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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is out NOW! See you guys in a thousand years!

WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPEDRegistered User regular
edited May 2015 in Social Entropy++
Like, super soon.

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The Witcher 3 is an open-world sort of RPG, the third game in the Witcher series, based on the Polish fantasy series by Andrzej Sapkowski. You play the role of Geralt, a guy who goes around and kills monsters for cash.

Geralt, he hail from the Northern Kingdoms, a loose coalition of warring nations who are united in the fact that they absolutely do not want to be conquered by the Nilfgaardian Empire, set to the south of the mighty Yaruga River. The Witcher 3 takes place during an invasion by Nilfgaard, and Geralt can choose to lend his support to either side in certain conflicts, or to be neutral, or to just piss off and not care. It's how it is. He's on name-basis with the Emperor of Nilfgaard and a couple of the remaining Northern Kings, which makes things more complicated on a political level.

Also there's some shit in there about an army of dimension-traveling elf sorcerer kings who are really looking to fuck shit up and only you stand between them and their goal: Ciri, a girl that Geralt helped to raise, now grown into her power and one of the greatest magical forces the planet has ever seen.

https://youtu.be/KtEO2xZ7BzQ

Shit gets really real, really fast.

But you ain't need to worry about that stuff over-much. Hell, never engage with the main plot if you really don't want to! That's why it's open-world. But the narrative focus of the game can come across quite differently from other open-world games. The Witcher series is rooted in the idea of choices - not good choices versus bad choices, because morality is not a simple thing in the Witcher universe, but in choices that all carry their own consequences. You're rarely given all the information about a choice when you make it, and the way that some choices branch off of others makes it so that the full repercussions are not immediately clear, and are very often surprising.

Here's a video showing some monsters, and also Ciri is playable and can teleport all over the place like a huge bad-ass:

https://youtu.be/chn9QN2W5V4

Here's some of the music you'll hear in combat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mez7zaB6PoY

The Witcher games are straight-up some of my very favorite games. They have a great sense of humor, the characters are great, and it strikes a tone that pretty much no other fantasy video game even tries for. It's an ugly, ugly world this takes place in, and you have to work hard to make something good out of it.

Let's talk about this series of video games.

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Wyborn on
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Posts

  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular
    This game better be able to let me proceed directly to Aqualung beard

    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    All the books that really get into what Ciri is and what she can do are the ones that are still only in Polish so that's really frustrating
    I assume the game will try to get you up to speed though

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    WHOA THIS COMBAT MUSIC KICKS ASS

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Baptism of Fire gets into it a bit but yeah we'll need to wait for The Swallow's Tower and The Lady of the Lake before it's all just super spelled out for us

    We know she's a Source, like her mother, which basically translates to "get out of her way when she's pissed because she will blow you up"

    I look forward to playing as her, though; her teleporting ability is super rad-looking

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  • PlatyPlaty Registered User regular
    I might get this on Gog

  • PlatyPlaty Registered User regular
    But it's cheaper on Steam where I live

    Oh whyy

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    I'm thinking I'm going to go ahead and ask for the day off in advance when it comes out.

    Better than waiting to call in sick the day of.

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    I preordered it on GOG a thousand years ago; they offer nice discount if you own the other Witcher games on there, which I do, and also I like giving money directly to the developer. It's a nice feeling. That and I like the 'No, there's genuinely no DRM here' policy they have

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  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    So, hate to ask this, but what's the sex part of this like? Is it still as annoying as #2 where you actually collected things from all the women you try to screw? Or can you completely ignore it if you don't want to do any of that stuff? I saw the beginning of the Conan O'Brien thing and it really killed my interest.

    Magic Pink on
  • PlatyPlaty Registered User regular
    I kinda wanted to get it on GOG because I was personally disappointed in Valve because of the workshop thing (my personal feelings)

    But I could also get a plate of burgers for the price difference

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    One thing I'm wondering.

    I'm not usually a huge fantasy guy(I've read my fair share but neither here nor there) would you say the Witcher books are quality?

