The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 Xbox One
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 5622 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,075 out of 5622
  2. Mixed: 121 out of 5622
  3. Negative: 426 out of 5622
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  1. ZekeMania
    May 24, 2015
    7
    CONTROLS. ARE. CLUNKY. If you take Witcher 3 as a narrative interactive experience it should easily be in the 8-10 range for you. Returning players to the series were quick to give it a "10" because Witcher 3 has most certainly delivered in this category. I am in agreement with them. But as a newcomer to the series I can't give the game anything higher than 7/10 because the controls haveCONTROLS. ARE. CLUNKY. If you take Witcher 3 as a narrative interactive experience it should easily be in the 8-10 range for you. Returning players to the series were quick to give it a "10" because Witcher 3 has most certainly delivered in this category. I am in agreement with them. But as a newcomer to the series I can't give the game anything higher than 7/10 because the controls have been breaking my level of immersion every step of the way. Combat is more of the same, and after 15 hours I have really lost interest in getting any better at combat and have dropped the difficulty level indefinitely. Really a shame because the amount of content in this game is staggering. BOTTOM LINE- Don't miss out on this game and try not to let it's shortcomings hurt your experience. I will play Witcher 3 all the way out because these days you rarely see this much value in a game at launch.… Expand
  2. B5HARP
    Jul 14, 2015
    5
    Why anyone rated this game highly is beyond me. It's so buggy and boring. You have to often maneuver your character around an object just for the action item button assignment to pop. Sometimes you circle around this item many times before you can gather the ingredients. The tutorial tries to do a good job explaining the menus, but if you blink or look down to grab your beer, you willWhy anyone rated this game highly is beyond me. It's so buggy and boring. You have to often maneuver your character around an object just for the action item button assignment to pop. Sometimes you circle around this item many times before you can gather the ingredients. The tutorial tries to do a good job explaining the menus, but if you blink or look down to grab your beer, you will miss it. It is also very boring and time consuming. the Witcher has to constantly talk to his horse every time you speed up or slow down and it is so repetitive. Want some positives? the Graphics are amazing. Other than graphical prowess and nothing else to do with your time, i see no reason to pick this up. I returned it in less than a week back to GameStop.… Expand
  3. MoopMachine
    Jun 24, 2015
    7
    Didn't live up to the hype. Spent the time to master combat mechanics and explore the world—at the end of the day, the game inevitably got repetitive.
  4. RichardGreen
    Sep 22, 2016
    6
    These reviews are surprising. This game is nowhere near as good as Mass Effect or Middle Earth: SOW.

    The controls are awkward, combat on the horse doesn't work (Assassins creed did it better), the best battle is just fighting a gryphon which is won with simple dodges, some quests are way too hard for your level so pacing is off, creating items and armor has been made overly complicated    These reviews are surprising. This game is nowhere near as good as Mass Effect or Middle Earth: SOW.

    The controls are awkward, combat on the horse doesn't work (Assassins creed did it better), the best battle is just fighting a gryphon which is won with simple dodges, some quests are way too hard for your level so pacing is off, creating items and armor has been made overly complicated - need so many items to craft simple items. WoW did crafting so well.

