesting as a blocked toilet is to a plumber -- She's more of an expert of getting her ass kidnapped throughout all of Witcher 2, than actually being a mage -- She's a glorified damsel in distress whom Geralt can put his nob in. Not to mention her voice actress sucks a rusty fire hydrant and I downright dislike everything about her personality. Don't even get me started on the other mages or witches or whatever they are -- Ves was okay I suppose but to me Shani was the only female character that actually felt like a independent strong woman. 

 

Uh..did you play W1? She was pulling his ass outta trouble right and left. She also aided him in W2 before Letho nabbed her. And we're talking about Letho here, not some two bit mercenary. Shani was the least proactive of all the female characters I can think of, so you have a strange definition of damsel in distress.

[TheChris92]

 

Triss was about as interesting as a blocked toilet is to a plumber -- She's more of an expert of getting her ass kidnapped throughout all of Witcher 2, than actually being a mage -- She's a glorified damsel in distress whom Geralt can put his nob in. Not to mention her voice actress sucks a rusty fire hydrant and I downright dislike everything about her personality. Don't even get me started on the other mages or witches or whatever they are -- Ves was okay I suppose but to me Shani was the only female character that actually felt like a independent strong woman. 

 

Uh..did you play W1? She was pulling his ass outta trouble right and left. She also aided him in W2 before Letho nabbed her. And we're talking about Letho here, not some two bit mercenary. Shani was the least proactive of all the female characters I can think of, so you have a strange definition of damsel in distress.

 

 

At first I got bored with the game too quick because of the slow-paced combat, overly complicated interface, and boring MMO-inspired fetch quests. Currently playing it now and it's actually fianlly getting interesting -- My judgement was based on the second game, where she is most definitely a damsel in distress. You spend the entire game trying to rescue her and she offers as about as much assistance to the plot as any of the random number generators, aka. NPCs do.  I could not hit that button to 'not save her' in the last chapter fast enough. And I'd say your definition of what makes a great character based on being able to shoot lightning out of ones ass to be rather questionable. I consider this, based on only having played the first game. Triss is reliant on Geralt having to save her most of the time, there's even one stupid sequence where Roche has to carry her useless ass through a battlefield. She comes off as being nothing more than another trollop Geralt can stick his nob in, which I suppose speaks for most of the females in the Witcher but let's not go there. Now before you start lecturing me about the books or whatever happens in Witcher 1 I'll say that my judgement is based solely how her character was in Witcher 2, which is not Witcher 1, so I don't really care because it is irrelevant. And no I'm not saying Shani is a perfect character. In fact, someone above mentioned Kreia and she'll be close to what I consider a perfect female character. Shani is a lesser of many evils. She has her own dreams & goals, comes off as being independent, and not too reliant on Geralt to tell her what to do with herself or even reaching her dreams.

Edited April 12, 2014 by TheChris92

[Nonek]

Well to be fair she had overextended herself magically in the situation where Roche has to carry her from the Shore to Flotsam, that is not a sign of being a damsel in distress, merely having limits on her power so I personally had no problems with it. Then again I did not like her voice actress in the second game but also never slept with her, so the objections you raise to her and Geralt being intimate did not matter to me, it was simply part of their backstory.

 

Edit: Personally I preferred her in the first game, saving Geralt numerous times, coordinating the alliance of power brokers against Salamandra, saving and mentoring Alvin, advising Foltest of course and all while taking advantage of Geralt's fledgling memories of a Sorceress being important to him. She was quite a little Yennefer in that instance, and showed signs of being so again before Letho interrupted her and Cedric in Sile's apartment.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Nonek

[TheChris92]

A rather weak excuse if you ask me. Feels more like it was done for convenience sake to actually give Geralt a motive to keep searching for the Kingslayer beyond "He might know something about stuff". That & the intimacy obviously plays its part in the process of indirectly encouraging the player to care about Triss' character in Witcher 2. But perhaps I'm overcompensating since I haven't played it for a year now but I remember her character well enough for me to care as little about her as possible.

Edited April 12, 2014 by TheChris92

[Nonek]

No the motive to catch and resolve the Kingslayer enigma was to clear Geralts name of regicide, of course Triss might be a factor for people who care about her as an old friend of the White Wolf who'd saved his life repeatedly, but personally only the former reason mattered to me. Her attempted manipulation of Geralt's feelings and conversation with Philippa at the beginning of Chapter 3 of the first game left me untrustworthy personally, and her safety was not my characters primary responsibility.

 

There is also Geralt's curiosity about a Witcher following this different path, and Letho's prior knowledge of him, which feeds into what may be the theme of the second game, what is a Witcher? As opposed to the first games, what is a monster?