    Kind of interested in reading them, but not sure if they'll hold my attention.

    Dragkonias on
  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    As I remember it you don't actually collect things from women in 2 when you sleep with them? The only thing you "collect" from the Succubus is a shot of Geralt mid-coitus with goat feet on his shoulders - that whole scene is played for absurdity and hilarity rather than titillation

    I assume you don't have to sleep with anyone if you don't want to? You certainly didn't in 2. Geralt may end up having sex with Yennefer regardless but I can't speak to that because the game isn't out

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  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    One thing I'm wondering.

    I'm not usually a huge fantasy guy(I've read my fair share but neither here nor there) would you say the Witcher books are quality?

    Kind of interested in reading them, but not sure if they'll hold my attention.

    They're pretty good books. Try "The Last Wish" at your local library system, it's a collection of short stories that work as a pretty good introduction to the world and its lore

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  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    Wyborn wrote: »
    As I remember it you don't actually collect things from women in 2 when you sleep with them? The only thing you "collect" from the Succubus is a shot of Geralt mid-coitus with goat feet on his shoulders - that whole scene is played for absurdity and hilarity rather than titillation

    I assume you don't have to sleep with anyone if you don't want to? You certainly didn't in 2. Geralt may end up having sex with Yennefer regardless but I can't speak to that because the game isn't out

    I only played the beginning of 2 and the combat system was so bad I quit but I heard that you collected cards of the women you had sex with. I could be wrong tho, was that in 1 maybe?

    edit: yeah these things: Romance cards (also called sexcards) within The Witcher are a trophy of sorts which can be collected over the course of the game. Whenever Geralt sleeps with a female character (or NPC) in the game, you collect a romance card.

    Magic Pink on
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    From someone who was completely put off by Witcher 1 and the whole sex card thing, I think Witcher 2 did a much better job of the sex stuff.

    I think the only thing that was unskippable was Trish/Geralt sex scene in the beginning(which I didn't mind outside of giggling at how Geralt had his pants on the entire time).

    All the other sex scenes you actually had to work at.

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    Wyborn wrote: »
    As I remember it you don't actually collect things from women in 2 when you sleep with them? The only thing you "collect" from the Succubus is a shot of Geralt mid-coitus with goat feet on his shoulders - that whole scene is played for absurdity and hilarity rather than titillation

    I assume you don't have to sleep with anyone if you don't want to? You certainly didn't in 2. Geralt may end up having sex with Yennefer regardless but I can't speak to that because the game isn't out

    I only played the beginning of 2 and the combat system was so bad I quit but I heard that you collected cards of the women you had sex with. I could be wrong tho, was that in 1 maybe?

    edit: yeah these things: Romance cards (also called sexcards) within The Witcher are a trophy of sorts which can be collected over the course of the game. Whenever Geralt sleeps with a female character (or NPC) in the game, you collect a romance card.

    Romance cards are a concept the developers abandoned with gusto after the first game. They were not in 2, and they will not be in 3. The team's been really, super public about regretting the inclusion of the cards in the first game.

    Edit: Also what the Hell was wrong with the beginning of 2???

    Edit2: Oh, I see, the combat system, hrm

    Wyborn on
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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    @Magic Pink I think the first one had the collectible shit, that mechanic isn't present in Witcher 2, which had a handful of encounters but they were all optional and you didn't get any kind of reward for doing them
    That said we don't know much about it in this one but I imagine they're moving away from that kind of stuff now that they don't need to try to sell the game with it, but it looks like there's still plenty of, you know, boobs and stuff poppin' out

    @Dragkonias I like them! The syntax and vocabulary are... kinda weird sometimes? Translation from Polish and all that. I'd start with The Last Wish, which is the first short story collection, and then decide if you want to go further

  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    Wyborn wrote: »
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    Wyborn wrote: »
    As I remember it you don't actually collect things from women in 2 when you sleep with them? The only thing you "collect" from the Succubus is a shot of Geralt mid-coitus with goat feet on his shoulders - that whole scene is played for absurdity and hilarity rather than titillation

