The Witcher 3 83%
So I just finished Rise of the Tomb Raider last night, and can't decide which main game I want to tackle next.
I haven't much previous experience playing either of these franchises previous games. So far in Fallout 4 I've played about 90 minutes making my character and getting to right before you pick up the Pipboy. In the Witcher 3, I've put in 3 or 4 hours in the first starting area (White Orchard), but haven't played the game since July.
I'm playing both of them on PS4. I know Fallout 4 just got a patch this week, but wonder if that really improved performance stability? The Witcher 3 seems like it would be more stable since it came out earlier and seems like CD Projekt Red constantly patched it.
This is not an easy Gift This, Not That column to write.
That's because both Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are tremendous open-world roleplaying games, and each deserves plenty of praise.
And while neither game is perfect, choosing which one you'd take with you to a deserted island is a pretty tough choice. Choosing which one you'd recommend for someone to give as a Christmas gift? Not much easier.
But here we are, and we must make a decision.
This time around, let's look at some pros and cons of each game.
The Good: Fallout 4
What Fallout 4 does really well is give you a great big world to explore and your own character to explore it with. There's simply tons of exploration and customization here, and it gives the game a boundless feeling.
You're not trapped in someone else's story; you're making that story your own. You can play as a man or a woman, any skin color you like, and make yourself as pretty or as hideous as you choose.
Add in an already robust modding community and the game is simply chock-full of stuff to do, people to kill, and places to adventure.
The quests are often pretty fun as well, and the main story should keep you reeled in till the bitter end.
The Good: The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 has some of the best quests in the history of video game questing. There's tons of variety in the type of quest, too, and often even side quests will have an impact on the world around you. The Bloody Baron quest is one of the best moments in video game storytelling I've experienced.
Besides that, Geralt of Rivia and the supporting cast aren't just memorable, they're all characters from the past games (and books) and you get to really delve into their stories, and flesh out the universe of The Witcher and its protagonist.
Story is this game's best quality, and any gamer interested in playing through a deep fantasy story, filled with magic and mystery, will love it. Indeed, at least among modern RPGs, The Witcher 3's story is in a class of its own.
The Bad: Fallout 4
Fallout 4 often leaves too much up to the player, unfortunately. The game is pretty bad at explaining what to do, leaving you to explore not just a post-apocalyptic New England, but the game's mechanics as well.
Add to this a general bugginess, the out-dated VATS combat system, and a handful of other annoyances, and what could (and should) have been a truly great game feels bogged down by a bunch of small problems.
This can be frustrating at times, even though the game itself remains incredibly deep, fun and addictive.
The Bad: The Witcher 3
In some ways, The Witcher 3 has the opposite problem. Rather than not explain things, the game almost holds your hand too much. At times I felt as if I were playing The Witcher 3: MMO with all the little quest-giver exclamation marks and the clear-cut path to every objective.
When it comes to bugs and lackluster combat, however, The Witcher 3 shares much in common with Fallout 4. While it's better now than at launch, The Witcher 3 has had tons of bugs and glitches, including some that ruined important quests. That's mostly patched up now, thank goodness, but the combat is something we'll just have to live with. I was hoping for a bigger improvement over The Witcher 2, but alas, it was not meant to be.
See more:
This is not an easy Gift This, Not That column to write.
That's because both Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are tremendous open-world roleplaying games, and each deserves plenty of praise.
And while neither game is perfect, choosing which one you'd take with you to a deserted island is a pretty tough choice. Choosing which one you'd recommend for someone to give as a Christmas gift? Not much easier.
But here we are, and we must make a decision.
This time around, let's look at some pros and cons of each game.
The Good: Fallout 4
What Fallout 4 does really well is give you a great big world to explore and your own character to explore it with. There's simply tons of exploration and customization here, and it gives the game a boundless feeling.
You're not trapped in someone else's story; you're making that story your own. You can play as a man or a woman, any skin color you like, and make yourself as pretty or as hideous as you choose.
Fallout 4 Vs The Witcher 3 Map Size
Add in an already robust modding community and the game is simply chock-full of stuff to do, people to kill, and places to adventure.
The quests are often pretty fun as well, and the main story should keep you reeled in till the bitter end.
The Good: The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3 has some of the best quests in the history of video game questing. There's tons of variety in the type of quest, too, and often even side quests will have an impact on the world around you. The Bloody Baron quest is one of the best moments in video game storytelling I've experienced.
Besides that, Geralt of Rivia and the supporting cast aren't just memorable, they're all characters from the past games (and books) and you get to really delve into their stories, and flesh out the universe of The Witcher and its protagonist.
