The Witcher 3

[TheVileOne]

Also 3 chronologically takes place six months after Witcher 2.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Also 3 chronologically takes place six months after Witcher 2.

That must have been a hard six months on Geralt.

 

[sef]

The gameplay demo from about an hour ago:

[YT]BivVXw-NLTw[/YT]Looking good, for a presentation on the XBone.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

This looked pretty good.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Yea. Can't effing wait

 

[sef]

Slightly longer one, with someone more capable on the controls:

[YT]rNBDtFLFi_c[/YT]

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Ugh. I want this yesterday

 

[sef]

IGN demo from today:

[YT]sufwxU_Uaz4[/YT]
There's another one scheduled in less than an hour on gamespot:
gamespot.com/e3/samsung-stage-1-2014/


Also, some first impressions from the behind-closed-doors-press-only-presentation:

The massive, bloody world of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

Though the first two Witcher games offered a very convincing dark fantasy, roleplaying experience, too often they forced players to follow a linear, almost claustrophobic path. Not so in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, where climbing to the top of a mountain offers an immense vista populated entirely by locations players can actually visit.

But it's not just the structure of the virtual realm that impresses, as The Witcher 3 is defined by its smaller components: the slick of a puddle lying in the middle of a city street, a murky, methane haze rising from swamplands and mummified bats decorating the home of a magically-inclined crone. "At CD Projekt RED we pride ourselves on our attention to detail," the developers told me during a screening of the game's early moments. "It's all these details and more that make The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt a true open-world experience."

It's this mention of an "open-world experience" that catches my attention, long after I've stopped marveling at the copious blood spray and viscerally satisfying moments, like when a monster catches a sword at just the right angle to lose half its torso.

The hands-off demonstration I watched featured protagonist Geralt of Rivia (the titular "witcher") returning from having killed a gryphon. He rides into town with the beast's head strapped to the haunch of his steed, though this town is unlike most you'll find in any roleplaying game. Instead of existing purely as a location for players to visit, the town has its own schedule, which it follows whether you're present or not. Fishermen return from the sea, nets full of scaly bounty, while merchants haggle in the streets and prostitutes attempt to entice customers with pitiable shrieks more befitting the harpies Geralt regularly dispatches.

As impressively detailed as the town was, it doesn't compare to the sheer scope of this virtual realm. According to CD Projekt RED's developers, it would take hours to explore just that single city, so instead, Geralt rides out of town, to one of the signposts that serves as a fast travel destination. Our next stop on this tour is a decrepit swamp, and while the fast travel system allows Geralt to immediately leap to this new area, the developers claim that, were he to ride there on horseback at a full gallop, it would take 20 minutes of real-time travel.

Once we reach the swamp, the developers begin to demonstrate the tactical uses for their aforementioned attention to detail. In one battle, Geralt slices a nearby beehive in half, causing a swarm of angry airborne bugs to attack everything nearby - in this case, a trio of swamp women who melt into the muck, only to spring up from the soggy ground, claws aimed at Geralt's face. During another encounter, Geralt uses his magical IGNI sigil to throw a gout of flame, only instead of burning his foes directly, this incendiary bolt ignites a floating pocket of green gas, blowing Geralt's enemies into bloody chunks.

Despite these changes, fans of the first two Witcher entries should feel very at home in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. The Inventory, Journal and Map screens are only slight modifications of their prior incarnations, and a familiar list of dialogue options pops up periodically during conversation. Those hoping for an expansion of the game's lore will be pleased to hear that you can drastically alter the course of the game's plot using simple, yellow dialogue options, a helpful addition that prevents players from unwittingly locking themselves into certain storyline paths.

Scant plot details were revealed during today's demonstration, though Geralt appears to be seeking an "ashen-haired woman" of clear importance. In the few glimpses I was granted of this woman, it was revealed that her hair is nearly the same hue as Geralt's, and, most intriguingly, she bears facial scars suspiciously similar to our hero.

The final image presented by CD Projekt RED was a stark black screen, bearing the Witcher logo and a date: February 24, 2015.

joystiq.com

 

[CapedCrusader14]

Looks like quite a stunning game. I still haven't finished The Witcher II though and likely never will (pile of shame game with Half Life 2) so don't think I'd be picking it up anytime soon.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

IGN demo from today:

[YT]sufwxU_Uaz4[/YT]
There's another one scheduled in less than an hour on gamespot:
gamespot.com/e3/samsung-stage-1-2014/


Also, some first impressions from the behind-closed-doors-press-only-presentation:

joystiq.com

Sounds absolutely amazing

 

[ares834]

This game looks wonderful.

 

[BlackFox]

Must get this game, Witcher 2 was sooo good and this looks leaps and bounds ahead of that! One of the best lead characters in a game, I found W2 to be better than both previous Dragon Age games.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

So, I just realized that Time of Contempt was released last year. I can't believe that I missed that. But, I do remember it being pushed back over and over and over again. Apparently, Baptism of Fire is supposed to release this month?

