Everyone's playing Baldur's Gate 3, but I just finished The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the first time

[Windows Central]

Baldur's Gate 3 is an expansive, turn-based RPG that is capturing the hearts of players and critics alike... But I just finished playing The Witcher 3.

Everyone's playing Baldur's Gate 3, but I just finished The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the first time : Read more

 

[GraniteStateColin]

Thank you for the reminder on the Witcher 3. It forever changed my expectations of what a computer-based RPG can and should be. Before that, I had thought that Knights of the Old Republic set the bar for character and storytelling and Bethesda (Elder Scrolls and Fallout) were the only ones to really put the "open" in modern open-world 3D RPGs. The Witcher 3 elevated both of those (though the world was not QUITE as interactive as Bethesda games and absent a 1st-person view, it felt slightly less immersive, but it was close). For those of us whose favorite genre is the story-based open-world RPG, I think the Witcher 3 *was* the best game ever made, even accounting for the obvious technological advances over time.

I think CDPR nailed all the same strengths with Cyberpunk 2077 and took the crown for best game from its own Witcher game, by improving on The Witcher with many more mechanics and things to do (so it felt less repetitive) and by making it first person (I know some like and some dislike that -- personally I much prefer first person for gameplay, but wish the cut scenes were in third person like in the Witcher, but I get the artistic goal they had, where they only used 3rd person to achieve certain very emotional effects). It's the only game that holds an even dearer place in my heart than the Witcher 3, and I expect the upcoming Phantom Liberty to be on the order of Blood & Wine.

I've not yet played BG3, and will be so busy with Starfield and Phantom Liberty probably through most of 2024 and possibly beyond that I don't know when I will, but I hope to.

And for one big historical callback, for any of the older gamers (or those who go back and play old classics), Ultima IV was the FIRST major open-world RPG with a compelling story (to the extent that was possible in 1980s games) and making moral choices in the game that affected many characters. I would hope it could always get a mention in these kinds of discussions. It was the first game that I played through to the end, not just because I wanted to beat it, but because I needed to know how the story would unfold and what the implications of my actions were. The Witcher 3, KOTOR, Cyberpunk 2077, and Ultima IV all shared that hold on me.

 

[Zachary Boddy]

Thank you for the reminder on the Witcher 3. It forever changed my expectations of what a computer-based RPG can and should be. Before that, I had thought that Knights of the Old Republic set the bar for character and storytelling and Bethesda (Elder Scrolls and Fallout) were the only ones to really put the "open" in modern open-world 3D RPGs. The Witcher 3 elevated both of those (though the world was not QUITE as interactive as Bethesda games and absent a 1st-person view, it felt slightly less immersive, but it was close). For those of us whose favorite genre is the story-based open-world RPG, I think the Witcher 3 *was* the best game ever made, even accounting for the obvious technological advances over time.

I think CDPR nailed all the same strengths with Cyberpunk 2077 and took the crown for best game from its own Witcher game, by improving on The Witcher with many more mechanics and things to do (so it felt less repetitive) and by making it first person (I know some like and some dislike that -- personally I much prefer first person for gameplay, but wish the cut scenes were in third person like in the Witcher, but I get the artistic goal they had, where they only used 3rd person to achieve certain very emotional effects). It's the only game that holds an even dearer place in my heart than the Witcher 3, and I expect the upcoming Phantom Liberty to be on the order of Blood & Wine.

I've not yet played BG3, and will be so busy with Starfield and Phantom Liberty probably through most of 2024 and possibly beyond that I don't know when I will, but I hope to.

And for one big historical callback, for any of the older gamers (or those who go back and play old classics), Ultima IV was the FIRST major open-world RPG with a compelling story (to the extent that was possible in 1980s games) and making moral choices in the game that affected many characters. I would hope it could always get a mention in these kinds of discussions. It was the first game that I played through to the end, not just because I wanted to beat it, but because I needed to know how the story would unfold and what the implications of my actions were. The Witcher 3, KOTOR, Cyberpunk 2077, and Ultima IV all shared that hold on me.

Thanks for the response! Knights of the Old Republic (specifically 2) was one of the first games I ever played, and one of the few games I completed before the last few years. Skyrim was another, and both these games had huge impacts on me as a person and a gamer. Glad I can finally add The Witcher 3 to that list, and I'm hoping to revisit CP2077 after Phantom Liberty comes out to finish that one, too.