Looking for the Right RPG
Sometimes when you try something new, you can inadvertently enter the market at the top end. For example, if the first fantasy novel you read may be The Lord of the Rings or the first RPG game you play is either Skyrim or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, then you’re definitely dealing with A list products. Although this has the benefit of providing a high quality personal experience, it also comes with a downside. The bar for such content has now been set extremely high and subsequent forays into similar territory may not be as good or enjoyable. To use a clumsy analogy, once you’ve had Châteauneuf-du-Pape, your local stores economy brand may no longer suffice.
Blood and Wine
Blood and Wine, the swansong DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is yet another exquisitely crafted blend of quality adult narrative and action gaming. As ever with this franchise there’s a central story that drives the game but the devil is in the detail of the secondary quests, witcher contracts and treasure hunts that occur along the way. Blood and Wine oozes both beauty and mystery during its thirty plus hours of content. It’s also a fitting denouement for Geralt of Rivia; a character I’ve warmed to over the four hundred plus hours I’ve played. Future RPGs will have a tough act to follow now that CD Projekt Red has set the bar so high.
Hearts of Stone
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was a gaming milestone in many ways and was by far the best game I played in 2015. For me an RPG is all about character and plot first, followed by gaming mechanics. The Witcher 3 has a rich and varied narrative that doesn’t shy away from difficult issues. The plot is nuanced and doesn’t offer glib binary dialogue options. I actually cared about the characters and was moved by the tragedy of some storylines. It’s the nearest I’ve come to an interactive novel. The open world is enthralling and combat is accommodating of different play styles. Overall I feel that the £27.48 I spent on the base game and season pass has been incredible value.
A Year in Gaming Part 2
I started 2015 playing RPGs. Despite becoming bored with Dragon Age: Inquisition and its ponderous storyline, I still found this particular genre engaging. January and February are often slows months in my line of work, so it’s a good time of year to immerse oneself in games of this type. I played through both Arcania : Gothic 4 and Rise of the Argonauts and found them both to be enjoyable. Neither of these titles was revolutionary, being mainly “business as usual” RPGs. However both were bought as part of gaming bundles and the discounted price does have an impact upon my gaming expectations. For what they were, I enjoyed them.
A Year in Gaming Part 1
This time last year I wrote a two part post called A Year in MMOs. Twelve months later I find myself writing a similar round-up of my gaming activities. However this time round the title has now become A Year in Gaming. One of the most significant changes for me over the course of 2015 has been my step away with the MMO genre. Where in the past I would seek out new titles and stay abreast of those in development, I now find myself no longer drawn to the genre by default. Traditional titles such as LOTRO have been sidelined. This is because both MMOs and I have changed over recent years. Although I still play this genre (mainly STO), I do so sparingly and it is no longer the apple of my eye or the mainstay of my gaming time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Humour
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not a game that strikes you as being light hearted at first glance. The plot is dour and brooding, set in a world of human (and non-human) misery and suffering. In many respects this is one of the game’s greatest assets because it’s all so worryingly plausible. The rich and powerful pursue their own goals, heedless of the cost to the rest the kingdom. Those at the very lowest strata of society live a precarious existence. Despite its fantasy setting the world of the Witcher is not that different from our own.