Witcher 3 Wins GOTY @ The Game Awards 2015!

I dont agree, I think witcher 3 has simplistic repetitive gameplay, amazing world though. Ok choice, but not my thing.

I am far more interested in the gaf awards, that's always the GOTY award I respect the most. Though the backlash at MGSV may stop it from winning, it is an unfinished game...

Honestly...The Witcher 3 could up winning for Gaf as well. It's a huge toss up. I personally think that the Witcher 3 is the most deserving simply because not only is it one of the best games of the year, the only thing that can really be faulted is the combat.
 
While I think that thinking of something specifically that way seems pretty venemous, I see how one can feel concerned about the success of certain trends in gaming- there's only so much money in the industry, after all, so what succeeds directly influences the priorities of developers. I don't think it's an unfair claim to state that open worlds have been emphasized this generation as a result of the desires/criticism from the past one, and many of us don't like the tradeoffs that have come with that. (This emphasis itself stemming from another trend that sprung up last gen from the success of cinematic, linear shooters that many hated)

The argument is that purchases and positive reception, basically votes, for Fallout 4 or the Witcher 3 or Dragon Age is a vote for massive amounts of content in an open world with shallow RPG trappings over quality gameplay. With Fallout 4, it's also a vote that says these things are so important than even performance of your game doesn't matter. This is a horrible order of priorities to set to many of us, so while hoping for failure isn't something I actively do, I would at least like to see the principles I admire and value in game making succeed more than those I don't. It's not so different in spirit from hoping a political candidate with values you respect succeeds over one who you vehemently disagree with, which is something people do all the time.

For many in this thread, the technical competence of the Witcher compared to one of the Bethesda's titles and the immense difference in the quality of writing between them and CDPR is enough to see FO4 and W3 on opposite ends of the spectrum. They've voiced similar sentiments about being glad to see W3 succeed over it, and, by implication, Fallout 4 fail to it, because, on the spectrum they care about, the two sit on very different ends.

Meanwhile, others of us would just as soon as group W3 with Fallout 4, the quality of its writing being unimportant in the grand scheme of things given the spectrum we care about.

Nicely said and I share the same sentiments. I wish I could write as eloquently as you.
 
Honestly...The Witcher 3 could up winning for Gaf as well. It's a huge toss up. I personally think that the Witcher 3 is the most deserving simply because not only is it one of the best games of the year, the only thing that can really be faulted is the combat.

Eh, it runs like shit, quest design is really repetitive with the constant use of detective vision and following the red trail, basic movement is sluggish. There's a lot to complain about.
 
You are "disgusted" that a video game you didn't like won an award? Do you feel actual disgust? Are you repulsed?

Man, some people.

I'm pretty sure he's talking about all the issues console gamers had with The Witcher 3.

Well, I was cheering for Bloodborne. But Witcher 3 deserves the award. Congratulations!
 
It's not a first person shooter, but it is the best RPG of all time, so I'm okay with this.

Yea I'm kinda glad it wasn't bro shooter 9. This is good. Shows that you don't have to do a Micheal bay game to get goty.

You can tell a thoughtful and compelling story and walk away with awards.
 
Eh, it runs like shit, quest design is really repetitive with the constant use of detective vision and following the red trail, basic movement is sluggish. There's a lot to complain about.

quests for most games can always be boiled down to Do X for Y so it seems a bit of an empty complaint, especially when the game is actually praised for its side content since they put so much effort into never making it feel like a typical RPG side quest.
 
The bigger issue isn't whether or not games have anything to bring to the storytelling front- it's that you can't screw up the fundamentals of the medium you're working in, regardless of your narrative. Like, you could tell literally the best story of all time-any medium- in a game, but if your gameplay is shit, your game is still shit. Similarly, you can't screw up the visual component in a movie, nor writing in a novel, regardless of what else you do. A strong narrative can enhance an already strong game, but cannot redeem a weak game for me.