[TheChris92]

Hence why I said "beyond 'he might know something about stuff'" Obviously he'd do it to clear his name too. It wouldn't have been a big deal for me to bring it up if the game didn't try too hard for me to care about her ass. Now one can bring up the books and it would mean precisely as much given the games obviously go in a different direction. In the end it's still an RPG and thus the choice is left to the player. I've already said my piece about Triss' insignificance in the second game, beyond being a nice ass to save, and how she annoys me to no end so let's leave it at that.

Edited April 12, 2014 by TheChris92

[Nonek]

Fair enough Mr Chris, personally I never saved her either so this is not a defence of her in the second game, I merely find discussion of the finer points of the game to be interesting. Unlike most modern rpg's it has quite a solid and coherent plot, yet with shades of subtlety that I find attractive.

 

Edit: For instance the bonus to magic resistance one gains at the Roses of Remembrance if one rebuffs Triss is interesting, it points to the fact she was either using magic or the Roses to manipulate her friend.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Nonek

[licketysplit]

Hence why I said "beyond 'he might know something about stuff'" Obviously he'd do it to clear his name too. It wouldn't have been a big deal for me to bring it up if the game didn't try too hard for me to care about her ass. Now one can bring up the books and it would mean precisely as much given the games obviously go in a different direction. In the end it's still an RPG and thus the choice is left to the player. I've already said my piece about Triss' insignificance in the second game, beyond being a nice ass to save, and how she annoys me to no end so let's leave it at that.

 

The game doesn't make you care about her. You have occasion to rebuff her advances and if I remember correctly, not to save her at all. Letho does instead. If you don't like her, fine. But you don't have a solid grasp on her character.

 

@Nonek. A good observation, but I think W3 will be about who is Geralt? They've called it a personal journey, so it makes sense Geralt gets a chance to wrap up loose ends and pursue the goals relevant to him. Though I expect some politics to slow him down. 

Edited April 12, 2014 by licketysplit

[TheChris92]

I actually like the second game a lot --  Especially the combat, except for the contrived potion system, where the game supposedly think the player has the power of clairvoyance to predict whenever combat is gonna start. Because only a true gentlemen drinks potions before battle, regardless of knowing when it's gonna happen. What I didn't like too was most of the female characters, but beyond that I liked characters like Roche, Iorveth, Letho and so on.

[TheChris92]

 

Hence why I said "beyond 'he might know something about stuff'" Obviously he'd do it to clear his name too. It wouldn't have been a big deal for me to bring it up if the game didn't try too hard for me to care about her ass. Now one can bring up the books and it would mean precisely as much given the games obviously go in a different direction. In the end it's still an RPG and thus the choice is left to the player. I've already said my piece about Triss' insignificance in the second game, beyond being a nice ass to save, and how she annoys me to no end so let's leave it at that.

 

 But you don't have a solid grasp on her character.

 

Wow, okay - Well yeah, I admit I did not read the books or finish the first game, because it bored me to tears when I played it the first time. Having said that I did play the second one - judging from that game alone, she's a ****e character. And I don't really care what she's like in anything else that came before, because it doesn't change the fact of what she's like in Witcher 2. Sorry that we don't agree, it happens a lot with me.

Edited April 12, 2014 by TheChris92

[Nonek]

Personally I found the female characters refreshingly well crafted, Philippa of course being the magnificent bastard she is, Sile cold, bitchy and imperious, Anezka the Witch disdaining the outside world, Mama Loredo sitting on all that stolen gold. They were very well designed and potent, and also followed their own agenda rather than sitting around coming and going at the protagonists convenience, I found this refreshing after most games treating women as incompetent, unmotivated slaves of the main character.

 

The potion system I found eminently sensible, I simply took generic Swallow, Rook and Tawny Owl when venturing beyond civilisation or catered it to the foe I was pursuing if I knew them: Nekker's, Endrega, Rotfiend's etcetera.

[Keyrock]

The box art for The Witcher 3 has leaked out:

 

 

Everything shown in the picture comes with the standard boxed edition of the game.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Keyrock

[BruceVC]

The box art for The Witcher 3 has leaked out:

 

 

Everything shown in the picture comes with the standard boxed edition of the game.

 

CDPR never ceases to delight with its value adds for its fans, I'll be buying a hardcopy of this game for sure

[Malcador]

Wonder what goodies will be in the collector's edition. Maybe a dinky Witcher's medallion ?

[Keyrock]

I'll get the digital edition from GOG unless they put out a collector's edition with a Triss Merigold body pillow. 

Edited June 5, 2014 by Keyrock