Phoenixmgs said:
I found Witcher 3 to be a failure of a game meaning the gameplay part of the game was horrid. Even movement itself is extremely poor and had to be patched to allow for an "alternate movement" setting. The combat is really bad with blatant overpowered beginning signs, both base Quen and Axii make combat so very trivial. The hit detection and hitboxes are pretty poor. Geralt doesn't even have any i-frames until you get the skill that makes the entire dodge animation all i-frames, which is pretty broken in itself. The combat system is a mix of like Arkham and Souls combat that just doesn't work. Just conceptually I think Witcher's combat system makes no sense for the type of combat it should be as Geralt is a monster hunter and the combat should designed for fighting monsters first and foremost but it's obvious the combat was designed for humanoid enemies instead. For example, how Geralt animation-wise flows from enemy to enemy ala Arkham and how there's a block/counter system (for humanoids) and monster fights are just dodge and spam attack or just put on Quen or use Axii and spam attack. Whereas a game like Horizon or Dragon's Dogma were designed for monster fights first and the human fights are the ones lacking. The monster fights should be the highlights of a game about a monster hunter (aka witcher).
Now to the good parts, the non-game parts. The writing is really solid with good characters and questing. However, the main story arch is pretty disappointing with the story devolving into not just a "save the world" storyline but save literally ALL the worlds because stories are only as good as how high the stakes are I guess. Though, most of the other stories on your journey are really solid. I'd love a Ciri spin-off game or a freaking TV show that's sorta akin to Doctor Who where every "week" she's going to a new world and having a different adventure basically where she's the fish out of water whereas The Doctor really never is.
In conclusion, I can only give Witcher 3 as high as a 4/10 because the gameplay is just plain bad. I can't give a game even an average score (5/10) where I didn't enjoy most of my time with the game as gameplay is the majority of your game time. I would've much preferred Witcher 3 to be akin to a Telltale game where it's just a straight adventure game with the gameplay basically removed as then I wouldn't have had to suffer through any bad stuff (gameplay) to get to the good stuff (writing).
I understand your complaints on the gameplay, though I do not agree. But you are clearly a person who values gameplay over story and that's fine.
I will say that your complaints do sound like you played on too low of a difficulty for your skill level maybe? Because on Death March you have to absolutely be a Witcher. Every fight you must prepare oils to coat your sword, potions to enhance your abilities, and your signs can't save you from shit until very high level, and even then they are almost like "oh shit" buttons with very long cooldowns in combat.
I found that monsters and humans do have very different combat approaches for the player. Monsters are about preparation, and if you prepare properly, they aren't too difficult to handle. Humans on the other hand require a mastery of the sword play, you must time parries and rolls, knowing what enemies to hit and when. It becomes a neat little dance you have to do with a pack of bandits or soldiers.
That's just me though, a great game in my eyes can't be great for everyone. Just the way it is. I hate Zelda and people love the shit out of it, I don't get it. You and I are the same with Witcher. It's all just what appeals to you right?