    I assume you don't have to sleep with anyone if you don't want to? You certainly didn't in 2. Geralt may end up having sex with Yennefer regardless but I can't speak to that because the game isn't out

    I only played the beginning of 2 and the combat system was so bad I quit but I heard that you collected cards of the women you had sex with. I could be wrong tho, was that in 1 maybe?

    edit: yeah these things: Romance cards (also called sexcards) within The Witcher are a trophy of sorts which can be collected over the course of the game. Whenever Geralt sleeps with a female character (or NPC) in the game, you collect a romance card.

    Romance cards are a concept the developers abandoned with gusto after the first game. They were not in 2, and they will not be in 3. The team's been really, super public about regretting the inclusion of the cards in the first game.

    Ah, awesome, thanks.

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Oh I see that's all been covered

  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »

    I think the only thing that was unskippable was Trish/Geralt sex scene in the beginning(which I didn't mind outside of giggling at how Geralt had his pants on the entire time).

    That was pretty dang funny. They just finished a massive dry hump session, how scandalous.

  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    (Geralt/Succubus OTP)

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    That scene starts with Geralt getting out of bed and putting on pants

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  • ButtersButters A glass of some milks Registered User regular
    Is there a good source for a summary of the story and lore from the first two? I'm really interested in this game but I don't have the time to go back and play the previous games.

    PSN: idontworkhere582 | CFN: idontworkhere | Steam: lordbutters | Amazon Wishlist
  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Butters wrote: »
    Is there a good source for a summary of the story and lore from the first two? I'm really interested in this game but I don't have the time to go back and play the previous games.

    Good news! You'll get a recap when you start Witcher 3!

    In a way though, even that part isn't strictly necessary; each Witcher game is a pretty self-contained narrative without a strong relation to the others, so you can start 3 blind with no intro and still do more or less all right.

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  • Medium DaveMedium Dave Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    Magic Pink wrote: »
    Wyborn wrote: »
    As I remember it you don't actually collect things from women in 2 when you sleep with them? The only thing you "collect" from the Succubus is a shot of Geralt mid-coitus with goat feet on his shoulders - that whole scene is played for absurdity and hilarity rather than titillation

    I assume you don't have to sleep with anyone if you don't want to? You certainly didn't in 2. Geralt may end up having sex with Yennefer regardless but I can't speak to that because the game isn't out

    I only played the beginning of 2 and the combat system was so bad I quit but I heard that you collected cards of the women you had sex with. I could be wrong tho, was that in 1 maybe?

    edit: yeah these things: Romance cards (also called sexcards) within The Witcher are a trophy of sorts which can be collected over the course of the game. Whenever Geralt sleeps with a female character (or NPC) in the game, you collect a romance card.

    Yeah, that was the first one. It was weird and gross.

    I know you can sleep with multiple different women in 2, but I'm almost 100% sure didn't collect anything. I only slept with Triss because come on, Geralt is a one woman man. He's good like that. And that second sex scene with her at the fountain or whatever is actually surprisingly well done? Flirtatious and sweet between them, nothing like the Mass Effects for sure.

    But it is still really disappointing they're throwing boobs everywhere and no dong. Geralt need to go full Eastern Promises in that bathhouse fight.

    There needs to be more dong in games, that's all I'm saying. There's some in The Order! Next gen, guys, let's do it! MORE DONG!!!

    Medium Dave on
  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    Wyborn wrote: »
    That scene starts with Geralt getting out of bed and putting on pants

    He shouldn't have! That's the problem! MOAR PEENAR

  • TallahasseerielTallahasseeriel Registered User regular
    I can't afford this because I bought a car this month.

    Going to have to get it as a birthday present for myself in October.

    (If it's good)

  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    So...I have a question.

    How does this whole Geralt and Yennefer situation work?