Furthermore, the edges that games get out of being a playable experience aren't strong enough yet for me to say the player controlled aspects of those games can singlehandedly justify a narrative emphasis over a gameplay based one. Yes, they do add something, no contention there, but it's just not enough for me to say that it's a worthy priority over the other areas where AAA development is even weaker right now.

Besides, if I want a true dynamic, player driven unique story experience, I'll take a good dm over any video game, which is just going to be too constrained on what is possible in the content space to really make me feel like I'm creating some truly unique series of choices rather than just picking one of 3 or 4 paths with a number of interchangeable pieces. Hell, the strongest aspects of the Witcher 3's narrative come from its linear, novel like focus, not a breadth of possible player choices. The same is even more true for the last big AAA narrative success- the Last of Us.

I disagree completely since for many games "the story" is the gameplay. How else would you describe something like "Her Story?" What you are speaking of is your personal preference when it comes to video games, however, for others such as myself a game's story is a large aspect as to whether or not we enjoy a particular game. For example, "Alpha Protocol" on a pure gameplay level would be a shit game. The stealth is broken, enemy AI is poor, and the controls are pretty janky. However, the multi-layered, player controlled narrative makes up for the gameplay's shortcomings and propels the game into something greater.

One need look no further than the recent Falllout 4 discussion to see how important many people place story and narrative on a game as opposed to pure gameplay refinements. Fallout 4 plays miles better than Fallout: New Vegas, however, to me and many others it is a massive step backwards for the series given the narrative accomplishments NV made.

Eh, it runs like shit, quest design is really repetitive with the constant use of detective vision and following the red trail, basic movement is sluggish. There's a lot to complain about.

That's weird, because I thought CDPR's quest design was some of the best stuff in decades.
 
I really was rooting for Bloodborne to pull in one award but its definitely not as mainstream or appealing to the mass audience as I thought it was now. -looks at previous souls titles not winning these awards- but honestly Witcher 3 definitely earned GOTY, a lot of work was placed in both games and BB is my GOTY but I have no complaints about Witcher winning. If fall out did I'd be done

Ori want in best art direction was pretty cray lol. Good for it though
 
The Witcher is a high fantasy title based off a long running series of books and whose series is hard to fully enjoy for some because the first game is very nice and many novels aren't translated. It comes from a developer whose goal for developing games is to make games they would want to play not games solely to please the market. Saying it's 'mass market appeal' with negative connotation just because it was successful is a bit unfair.

I'm not saying it has mass market appeal just because it was successful.

I'm saying it has mass market appeal because it is an open world where you go on a series of missions and have some story bits.

Lets face it, for all the love it gets, TW3 is just a reskinned Assassins Creed or Dragon Age that isn't completely brain dead. You are doing pretty much the same things, the writing is just better and you could argue it is a more interesting world.

Either way, people who love those sorts of Ubisoft or EA games are going to like TW3 as well and it was marketed accordingly. Sure they might scratch their head at using oils, but luckily the game lets you completely ignore pretty much ever single system and just go on glorified fetch quests exploring the world and killing stuff.

I give it credit for rising about mediocrity, but I just don't believe it rises up that far.
 
The bigger issue isn't whether or not games have anything to bring to the storytelling front- it's that you can't screw up the fundamentals of the medium you're working in, regardless of your narrative. Like, you could tell literally the best story of all time-any medium- in a game, but if your gameplay is shit, your game is still shit. Similarly, you can't screw up the visual component in a movie, nor writing in a novel, regardless of what else you do. A strong narrative can enhance an already strong game, but cannot redeem a weak game for me.

Furthermore, the edges that games get out of being a playable experience aren't strong enough yet for me to say the player controlled aspects of those games can singlehandedly justify a narrative emphasis over a gameplay based one. Yes, they do add something, no contention there, but it's just not enough for me to say that it's a worthy priority over the other areas where AAA development is even weaker right now.

Besides, if I want a true dynamic, player driven unique story experience, I'll take a good dm over any video game, which is just going to be too constrained on what is possible in the content space to really make me feel like I'm creating some truly unique series of choices rather than just picking one of 3 or 4 paths with a number of interchangeable pieces. Hell, the strongest aspects of the Witcher 3's narrative come from its linear, novel like focus, not a breadth of possible player choices. The same is even more true for the last big AAA narrative success- the Last of Us.