Story is this game's best quality, and any gamer interested in playing through a deep fantasy story, filled with magic and mystery, will love it. Indeed, at least among modern RPGs, The Witcher 3's story is in a class of its own.
The Bad: Fallout 4
Fallout 4 often leaves too much up to the player, unfortunately. Boothu telugu pdf. The game is pretty bad at explaining what to do, leaving you to explore not just a post-apocalyptic New England, but the game's mechanics as well.
Add to this a general bugginess, the out-dated VATS combat system, and a handful of other annoyances, and what could (and should) have been a truly great game feels bogged down by a bunch of small problems.
This can be frustrating at times, even though the game itself remains incredibly deep, fun and addictive.
The Bad: The Witcher 3
In some ways, The Witcher 3 has the opposite problem. Rather than not explain things, the game almost holds your hand too much. At times I felt as if I were playing The Witcher 3: MMO with all the little quest-giver exclamation marks and the clear-cut path to every objective.
When it comes to bugs and lackluster combat, however, The Witcher 3 shares much in common with Fallout 4. While it's better now than at launch, The Witcher 3 has had tons of bugs and glitches, including some that ruined important quests. That's mostly patched up now, thank goodness, but the combat is something we'll just have to live with. I was hoping for a bigger improvement over The Witcher 2, but alas, it was not meant to be.
See more:Gift This, Not That: The Tech And Science Gifts You Should (And Shouldn’t) Give This Holiday Season
The Maybe: Fallout 4
In the 'not necessarily bad or good' category, I will list Fallout 4's big open-world and its graphics.
The big open-world is great fun to explore, but there are times when trudging to the next location on the map just feels tedious.
Graphically, Fallout 4 looks fine, but it's nothing to write home about. Hopefully mods will make this less of an issue on PC.
The Maybe: The Witcher 3
These are pretty much the same, to be honest. I was expecting much better graphics from this game, but honestly I find it a little less interesting than even The Witcher 2. Partly this is because the world of The Witcher 3 is mostly just big and repetitive and not that interesting, outside of a few locales.
I'm much less familiar with modding for The Witcher games than I am with Bethesda titles, so I'm not sure if mods will impact the graphics much.
So there you have it.
Both games share a lot of the same qualities and flaws, oddly enough. So what to gift and what not to gift (unless you can gift both, of course.)
And the winner is..
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt!
Honestly, this was almost a coin toss for me. What it finally came down to wasn't that The Witcher 3 is necessarily a better game---it's just a different game. A fantasy, not a post-apocalyptic sci-fi shooter; the story of one man's journey rather than an open book like Fallout 4. There are things I like and dislike about both games, and I'm glad to have played each of them this year.
No, what it all comes down to is price. You can get The Witcher 3 for as low as $29.99 right now. That means you could potentially get this game and another game for the same price you'd find Fallout 4 (which is selling for around $60 still) and just wait for that game to get a discount down the road.
If price isn't an issue, I can't help you. Flip a coin. Ask whoever you're buying it for whether they prefer Mad Max or Braveheart.
If it's a gift for yourself, I can only suggest you follow your heart. I give Fallout 4 the lead on combat, customization and exploration; The Witcher 3 wins story, world-building, and satisfaction, wrapping up a trilogy we've all been eager to finish. (And you should at least play The Witcher 2 before diving in.)
It's basically a draw, or at the very least a matter of preference, so similar each game is in its execution, qualities and flaws.
What do you think? Are Witcher fans upset that I'd even put the two in the same ballpark? Are Fallout fans itching to explain why it's the obvious choice? I want to know how and why, when and where, and even who, so shout out in the comments.
Gift This, Not That:Forbes Tech and Science contributors share their expertise and opinions on the very best (or not so great) gifts for your holiday bucks in this ongoing series.
Witcher 3: great story, good quests, terrible combat, really boring 'world' that looks the same everywhere you go, bland characters, level progression that actively punishes you if you follow the story, you can outlevel the entire game by playing one third of the content. If any game across ALL platforms can be accused of being a movie game it's Witcher 3 because actual gameplay elements are just so BAD.
Fallout 4: terrible graphics by modern standards, functional quests and storyline, amazingly interesting world to explore, fantastic crafting system, a character YOU create as opposed to Geralt oh good it's him again we are not bored of acting out his life again after 3 games, amazing perk system so you can actually tailor your playing style to how you want to play no steel or silver sword bullshit as an i.e. and just generally a much, MUCH more interesting and rewarding game to play IMO than just living out Geralt's tired, boring adventure with disastrous game design inhibiting you at every turn.
That is my take on it all, I fully expect abuse for daring to criticise W3 but hey it is what it is.
Fallout 4 O The Witcher 3
What say you SW?