The Witcher 3 Game of the Year Edition (Xbox One)

The sheer scale of this game is breathtaking. The depth of the world and the characters within it trump those of any other RPGs, with perhaps Skyrim as its closest competitor. The dynamic terrain is beautiful to ride/fight/flee through and explore, with the flora undulating and swaying in the wind, and the backdrop of jaw-dropping sunsets and sunrises. But visuals aside, the storyline and gameplay are equally superb. Every decision you make, or mission you fail/succeed in, has vastly ranging consequences further down the line. You can choose to play the game from a morally high ground, playing the chivalrous white-knight scenario by putting the good of others before yourself, or you can abandon all morals by seeking only fortune and satisfaction of the carnal desires. However, be warned that if you choose to pursue too many love interests you might come to a rather humiliating, yet amusing, ending. And the story itself has the depth and detail of a novel. Which probably shouldn't be surprising given that the world of the Witchers originates in Andrzej Sapkowski's fantasy series. The fairly simple main quest-line (the search for Ciri) is not amongst the most interesting features of the game, although it is well written and the voice acting is superb. The Witcher 3's truest strengths lie in its Secondary Missions, Witcher Contracts (monster fights) and Treasure Hunts - only in completing all of these do you get to really appreciate the world in its entirety and the incredible work that CD Projekt RED have put into this game. This world is truly epic. The gear upgrade system is well thought out, and can be manipulated to your preferred play-style, as can the points-based talent system and character mutations. You can opt for strengths in magic, Machiavellian-style manipulation, stamina, and traditional swordplay. The potions, oils, bombs and runes add further dimensions to customisation and gameplay, as do the vast array of gear designs you can seek out and have crafted for you by armourers and swordsmiths. If you are looking for a great RPG that will keep you occupied, look no further. By the time I reached 50 hours of gameplay I was only 40% of my way through. I was well in excess of 100 hours upon completion. And of course in the GoTY edition you have the two major DLCs, the gritty Heart of Stone, and the colourful and fun Blood and Wine. The price tag is well worth it, especially considering how much you get. No wonder it has over 800 awards to its name.

The best game ever made? Well, it is certainly one of them. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is mind-blowing in its scale, its scope and its attention to detail; this game was made with passion and it shows. Initially, I wasn’t so sure. The mechanics of the combat system felt clunky and the extensive menus were overwhelming. However, it doesn’t take long for it all to make sense. It soon becomes apparent that there is far more to the combat than simply rolling towards the opponent, striking and rolling away again. Oils, potions and ‘signs’ all play their part, helping to lend an advantage in a fight, but it doesn’t take too long for the rolling, striking, dodging and counter-attacking to become intuitive and the whole process begins to feel like fun. The learning curve is fairly kind to begin with, easing the player into everything, and the multiple menus for levelling up, enhancing weapons and armour, crafting potions, oils and bombs, etc., start to feel relevant and user-friendly. Furthermore, all of the tutorials can be revisited, although I have never felt the need to go back to them. I hadn’t played either of the prequel games or read any of the books prior to starting The Witcher 3 and I have to admit that whilst the game is perfectly playable without having done so, the experience would have been enriched with more background knowledge. There are some references to situations and characters that are clearly based on prior events and I found myself having to guess at dialogue choices a couple of times. The on-screen characters evidently knew what was being spoken about, but I had no clue at all. I must emphasise that this is really a minor point, although I felt it worth mentioning. Another slight irritation is the occasional bug. There was nothing ‘game-breaking’, although I have noticed that the failure to complete one quest in good time (before another certain quest began) meant that I had failed the quest in question. Other glitches are mostly to do with graphics, but they are few and far between and I would be surprised if they didn’t exist at all, given the colossal scale of the game. The Witcher 3 is a very grown-up game. Expect violence, of course, as well as some horror, but also expect sex, nudity and copious amounts of bad language. Whilst I can understand that some people would find these elements to be off-putting or inappropriate, I feel that – overall – they are in-keeping with the world and the narrative of the game, greatly enhancing the whole experience. It feels like a mature, grown-up game for adults and I love it all the more for that. It doesn’t patronise and it doesn’t pull its punches. Instead, it takes the player on an incredible journey that is full of both light and dark moments, not to mention moral and personal choices that can at times be truly difficult and challenging. The vast and intricately detailed world is made all the more believable thanks to the luscious graphics (I’m playing the game on an Xbox One X via a 4k TV) and the characters that are encountered are made more believable, increasing the player’s sense of empathy with them, due to the clever use of dialog and mostly excellent voice-acting. I’ve been playing The Witcher 3: The wild Hunt for what feels like ages now and I am only approaching about two-thirds of the way through. Throughout my considerable years of gaming, few titles have gripped me this strongly for this long and there are still the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansion packs to play through! I have truly grown to love it. Its flaws are miniscule in the scheme of things, dwarfed by the grand scale of everything else and it is absolutely one of my favourite games of all time.

