I played a ton yesterday, finally got to novigrad. I feel like it's time for a mid game review of sorts. I'm convinced that witcher 3 is setting a new standard for storytelling in a vast open world. I think other games need to take note, this world feels alive and responsive to your actions in ways most games don't. That alone makes me see how some will proclaim this the best RPG they ever played.
For me and my preferences witcher 3 feels a too simple from a gameplay perspective. I'm not saying it's bad, I find the combat to be engaging when battling enemies of a similar level, you cannot let your guard down. I find gwent to be hugely addicting. But I feel that this game is very set in its ways and there won't be many surprises. I almost feel like I can write a full review now and be accurate on how the rest of the game will play out. I highly doubt there will be a boss battle that is different say a pattern boss rather than a tougher than usual enemy. I don't forsee a giant scripted action sequence. There is no emergent gameplay to the open world, this is not a sandbox game, you can't mess with guards or randomly enter a chase, or stealthy rob people or do anything outside the strict gameplay rules which is talk and fight. And that works for this game cause you are a witcher, and a witcher doesn't need to do those things.
The way I see it witcher 3 populates it's open world with story moments scattered all around. While a lot of other open world games scatter small gameplay diversions around. Both have their strength and weaknesses and I wish someone would create a great combination of the two.
Yeah I'd say that's pretty much spot on and I don't see the game changing either. It's pretty much set in what it tries to do and I don't see it deviating from that formula. And of course it would be mindblowing to get a game that combines this kind of narrative and writing and truly emergent gameplay as well, although I'm not sure if the two approaches to open world roleplaying could even be compatible, from a game design standpoint.
Your preliminary analysis gets 3.5 penises out of 4 from me.
And one plus.
SteelAttack said:And one plus.
A plus to you as well my good sir. All that being sad, my god I can't pry myself from the controller. I love this world!
I finally got some fucking pussy today....that alone skyrockets Witcher 3 to GOTY #1 as of now.
No work thursday and friday, can't wait to be able to play it for huge chunks of time again.
You can't stealthily rob people only because everyone is so blind...probably from being constantly robbed blind.
edgecrusher said:I finally got some fucking pussy today....that alone skyrockets Witcher 3 to GOTY #1 as of now.
I hooked up with my second woman today.
I ran through some truly amazing quests today including a very heartbreaking one. The last one, though, ending about as perfectly as they come. I still can't force myself to leave Novigrad.
travo said:I hooked up with my second woman today.
You whoreson! 
I feel like novigrad has slowed down the game considerably. There is almost no action. Quests have become basic fetch quests of people. Go here talk to him, go there talk to her, go there, go here, over there, now back over here, oh fight a few guards, go over there. And so on. Of course with some gwent in between. But man what the hell happened to the good quests. The city is huge and looks lovely but there is nothing to do except hit up icons on a map,
I can't wait to get back to the open world.
'Novi' means 'new'
And 'grad' means 'city'
So Novigrad is new city
This is my contribution to this thread.
I will let myself out!
Iga_Bobovic said:'Novi' means 'new'
And 'grad' means 'city'
So Novigrad is new city
This is my contribution to this thread.
I will let myself out!
Then I want to rename it Novi-Jack-Grad! I'll let myself out.
Lol travo
Archangel3371 said:
...junior
Dvader said:I feel like novigrad has slowed down the game considerably. There is almost no action. Quests have become basic fetch quests of people. Go here talk to him, go there talk to her, go there, go here, over there, now back over here, oh fight a few guards, go over there. And so on. Of course with some gwent in between. But man what the hell happened to the good quests. The city is huge and looks lovely but there is nothing to do except hit up icons on a map,
I can't wait to get back to the open world.
Hmmm, there are quite a few like this, but there are amazing ones where you explore the sewers, go on a quest for a serial killer and solve a mystery regarding an old friend. Like I said, there's one that I found to be really heartbreaking.
Oh, and the play.
Yeah I have done none of those yet. I'm doing the main quests, they suck.
travo said:Hmmm, there are quite a few like this, but there are amazing ones where you explore the sewers, go on a quest for a serial killer and solve a mystery regarding an old friend. Like I said, there's one that I found to be really heartbreaking.
Oh, and the play.
What are the names of these quests because I don't seem to have gotten them.
Dvader said:What are the names of these quests because I don't seem to have gotten them.
The names I remember are " Now or Never, " " Pyres of Novigrad," and "Carnal Sins."
Update 1.04/1.05 are finally out.
It's about time for me to head to Skellige, but I don't want to. There's soooo many little quests I'd like to handle. Plus, how the hell did I pull off forty hours of gameplay in a week and a half?