    I really don't get the hype, yeah voice acting is amazing but that's about it. I got the game at $30 and still wasn't amused. Just go watch a movie instead.    … Expand
  5. Allthegoodones
    May 26, 2015
    7
    Really wantdd to give this a higher score but the witcher 2 set the bar so damn high that, despite all the bells and whistles, the witcher 3 falls short of my expectations.
    Its gorgeous and gargantuan, granted, but its also somewhat bland and blasé. The feeling of adventure and, in fact, endeavor that the last iteration invoked is somehow missing. The witcher 2 grabbed you by the scruff    Really wantdd to give this a higher score but the witcher 2 set the bar so damn high that, despite all the bells and whistles, the witcher 3 falls short of my expectations.
    Its gorgeous and gargantuan, granted, but its also somewhat bland and blasé. The feeling of adventure and, in fact, endeavor that the last iteration invoked is somehow missing. The witcher 2 grabbed you by the scruff of the neck from the get go and shoved you into the action right away and you had such a hard time catching your breath that when you did find those few moments of reprieve, they felt well earned and rewarding. None of that holds true for the witcher 3 and the over all experience is more cumbersome than captivating.
    A huge part of what undermines the experience is the horribly ported inventory management system. It is clearly designed for a mouse and keyboard interface and no effort has been made to mold it for a user friendly console experience. Its so cluttered and ill organized that i dread getting new loot because of the time i will have to waste in locating it and assessing it. Add to that the maddeningly small font eveywhere in the game and its easy to see that the console version was not a priority for the developers. This is super disappointing considering what a marvelous job had been done with the witcher 2 port. It was easily the best RPG on the x360 and I had hoped history would repeat itself but no such luck! Luckily, these issues can be easily patched and once they are i might revisit this review because i want to love this game and i know that under the skin this is a great game but as it stands rights now, its a 6/10 game with an added point for the free dlc being offered by CD PROJECT RED and the carry over love for the witcher 2. Fixing the superficial stuff could raise it to an 8 to 8.5 game but its never going to be as ground breaking, breath taking and unforgettable as the witcher 2.    … Expand
  6. Understated
    Jul 10, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I finished playing through Witcher 3 a couple of days ago. I spent approximately 120 hrs. completing it and reached level 34. I have little interest in playing it anymore. And yet there were so many question marks and quests left pending to be fulfilled! I did complete a number of secondary quests to insure my character was strong enough to complete and retain story continuity without much difficulty. I did not want to stop and start with potentially many deaths. The load times are 'very long' in this game. I also played on easy mode. With RPGs I will initially play through the story with as few interruptions as possible and if I deem the gameplay and world interesting and fun, I will play at more challenging levels later on. Skyrim, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Fallout New Vegas I played for approx. 900 - 1000 hrs. each this way. And I can still have fun playing them. But alas, not Witcher 3. So why not? Assassins Creed Black Flag, Dragon Age Inquisition, and now Witcher 3 all share a common problem. They are rather flat worlds. Once the surface illusions and clever visual trickeries wear off, there is poor gameplay, poor management of menus and inventories(in Witcher 3 a 'chore'), trite purile exchanges of dialoque, immature understandings of relationships between men and women from love interests to the brothels, and so much 'sameness'. There is some significant square acreage, but the worlds are like Geralts personality, monocromatic! In the Witcher 3 I got absolutely tired of playing his character and listening to him. I had to force myself to finish this. And I did. I am sad for those giving this game such high marks. Perhaps getting a good liberal arts college education for all those who think so highly of this would help. You know, getting a rounded education in literature, art, composition, and history for comparison. One historical note came to mind, however. CDProjectRed is based in Poland which experienced only some 70 years ago major devastation during WW2 as both the German Nazi occupying forces and the counter occupying Russians forces destroyed much of the landscape and its people. The lands of Velen in the game are perhaps symbolic of this brutal period in European history. CDPR designs a virtual war torn environment and aftermath effectively as perhaps only they might. And if so, there could be so much more richness of experience than is portrayed here. This may not be a game for the faint of heart or for say an individual practicing Christianity. The game requires the player to perform and participate in rituals that are steeped in the occult. There are demon possessions, exorcisms, witchcraft, and others I wasn't necessarily familiar with. In one quest a Hag Wraith has gotten bold and is raiding the local village for villagers. A child has gone missing. Upon finding the Hags lair one finds a pot boiling in the corner. In that pot is a childs pelvis. There is so much of this in the game, especially in the Velen area, I was beginning to wonder what really this games agenda is. It truelly gives the game an 'oily' feeling. And I lost count of the number of heads, arms, and legs hacked off as well as torsos split in half. It was around this time in the game I really started to loose interest. But being curious and wanting to see it through, I decided to finish. The ending was disappointing as was the story for the most part. Summations of your choices are presented via story boards and the game does simply end. No real satisfying follow-ups to the relationships chosen throughout the game. If one wants to continue questing, you are required to pick up at an earlier save without any main quest items or activities. Where is the excitement and tension in that? Back to an even more narrow shallow world. Note: I found that when I had experienced visual glitching and/or quest problems, saving at that point, quitting back to the main menu, then loading that saved file, cleared some of those problems. They did not release a sound product, but they have been apparently making an effort to fix and improve it. The 1.07 patch comes out any day now, but I don't really care. These guys really need to improve their craft and respect better the consumers/players. We need a CPA that has some grit. I give this an average score. To me there are much better games I have experienced. I wouldn't give any of those a 10. Fallout 3 came close, after the dlc and the patches, but.... One more thing about the game, and yet there are so many things I could still say. I didn't care too much for the music and sound production soon after starting so I turned it completely off and opted only to listen to the developers ambient sounds of recorded nature. The rain, wind, birds, creatures, sounds of Geralts footsteps on different materials and ground cover, and torches/pyres burning. I found this much more satisfying and interesting. Lastly, Bethesda has ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about from this Witcher 3 linear deception.… Expand
  7. SkipTheCutscene
    May 19, 2015
    6
    Gorgeous visuals, BUT... as one of the other reviewers pointed out, the movement is very disorienting. It's like they're using a weird focal lens, and it becomes extremely uncomfortable to watch after a short time. It's even more pronounced when using the special "Witcher Sense" ability, which is almost headache inducing.

    Also, be prepared for lots of cut scenes. Lots. Lots, lots, lots,    Gorgeous visuals, BUT... as one of the other reviewers pointed out, the movement is very disorienting. It's like they're using a weird focal lens, and it becomes extremely uncomfortable to watch after a short time. It's even more pronounced when using the special "Witcher Sense" ability, which is almost headache inducing.

    Also, be prepared for lots of cut scenes. Lots. Lots, lots, lots, lots. You can skip them, but there are so many, even skipping them takes a long time, because you'll be doing lots and lots of skipping. It's almost like an interactive novel with intermittent action. This is probably my own personal taste, but when I tried to embrace the cutscenes and enjoy it like a movie, it was kind of a letdown too, because ultimately the characters seem like animatrons, and the voiceovers feel very samey, especially relentlessly monotonous lead dude. It's clear the scenes were recorded by individual actors without interacting with each other. In other words, don't expect "acting," or to experience an emotional response... it's just endless exposition. Bottom line, BORING cutscenes. And lots of 'em.

    IF you're willing to deal with all that, it has fantastic fighting and spell mechanics (way better than Dragon Age) and pretty visuals (albeit presented in a borderline headache inducing way.)

