Langdon Alger
Banned
Mass Effect's combat is a trillion times better than The Witcher's. Also Mass Effect never makes you look for footprints with hunter vision.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Witcher or Mass Effect Series?
- Thread starter Kevin Shields
- Start date
Kevin Shields
Member
Lol. So do most agree that the 3rd game of each series has the best combat?
I finished both series. For me, the highlight of mass effect was game #1. Clunky interface, by I think it has the strongest main quests of the whole series, and had more of am RPG feel, you could combine the powers , gameplay eaa great.
ME2 felt like the whole game like one huge sidequest, small chunks of story, and the game took on a more shooter route, seemed heavily inspired by gears of war on the combat front. Whenever you saw chest high walls, you knew combat was coming.
ME3 was a bit better than ME2 for me, still felt like a shooter, and in some of the maps they artificially made it harder/longer with the hoards/waves of enemies. Oh and.. That ending.
Whereas witcher, game 1 also had clunky interface/combat, but the rpgness of it was great, deep systems and all. If you could get into it and past the bad controls/combat, you got a very rewarding experience.
Witcher 2 was a huge upgrade from 1 in terms of playability, but in terms of story it was also very deep and interesting, overall I would consider it a better game than 1.
Ands what's there left to say about witcher 3? All the awards speak for the game.
I'd say ME went kind of downhill as witcher just got better and better, so... Witcher is the better series for me hands down (even though I prefer SciFi over fantasy)
ME2 felt like the whole game like one huge sidequest, small chunks of story, and the game took on a more shooter route, seemed heavily inspired by gears of war on the combat front. Whenever you saw chest high walls, you knew combat was coming.
ME3 was a bit better than ME2 for me, still felt like a shooter, and in some of the maps they artificially made it harder/longer with the hoards/waves of enemies. Oh and.. That ending.
Whereas witcher, game 1 also had clunky interface/combat, but the rpgness of it was great, deep systems and all. If you could get into it and past the bad controls/combat, you got a very rewarding experience.
Witcher 2 was a huge upgrade from 1 in terms of playability, but in terms of story it was also very deep and interesting, overall I would consider it a better game than 1.
Ands what's there left to say about witcher 3? All the awards speak for the game.
I'd say ME went kind of downhill as witcher just got better and better, so... Witcher is the better series for me hands down (even though I prefer SciFi over fantasy)
brianmcdoogle
Member
I might as well ask this here.
I want to play The Witcher 3, but I've not played 1 or 2. Can I just jump in or will I be lost in the narrative? For what it is worth, it's either play 3, or play nothing, because I am not going to go back and play 1 or 2.
I want to play The Witcher 3, but I've not played 1 or 2. Can I just jump in or will I be lost in the narrative? For what it is worth, it's either play 3, or play nothing, because I am not going to go back and play 1 or 2.
MiamiWesker
Member
Mass Effect, especially if you want good game plays witcher games have simple combat, witcher 3 is a series of the same quests over and over following glowing lines and fighting the same way over and over. It's great world building but not good gameplay.
Mass Effect since 2 became a great shooter. A shooter with all kinds of tactics, super powers, customization. You can play a variety of ways. Missions take you to all sorts of different environments, fight a wide variety of enemies and I found the story to be far far far more engaging than witcher.
Mass effect is a masterpiece of a series. Witcher is not.
Mass Effect since 2 became a great shooter. A shooter with all kinds of tactics, super powers, customization. You can play a variety of ways. Missions take you to all sorts of different environments, fight a wide variety of enemies and I found the story to be far far far more engaging than witcher.
Mass effect is a masterpiece of a series. Witcher is not.
Enjoy all three Witcher games but I'll have to go with Mass Effect. The second two Mass Effect games (3 especially) are the only two games with actual good combat. Witcher 3 is competent enough to only sometimes be insufferable, which while a huge step up from W2 doesn't quite land it worthy of praise. The Mass Effect games are also not open world, a tighter experience clocking closer to 30 hours than 150, which really ups their replay value. Speaking of replay value, one playthrough of W3 is enough. Playing someone else's character instead of your own kind of dampens the impact of replays. I like Geralt as a character but there were too many times when he'd say something I didn't want him to say. I also prefers BioWare's character writing to The Witcher, mostly because with all their different writers you get a greater variety in character tone and stories.
