Witcher 3 - review @ PC Gamer

Hexprone · May 21, 2015

Well, PC Gamer also likes it: a 92/100. Shaun Prescott writes:

On my way to the witch I stumbled upon a typically destitute Velen village. I didn’t care about the village at all, [...] But something—maybe the sun setting so amber on the horizon, or the children dashing frantically through the muddy streets—made me stop. I was curious.

It probably goes without saying, but if you’re in a hurry, never get off your horse en route in an open world RPG. This is especially true for The Witcher 3. Several hours later, once I’d cleared out some monsters for a desperate peasant in her far-off stable, and made preliminary moves to slay a beast haunting the town, I forced myself to leave.

I didn’t really want to leave, though. It’s not that I liked the town [...] I was just curious about the villagers’ circumstances. [...] How did they get so poor and wretched? [...]

Straight up, this is the most remarkable thing about The Witcher 3. Its writing isn’t perfect—it still bears some of the familiar trappings of being a video game—but it almost always rewards curiosity, big time. [...] The Witcher 3 achieves something very few video games do: when I’m engaged in a peripheral mini-narrative I’m not necessarily thinking about its game aspects. [...] I’m not grinding. I just really want to know, and understand, what’s going on.

In this game, distractions overwhelm you. For mine, the game’s distractions are where its most engaging stories are found.

More information.

Kordanor · May 21, 2015

Same rating as Gamestar Game over here:
http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/wertung/49062.html

They only have a few negative points: Balance isn't perfect, the character progression is rather light and they don't like the controls and recommend playing it with gamepad, like your hear others saying as well.

Personally I didn't went through W2 due to the controls which I really hated. So I guess I will just wait and hope that in a year or so there will be a overhauled version without crippled console controls.

sakichop · May 21, 2015

So tired of hearing the controller bs. This game plays just fine with mouse and keyboard. I can only assume that people that can't play it with M&k just aren't very good with the M&K.

I don't mean to be rude but every time a 3rd person action game comes out its the same thing. This game needs a controller, controller is better, game was built for controller, blah, blah, blah.

Yet I've played every single one just fine with M&K. Dark souls, AC, lords of the fallen, shadows of mordor, batman,the witcher's, etc and I'm hardly a M&K savant.

I can only come to the conclusion that people that say the game shouldn't be played with M&K just aren't good with M&K.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just flabbergasted at the whole games need a controller thing.

booboo · May 21, 2015

sakichop said:
So tired of hearing the controller bs. This game plays just fine with mouse and keyboard. I can only assume that people that can't play it with M&k just aren't very good with the M&K.

I don't mean to be rude but every time a 3rd person action game comes out its the same thing. This game needs a controller, controller is better, game was built for controller, blah, blah, blah.

Yet I've played every single one just fine with M&K. Dark souls, AC, lords of the fallen, shadows of mordor, batman,the witcher's, etc and I'm hardly a M&K savant.

I can only come to the conclusion that people that say the game shouldn't be played with M&K just aren't good with M&K.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just flabbergasted at the whole games need a controller thing.

I can't use a controller - I have tried, but my brain is hardwired for M+K. I am not a "great" M+K player either, but I get by, However, I have noticed that M+K control schemes are not well thought out in general, like devs can't be arsed to put some effort into HCI - there' s a whole sub-discipline of computer science that deals with usability - which I'm sure they know, but it simply isn't important to them. I don't like that. I think the M+K controls for W3 are OK, not great and sometimes unresponsive in odd ways.

Badesumofu · May 21, 2015

Sakichop, I'm curious, have you spent much time playing games with a controller? I played all the Souls games, spent hundred of hours starting with Demon's Souls and so I had to learn how to use a controller. I'd always been very much an M+K guy and it took me some time to get comfortable with the controller.