    I will probably stop playing and wait for a patch to fix the strange and irritating visuals.    … Expand
  8. Nimzabaat
    May 27, 2015
    7
    The Witcher 3 is an excellent game that still has a few issues. The main issue is pacing. This game is much larger than Skyrim or Dragon Age Inquisition with far less to do than either of those games. You'll really need to use your horse in this game because playable content is really far apart. There is also a problem with level scaling. In the beginning you'll have a hard time findingThe Witcher 3 is an excellent game that still has a few issues. The main issue is pacing. This game is much larger than Skyrim or Dragon Age Inquisition with far less to do than either of those games. You'll really need to use your horse in this game because playable content is really far apart. There is also a problem with level scaling. In the beginning you'll have a hard time finding content of an appropriate level. This means you'll probably spend many hours just looking for something to do. Other than that the games quests are memorable and the graphics (numerous glitches aside) are spectacular.… Expand
  9. trooper1993
    May 22, 2015
    7
    Realistically this game can be considered the only game that has met it's hype this year. Unlike many other releases this game has a flair for keeping the user engaged and willing to continue playing much like Skyrim did years ago. Although The Witcher 3 and Skyrim are essentially complete different games they both share two crucial aspects that enforce a genuine form of commitment on theRealistically this game can be considered the only game that has met it's hype this year. Unlike many other releases this game has a flair for keeping the user engaged and willing to continue playing much like Skyrim did years ago. Although The Witcher 3 and Skyrim are essentially complete different games they both share two crucial aspects that enforce a genuine form of commitment on the user; The gorgeous landscape within the open-world arena and the intriguing storyline characterised by rich dialogue and well-developed characters. These two features have the ability to successfully involve a much wider clientele of gamers that normally avoid Role-playing games.

    However, this game has some flaws which cause it to run short from a perfect 10. On a graphical point of view this game doesn't really impress on consoles. Although on PC it's a complete different story it is a little bit frustrating that a game like this cannot perform equally on these "next-gen" consoles. Furthermore, the combat system although pleasant and functional has a tendency to be inconsistent and difficult to follow. Hopefully a patch can resolve these issues as it would increase the pleasure of playing this game even more.    … Expand
  10. Iluvatar2111
    Dec 2, 2015
    5
    +Story
    +Graphics
    +Immersion; insane armor and weapons detail -overused assets and music -limited monster animations -large windows between attacks -the weapons you can wield are only swords (because axes are hilarious on Geralt) -half of the skills are boring -boring, unlikeable main character -side quests tend to end anticlimatically -impossible crafting unless you look    +Story
    +Graphics
    +Immersion; insane armor and weapons detail

    -overused assets and music
    -limited monster animations
    -large windows between attacks
    -the weapons you can wield are only swords (because axes are hilarious on Geralt)
    -half of the skills are boring
    -boring, unlikeable main character
    -side quests tend to end anticlimatically
    -impossible crafting unless you look absolutely everywhere
    -a flat world map (unless in Skeliige) full of lazily presented busy work

    5/10. Not fun    … Expand
  11. jaymclain
    May 23, 2015
    7
    I have mixed opinions about this game...overall, the visuals and story are great. I like that the side quests aren't simple meaningless fetch quests, but weave nicely into the very engaging main story. The characters are very well developed throughout the early parts of the game.

    However, the controls are clunky and some major aspects of the game are overly difficult to control -- like    I have mixed opinions about this game...overall, the visuals and story are great. I like that the side quests aren't simple meaningless fetch quests, but weave nicely into the very engaging main story. The characters are very well developed throughout the early parts of the game.

    However, the controls are clunky and some major aspects of the game are overly difficult to control -- like horse riding and combat. The controls felt cumbersome and awkward. Frequently the frame rate drops are noticeable, particularly surprising to someone who doesn't normally care about such things. The game music is uninspiring, and frankly I didn't even notice it during any of the gameplay (unlike a game like Assasins Creed, for example, where the music adds greatly to many moments in the game).

    The main issue for me are the bugs related to game saving. I lost 5+ hrs of gameplay that I would really rather not perform over again. Very frustrating. I am going to set this game aside for a month or two and see how CD Projekt Red responds. I won't be pre-ordering any of "red's" games in the future.    … Expand
  12. opSTOOmus
    May 31, 2015
    5
    I was really looking forward to this game but unfortunately it has fell to the same problem that A LOT of releases are subject to currently, it is simply NOT FINISHED!

    The reason why I have given this 5 is because there are just as many things I like about the game as there are things that I hate about the game. I'll start with things I like about the game. It is huge, simply    I was really looking forward to this game but unfortunately it has fell to the same problem that A LOT of releases are subject to currently, it is simply NOT FINISHED!

    The reason why I have given this 5 is because there are just as many things I like about the game as there are things that I hate about the game.

    I'll start with things I like about the game. It is huge, simply massive, there is so much story and side quests, this game will keep you going for hours. It also looks amazing, the graphics are stunning and the landscape just looks incredible. its also a very interesting landscape too as there are lots of really nice features to it scattered all over the place. The control system is nice and simple so it is very easy to get into.

    Things I really dislike, the game glitches and clips all over the place, I don't think the voice lip syncing is quite accomplished, the frame rate slows down every so often really badly as well. It bugs me a bit that you automatically run everywhere unless you half push the control stick, you have a horse that follows you every where so I think the defeats the need for this. The writing on screen is WAY too small, I have to get out my seat to go and read what it says and I wear glasses that are fully fine for my eyes. Finally, I don't like the health system, its really hard to come across food to replenish your health, I find myself half dead and looking for food most of the time.

    Now i will admit I have not finished the game, I am not even that far into it but these things bugging me are really influencing this from happening. i will solider on towards the end but I am less motivated to do that at the minute. I will adjust my score accordingly if I find it better later on.

    I can see what people do like about this game but I really can't forgive any developer for half finishing a game. Everything that gets released by Nintendo never has glitches or problems so why is it acceptable for any other developer to do it. It happens with too much now because it seems ok to just ping patches out at a later date. If i buy a meal at a restaurant, i don't expect half of it to come out with promise of the rest being posted to e bit by bit at a later date, so why is this ok?