I will say that I think TW3 had the most interesting open world I've played. I just don't like open world all that much. If you're a gameplay first guy, I'd definitely go with Mass Effect. ME3 has legitimately good combat and build progression, whereas the gameplay systems of the Witcher 3 are its weakest aspect.
I will say that I think TW3 had the most interesting open world I've played. I just don't like open world all that much. If you're a gameplay first guy, I'd definitely go with Mass Effect. ME3 has legitimately good combat and build progression, whereas the gameplay systems of the Witcher 3 are its weakest aspect.
Yea but Witcher 1 was meh, 2 was good but the end cut off so abruptly and 3 was a masterpiece. Whereas Mass effect 1 2 & 3 all had flaws but were overall great games. Mass Effect series definitely has the edge for me.
Aceshighhhh
Member
The Witcher series is incredibly atmospheric and detailed, but you need to have patience with the first game (which is ironically my favorite in the series).
Combat's probably better in ME, there's also the fact that the first Witcher game is fairly shite. However on the flip side ME2's story is quite possibly one of the worst ideas for the middle portion of a trilogy ever and ME3 is half decent game and half shitshow. So I'd suggest going with The Witcher but simply looking for an entirely different series if you're interested in good combat. Because you're picking between two bad combat systems here.
Generalpsyduck
Banned
My favorite part of the witcher series is that it ended in a satisfying way. Mass effect 3's ending kinda soured the series for me
elcuervo75
Banned
I have played all three witcher games and couldn't finish any of them, but I had to try. Playing the mass effect games to the end was easy, because they were such great games and I had to play them all the way through. Some of the dialogue is a little boring but the story and gameplay more than make up for it.
Oh and witcher doesnt. Right.
The Mass Effect series isn't really an RPG, more a third person shooter with heavy story driven overtones (and that includes the first game). As a gameplay first person, you might find the slog through the first 50% of ME1 almost too much to bear. If you can push through, the hand over and investment gained pays dividends when hitting ME2.
Can't say much about the Witcher series, I've been looking at getting into the first one. By all reports it is particularly rough around the edges and my brief hands on points at it being not so hot for the gameplay driven, more the mouse click around the screen driven.
Can't say much about the Witcher series, I've been looking at getting into the first one. By all reports it is particularly rough around the edges and my brief hands on points at it being not so hot for the gameplay driven, more the mouse click around the screen driven.
EdwardTeach
Member
I really enjoyed mass effect, but if I had to choose between the two I would go for the witcher series.
I think all the witcher games are good, but by the time you reach W3, you are talking about an outstanding game that really deserves to be played and appreciated. The journey of a small developer from Poland, going from making W1 (using a modified neverwinter nights engine) to witcher 3 is just incredible. W3 is the most technically impressive rpg ever made by a large margin. The voice acting and scripting are leagues ahead of the competition. Bethesda is a total joke in comparison and bioware are miles behind. It was a real passion project and it shows.
I think all the witcher games are good, but by the time you reach W3, you are talking about an outstanding game that really deserves to be played and appreciated. The journey of a small developer from Poland, going from making W1 (using a modified neverwinter nights engine) to witcher 3 is just incredible. W3 is the most technically impressive rpg ever made by a large margin. The voice acting and scripting are leagues ahead of the competition. Bethesda is a total joke in comparison and bioware are miles behind. It was a real passion project and it shows.
As a series mass effect 1, and 2 are better than witcher 1 and 2 respectively.
However I dodged that witcher 3, with all its flaws is still a better and incredibly more ambitious title than any of the mass effect series.
If I had to choose only one though, it would end up being witcher at this point because I disliked mass effect 3 so much at the time that it really stopped me from enjoying the universe the previous games created.
However I dodged that witcher 3, with all its flaws is still a better and incredibly more ambitious title than any of the mass effect series.
If I had to choose only one though, it would end up being witcher at this point because I disliked mass effect 3 so much at the time that it really stopped me from enjoying the universe the previous games created.