I agree at some extend

but making a "a true dynamic, player driven unique story experience" has proven to be a very difficult task even for large studios

Within the usual quality story telling standards

Under the usual cliches or conventions

The Witcher 3 still scores a very high note

Rome wasn't built in a day

Vidogame story telling is still an infant medium, give it a few decades
 
The fallout hate in this thread is baffling. I'm having more fun with it than w3 which I do like as well. Either game or mario maker would have been fine choices. Mgs fizzled out for me and blood borne is too niche.
 
I'm not saying it has mass market appeal just because it was successful.

I'm saying it has mass market appeal because it is an open world where you go on a series of missions and have some story bits.

Lets face it, for all the love it gets, TW3 is just a reskinned Assassins Creed or Dragon Age that isn't completely brain dead. You are doing pretty much the same things, the writing is just better and you could argue it is a more interesting world.

Either way, people who love those sorts of Ubisoft or EA games are going to like TW3 as well and it was marketed accordingly. Sure they might scratch their head at using oils, but luckily the game lets you completely ignore pretty much ever single system and just go on glorified fetch quests exploring the world and killing stuff.

I give it credit for rising about mediocrity, but I just don't believe it rises up that far.

No.
 
Well deserved, but I guess I'm one of those weirdos who likes its gameplay. Really expected to see that soulless husk Fallout 4 to nab more awards.
 
It was my GOTY as well, so that's great news. Still need to pick up the expansion, but the base game was already amazing. Unlike a lot of people I had no issues with the combat.
 
Yeah, Gwent. I am sorry I didn't like a game as much as you. I gave it about 6 hours at a friend's and I couldn't get past its gameplay. My opinion doesn't have to match yours

No one said it had to, but you're being really obtuse if you think that the only thing we enjoy about the game is the narrative.

It's fine if you don't appreciate what the game has to offer, but it's just not a good look on your part to insinuate that we just play games for story and we don't care about "gameplay".
 
The fallout hate in this thread is baffling. I'm having more fun with it than w3 which I do like as well. Either game or mario maker would have been fine choices. Mgs fizzled out for me and blood borne is too niche.

Yea I noticed this too. People have it out for f4 lmao! That's OK though. F4 will always be goty in my heart.

:3
 
The fallout hate in this thread is baffling. I'm having more fun with it than w3 which I do like as well. Either game or mario maker would have been fine choices. Mgs fizzled out for me and blood borne is too niche.

Mario maker over witcher and bloodborne, oh god no.
 
The fallout hate in this thread is baffling. I'm having more fun with it than w3 which I do like as well. Either game or mario maker would have been fine choices. Mgs fizzled out for me and blood borne is too niche.

I have invested more time in Fallout 4 (120 hours) than Witcher 3 (100 hours) but I still think Witcher 3 is the better game. I've just finished Fallout 4 main story as well last night. It literally made me stop playing the game altogether. I had lots of fun with it though, not a bad game at all.

Lets face it, for all the love it gets, TW3 is just a reskinned Assassins Creed or Dragon Age that isn't completely brain dead.

Not even close.
 

DA:I clasping their hands over their mouth. Hahaha.

EDIT:
Lets face it, for all the love it gets, TW3 is just a reskinned Assassins Creed or Dragon Age that isn't completely brain dead.

Oooh.gif
 
I'm not saying it has mass market appeal just because it was successful.

I'm saying it has mass market appeal because it is an open world where you go on a series of missions and have some story bits.

Lets face it, for all the love it gets, TW3 is just a reskinned Assassins Creed or Dragon Age that isn't completely brain dead. You are doing pretty much the same things, the writing is just better and you could argue it is a more interesting world.

Either way, people who love those sorts of Ubisoft or EA games are going to like TW3 as well and it was marketed accordingly. Sure they might scratch their head at using oils, but luckily the game lets you completely ignore pretty much ever single system and just go on glorified fetch quests exploring the world and killing stuff.