    We will see how this picks up but for now it gets a solid 5.    … Expand
  13. Broyax
    Feb 26, 2022
    6
    Je me disais à la fin de Witcher 2 : voilà un développeur qui se rapproche dangereusement de Bioware, le studio responsable des mythiques Mass Effect et du fabuleux premier Dragon Age. Et assez ironiquement tandis que CDPR va vers les sommets, Bioware dégringole… Je n’avais pas encore lu les livres mais en deux jeux seulement je m’étais retrouvé happé par ce traitement si dense et sansJe me disais à la fin de Witcher 2 : voilà un développeur qui se rapproche dangereusement de Bioware, le studio responsable des mythiques Mass Effect et du fabuleux premier Dragon Age. Et assez ironiquement tandis que CDPR va vers les sommets, Bioware dégringole… Je n’avais pas encore lu les livres mais en deux jeux seulement je m’étais retrouvé happé par ce traitement si dense et sans concession de la fantasy héroïque…

    Pourtant, l’ambiance générale est contre toute attente moins percutante que dans le second Witcher ; les choix sont souvent obscurs et piégeux ; les dialogues sont fourbes et leurs résultats inattendus, voire illogiques. L’histoire est diluée et simpliste à la fois, rien à voir avec la profondeur et la maturité du Witcher 2, hélas !

    Dans Witcher 3, Gégé le sorceleur traque et tue encore plus de monstres… ses sens surdéveloppés lui permettent de remonter la piste des monstruosités qui pullulent, et à cet effet, les mécaniques de la traque sont bien rendues. Chaque monstre exige une approche différente et un manque de préparation ou l’ignorance pure et simple des règles d’engagement mène à un trépas certain ou à de grandes difficultés, car ce gibier là n’est jamais ordinaire.

    Witcher 3 s’affirme également comme une jolie prouesse graphique et esthétique. Globalement, le jeu tourne plus ou moins bien (ou mal) sur la Xbox au fil des patchs mais le plus important concerne le degré de finition fort satisfaisant : très peu de bugs pour un monde aussi grand et aussi riche.

    Les combats ont été entièrement retravaillés par rapport à Witcher 2 et offrent désormais une maniabilité en net progrès faite de pirouettes, de contres et d’esquives… mais l’ensemble reste perfectible. A cela s’ajoute le système d’évolution du personnage, assez bien fait tout compte fait. Bretteur hors pair, spécialiste des signes, alchimiste expert (fabrication de bombes comprise), chaque voie permet d’aborder le combat selon son style…

    Quelques soucis, quelques détails irritent comme tout ce qui concerne la récupération du butin, relative à la position du personnage et non à la caméra ; les temps de chargement quand on meure… (de quoi vous laisser méditer) de pire en pire à chaque patch ; toutes ces icônes en pagaille dans l’onglet « alchimie et artisanat » et dans l’inventaire en règle générale, lequel reste un bordel sans nom.

    Le monde ouvert en lui-même est certes immense mais pâtit de son immensité. Pour tenter de le remplir, CD Projekt recourt toujours aux mêmes ficelles : des nids de monstres et des chasses aux trésors et aux équipements « légendaires », des camps de bandits… Heureusement, jamais de mission « va chercher, mon toutou à sa mémère » mais tout de même ! ça manque de variété dès qu’on sort de la quête principale et de ses non moins intéressantes quêtes secondaires.

    A propos de l’histoire décidément simpliste malgré des personnages souvent bien écrits, on s’étonne que les deux fins principales possibles soient aussi pourraves (je n’en vois que deux puisqu’elle reposent forcément sur Ciri et quelques dialogues de loin en loin qui semblaient anodins mais qui se révèlent à votre insu… décisifs, une fois qu’on l’a retrouvée !). Lors de mon premier parcours, j’avais trouvée la première très décevante…

    Mais que dire de « l’autre » fin dans ce cas ! un incroyable drame dont les justifications sont très discutables et dont les tenants pourtant positifs sont passés sous silence ou escamotés… il en résulte un sentiment de fin bâclée très désagréable. Il en est de même en ce qui concerne le destin de personnages-clés, destins inconnus balayés d’un revers de main par CD Projekt Red. Voilà donc une conclusion très décevante pour un jeu de rôle aussi long, certes pas rédhibitoire vu les qualités par ailleurs mais tout de même. On s’en retrouve dépité et aigri : et la note finale s’en ressent…    … Expand
  14. DamianGX
    Jul 17, 2015
    6
    Good game, terrible rpg, got stuck in a puddle........................................................................................................
  15. Troublewalking
    May 20, 2015
    7
    I've only played a couple of hours so far. Early on it's okay. Feels better than DAI. But is no Skyrim. To put that in terms. Everyone in my family has finished and done multiple characters in Skyrim.. No one finsied DAI. So Witcher 3 at least feels like it's enough for me to finish it.

    Pro's... 90% open world is a gigantic upgrade for this franchise. Con's Early on this    I've only played a couple of hours so far. Early on it's okay. Feels better than DAI. But is no Skyrim. To put that in terms. Everyone in my family has finished and done multiple characters in Skyrim.. No one finsied DAI. So Witcher 3 at least feels like it's enough for me to finish it.

    Pro's...

    90% open world is a gigantic upgrade for this franchise.

    Con's

    Early on this game's 3rd person camera/wind are awkward.
    (Fortunately both of these seem to adjust after you get to bigger areas).
    I can't stand the cartoon segment's between areas. It destroys RPG games IMO. It stunk in Diablo III and it stinks in Witcher III. Frankly I'd rather see a loading screen with information, than a lame cartoon.
    Decision timer is so short sometimes, I don't even see it. Then it defaults to most violent choice.
    Game doesn't seem to auto save before timer. Which can leave you stuck with a choice you didn't pick.
    Playing a predetermined/looks/named character seems like RPG stone age. Seriously you have seen the KOTOR, Reven story. So you can do a story about a person, but let the player's customize everything about the toon so they feel apart of the story.