I'd go for The Witcher.
I was a huge fan of the Mass Effect world: I've read all the books except the last one, I even collected the initial lithographs on the Bioware store. I loved Mass Effect 1 so much that I was willing to ignore all the problems of ME2 story and that awful combat (I hate shooting from cover), but then Mass Effect 3 came and it was such a huge disappointment... I won't play any more games in the series.
While The Witcher only improved with each game. The first one was already amazing, only a bit difficult to get into for most people, although personally I played it at launch and I never head any problems with the combat. The story in The Witcher 2 gets more political and personal for Geralt, combat is kinda meh, but serviceable. And The Witcher 3 is amazing, I absolutely loved every second of it (I also read all the books before playing it, so I cared a lot about the characters).
I was a huge fan of the Mass Effect world: I've read all the books except the last one, I even collected the initial lithographs on the Bioware store. I loved Mass Effect 1 so much that I was willing to ignore all the problems of ME2 story and that awful combat (I hate shooting from cover), but then Mass Effect 3 came and it was such a huge disappointment... I won't play any more games in the series.
While The Witcher only improved with each game. The first one was already amazing, only a bit difficult to get into for most people, although personally I played it at launch and I never head any problems with the combat. The story in The Witcher 2 gets more political and personal for Geralt, combat is kinda meh, but serviceable. And The Witcher 3 is amazing, I absolutely loved every second of it (I also read all the books before playing it, so I cared a lot about the characters).
jim2point0
Banned
Mass Effect feels like a series you can still start from the beginning today and enjoy it.
Personally, I'd recommend people start at Witcher 2 or even jump right into Witcher 3. The combat in the first game is so bad I could never get more than an hour into it before quitting.
Personally, I'd recommend people start at Witcher 2 or even jump right into Witcher 3. The combat in the first game is so bad I could never get more than an hour into it before quitting.
yeah right, that's one more thing. I could enjoy Mass Effect from 1 to 3 even today, but Witcher 1 just doesn't hold up pretty well, even Witcher 2 could feel old now...
They're both great trilogies, so I'd play them both. Start with Witcher now. The Witcher games are quite lengthy (and more involved both in terms of lore and RPG systems), so you might have a better shot getting through them over the summer. Play the ME trilogy in fall or early next year to prepare for Andromeda.
Rellik
Member
It just makes you scan planets instead.
I like Mass Effect 1s combat the best. But that's just because it's easy and you have unlimited ammo the whole game ( shooting works on a cool down timer system)
Aside from that 2 is closest to a pure third person shooter while 3 brings more RPG elements back in with weapons arguments.
If you are looking for a challenge 2 and 3 are the best. If you want unlimited Ammo and to easily be able to take sniper shots from 1km away Mass Effect 1 is your game
If you want the best story, Mass Effect 1 is miles above the other two.
That said, I've not played ME3 since release. Can't be bothered to download Origin...
plasmawave
Banned
They are both equal to me. They both have their pros and cons.
I'd say just watch someone else play W2 on youtube. That game is garbage.
I'd say just watch someone else play W2 on youtube. That game is garbage.
Unaha-Closp
Member
The Witcher got better and better with every new game in the Trilogy and Mass Effect did the opposite. This of course concerning Mass Effect is only my opinion (but true 
) so if you have no preference for Sci Fi over Fantasy then The Witcher is a no brainer. That said even with my opinion on the ME Trilogy I would still rather play ME1 than Witcher. I like Sci Fi more than Fantasy and ME1 is one of my very favourite games.
But The Witcher Trilogy is a remarkable achievement and the Mass Effect Trilogy almost was. If you have time and no preference dive into The Witcher.
) so if you have no preference for Sci Fi over Fantasy then The Witcher is a no brainer. That said even with my opinion on the ME Trilogy I would still rather play ME1 than Witcher. I like Sci Fi more than Fantasy and ME1 is one of my very favourite games.But The Witcher Trilogy is a remarkable achievement and the Mass Effect Trilogy almost was. If you have time and no preference dive into The Witcher.
Yes, very much worth it. See my posts above.
