Sulphur on 14/7/2017 at 07:59
Well, finally done with TW3's main quest. Interestingly, I somehow managed to tick all the boxes that lead to Ciri joining her dear old emperor dad and trying to do the people good as empress. I find myself wishing she'd stuck around to be a witcher, but it's arguably the better path for her and shows a lick of maturity, rather than romping around and killing monsters with the gang for the rest of her days. That's a fairly decent wrap-up, all considered.
Overall, I can't say I was as surprised or impressed by TW3 when I compare it to the first time I played Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, but it's fairly close and definitely far more polished and impressive in scope. This thing was the product of fucktons of work, and it shows. The feeling that the writing's a bit wooden hasn't really left me, but it does a good job at being massive in scope and imbuing a decent amount of character in most of the principals, with some very good voice acting. Speaking of which, Djikstra is the best. I killed him of course, but I wish he'd done something else that let Geralt and him continue to trade insults to the end of their days.
Onwards to Hearts of Stone and Toussaint!
Malf on 14/7/2017 at 08:22
Oh, you're in for a treat :)
Both are absolutely wonderful. I personally prefer Blood & Wine, but the writing in both is great.
Sulphur on 16/7/2017 at 15:47
I see what you mean! HoS is almost immediately more interesting in execution and story. That bloody great toad was one of the most obnoxious combat encounters I've had in the game so far, but everything else makes up for it. Geralt and the main dude, they get along like... well, like a house on fire.
Inline Image:
http://i.imgur.com/ZwFcAP8.jpgTony_Tarantula on 17/7/2017 at 16:08
Quote Posted by Sulphur
Well, finally done with TW3's main quest. Interestingly,
I somehow managed to tick all the boxes that lead to Ciri joining her dear old emperor dad and trying to do the people good as empress. I find myself wishing she'd stuck around to be a witcher, but it's arguably the better path for her and shows a lick of maturity, rather than romping around and killing monsters with the gang for the rest of her days. That's a fairly decent wrap-up, all considered.
Overall, I can't say I was as surprised or impressed by TW3 when I compare it to the first time I played Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, but it's fairly close and definitely far more polished and impressive in scope. This thing was the product of fucktons of work, and it shows. The feeling that the writing's a bit wooden hasn't really left me, but it does a good job at being massive in scope and imbuing a decent amount of character in most of the principals, with some very good voice acting. Speaking of which, Djikstra is the best.
I killed him of course, but I wish he'd done something else that let Geralt and him continue to trade insults to the end of their days.Onwards to Hearts of Stone and Toussaint!
Have you read the books?
Djikstra's an even more interesting (and sleazy) character if you've read the books where he shows up.
Sulphur on 17/7/2017 at 19:40
Quote Posted by Tony_Tarantula
Have you read the books?
Djikstra's an even more interesting (and sleazy) character if you've read the books where he shows up.
Nope, but I looked up some of the story twists to contextualise the ending I got, and hoo boy, Emhyr's a real piece of work. The game sort of did away with the backstory in an attempt to
make Ciri's self-sacrificing empress route look gallant and proper in an attempt to round out the story paths, but in the reality of the books that's probably one of the worse fates she could have.
I'll probably get around to the books someday, but I always have this feeling when I read translations that a lot of the original language's flavour has been lost.
reizak on 17/7/2017 at 22:10
If you have any interest in reading them you might want to consider it before getting into Blood and Wine, as one of Geralt's old traveling buddies is a central character in it. I'm sure it can be enjoyed just fine without knowing who the hell that person is who you're suddenly supposed to give a shit about, but since it's the final piece of the whole saga* and we're probably not getting any more might as well get everything out of it.
*fingers crossed for a prequel detailing Vesemir's wild youth
Sulphur on 21/7/2017 at 05:04
Well, I don't really want to put Blood & Wine off for too long, so out of interest, which stories feature him? I might as well take a swing at those if I can.
I've finished off Hearts of Stone, and it was better than most of the main game, all things considered. A concentrated dose of Witcher goodness combined with good writing and better execution. Even though its quests have a backbone formed from clichés, it has plenty of fun with them, and I was greatly entertained.
Renzatic on 21/7/2017 at 05:17
Sulp, probably Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy, aka Regis.
One thing to keep in mind about Blood and Wine is that it doesn't feel merely like an expansion, but almost like a mini-sequel in its own right.
Sulphur on 21/7/2017 at 07:00
Sounds like it's going to be a fun ride! Guess I'll wrap up some of the outstanding contracts from the main game before I get on with it.
In the meantime, I really liked the way Percival used the saz (I guess? It's the strummed/plucked string instrument) in the Hearts of Stone OST. I found an extended live version of the best track from Hearts of Stone:
[video=youtube;NYLizdTZV-Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYLizdTZV-Q[/video]