I give it credit for rising about mediocrity, but I just don't believe it rises up that far.

This is such a load of bullshit
 
Eh, it runs like shit, quest design is really repetitive with the constant use of detective vision and following the red trail, basic movement is sluggish. There's a lot to complain about.

Okay, let's do this.

1. The performance has been fixed. Please watch the new Digital Foundry analysis.

2. The quest design is far from repetitive. The quest are the most varied I've played in any video game. If you're going to break down a game's mission design to its very basics then:

MGS V is set of go kill people, go fulton people, go destroy tanks missions repeated over and over. It doesn't even have many boss fights.

Bloodborne is just kill creatures and bosses, with a few side quests.

Fallout 4 is literally just go to a place and clear out raiders/mutants.

3. Try the alternate movement system. It's greatly improved. I'd concede that the combat isn't particularly fantastic, but it's still better than 90% of WRPGs.

Critics have enjoyed it, gamers have enjoyed it, and it shows.
 
Dreadful game.
 
Bloodborne was definitely my game of the year. I'm going to wash down some of this salt, and start up Witcher 3 again to see what all the fuss is about. I remember liking the game quite a bit, but I got absorbed into other things at the time.
 
I'm not saying it has mass market appeal just because it was successful.

I'm saying it has mass market appeal because it is an open world where you go on a series of missions and have some story bits.

Lets face it, for all the love it gets, TW3 is just a reskinned Assassins Creed or Dragon Age that isn't completely brain dead. You are doing pretty much the same things, the writing is just better and you could argue it is a more interesting world.

Either way, people who love those sorts of Ubisoft or EA games are going to like TW3 as well and it was marketed accordingly. Sure they might scratch their head at using oils, but luckily the game lets you completely ignore pretty much ever single system and just go on glorified fetch quests exploring the world and killing stuff.

I give it credit for rising about mediocrity, but I just don't believe it rises up that far.

Just sounds like you're tired of open world titles and aren't tired of Souls titles to be honest.

If fatigue is the reason for your comments it's understandable, but at the same time keep in mind that there exists a possibility that Souls titles could in a near future tire you out as well.
 
If he can be reductive, so can I. :)

fighting fire with fire doesn't really help anyone here.

About your comment about 100+ hours, why make a comment that doesn't substantiate anything but add more fuel to the fire -____-.

Anyways I enjoyed Witcher 3 and Bloodborne, both games target different audiences, I'm just glad they both get praised and are both being representeed
 
fighting fire with fire doesn't really help anyone here.

About your comment about 100+ hours, why make a comment that doesn't substantiate anything but add more fuel to the fire -____-.

Anyways I enjoyed Witcher 3 and Bloodborne, both games target different audiences, I'm just glad they both get praised and are both being representeed

I think you are kinda missing the point of the comment.
 
fighting fire with fire doesn't really help anyone here.

About your comment about 100+ hours, why make a comment that doesn't substantiate anything but add more fuel to the fire -____-.

Anyways I enjoyed Witcher 3 and Bloodborne, both games target different audiences, I'm just glad they both get praised and are both being representeed

It just felt like a driveby shitpost without anything backing it up. I admit it got to me. Apologies.
 
I think TW3 is "ok". It beats games like Skyrim, Fallout 3/4 and Dragon Age Inquisition, but that is more a function of those games being incredibly bad and boring, rather than TW3 being what gaming should be.

So... it could be worse and at least they picked the game that tries. I enjoyed Bloodborne more but if they have to pick the mass market game, and they do, they probably got it right.
What "should" gaming be?
 
I think TW3 is "ok". It beats games like Skyrim, Fallout 3/4 and Dragon Age Inquisition, but that is more a function of those games being incredibly bad and boring, rather than TW3 being what gaming should be.

So... it could be worse and at least they picked the game that tries. I enjoyed Bloodborne more but if they have to pick the mass market game, and they do, they probably got it right.
So you are saying that because you liked bloodborne more, the witcher must have been chosen only because of its mass market appeal?
NeoGAF never ceases to amaze
 
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