    Cause I didn't even know she existed now I feel kind of bad for all that sexing I did with Triss.

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    So...I have a question.

    How does this whole Geralt and Yennefer situation work?

    Cause I didn't even know she existed now I feel kind of bad for all that sexing I did with Triss.

    Geralt and Yennefer have been in love for decades at this point

    After Geralt's death he was returned to the world with amnesia, and remembered no one, and nothing (different from the usual video game amnesia trope in that the PLAYER, being a Polish person who read all the Witcher books, was assumed to know the whole story). He reconnected with Triss, a woman who had been crushing on him for a long time but had never been able to act on it because Yennefer would have broken her in half and eaten her

    Geralt had this big gap inside of him, this sense that there was a huge love in his life that he wasn't doing right by (the reason for this is revealed in The Last Wish, Witcher fans), but he didn't know who that person was

    And Triss, well, she took advantage of him. She let him believe that she was the sorceress he had been in love with, and he spent enough time with her that after a while it became true - by the beginning of Witcher 2 he loves Triss fiercely, and doesn't remember Yennefer at all. Past the first chapter he realizes something is wrong, and he has her "Tell me everything. Even the things you don't think I should hear. Especially the things you don't think I should hear."

    Part of the way through Witcher 2 his memory returns, and Witcher 3 begins with him on the hunt for Yennefer.

    It's not clear how Triss will play into this; the three of them are loyal friends, and Geralt can choose in Witcher 2 to be true to his feelings for Triss because they were real even if they had their grounding in false pretenses

    It's complicated

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  • ButtersButters A glass of some milks Registered User regular
    Damn that's some pretty compelling love shit for a video game. Witcher sounds great!

    PSN: idontworkhere582 | CFN: idontworkhere | Steam: lordbutters | Amazon Wishlist
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    Ahhh...that explains so much.

  • rhylithrhylith Death Rabbits HoustonRegistered User regular
    I just couldn't get past the controls in witcher 1, but witcher 2 was a fantastic game.

  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    Real talk the drama between the characters might be the biggest reason I enjoy the Witcher games

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  • SilverWindSilverWind Registered User regular
    I liked the sex cards. Yes it's a bit problematic, but I like to imagine that both parties to the coupling exchange them, like business cards

    As in, Geralt handed each lady a fancy-ass painting of himself each time, in hilariously lewd poses

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  • KadithKadith Registered User regular
    The witcher games are ones that I have never really reccomended to other people because of their flaws. Especially how hard it is to get into the combat.

    But man do I enjoy the heck out of them and I may be able to take the day off for this to enjoy some witcherin' prime time.

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  • WybornWyborn GET EQUIPPED Registered User regular
    SilverWind wrote: »
    I liked the sex cards. Yes it's a bit problematic, but I like to imagine that both parties to the coupling exchange them, like business cards

    As in, Geralt handed each lady a fancy-ass painting of himself each time, in hilariously lewd poses

    There has to be a mod for this, right?

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  • ChincymcchillaChincymcchilla Registered User regular
    I don't blame anyone for writing witcher off because of the problematic stuff but its a shame because it has some of the best female characters in games

    I have a podcast about Power Rangers:Teenagers With Attitude | TWA Facebook Group
  • SilverWindSilverWind Registered User regular
    edited May 2015
    Also I really hope they do a great job with Yennifer. Because Triss is awesome

    But Yennifer is awesomer

    She is all Type A and she and Geralt are both alpha as hell and spend most of the time in the novels clawing each others' eyes out

    But then pining for each other as fiercely as heck

    And then blowing up everyone that gets in their and Ciri's way

    SilverWind on
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  • Grey GhostGrey Ghost Registered User regular
    Witcher 2 definitely needs a few points in sword skills before Geralt remembers how to block

  • ChincymcchillaChincymcchilla Registered User regular
    Grey Ghost wrote: »
    Witcher 2 definitely needs a few points in sword skills before Geralt remembers how to block

    He starts with block but can't block behind him without points

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This discussion has been closed.