Both franchises are very good, and while I admit that Witcher have the better story, i find the Mass Effect trilogy much more enjoyable(space & different classes!) and easier to replay. I can't see myself doing a 2nd replay of Witcher 3 because it's just too big of a game. ME games takes around 20-30 hours to do if you do every quests & DLCs, which is perfect for me.
Gameplay is also more fun in Mass Effect than Witcher overall, no matter the games.
Witcher 1 is also way more outdated than Mass Effect 1 in my eyes, so yeah...
Gameplay is also more fun in Mass Effect than Witcher overall, no matter the games.
Witcher 1 is also way more outdated than Mass Effect 1 in my eyes, so yeah...
I have to remind myself occasionally that Gaf is like RPGCodex, and doesn't reflect the norm when it comes to opinions about Mass Effect 2. It's the high point of the series for me for a ton of reasons.
Personally, I think both trilogies suffer from the fact their first games are practically unplayable now. Mass Effect 1 was horribly flawed on release, and has aged terribly - both graphically and in terms of gameplay. The main plot and dialogue holds up well, but the side quests and characters really don't. Similarly Witcher 1 is a mess.
As a cohesive whole, and with all the DLC installed, I'd suggest Mass Effect is the better series - but you have to play 1 to get a full grip on the story to play the series, without 1 and 2 ME3 just doesn't hold up at all. Whereas for the Witcher you can just jump in to Witcher 3 and have a brilliant time with one of the best role playing games from the last decade.
Personally, I think both trilogies suffer from the fact their first games are practically unplayable now. Mass Effect 1 was horribly flawed on release, and has aged terribly - both graphically and in terms of gameplay. The main plot and dialogue holds up well, but the side quests and characters really don't. Similarly Witcher 1 is a mess.
As a cohesive whole, and with all the DLC installed, I'd suggest Mass Effect is the better series - but you have to play 1 to get a full grip on the story to play the series, without 1 and 2 ME3 just doesn't hold up at all. Whereas for the Witcher you can just jump in to Witcher 3 and have a brilliant time with one of the best role playing games from the last decade.
I played both and loved both. However, my vote goes for Witcher.
Mass Effect is a sci-fi power fantasy where you are the The One, the Shepard, a Jesus like saviour of the world. Everything in the galaxy revolves around you only.
In the Witcher series, you're just a mercenary usually working for people way more important than you and major events in the world are usually happen not because of you. That makes Witcher's world way more believable to me.
Mass Effect is a sci-fi power fantasy where you are the The One, the Shepard, a Jesus like saviour of the world. Everything in the galaxy revolves around you only.
In the Witcher series, you're just a mercenary usually working for people way more important than you and major events in the world are usually happen not because of you. That makes Witcher's world way more believable to me.
They're both great series IMO and I enjoy them for different reasons. Currently replaying ME1 with texture pack and downsampled from 4K and having an absolute blast. So much so I ended up buying all the DLC on Origin for 2 and 3 using the 30% store discount (and tbh it's still far too overpriced but they caught me in a flush mood!). Be interesting to see what I think at the end of 3 now that I've been through the bitter disappointment of the original ending, I'll probably end up enjoying it more I reckon. Never played the DLC either so I'm looking forward to playing that anyway.
Witcher 1 is probably the game from both series I found the most difficult to get into and kept on restarting at least 3 or 4 times and to be honest I still haven't finished it (not the games fault, I got distracted when I started to get actually into it). When/if it finally clicks it's a joy but I found it pretty tough to get into. Witcher 2 is great and 3 is one of my favourite games from last year.
Witcher 1 is probably the game from both series I found the most difficult to get into and kept on restarting at least 3 or 4 times and to be honest I still haven't finished it (not the games fault, I got distracted when I started to get actually into it). When/if it finally clicks it's a joy but I found it pretty tough to get into. Witcher 2 is great and 3 is one of my favourite games from last year.
GinoFelino
Member
Ask me again after Andromeda releases
Turin Turambar
Member
The Witcher.
Mass Effect fails in combat, and in the main story. Exploration also is less interesting.
Mass Effect fails in combat, and in the main story. Exploration also is less interesting.