Brilliant game, I've played it twice and bought this copy for my uncle. Even though it is old, I still love the game play. The graphics are alright and its smooth to play. I love the little side quests and overall story! One of my favourite games

One of the best open world Rpgs I have ever played and experienced the world, characters and story are fantastic even though I didnt play the previous 2 games before trying it. The DLC especially Blood And Wine were amazing too id even dare say its the best DLC ive ever played in a game. There is so many hours of enjoyment in this game I played it flat out for weeks and even when i went away for a week on a trip I was still thinking about playing it. The music is great some times i even listen to the soundtrack of it on youtube its that good. You really end up caring about what happens the characters and world you inhabit while playing and the combat system is pretty solid and fun. The only thing I didn't really like was the Lvling system a lot of the time it felt like you have to sacrifice using cool abilities to go for stuff that is effective so feels like you are missing a lot of the game especially on new game + so you are pressured into playing certain builds that arent really your style alot of the time so I feel it only really takes away from the game. Id say if they would have fleshed out the rpg elements to the game and gave it more depth this game would be the best game of all time at least for me haha the amount of value you get from this game is amazing in this day in age so if you are on the fence about buying this game try it out you wont regret it.

Just started playing the game, its alittle long in places, but is very enjoyable and a good game. Would recommend it if you like fantasy games.

The story and world that has been created for this game is truly impressive. Strong characters, decent stories and a myriad of side missions made this one of the most engrossing games I've played. Even the expansions Blood & Wine and Heart of Stone go beyond that of many games themselves. Combat feels like there is skill to it, particularly at higher difficulties, as it's focused on a mix of dodging, preparation and tactics. Powerful enemies at higher levels can be slain if you know what you're doing, yet being outnumbered by lesser foes can be fatal if your not careful. The card game Gwent is worth a mention as most mini-games are dire. But this one truly gets addictive once your into it. The game isn't perfect, but fortunately the downsides are more of a nuisance than a problem. The inventory design is a mess as it offers no useful filtering or sorting. The whole foraging for herbs is effectively pointless as you only need to make a potion once and crafting could also have been better implemented too. It's easy to see why Witcher 3 has won so many awards as it is so absorbing. Easily one of the best games in recent times.

I see what the fuss is about and why this is a 'Game Of The Year now. Tons of quests and things to find, do and fight and an in game card game, that at first baffles and frustrates but still fascinates. You have to build up your 'Witcher' character from the off, to be able to tackle increasingly more difficult quests but that's true with most RPG games nowadays and it's one for patient people, but the depth of interaction in doing so is rewarded as you progress. My only whinge would be that the female characters are in some cases, quite stunning but the men...I also get cheesed off with the same ugly guy faces ending up on everyone from bandits to villagers to soldiers so it's not like you can avoid it if there's dialogue, but that's trivial and the rest of the game is anything but. Definitely worth your money and time and certainly a 'Game Of The Year' and it's production as a subsequent Henry Cavill vehicle.

Pros. - Looks good still (in 2020). - Large open world. - Comes with all DLC. Cons. - Poor combat (boring and repetitive). - Enemies are either really weak or overpowered, however there seems to be no gradual build up. You’ll either win easily or be killed instantly. - Dialogue is cringeworthy. - Tasks / Quests get very tedious after a while. - Menus are confusing and overly cluttered. - Despite the open world, there’s a lack of anything really interesting in it. Overall I have no desire to keep playing through the repetition. It feels like a chore to pick up the game.