The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4)

An absolutely outstanding game that is so massive I don't think I've even scratched the surface of things to do or things to find. I've played for about a week now, and I'm only at level 15 (out of I think 50 levels?) and haven't even left Velen (one of the first areas) because there's just so many quests, so much to find and do and so much to kill.Like, with the other Witcher games, with your quests you get a few different choices to make and these choices can determine which way the game goes from there on in (such as if you decide to kill a character or let them live, it will effect the dialogue later and possibly open a different quest later). Choices can also determine the loot you get.The storyline focuses on Geralt (as usual), a Witcher (a monster hunter mutated and trained to do such) who is on the hunt for a girl he trained and became rather fond of some eight years before. The hunt for Cirilla (Ciri) will send him on a wild goose chase from one place the next taking on countless quests, contracts and treasure hunts while trying to glean any information he can where and when he can find it.If you've played the previous games, you'll see some familiar friendly faces such as Zoltan Cheevay, Dandylion the Bard and Triss Merrigold. Finally, we also get to meet with the notorious Yennifer who was always a big part of the lore but never really seen in the previous games. You also see the occasional familiar face from the last games (like Vivaldi the banker and Vernon Roche).Having played the previous games, I have to say the interface is slightly different from how I remember it, and things like detecting monsters and the potion taking is slightly different to how it used to be. You have "quickslots" now but only so many, and you can only make three of each potion and two of each bomb in total and have those in your inventory (so say for instance you have the ingredients for an endless supply of "Tawny Owl" for example, you can't make them all in advance). You also cannot sell ANY of your options or bombs either. Because of things like this, you end up with a huge cache of flowers and ingredients you can't use all at once and for most of the game are constantly searching for merchants to sell the items to (which is difficult when Merchants only have so much gold to sell).What I like about the game is there is a gorgeous day and night cycle with realistic weather system, and the weather is brought to your attention by Geralt who even mentions when the weather is changing (he'll occasionally say to himself "Wind is howling" or "It's raining" just in case you tend to take such things for granted and don't notice, lol). The weather even effects things like the grass, the bushes and trees as you see the wind dragging the foliage about nicely to make it feel more like an environment than a static graphic surface. It's not quite as pretty as Skyrim in realism, but there's a lot of deeper colour, richer sunsets and nicer water effects.The character design is absolutely fantastic, even NPCs all look different with unique features such as different shaped noses and yes, scars, expressions that make the wrinkles in their faces show exceptionally well, bringing a little touch of realism. When Triss smiles for example, you see smile lines that you don't see otherwise, and when Geralt grimaces you see the wrinkles in his nose and at the sides of his eyes move. Some of the voice acting is very exceptional (some may get annoyed with Geralt's rather monotone voice - it's supposed to be that way, Witcher's mutation means he lacks expression or emotion in his face and voice) while some of it is a bit horrendous, but that's all part of the charm.There is a lot of foul language in the game, I won't lie. The F word is used more than a hundred times (rough guess) and there's occasional female nudity (which, if you've played these games, yes, it's always been part of the franchise, so don't be shocked). This game isn't meant for young kids and under eighteens for a reason so do take note.There's a lot of easter eggs and references to modern films and such (such as Zoltan Cheevay talking about Dandylion having a strange relationship with a woman in the bedroom who would call him "Christian" and insist he call her "Anastacia" - clear reference to Fifty Shades of Grey). It's always amusing to catch these things from time to time.There are so many different locations and things to find, and a lot of them are best found when off the beaten track. Most quests you come across are not ones found on the contract boards, they're found walking around streets and the fields and running into NPCs, etc. While I'm on the subject, I should warn you CAN occasionally fail a quest if you don't act fast enough. There's also sometimes a timer when an NPC asks you to make a decision on something and if you don't act fast enough this too can result in a fail at times. Be warned if you're a trophy perfectionist, I'm not sure but I reckon this could hurt your trophy collection.Also take note, save option. If you don't save frequently, dying sends you back to the instance you last saved, which for all I know could be three hours before which is a bit of a downer. You don't retain ANY of your experience or items if you die and have to return to an earlier save game so do be warned. I learned the hard way. Do take heed though, save before handing in a quest in case you risk failing, this way you can try to get things right. I learned this the hard way too.There's more I'll add eventually but this is just my initial review. I'm so engrossed in this game I can't leave it alone. Every day, every night, I'm addicted more than I was with Skyrim (which it is somewhat similar to). I really do recommend buying, you won't be disappointed.

THIS is how you do a video game!!!Having spent over 80 hours now playing this game I have to say it is enequalled in the genre. I've only just left Velen (one of the first areas) and haven't left Act 1 yet and already 80 hours sunk into main quest lines, side quests, exploration, crafting, contracts, Gwent (the in game card game ... more on this later) this game is HUGE! and it's not vast areas of blandness either every area feels like it has been given loads of design attention the result is that whilst the game world is vast it is still interesting.The pacing of the main story is great, the NP characters are a delight, your decisions do actually make a difference, it is truly immersive.I have come across very few glitches so far, and in a game this size that I've already spend hours in I have to say this is remarkable - even more so when compared to Skyrim (PS4) and DA:I.GWENT...... I am not usually a fan of "games within games" especially obscure card games, however Gwent is a different beast altogether. It's quite easy to learn and very hard to master, there is the collecting angle (and corresponding trophy) as well as a thriving in game competition scene. I have found myself simply putting this game on to have a few rounds of Gwent and try and get hold of more cards for my collection. I'd happily play Gwent outside of the game in real life if it were available!Loot. Other games throw 200 gold coins at you for slaying a wolf/rat, witcher 3 maybe gives you some meat and a hide for the same act, it makes you work for your coin. The monetary system actually feels like it matters here. Sure you can sell all your loot, but traders aren't bottomless money pits, and they'll only pay a good price for stuff they want or is worth them selling on. It's easy to run low on money when you are repairing/replacing/upgrading your gear to give you the edge in combat, but on the other hand it's also easy to be overburdened (slowed) with loot you can't shift because a trader has no coin left. It's a good balance and I feel it works better in this game than any others I recall.Combat. Unlike others I find the combat satisfying and fluid. The only thing I'm not keen on is the bare knuckle fighting part of combat mailny due to the camera than the fighting mechanic. Weapon choice matters a lot, as does the condition of your weapon/equipment. And don't expect to roll over low level opponents, especially if they outnumber you, you can easily be several levels over your enemies and still be taken down when there are a crowd of them wanting to end your adventure!DLC done right. Other games charge for DLC that you could argue should have been in from the start. With a load of FREE DLC The Witcher 3 starts to put this right. There are 2 (paid for) future DLCs planned that will add an area bigger than the entire play area of the Witcher 2! with a load more quests, contracts etc. THIS is how DLC should be, not paid for reskins of characters etc. DLC that actually adds to the experience.I really am struggling to find a fault with this game. CD Projekt Red seem to have nailed it. My ONLY gripe might be that sometimes loading times can be frustrating (for example losing in a Gwent tournament then reloading your previous save).I would say to sum up that this game has set a new benchmark for the genre, and whilst I know it will be several years before another Witcher game comes our way I for one will be counting down the days until it does!Hats off to CD Projekt Red, it has been well worth the wait.