I'd go with the Witcher. The Witcher is the better RPG series, and if you're looking to expand your tastes by incorporating some RPG into it, I feel like it is much better than Mass Effect.
Personally if I had to rate my enjoyment of the games it would be Witcher 3>> Witcher 1 > Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 3 > Witcher 2 > Mass Effect 1. People rag on Witcher 1 because it is old and think the combat is clunky, but I loved it, felt more like old school rpgs. I will say aside from Stalker, there is no other game that took longer to click for me than the Witcher 1.
Personally if I had to rate my enjoyment of the games it would be Witcher 3>> Witcher 1 > Mass Effect 2 > Mass Effect 3 > Witcher 2 > Mass Effect 1. People rag on Witcher 1 because it is old and think the combat is clunky, but I loved it, felt more like old school rpgs. I will say aside from Stalker, there is no other game that took longer to click for me than the Witcher 1.
Inferno313
Banned
The Witcher 3 > Mass Effect 2 = Witcher 2 > Mass Effect > Mass Effect 3 > Witcher 1.
As a whole. I'd say ME is more of a consistently good trilogy, but Witcher improved so much with each game that I'd rank Witcher 3 leaps and bounds higher than any ME game.
As a whole. I'd say ME is more of a consistently good trilogy, but Witcher improved so much with each game that I'd rank Witcher 3 leaps and bounds higher than any ME game.
sol740
Member
The Witcher and Mass Effect would be a toss up, though I personally enjoyed The Witcher more.
Mass Effect 2 was more enjoyable than the Witcher 2 in my opinion.
Witcher 3 is better than all 3 MEs put together and also didn't have the worst ending to anything in the history of ever, including the Bible.
Mass Effect 2 was more enjoyable than the Witcher 2 in my opinion.
Witcher 3 is better than all 3 MEs put together and also didn't have the worst ending to anything in the history of ever, including the Bible.
Imp the Dimp
Member
Witcher 1 and Mass Effect both released the same year and swear, this is a myth. I played them virtually back to back and found them insanely similar in a lot of things. Obviously, setting and combat will differ but I felt like both tried to accomplish a very similar thing and I found Witcher succeeded whereas Mass Effect failed. The moral choices in ME sucked, the story was half-assed, the side quests were partly good, partly tedious and overall the game was just very inconsistent. Witcher's chapter 2 was better than anything Mass Effect had to offer by a long shot.
One of the few things I had to critisize about Witcher (and I didn't even mind the combat; it sure bothered me lass than W3's shitfest) was that it surprisingly overstayed its welcome. It might well be the longest non-open world CRPG out there. I was done at like 55-60h and that was just 8-10h too long. The ending was really good though.
I'd go with Mass Effect simply because I prefer Sci-Fi and there are not many sci-fi RPG's, while there a ton of Fantasy RPG's so the whole elves and dwarfs thing is a bit tiresome at some point...ME is a lot more original in that sense.
You can also play all 3 mass effect games and they have aged pretty well, while The Witcher 1 would be jarring to play right now.
I'm biased though, I love Mass Effect and The Witcher games never really grabbed me. ME just feels much more "grandiose" right from the start.
You can also play all 3 mass effect games and they have aged pretty well, while The Witcher 1 would be jarring to play right now.
I'm biased though, I love Mass Effect and The Witcher games never really grabbed me. ME just feels much more "grandiose" right from the start.
I would go with the Witcher even though I prefer Sci-Fi. I just think Bioware has dumbed down the old RPG experience over the years, turning into a generic action game, with one mission after another on a different planet, then back to your ship talking to companions, then repeat.
I have a feeling Andromeda will be similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition and that bored me to tears, I suppose I am more of a story and quests person, that's what I am looking forward to Cyberpunk. I hated Fallout 4 as well but I suppose I am not the target market these days.
I can understand the complaints of Witcher's combat but yet again I don't play dark souls.
I have a feeling Andromeda will be similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition and that bored me to tears, I suppose I am more of a story and quests person, that's what I am looking forward to Cyberpunk. I hated Fallout 4 as well but I suppose I am not the target market these days.
I can understand the complaints of Witcher's combat but yet again I don't play dark souls.