Did The Witcher 3 Live up to the Hype?

zahratustra said:

errr… NO. I was pretty hyped about DA:I and PoE but the flaws prevented me from putting them on pedestals. But I'm quite happy to put TW3 on one.

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Hype can only go for so much. It can turn an 8/10 game into 10/10 game however it can't save a turkey

Well, maybe 9/10 and not 10/10 but yeah, you are right

DArtagnan said:

I wonder, though, if victims of a similar level of hype around here are all being honest with themselves with how they're putting this on such a pedestal

We'll never know, I guess.

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I think that is a fair question - because when you look at it, the overall question is so heavily context-dependent that it almost becomes meaningless.

For me, I liked the early Witcher games, #1 I played more than #2, but neither would be in my 'top 10 RPG' list, but I do enjoy them. Also since I have not been so attuned to the gaming news scene I have stayed out of the 'hype machine'. So I knew the game was going to be large and look good ... but not a lot else.

So you and I could have had similar experiences, but I liked the game more than #2 and definitely more than I expected and more than a lot of other games ... so for me it was a 'definitely yes' answer here.

Eh…I wouldn't agree with that. If anything hype creates far too high expectations…take a look at Arkham Knight of recent games, for instance ( ignoring all the issues with PC version).
I think nostalgia factors a lot more with the praise given to older games, especially when it comes to writing….with very,very few exceptions aside.
Imagine if this was released today…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVyOCssIXgQ
"Barry: Here is a lockpick! It might be useful, if you, the Master of Lockpicking, has it."

Hey! Resident Evil is a fucking classic!

Well, figures you would say that, Wesker.

BoboTheMighty said:

Eh…I wouldn't agree with that. If anything hype creates far too high expectations…take a look at Arkham Knight of recent games, for instance ( ignoring all the issues with PC version).

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That's rather the point, though.

If the hype created "far too high expectations" - then how, exactly, can Witcher 3 live up to the hype?

I think nostalgia factors a lot more with the praise given to older games, especially when it comes to writing….with very,very few exceptions aside.
Imagine if this was released today…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVyOCssIXgQ
"Barry: Here is a lockpick! It might be useful, if you, the Master of Lockpicking, has it."

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I'd agree that nostalgia is a major factor in this way, but we shouldn't forget that standards change with time.

Good writing has never been the norm in games, but I'd say the standard has improved significantly throughout the years, and especially in the past 5-10 years.