    Average...
    The combat view makes me feel like I'm watching it instead of doing it.
    Something about movement in the game can make the graphics seem very off. Liking seeing a zone wall in old school MMO's. It just ruins immersion.
    It's magic and leveling up system just seems subpar and restrictive compared to Skyrim.
    It's graphics are nice, but it's an XB1. So it's just about what you would expect.    … Expand
  16. diehard-gamer
    Jun 3, 2015
    5
    Not a bad as you'd expect after experiencing Witcher 2, but not as good as you'd hope given that its over a year since Elder Scrolls Online was released.

    Witcher 3 is OK - but once Elder Scrolls Online (after a year of bug fixes and polishing) hits the consoles next week I suspect Witcher 3 won't look quite so rosy.
  17. Roldaddy78
    Sep 1, 2015
    7
    To sum it up quickly, The Witcher is a Fable NC-17. It is a good game with a compelling story. That's what kept me playing. The menu system is overly complicated. The game is super glitchy and has a terrible "Save Bug", that I thought was fixed. I had to replay sizable portions of the game because of this. The combat is almost very good. When you enter combat, the camera zooms inTo sum it up quickly, The Witcher is a Fable NC-17. It is a good game with a compelling story. That's what kept me playing. The menu system is overly complicated. The game is super glitchy and has a terrible "Save Bug", that I thought was fixed. I had to replay sizable portions of the game because of this. The combat is almost very good. When you enter combat, the camera zooms in and gives you a limited view of your surroundings. This is not a big deal with 1 on 1 boss battles, but can be aggravating when fighting a group of mobs. I also found the combat and on foot traversal to be very jumpy. All in all it's good game. If not for the saving issues and the glitches, I would have easily given it an 8 or possibly 9.… Expand
  18. vizzle311
    Jul 28, 2016
    7
    I know it's not a popular opinion among RPG fans but I just couldn't buy fully into Witcher 3. While I recognize the INCREDIBLE technical achievement that the game is, my reason is very subjective. I was let down mainly by the lack of customization with the main character and couldn't really immerse myself in the universe/lore.

    I'm a gamer who wants a total blank slate with my main    I know it's not a popular opinion among RPG fans but I just couldn't buy fully into Witcher 3. While I recognize the INCREDIBLE technical achievement that the game is, my reason is very subjective. I was let down mainly by the lack of customization with the main character and couldn't really immerse myself in the universe/lore.

    I'm a gamer who wants a total blank slate with my main character and full control of gear. It's really hard to get into a game for 100+ hours when you just don't find the character interesting. It was very bothersome to be pigeon holed into Geralt and only allowed to outfit him with 2 sword types and armor, that's it. Again, I recognize how impressive the amount of gear is in the game but it's still within this restrictive context. The reason I've played Fallout for over 200 hours is the total customization of your avatar/character.

    Also, similar to my experience with the Elder Scrolls games, I just didn't find the universe to be as immersive as others. If you don't see the appeal in the source material that influenced the Witcher, then you aren't as into it no matter how good the gameplay is. That being said, the gameplay design overall is a cut above and I did enjoy it for 10-12 hours.

    Ultimately, a game like this requires a true investment of time and I just couldn't get over the hump to that next level for the reasons listed above. Still a game that should be commended for being a true piece of art and work of passion in a hobby that too often just releases straight up **** to make money.    … Expand
  19. Linthiri
    Jul 24, 2015
    6
    This game is excellent. The story is simply amazing! There is no downside to the story line. However, the game has become worse after the long awaited release of patch 1.07. After the patch, fps on Xbox One took a massive hit. Frame rates dropped from 30 fps to below 20 fps in some cases. The game's screen now goes blurry and freezes temporarily often during game play. As far as the game,This game is excellent. The story is simply amazing! There is no downside to the story line. However, the game has become worse after the long awaited release of patch 1.07. After the patch, fps on Xbox One took a massive hit. Frame rates dropped from 30 fps to below 20 fps in some cases. The game's screen now goes blurry and freezes temporarily often during game play. As far as the game, content, and story go, the game is AMAZING! However, since the release of the latest patch (1.07) there have been a ton of new bugs introduced that simply make the game unplayable. I am rating this game a 6. If I had written this review prior to patch 1.07, it would have easily received a 10. If you are willing to ignore the bugs, I would definitely purchase this game. However, be warned that there are too many bugs for a major title console game.… Expand
  20. Ockham
    Nov 29, 2015
    6
    Beautiful open world but the combat gets really repetitive. Deep story that will require a decent amount of play to get into. If you sit in front of your monitor for hours a day this story is for you. Not really a game for you unless you have a lot of time to devote to it.
  21. Aladgar
    Jan 16, 2016
    7
    I give 7/10. Game is really cool and I want to give 10/10. So story is really good while lots of other things are good too. I really like this game but -1 because of the graphics. It's ok (I have xboxone I don't know the others) but sometimes the "appearance" of the environments is slow. I mean I can see how the trees appear instead of the trees are already on the screen. That's annoying.I give 7/10. Game is really cool and I want to give 10/10. So story is really good while lots of other things are good too. I really like this game but -1 because of the graphics. It's ok (I have xboxone I don't know the others) but sometimes the "appearance" of the environments is slow. I mean I can see how the trees appear instead of the trees are already on the screen. That's annoying. Other -1 is because of the horde of really stupid bugs. Like I can go under the pier with a boat (so the sails will be inside the pier...) or when the enemies with shield just standing and I can easily go behind them... and so on. The third -1 is because sometimes my last 2-3 saves are just gone. The game is really cool and I really like it but I can't give 10/10 because of these annoying things. I really want to give the 10 so I hope they will solve these problems with patches and than it's a really really big 10/10! :)… Expand
  22. NxtDoc
    Jul 20, 2020
    6
    Undoubtedly one of the most overrated games ever made. Combat is a little floaty. Geralt is bland. "But that's how Witcher's are supposed to be". Sure, but other stoic characters have been much more appealing.