I've started re-reading The Last Wish, and man that book is just as good the second time if not better, now that I have a better understanding of the universe.

The Witcher 3 has kind of shaken me awake too, because I've only played The Witcher 2 once, having not seen Iorveth's path at the end of the first act.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Some files for this game have been leaked, revealing major story spoilers, so just beware. Here is some info on the size of an area in the game though. No spoilers:

The map of the island of Ard Skellig is said to be 64 kilometres squared, and is just one of the areas you'll be exploring in the game. While we've yet to get confirmation whether or not the landmass has been modified since this map was created, if it's remained similar in terms of mass then the finished product could be massive. With Novigrad and No Man's Land also confirmed as areas you'll traverse, it's probably a good idea to pack your hiking boots.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

There are rumors now that the new Arkham will have the same release date for The Witcher 3. If true, you'd think the Witcher would have to move. Hopefully they move it forward and not back.

Some files for this game have been leaked, revealing major story spoilers, so just beware. Here is some info on the size of an area in the game though. No spoilers:

A link to the spoilers please?

 

[Victarion]

So, I just realized that Time of Contempt was released last year. I can't believe that I missed that. But, I do remember it being pushed back over and over and over again. Apparently, Baptism of Fire is supposed to release this month?

I've started re-reading The Last Wish, and man that book is just as good the second time if not better, now that I have a better understanding of the universe.

The Witcher 3 has kind of shaken me awake too, because I've only played The Witcher 2 once, having not seen Iorveth's path at the end of the first act.

Which translations are you reading? I asked around, and apparently there's a book missing in the sequence we've got here in the states.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

There are rumors now that the new Arkham will have the same release date for The Witcher 3. If true, you'd think the Witcher would have to move. Hopefully they move it forward and not back.


A link to the spoilers please?

I hope neither move. Iv waited long enough haha.

Heres the link to the IGN article which has a link within it to the spoilers. I won't post the direct link to em.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/23/the-witcher-3-files-leak-revealing-massive-64km-sq-map

 

[DarthSkywalker]

It could be disaster for the Witcher to come out on the same day.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

It could be disaster for the Witcher to come out on the same day.

Yea it deff could, although I think the built in fan base the Witcher has could shield it from too much damage. Where Batman might hurt it, is with those gamers who might of been on the fence. With Batman out they more be likely to go with that instead.

Ill buy both on the same day if they do actually release on the same day.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Yea it deff could, although I think the built in fan base the Witcher has could shield it from too much damage. Where Batman might hurt it, is with those gamers who might of been on the fence. With Batman out they more be likely to go with that instead.

Ill buy both on the same day if they do actually release on the same day.

I'd definitely try and get them both, though that is a lot of money. I'd probably go Witcher if I had to pick. Still, I think the worry isn't about the built in fanbase. You are right about that. But this game is really suppose to expand The Witcher and Red. Coming out on both new consoles after a second holiday. Going to be 20mil of the new consoles out there, with many looking for something to play.

 

[Havok83]

Yea it deff could, although I think the built in fan base the Witcher has could shield it from too much damage. Where Batman might hurt it, is with those gamers who might of been on the fence. With Batman out they more be likely to go with that instead.

Ill buy both on the same day if they do actually release on the same day.

The fanbase for the Witcher isn't really that big. The last game sold about 1.5M across PC and 360 vs Arkham City doing over 10M on PC, 360 and PS3. If both are released on the same day and people only have money for one, its likely going to go to Batman. It would be in the game's best interest to release before Batman

 

[ProjectPat2280]

The fanbase for the Witcher isn't really that big. The last game sold about 1.5M across PC and 360 vs Arkham City doing over 10M on PC, 360 and PS3. If both are released on the same day and people only have money for one, its likely going to go to Batman. It would be in the game's best interest to release before Batman

And to be honest I wasn't expecting this new one to do much more. It'd be great if it did, but I think the built in Witcher fans are enough to ensure the series survival.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The fanbase for the Witcher isn't really that big. The last game sold about 1.5M across PC and 360 vs Arkham City doing over 10M on PC, 360 and PS3. If both are released on the same day and people only have money for one, its likely going to go to Batman. It would be in the game's best interest to release before Batman

The last update on the Witcher 2 was a while ago, with it being at 1.7m. The last we heard on the series was early last year, when they crossed the 6m mark for both games combined.

 

[Drz]

I don't see why WB Games would release Witcher 3 and Batman 3 the same time.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I don't see why WB Games would release Witcher 3 and Batman 3 the same time.

Yea it's deff an odd move, but they might not even be releasing at the same time. The Witcher has a hard confirmed date but Batmans release is still rumor based off one retailers website