I agree with Vader that the combat is very action game-lite in a bad way, but it reminds me more of something like Dark Souls than Batman (that's an odd comparison). Yes, Dark Souls is an RPG---but one with an action game engine for its combat; hey, kinda like The Witcher!
I bring the comparison up, though, because, like Leo, when the combat is hard I enjoy it. The fight against the famous wraith was really cool; her pattern was fun, using the magic trap to do more damage to her was cool because you had to keep her in it while dodging her attacks at the same time. The fights against multiple weak enemies earlier felt a bit boring and awkward, but that fight was very promising.
Best thing to say about The Witcher is: it's a little bit of everything while being absolutely its own thing at the same time. It plays differently for everyone. I feel it plays a lot like Arkham with its stuns, projectiles, dodging and parrying, but that's just the way I play.
I keep seeing the comparison to Arkham/Mordor made about TW3's combat, but honestly I don't feel they're that much alike, TW3 doesn't have the combo-oriented approach to combat that Arkham or Mordor have, and unlike those two games where blocking AND countering is essential to maintain a good flow in a fight, here variety is key, with dodges, rolls, signs and throwables mixed with light and hard blows. I've won fights against groups of enemies where I haven't had the need to block or parry even once.
I tried hairworks last night, it's...eeeeh. Eats up a LOT of FPS and while it does look arguably cool, I wish there was an option to restrict it to beasts instead of only Geralt or everything else. Dunno. I prefer to play the game at a locked 60 fps on ultra than to play it @40-ish fps with hairworks enabled.
Also the sharpening filter is weird. It sears your eyeballs but if you turn it off everything looks blurry.
One thing I really like and that has been mentioned elsewhere is the way characters, especially Geralt, react in conversation. During an early quest in White Orchard you are talking to a weird old lady, who at some point during the conversation leans towards Geralt as she speaks, you can see Geralt lean back a bit with an expression that can only mean he's being creeped out by this weird old woman.
Hairworks? Is that the Witcher version of TressFX?
Yes, it's nvidia's own hair thingie.
Hmmm. I must say that I'm intrigued by this Hairworks. How well does it render pubes?
i'll let you know when I see Triss' magnificent, flaming bush.
lol@the frying pan quest. Starting to enjoy this game now.
I'm really enjoying my time with this. The attention to detail is astounding. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does everything very well ( Well, not swimming controls).
edgecrusher said:Hairworks? Is that the Witcher version of TressFX?
GAF had a comparison I kind of preferred it with Hairworks off. Hairworks was too neat and shiny.
GAF calls hairworks noodlehair.
I downloaded some kind of hair pack with the PS version. I think I'll play around with it tonight.
The thing that makes this game stand out compared to previous games are definitely the side quests. All I've really done so far is go around and do quests off that first notice board you come across, and open up all the places of interest on the map. Good shit. I personally don't like using the horse for some reason...I just prefer walking around.
Same here. I prefer walking just to explore.
You guys compare this to Skyrim, but I get a serious Red Dead Redemption vibe when exploring. It's similar in feel in how I can hunt, ride and discover the countryside, run into troubling bandits and even collect herbs. I love how there's a much more spiritual connection to RDR than any other game to me.
It feels very different from the other games in the series.
Is this the Witcher 3 thread, or the let's compare Witcher 3 to Skyrim thread and downplay all the great stuff that the game does to make it seem like its an average game? It doesn't seem like Skyrim or any other Elder Scrolls game to me...no Witcher game has. Unless you consider any game that has a large world to explore as being like Elder Scrolls. To me, Witcher has in the past and remains today, its own thing. The only games I would consider it similar to at all would be Bioware's games, with the whole morality choices and being the character you want to be type of thing going on.
Anyway, I didn't play as much as I wanted last night, was just too tired. But today is a different story. I'm very early in, but I have a few thoughts: