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I have never played the Witcher III --- should I?

OrtizTwelve

OrtizTwelve

Member
It's on Game Pass and with all the hype around Cyberpunk 2077 I am curious to see what CD Projekt is all about.

My only question is does it matter if I haven't played Witcher 1 and 2? I don't really know much about the series, so I don't want to dive into what seems like a lengthy game and be lost.

Any suggestions I appreciate.
 
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SCB3

SCB3

Member
Witcher 3 is a very very good game even without the fantastic DLC it has.

I would suggest starting there as the first 2 games are very different (I just replayed 2 again and its vastly different to 3 for example)

If you do wanna catch up and have the time, Joeseph Anderson has done some great videos on the first 2 games so far:





He's finishing off the 3rd video atm (its taken him years at this point)

BUT, its not vital to play the others, you will miss some references and characters from the first 2, but I started on the 3rd game and went back to the others and the books fine, they can all be played pretty much standalone
 
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MiguelItUp

MiguelItUp

Member
I'd say at least give it a shot, it's definitely worth that.

You have the same questions I did when I played, haha. It's not really necessary to have played the previous games. But I just watched 1/2 breakdowns to get that information before diving in for the hell of it.
 
diablos991

diablos991

Can’t stump the diablos
It's a fantastic game. I have never made it to the end due to getting distracted in the beautiful world.
Even though I never finished it, I enjoyed the time I spent with it and plan to spend more time with it.

I say give it a go, this is why gamepass rules!
 
Timeless One

Timeless One

Member
It is one of the best game in the entire generation. Everything from story to design to music are perfect. And dont miss the 2 major expansions (Blood and wine, heartstone). they are almost on par with the main game.
 
OrtizTwelve

OrtizTwelve

Member
It looks like a mix of Fable and Zelda? Is that a good way to understand it?

I'll check it out then. Just didn't want to get involved in a game without knowing the backstory from 1 and 2.
 
Ceadeus

Ceadeus

Gold Member
I doesn't matter very much if you haven't played 1 and 2. I just started anew on switch, after buying it on PS4 at launch. While I couldn't get into it on PS4, years later I'm having tons of fun. It just clicked. Don't bother about everything on the map. Just play the way you want. Quests are fun and well written
 
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Tesseract

Tesseract

Banned
you should try it

the mechanics and encounters are downright awful in many cases but the events and conversations keep things fun

i would play at or a level below death march
 
Timeless One

Timeless One

Member
diablos991 said:
It's a fantastic game. I have never made it to the end due to getting distracted in the beautiful world.
Even though I never finished it, I enjoyed the time I spent with it and plan to spend more time with it.

I say give it a go, this is why gamepass rules!
Click to expand...
Oh you netioned the moving freely in the world. Fields of Skellige ! Just roaming free in it was a joy ! The music, the atmosphere, thunders, wind sound and .... were just phenomenal
 
Glass Prison

Glass Prison

Member
You don't need to play the first two to understand the third one. It's a great game and to me it was one of the most immersive experiences I had this past generation.

Since it's on gamepass, just download it and test it out, you have nothing to lose. I hope you enjoy it
 
D

dwish

Member
Yes.

I actually tired of it after the intro and put it down. 6 months later I picked it up again, resumed from where I left off and spent 100+ hours.

Its one of my favorite games of all time but took some getting into.
 
Tesseract

Tesseract

Banned
OrtizTwelve said:
It looks like a mix of Fable and Zelda? Is that a good way to understand it?

I'll check it out then. Just didn't want to get involved in a game without knowing the backstory from 1 and 2.
Click to expand...
it's not really anything like those games, not mechanically

it's more in the vein of something like gothic w / slightly less engine jank
 
A.Romero

A.Romero

Member
Only if you like open world games set in a fantasy world.

Combat is a bit clunky but everything else is simply amazing. I spent close to 200 hours in that world in a span of 2 or 3 years.
 
Daymos

Daymos

Member
I couldn't get into it, but it's supposed to be great! If you do play I'd suggest heading straight from story point to story point, or at least running directly to each quest. I tried just wandering aimless and having fun.. it wasn't fun at all. I found the theme or 'feel' of the world very depressing and the combat to be too simplistic for what I like in an RPG. I did still play it for a good 50 hours so it was worth my $15 or whatever I paid for it, and it looks amazing on ps4 pro, it's just not my thing apparently.
 
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All_Might

All_Might

Member
giphy.gif
 
Z

zcaa0g

Banned
I've played a lot of RPGs but rarely finish them due to their size. Despite the Witcher 3 being huge and even more huge with the expansions; I still completed. It's a great game, but you will either love or hate it probably.
 
teezzy

teezzy

Banned
I loved Witcher 3 and I've never played the first two.

You'll be fine, the game does a damn fine job explaining to you who everyone is. They didn't design the game expecting everyone to have played 1 & 2. Just kinda pick up on it as you go.
 
