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The Witcher (Books by Andrej Sapkowski; Games)

AlchoPwn

Public Service is my Motto.
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Nov 2, 2017
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I was surprised to see that nobody had posted anything about "The Witcher" by Andrej Sapkowski. Why am I posting this now? Well, the Witcher started life as a series of short stories that grew into full novels, that spawned some very entertaining and high quality video games, that in turn are now being turned into a TV series that will likely be released in 2020.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher

The stories follow the adventures of a professional paranormal hunter of monsters in a very well developed fantasy world. There are interesting examples of creatures from Slavonic mythology, and much of the writing is darkly humorous. It would be unlikely that lovers of things Fortean wouldn't find something to enjoy about the books.

I particularly endorse the computer game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which has done something no game has really done before to the same degree, being the combining of a truly detailed and engaging narrative and well realized characters with an open world/sandbox game. It also has some of the most spectacular graphics I have ever seen in a game. Whether it is the sheen of the mud on wagon ruts, the mist hanging on distant mountains, or interiors rendered with the loving detail of a Dutch master, they are a tour de force.
 
Agreed. I've only spent a few hours on The Witcher 3 so far, but its potential and sheer size is staggering. There is something truly compelling in knowing that a distant mountain on the horizon will really be there for you to climb if you decide to walk or ride up to it.
I thought Mad Max had a big open world, but this is huge!
 
The Witcher 3 is my favourite game of all time - I've put in well over 150 hours in the main game alone, and I've still got the two (massive) DLCs to get lost in.

There's a huge amount to do in the world, and every bit of it works well - boxing, horse-riding, sword-fighting, spell-casting, monster-slaying...even the boozing, romancing and card-playing is entertainingly high quality.

And everything you do appears to affect the game world, story and relationships with other characters.

It's a work of genius.
 
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The Witcher 3 is my favourite game of all time - I've put in well over 150 hours in the main game alone, and I've still got the two (massive) DLCs to get lost in.

There's a huge amount to do in the world, and every bit of it works well - boxing, horse-riding, sword-fighting, spell-casting, monster-slaying...even the boozing, romancing and card-playing is entertainingly high quality.

And everything you do appears to effect the game world, story and relationships with other characters.

It's a work of genius.

That is one element that worries me a bit. Will some of my decisions (like refusing to accept the gold for killing the Griffin) mean that certain future actions/quests will be inaccessible?
 
That is one element that worries me a bit. Will some of my decisions (like refusing to accept the gold for killing the Griffin) mean that certain future actions/quests will be inaccessible?

If there are those type of consequences I didn't notice....and I hate that type of concern in a game. I feel like I might be missing out...

In this game the results of your actions are more subtle than that. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that at the very end it will be obvious which decisions you made affected the final outcomes for the characters...and I wouldn't bother trying to second guess.

Just go with it and do what feel right, that's what I did. I read about the various endings after my playthrough and Geralt got what I deserved (the dirty dog ).
 
If there are those type of consequences I didn't notice....and I hate that type of concern in a game. I feel like I might be missing out...

In this game the results of your actions are more subtle than that. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that at the very end it will be obvious which decisions you made affected the final outcomes for the characters...and I wouldn't bother trying to second guess.

Just go with it and do what feel right, that's what I did. I read about the various endings after my playthrough and Geralt got what I deserved (the dirty dog ).

OK thanks. I guess I'll find out in around a year's time.
 
That DLC is starting to look tempting now....

Hearts of Stone is a bit of a disappointment, but it has its moments. Blood and Wine is the holiday you get at the end of the game.

The fiction which proceeds the games is well worth your time too. While Sapkowski writes in Polish, the translation is really good.
 
I'm currently reading the first novel. Legacy of Elves is the english title I believe. I'm surprised at how little is happening. You'd think a series about a monster hunter would at least have some action scenes.
 
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