LogFAQs > #921606621

Going through the process of making these writeups, I feel like I'm going to want to re-rank them as soon as the list is finished.

#32: The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt

The tone and setting of this game absorbed me for about 30 or 40 hours in a way that few have. And there's something unique here. It felt like I was making my way through a solid serial work of fiction.

I should get this out of the way- the combat in The Witcher III sits in a kind of uncanny valley. Don't get me wrong, rarely does such a deep, narrative game have such active gameplay. The problem is that it is good enough to compare unfavorably to the best.

My main complaint is that there is a cool magic/parry/block/dodge/attack system, but the attack animations are so inconsistent that you can't rely on your attacks. Hitting 'fast attack' could result in Geralt cleaving a simple swing or him spinning in a circle before attacking, taking twice as much time. This incentivizes an extremely defensive combat style- particulary in group fights- if you're playing on anything above the lowest difficulty settings.

It was probably an intentional design choice- if the combat is too responsive or too fluid or too easy, preparation isn't necessary and you might as well throw out all of those RPG mechanics.

Granted, all of this does link to the game's theme, which is experience, preparation and responsibility. Geralt has been around the block two, three, or four times already, and his powers are relatively mundane compared to the cast of witches and reality benders around him.

The low-magic world will punish you if you don't use the proper oils and potions relevant to the monster you're tracking. You have to go out of your way to repair your equipment. You essentially walk around interviewing people and examining clues until you find the monster's trail and smell them out.

There's something about the music, the way the wind whistles through the trees, the wavy fields, the feeling of being outdoors in a sad peasant's fantasy world while still getting to set my lazy ass down in my comfy computer chair. The pace is slow. I compare it to reading a novel.

The stories are rational and the characters complex- probably the best in any game ever. Which makes sense, as they're lifted directly from a rich book series. Some of the chapters are extremely strong (everyone brings up the bloody baron and the expansion packs- the three hags are my personal favorite) and I guess a few are a slight disappointment to fans of the book series (the winter). While I do get tired of turning on "witcher sense" and looking for yellow objects, I was always inspired to keep going because of that mystery they're dangling in front of me like a carrot. Hey, realistically, being heroic involves a little bit of tedium. Obstacles aren't meant to be joyful.

I know I shouldn't get hyped, but Cyberpunk 2077 is absolutely on my radar.
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You did indeed stab me in the back. However, you are only level one, whilst I am level 50. That means I should remain uninjured.