LectureMaster

LectureMaster

Member
Pardon me OP but it is your fault having not experienced the game crafted with most sincere hearts :p

To answer your question, you definitely don't need to play Witcher 1 and 2 to enjoy 3. I suggest you watch a recap video on YouTube for what has happened. Also, there is in game codex describing every character too. It's quite funny to read because it's written in Dandelion perspective.
 
supernova8

supernova8

Banned
OrtizTwelve said:
It's on Game Pass and with all the hype around Cyberpunk 2077 I am curious to see what CD Projekt is all about.

My only question is does it matter if I haven't played Witcher 1 and 2? I don't really know much about the series, so I don't want to dive into what seems like a lengthy game and be lost.

Any suggestions I appreciate.
Click to expand...

If it's on Game Pass you may as well give it a try.

As someone who initially hated it, I can give you some early tips:

- the movement animations for Geralt are a bit jarring at first, you need to let your eyes/hands get used to it.
- the combat system can be a bit confusing at first if you haven't played this sort of third person sword-play/sorcery type game before.
Particularly if you go in thinking you can slash your way through everything without parrying or dodging out of the way, you'll die very quickly and you'll start to resent the game.

That's exactly what I did at first and then I finally got the hang of the combat and really started to enjoy it.

I stopped at the second town (my GPU is shit and I want to wait til I can play it at 60fps+ on high settings at a higher resolution) but I'll restart soon enough.
 
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K

kiryani

Member
I’ve been gaming more or less every day, for 23 years - Witcher 3 is my GOAT game; the best I’ve ever played.

Do it or don’t do it, I’ve no need to convince you but that’s my thoughts.
 
Mattdaddy

Mattdaddy

Gold Member
OrtizTwelve said:
It's on Game Pass and with all the hype around Cyberpunk 2077 I am curious to see what CD Projekt is all about.

My only question is does it matter if I haven't played Witcher 1 and 2? I don't really know much about the series, so I don't want to dive into what seems like a lengthy game and be lost.

Any suggestions I appreciate.
Click to expand...

It's one of my favorite games of all time man. I'm not sure what platform you have but if you're on One X or PC its still gorgeous too. If you are on PC I might recommend using a controller, it was easier for me that way.

And no, you don't need to have played the previous games to enjoy it. There are some fun call backs and character cameos to make the world feel all tied together if you have played the other ones... but it fully works on its own without any previous Witcher knowledge.

It's got an in game bestiary too for all characters with lots of info you can read for any extra background info but even that's not necessary either.
 
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Arkam

Arkam

Member
If you have a couple months to dedicate, YES! Its a great game! If you are thinking you can just dip your toe in for a weekend or two and understand why people love the game? Probably not. Especially if you are hyped for CP and plan on playing it anytime near launch.
 
The_Mike

The_Mike

I cry about SonyGaf from my chair in Redmond, WA
You have free access to w3 and haven't even downloaded it?

Download it Now! It's the best game of this generation.
 
P

PotatoBoy

Member
HE1NZ said:
Start with Witcher 1. They're all great.
Click to expand...

You want to talk about bad combat, oh boy.

Though I do have fond memories of frolicking around that swamp outside of Vizima. There was something a little bit richer about the tone in that game compared to Witcher 3. I should go back and play again.
 
INC

INC

Member
I didnt wanna play it on console, so waited til I got a pc, now I have a pc, I dont wanna sink 100hrs I to it

Shame, looks decent
 
Moogle11

Moogle11

Banned
If you love fantasy stories/setting/lore--yes as it's incredible on that front with very good writing for a game and even many of the small side quests have nice little stories attached.

On the gameplay side, it was pretty meh for me--but to be fair I rarely likely the combat, build making etc. in WRPGs and just play for the story etc. and drop difficulty as needed.
 
HE1NZ

HE1NZ

Banned
PotatoBoy said:
You want to talk about bad combat, oh boy.

Though I do have fond memories of frolicking around that swamp outside of Vizima. There was something a little bit richer about the tone in that game compared to Witcher 3. I should go back and play again.
Click to expand...
It's an RPG, not a God of War game. Witcher 3 combat isn't that great either. But RPG wise they are great. Very enjoyable to marathon the series.
 
TintoConCasera

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
It's not the best game ever but it still a hell of a good one.

Give it a try at least, it's worth that at least.
 
P

PotatoBoy

Member
HE1NZ said:
It's an RPG, not a God of War game. Witcher 3 combat isn't that great either. But RPG wise they are great. Very enjoyable to marathon the series.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying, but you're still going a little easy. I'd take the combat in any BioWare game pre-Mass Effect over Witcher 1.

But this is a dead horse. Go play Witcher 3. It's a good game. If you really love it, you can go back and play the earlier ones.
 
ThatStupidLion

ThatStupidLion

Member
yes, ive only played this one. didnt play the dlc either. its pretty awesome overall, esp if you like this time period and genre

personally i think it starts slow and the end drags on and feels misplaced, but everything else is pretty sweet.
 
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asocirev

asocirev

Member
I jumped into this game without playing 1 or 2 and without any prior knowledge of the switcher universe. I had no problems and loved every minute of it.

edit: Go Team Yenn!
 
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