    Despite being hesitant to bother with Witcher 3 after playing the awful Witcher 2, all the praise made be ignore it and give 3 a chance. And boy did I regret it. The game just    Undoubtedly one of the most overrated games ever made. Combat is a little floaty. Geralt is bland. "But that's how Witcher's are supposed to be". Sure, but other stoic characters have been much more appealing.

    Despite being hesitant to bother with Witcher 3 after playing the awful Witcher 2, all the praise made be ignore it and give 3 a chance. And boy did I regret it. The game just couldn't pull me in. I gave it 2 tries once on my PS4, and thought playing on my XB1X would change it. It didn'tand couldn't finish it. it.    … Expand
  23. TheWitcherGreat
    Mar 17, 2021
    5
    One of the best games I've ever played. I've played through the whole thing at least 3 times and yet I always come back to it. It is a timeless classic.
  24. FistOOlio
    Apr 24, 2021
    7
    I played this game to the final battle, which has a game ending bug that still exists even though this game was released over 5 years ago. The dialogue in the game is banal, so much that I skipped through 90% of it. You can’t pause when it starts, as it goes on and on. The controls take 3 clicks to do everything, such as mount your horse. Many quests will have you googling what to do, asI played this game to the final battle, which has a game ending bug that still exists even though this game was released over 5 years ago. The dialogue in the game is banal, so much that I skipped through 90% of it. You can’t pause when it starts, as it goes on and on. The controls take 3 clicks to do everything, such as mount your horse. Many quests will have you googling what to do, as the minimap doesn’t show any markers.… Expand
  25. HEAVYD2117
    Dec 21, 2021
    6
    Great big open world to explore with a good variety of tasks and missions to complete make this quite immersive. However I made the mistake of playing this game AFTER playing assassins creed Valhalla and unfortunately it compares poorly. Geralt is shockingly fragile, a strong gust of wind or slight incline is enough to kill him. No way someone that feeble should make their trade inGreat big open world to explore with a good variety of tasks and missions to complete make this quite immersive. However I made the mistake of playing this game AFTER playing assassins creed Valhalla and unfortunately it compares poorly. Geralt is shockingly fragile, a strong gust of wind or slight incline is enough to kill him. No way someone that feeble should make their trade in anything remotely physical. In addition he will frequently forget to draw his sword or even worse put it away mid combat. So combat consists of rolling around frantically trying to avoid direct fighting because he is unable to stand toe to toe with even the weakest enemies, really disappointing after playing a combat monster in Eivor. And just as you think Geralt is the weakest thing in the game you are forced to play as Ciri who is even more useless with a sword. You have to save constantly because you die so easily, there is so much in the game that can just one shot you out of nowhere, the slightest fall a couple of hits from a weak monster and its over. I found myself hating Geralt for his weakness, he dies so easily and often you dont care about him so you dont care about the story, the game is just a constant frustrating struggle to keep him alive. The movement is poor with your horse Roach randomly veering off course and then slamming on the breaks, getting stuck in trees etc. Other massive irritant is the dialogue, prepare to wear out your X button skipping the endless droning on you have to sit through. I guess had a played this in 2015 without any better games it wouldnt seem so poor but im playing it in 2021 and its aged terribly. Get AC Valhalla instead… Expand
  26. CoolDadTx
    Apr 1, 2020
    7
    Caveat: This is the original version and not GoTY. I own both but as everyone knows the GoTY version won't unlock any achievements. It is completely broken so I played through the original version instead.

    Gamewise this is identical to the PC version so it has all the strengths of the PC game. Not being moddable though means I had to play it like the devs intended and there were    Caveat: This is the original version and not GoTY. I own both but as everyone knows the GoTY version won't unlock any achievements. It is completely broken so I played through the original version instead.

    Gamewise this is identical to the PC version so it has all the strengths of the PC game. Not being moddable though means I had to play it like the devs intended and there were certainly some frustrating parts. Fortunately the devs had resolved some of the more controversial issues in the PC version ahead of time (like all ingredients having weight) but there were still some things I missed.

    Focusing just on the XBox-specific stuff though there are some downsides to this version.
    1. After extended sessions you could suddenly not dive anymore. While the options were shown attempting to dive did nothing. This was most common if you were swimming a lot and mixing in combat such that you might enter/exit combat mode sporadically like going around Skellige. The only workaround was to restart the game. You could also get near some drowners and have them pull you under and things reset as well. Still being out in the middle of the water just to realize you cannot dive wasn't great.
    2. Crashed after extended play sessions, frequently.
    3. Sometimes if you were drawing a weapon at just the right time some interaction was occurring then the game would act like you had a weapon in hand when you hit something but you could still see the swords on your back and your hands were empty. Had to "sheathe" and "unsheathe" to reset.
    4. A plus was that horse stamina didn't seem to work in this version. So in all the races you could run indefinitely which made them infinitely easier than the original.
    5. On the negative side horse races were very buggy. In some cases you could leave the path and you'd get a warning to get back on. In other case you'd be following the path and it would immediately fail the race saying you left the path. In some cases you had to figure out where the "path" was so the game wouldn't auto-fail.
    Unrelated you could be galloping along at full speed and suddenly you'd just stop for no reason. It's almost like you hit something but nothing was there. You could immediately start galloping again but by that point the other racer(s) have already passed you. I failed a couple of races just because of this.
    6. Locking on enemies in combat was iffy. For most enemies it worked out OK but any enemy that could disappear and reappear you'd lose the lock. On the PC this isn't a big deal as you can recover quickly but on XBox where spinning the camera around takes a while you often get hit before you get a chance to do anything.
    7. Some achievements wouldn't unlock after a lengthy play session. You had to restart the game and load a save prior to unlocking it.
    8. Why is there only 10 or so save slots?
    9. In several instances you'd get a loading screen between areas and it would just sit there forever. The only workaround was to restart.