Being comfortable with both, I have been playing W3 for a couple of hours now using M+K and the whole time I'm playing it feels like it is designed to be played with a controller, and playing it with M+K feels awkward. If I wasn't familiar with a controller, I'd probably not have that feeling. The game controls fine as is, but it just feels like I should just plug the controller in. Which I now will.

Anyway, my point is that you might not get that feeling if you weren't familiar with using a controller. It's hard to feel something missing that you've never been accustomed to.

ChienAboyeur · May 21, 2015

sakichop said:
So tired of hearing the controller bs. This game plays just fine with mouse and keyboard. I can only assume that people that can't play it with M&k just aren't very good with the M&K.

Products play with the inputs they are given.
Controllers, K&M are not a neutral choice.
TW3 is meant to be played with controllers. Decisions were meant to go that way Sure, it can be played with K&M, initially, it is designed to be played with a controller.
K&M as the primary input design would have given a different product.

JDR13 · May 21, 2015

Kordanor said:
and they don't like the controls and recommend playing it with gamepad, like you hear others saying as well.

Yeah, others who don't know what they're talking about.

I've never seen so much bullshit being thrown around about a game's controls before. I can only assume this is coming from incompetent people who can't handle a game that uses a lot of keys.

CelticFrost · May 21, 2015

Oh well the game is amazing. Sort of laughing at some of the silly complaints.

Maylander · May 21, 2015

Of course it's playable with M+K, but certain things are a bit cumbersome. It's somewhat similar to DA: I in that regard. It's hardly a massive issue though.

Percevan · May 21, 2015

Odd thing is, as I preferred to play the Witcher 2 with a controller, I expected the same for the new game but no, so far I actually like and adapt to the K+M controls better this time.

Thaurin · May 21, 2015

ChienAboyeur said:
K&M as the primary input design would have given a different product.

A different product in what way, exactly?

Maylander said:
Of course it's playable with M+K, but certain things are a bit cumbersome. It's somewhat similar to DA: I in that regard. It's hardly a massive issue though.

Gothic was a bit cumbersome, but after a while it turned out to be one of the best control schemes I had ever used.

zahratustra · May 21, 2015

Maylander said:
Of course it's playable with M+K, but certain things are a bit cumbersome. It's somewhat similar to DA: I in that regard. It's hardly a massive issue though.

What things exactly? The only thing that was awkward for me was dodge (Alt+WASD) but azarhal's double tapping tip solved that.

JDR13 · May 21, 2015

Coming to a stop when running is definitely a little awkward, but I don't see how that would be any better when using a controller.

Thorwyn99 · May 21, 2015

JDR13 said:
Coming to a stop when running is definitely a little awkward, but I don't see how that would be any better when using a controller.

It's not from my experience the whole movement takes some getting used to, it's assasin creed all over again for me

lostforever · May 21, 2015

Maylander said:
Of course it's playable with M+K, but certain things are a bit cumbersome. It's somewhat similar to DA: I in that regard. It's hardly a massive issue though.

Yes I agree with the above. The game is more than playable with M+K but I found other minor annoyance with UI like you can't rebind all the keys in game. Also biggest annoyance is casting sings. You need two key press to cast spell, one press to select and one to actually cast. Why can't select and cast be the same press?

zahratustra · May 21, 2015

You select sign with the wheel and press Q.

azarhal · May 21, 2015

lostforever said:
Why can't select and cast be the same press?

Because once you upgrade them the signs can do multiple things and there isn't enough buttons to maps everything.

Nithrakis · May 21, 2015

The signs are also selectable with hot keys (numbers 3 to 8). Most of the m+kb controls can be remapped in the interface.

zahratustra · May 21, 2015

azarhal said:
Because once you upgrade them the signs can do multiple things and there isn't enough buttons to maps everything.

Don't spoil his fun! He is hard at work finding nits to pick…

lostforever · May 21, 2015

JDR13 said:
Coming to a stop when running is definitely a little awkward, but I don't see how that would be any better when using a controller.

Yes I agree and I still haven't got the hang of it yet!

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