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Posted
17 minutes ago, SympathysSilhouette said:

Thinking about replaying Dead Space 2.

I only ever did one playthrough, whilst I did do a repeat of Dead Space.

Dead Space 3 was less interesting narratively.

 

They are remaking Dead Space 1!   I remember that Dead space 1 and 2 were great.  3 was weaker than the first 2

 

 

Posted
1 hour ago, Cult Icon said:

 

They are remaking Dead Space 1!   I remember that Dead space 1 and 2 were great.  3 was weaker than the first 2

 

 

 

Dead Space is still the best experience from start to finish. A near perfect game.

But Dead Space 2 was still very good.

Dead Space 3 largely felt like they had run out of good ideas.

Posted

In Hearts of Stone CDPR concludes the story of "the Order of the Flaming Rose" (Novels/Witcher 1/2) with a side quest.  They also include a cannibal side quest (there was one in the novels, and one in Witcher 1).  Bandit gangs were a big part of the novels and here Olgeird's gang appears.  Also CDPR concludes the story of Shani (A minor character in the novels and a main character in Witcher 1).

Posted
On 7/4/2022 at 12:45 AM, Cult Icon said:

 

Yeah, even though in the novels Geralt uses only swords, for gameplay purposes they could have loosened up that restriction and let him use all sorts of weapons.  A stamina bar would have been helpful.

 

Yeah, there were a couple of axes and blunt weapons, but the were bad/useless (and behaved like swords anyway). At least, there could've been thrusting swords, longswords, broadswords, etc. with different attack patterns.

 

There's no parry as well.

 

Maybe if we play Ciri, she'll have more freedom in her weapon's choice. :idk:

 

On 7/4/2022 at 12:45 AM, Cult Icon said:

how do you feel about the looting system?  the never-ending amount of loot everywhere and all the inventory management.  I suspect that it is a way for CDPR to get the player invested in exploring and observing their artwork.  It is also funny how Geralt can do a quest for a peasant and then immediately start looting his house lol.

 

If someone decides to loot everything and manage their armor/weapons, they would end up getting very overpowered and 2-shot most enemies.

 

It was definitely their point. And it worked to some extent. I collected all the witcher gear and I liked it.

 

Yeah, Geralt is a little thief, isn't he? :laugh:

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, SympathysSilhouette said:

 

Dead Space is still the best experience from start to finish. A near perfect game.

But Dead Space 2 was still very good.

Dead Space 3 largely felt like they had run out of good ideas.

 

I think it's worth playing a game you really like a second or third or even fourth time, especially if you haven't done so in years.  

 

I have not gone through W3 in 6-7 years and I see it in a much more complete and different way now.  I also forgot the details of most of the quests so I experience most of it for the first time again. 

Posted
5 hours ago, Enrico_sw said:

 

Yeah, there were a couple of axes and blunt weapons, but the were bad/useless (and behaved like swords anyway). At least, there could've been thrusting swords, longswords, broadswords, etc. with different attack patterns.

There's no parry as well.

Maybe if we play Ciri, she'll have more freedom in her weapon's choice. :idk:

 

Ah yeah I remember the other weapons now.  I think W4 will definitely get modernized gameplay.  Also the fist-fighting combat could be improved a lot too.  It would be cool too if there was more use of bows, (besides crossbow).  And shooting bows from the horse.  Also pole weapons.

 

The enemies will be improved.  W3 2015 was released around the same time as Bloodborne.  Bloodborne had better gameplay and enemies/bosses.

 

Did you read the "books" that you looted?  This time I'm reading them all and it's a ton of stuff.  I find it interesting how the contents in the books is often related to a certain quest, culture, or characters, enriching the environment as well by telling you what this place is all about.

Posted

Finished Hearts of Stone for a second time.   It is a masterfully crafted story and a high quality expansion with great artwork.  Really well written and with many different & interesting set pieces & characters.  However the main story has really long cutscenes, feels more like an interactive movie at times.  I enjoyed Dead Man's Party the most.  Velen also expands eastward, with more side content inside of it.

 

In a way it reminds me of the final Witcher novel in its structure.  It has a main quest and a diverse series of side quests that support the main one.

 

The final trek with Shani is similar to what happens in the novels.  Geralt's relationship with her is bittersweet, just like in real life. :( 

 

Master Mirror's comments about Ciri make it definitive that the Ciri Witcher ending is cannon.  

Posted

(98) Witcher 3 Complete Walkthrough Part 25 All quests Death March (all side quests + commentary) - YouTube

 

The beggars of Novigrad, one of my favorite sequences.  There is also a second Poison pill CDPR placed against Triss 

Spoiler

Triss has slept around- with a Mage and with Lambert prior to Witcher 1.  Yenn, despite her difficult personality has not and has still loved Geralt despite his high notch count.