    Overall I enjoyed this game as much as I did on PC but given the amount of time it takes to beat it I'm really glad it is over and I'm not playing it again. Classic game but only playable once. Overall I found the XBox version to be easier than the PC version. I played on the second highest difficulty and found the combat to be way easier than on PC.    … Expand
  27. TheWaffle
    Feb 2, 2020
    6
    I wish I could love this as much as everyone else. I enjoy the detective elements and the world building is great. But this is a far cry from excellent RPGs like KOTOR, Mass Effect, and Skyrim. The combat is a mess, with enemies bumping around and lunging awkwardly at you. Mashing the attack button as fast as possible seems to be the key to victory in almost every fight. The open worldI wish I could love this as much as everyone else. I enjoy the detective elements and the world building is great. But this is a far cry from excellent RPGs like KOTOR, Mass Effect, and Skyrim. The combat is a mess, with enemies bumping around and lunging awkwardly at you. Mashing the attack button as fast as possible seems to be the key to victory in almost every fight. The open world really just disguises a very linear adventure. Walk into a tavern, someone says something snarky, the innkeep gives Geralt the information he needs, repeat. And, your conversation options are extremely limited, which makes it hard to keep up the role-play experience. There are also some quirks that ruin the illusion: it's rather weird to see zombie monsters walking around the beach only a stone's throw from a village. Alchemy is good in concept, but it's a lot of time spent researching and collecting herbs just to get a minor bonus.

    The graphics and glitches are inexcusable in this 2015 release (four years after Skyrim, three years after ME3). Walk into a room and you're likely to see two npcs talking, while a third one stands intersected with one of them. At one point I was talking with Vesemir and my horse was bouncing up and down on a fence post out the window. The control scheme completely breaks down in any enclosed areas, with Geralt crashing all over any room or cave that he enters. And it's hard to take a crime scene seriously when you can't get him to focus on the 1 mm spot where there's a highlighted clue.    … Expand
  28. Dalray3s
    Jun 6, 2018
    7
    Un mundo maravilloso con una ejecución mediocre
    El juego es una obra de arte en muchos aspectos, visualmente es la más clara pero no me voy a centrar en lo bueno que lo sabemos todos y son muchas cosas, después de 3 años de su lanzamiento me animé a jugarlo en una One X 1080/60 y me ha sorprendido la cantidad de bugs o errores de bulto, en los que si en lugar de ser el juego del que    Un mundo maravilloso con una ejecución mediocre
    El juego es una obra de arte en muchos aspectos, visualmente es la más clara pero no me voy a centrar en lo bueno que lo sabemos todos y son muchas cosas, después de 3 años de su lanzamiento me animé a jugarlo en una One X 1080/60 y me ha sorprendido la cantidad de bugs o errores de bulto, en los que si en lugar de ser el juego del que hablamos fuera algo de Ubisoft se le pondría de vuelta y media, los controles del caballo son bastante toscos, los saltos están muy mal ejecutados y ya no hablamos de querer subirnos al barco o un montículo de piedra.

    Es un Grandísimo juego que no lo han cuidado, solo se han dedicado a sacar DLCs.    … Expand
  29. Gman117
    Sep 2, 2019
    7
    NOT PERFECT BUT STILL GREAT

    My first play through of Witcher 3 was 80 hours of main quest, side quest and Witcher contracts. A very good experience however I believe it loses it's direction at a certain point in the game. As a huge fan of Witcher 2, the third installment does the series justice but does not add anything revolutionary and feels like it is playing it safe at times. I was    NOT PERFECT BUT STILL GREAT

    My first play through of Witcher 3 was 80 hours of main quest, side quest and Witcher contracts. A very good experience however I believe it loses it's direction at a certain point in the game. As a huge fan of Witcher 2, the third installment does the series justice but does not add anything revolutionary and feels like it is playing it safe at times. I was satisfied with how they intertwined the characters from 1 and 2 (Triss, Vernon Roche, Vesemir, Zoltan, etc...)
    The open world is fantastic, detailed, and filled with plenty of creatures to kill. The citizens are lively, and convincing, and the mythology imbued is at times creepy and intriguing. After a while of playing the game, you realize that there is not much variety in the monsters fighting. They're are a good amount of different species that is not the problem. The problem is many of them are very predictable in fighting styles and can be as simple as attack, attack, dodge, attack. It is easy to predict movement and to parry or dodge. It doesn't;t feel like you are truly mastering over any creature or specializing any specific combos of swordplay, spells and potions. It's not very intuitive and feels dumbed down.
    The Witcher 2 had better combat in terms of this, it was challenging, and required you to prepare before the fight not during the fight. The ai was much more unforgiving than in the third. I believe this was simplified because it was to be more mainstreamed to broader audiences which is fine by me. I believe more people should be allowed to enjoy the deep lore and story the Witcher universe has to offer. I played this game on the third highest difficulty and plan to replay on new game + on Death March with different choices. However even on the third difficulty the game just wasn't;t that challenging at all like in Witcher 2. So I can imagine it won't be that much of a stretch on Death March difficulty.
    One of the curves that the Witcher has fixed at least is that it delivers a good story for an open world game especially for today. The first 50 hours are fantastic (Except for Novigrad which is pretty lame and is consisted of mostly running around quest). The story has rhythm in these first hours, the exploration is thrilling and self-rewarding. The repetition and formula of the game that is at it's weakest is the constant investigation tack ons. Press LT to use your Witcher senses... This will be like a constant nag, much like Navi the Fairy annoying without the "HEY" but still quite tedious.
    For me personally this game tried to hard at the story at one point. Also I understand that Siri is a main character in the books and plays an integral part but I think she sucks in this game. Every time she's in a cutscene or every time you have to play as her, you just want to get it over with so you can go back to Geralt's flow.
    In Witcher 1 and 2 Ciri was not visually seen only mentioned by a npc here and there with subtlety. So when you go right to Witcher 3, your reaction is, who dis? Well more like she doesn't fit in, and the same goes for Yennifer, who was hyped up since the first game and the final reveal was pretty lame. She's **** degrades Geralt sometimes and talks down to him like he's nothing, and treats everyone like **** and your telling me I have to like her because??? I had Geralt stick with Triss, they did more together in the video game trilogy that you the player visualized than what he and Yennifer did the entire third game.
    The worst part for me was what the game is actually titled. THE WILD HUNT... This was the lamest villain I have ever seen in an RPG to date! They terrorize the people back and forth looking for Ciri, bringing frozen blizzard like magic around them freezing their victims to death.
    SPOILER SPOILER
    These Lord of the Ring like villains who pretend dress as wanna-be Saurons, are just fancy elves from another dimension... Yeah, thats it! No explanation to why their voices change when they wear the mask, why they bring frost with them even though they come from a world that looks the same as our world. Absolutely stupid and more proof that this game at one point just did anything and figured everyone will love it. This was horrible and when compared to the Witcher 2 is an embarrassment. The Witcher 2 was so great because you could really play up the Witcher neutrality and literally not fight the last boss. You could just be like "Hey um, I get your side of the story Letho so you know what. I don't think fighting is gonna solve anything so let's just go our own way." Sure enough it works! And at the time that was awesome and truly gave that feeling of this is more than a fantasy game. The Witcher 3 falls into this trap sadly, after 45-50 hours, it turns into a generic fantasy game. I can tell you exactly where it falls short in the main quest and that is after the fight at Kaer Morhen when you gather your allies to fight the Wild Hunt.    … Expand
  30. HarisBIH9
    Dec 29, 2022
    5
    Story, Open World, Characters, Side Quests are top.

    But a 5 because of the Stupid Leveling System, why can i wear the New Witcher Netflix armor only when im lvl 40 and have to be in Toussaint??, just Stupid. And the Story is way toooo important, to do sidequests etc. you just Feeling like a Idiot. Because 1/3 of all Sidequests are disapearing when you finish the Main Quests. And they    Story, Open World, Characters, Side Quests are top.

    But a 5 because of the Stupid Leveling System, why can i wear the New Witcher Netflix armor only when im lvl 40 and have to be in Toussaint??, just Stupid.

    And the Story is way toooo important, to do sidequests etc. you just Feeling like a Idiot. Because 1/3 of all Sidequests are disapearing when you finish the Main Quests.

    And they missed many things that needed an Update, and Godammit, WHY DOES IT RAINS EVERY DAY IN THIS FCKIIING GAME!!!    … Expand
  31. The_Joker6950
    Apr 12, 2022
    6
    It got old after play for maybe 15 hours I couldn't keep playing anymore, that's from person who put countless hours in Skyrim. I just wasn't into anymore after a while. I LOVE the card game, I put so many hours in the card game instead of the actual game.
  32. JackFrostyG
    Sep 6, 2023
    6
    This game feels like the perfect example of quantity over quality if i'm being honest. Sure, the map is huge, but the core of the game is flawed.

    Pros: - As mentioned, the map is huge, there's a lot to explore and a lot to keep you busy. - The graphics are great. Cons: - The story is mediocre, it's not terrible, but it's not great either. I didn't ever want to find out what    This game feels like the perfect example of quantity over quality if i'm being honest. Sure, the map is huge, but the core of the game is flawed.

    Pros:

    - As mentioned, the map is huge, there's a lot to explore and a lot to keep you busy.

    - The graphics are great.

    Cons:

    - The story is mediocre, it's not terrible, but it's not great either. I didn't ever want to find out what happened next when progressing through it.

    - The combat has an arcade feel to it in the worst possible way. There's a dodge, an attack and an ability button, that and the fact it's 3rd person makes it feel like i'm playing a flash player hack and slash.

    - The combat and movement in the game feels clunky and delayed.    … Expand
  33. Caffe
    Sep 3, 2023
    6
    I expected more. I hated the story and the characters. I found the gameplay boring. The size of the map and the amount of side quests must be commended. Maybe it deserves more but the disappointment was too much.

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Xbox Achievements
    Nov 17, 2015
    92
    Despite its vast scope, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt tells a personal, intimate and touching story, filled with characters you’ll love and hate, and stuffed with monsters to slay. I completed the main storyline in around 50 hours and - yes I know this is a cliche - I’ve barely scratched the surface. The Witcher 3 is an astounding achievement.
    Read full review
  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Jun 27, 2015
    90
    Not quite the technical masterpiece we hoped for, but the mild disappointment soon melts away. The Witcher 3 is a huge, engrossing time-sink of a game that you'll happily spend dozens of hours on. [Issue#125, p.74]
  3. Games.cz
    Jun 4, 2015
    100
    The CD Projekt Red surpassed all expectations and they really managed to combine a megalomaniac open world with a strong story. Witcher 3 is a masterpiece, which you will talk to your grandchildren about.
    Read full review
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