 

Blood and Wine is deeply related to the final novels and also Arthurian myths.  The first thing Duchess Anna brings up is Dandelion- this is directly from the end of the novels.

 

The 4 stoic virtues are wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation.

 

Toussiant knights:  Honor, wisdom, courage, generosity, compassion

 

A big issue though with Blood and Wine is that Ciri, Triss, and Yenn are missing.  It would have really completed a great DLC.

Posted

(99) Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Walkthrough Part 8 All quests Death March (all side quests + commentary) - YouTube

 

probably the best small port I've ever seen in open world games.  Looks like a real one.

 

The tone and behavior of the people of Toussant are the exact opposite of those in Velen/Novigrad.  I keep on thinking that quests would end in a bad way but usually they end for the better. It's like the developers were trying to balance things out by ending the game on a positive note.  

 

Witcher 1 had something like this going on as well, with the terrible hellhole of a place in a beginning and having a nice place near the end.

 

Posted

The gifting of Corvo Blanco (with staff paid by the state- and taxes, other expenses) to Geralt right at the start appears to be a ploy by Duchess Anna to get a strategic ally.  So the 'witcher' of Touissant ends up living there and solving all the regional problems..

 

In the later novels, Duchess Anna was a prima donna, just a teenager IIRC.  So Blood and Wine has their vision of what an older and politically astute Anna would be like.  

 

There is also disturbing evidence throughout Touissant that many witchers worked there and died.  The outskirts of the region are filled with giant insects and monsters.

 

another interesting detail is that the more literate and happy people there are more familiar with Geralt, and have less prejudice.  They don't call him 'mutant, wanderer, vagrant'.   As a consequence, the writing for Geralt has way less sarcasm and sudden violence.  There is a lot less conflict in this region.

 

 

Posted

(103) Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Walkthrough Part 20 All quests Death March (all side quests + commentary) - YouTube

 

1:08 Side Quest Equine Phantoms is excellent, one of the best little side quests in the game.  Moving, too.

 

In 2017 CDPR released this 2 minute tribute, it is in a way the final epilogue of Blood and Wine.  This is one of the three main story quests that they really should have included in the game.   A final party to finish up the game at the Corvo Blanco, and as grand as "Dead Man's Party" would have been awesome. I keep on feeling like the OG crew is missing in Blood and Wine.   Despite the amazing quality of the region, it's not the same without the best friends.  Where's Ciri? Triss? Yenn? Dandelion? Zoltan? etc?

 

 

 

Posted

@Enrico_sw  @SympathysSilhouette

 

What path did you guys choose for Blood and Wine?

 

I find it interesting that they made the choices kind of a dilemma.  

 

Regis is constantly making excuses for Detlaff, but the logical path is to kill Detlaff and kill or imprison Syanna.

 

Just like Witcher 1 there is chaos in the city.  I had forgotten about this.

Posted

The Syanna backstory has some similarities to the Ciri one. Except in reverse, and also involves bandits.  CDPR also has Geralt mentioning Renfry to Syanna.

 

One of the key themes of the Witcher novels is how Ciri ends her journey of suffering without being corrupted into becoming a villain and losing touch with her spirit. 

 

Syanna is the opposite, she embraces her villian-hood but there also evidence that she did not have to turn out this way.

 

The Syanna/Geralt

 

casual sex option is really well done but she is the worst person to have a romance with.   And CDPR also punishes the player for saying yes in the after-sex conversation.

 

 

 

 

In a way, Syanna is a much deeper and more complex version of Renfry from the first novel and Netflix season 1.  And tied into a much longer and more interesting story.

Posted

wow, just wow.  Chills.  The significance of the Dandelion reunion passed over my head the first time around but the second time makes it clear.  It is directly related to events in the books and written in a reverse manner.  Such a bromance.

 

The main story in Blood and Wine provides closure for the bromance of the novels and games- Dandelion and Regis.  It's really good.  I prefer the Detlaff death and Anna/Syanna lives option as it is promising to see that no person, no matter how wicked could move towards redemption.  The ending for Detlaff death and Syanna death is also very solid.

 

 

(106) Witcher 3 Blood and Wine Walkthrough Part 30 All quests Death March (all side quests + commentary) - YouTube

 

Finally finished reviewing Witcher 3 for the second time in 7 years.  It is a masterpiece, for me the games + books make it the greatest hero's journey in media.  Better than Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings.   Any great story should end in triumph like this one.

 

This final video has all the character reunions back-to back.  When watched together it is moving and put me in a good mood.  

 

I believe that the Ciri Witcher reunion is the best and most emotional one.  The rest are great too.

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