SmoothRunningGun
Member
Congrats to them. Maybe I should try to finish it.
Witcher 3 Wins GOTY @ The Game Awards 2015!
- Thread starter HUELEN10
- Start date
Uh, ok. How about CDPR and Obsidian are both good people?
I cant play a movie or a book. It's a pretty trash observation anyways that I'm surprised still gets thrown around.
I get so tired of this line. Some day people will have to explain how this isn't analogous to to audiobooks or films coming after books. Imagine people saying those sorts of things during the early days of cinema.
Cinema is just a trashier, simpler alternative to the theater I say!
anothertech
Member
Congrats cdpr! You did it 
OrbitalBeard
Member
I mean, I agree that most video game stories are pretty bad but The Witcher 3's is actually decent.
I most appreciate the style of storytelling and world building used in games like Half-Life 2 and Bloodborne but I can understand why that method won't appeal to everyone.
I most appreciate the style of storytelling and world building used in games like Half-Life 2 and Bloodborne but I can understand why that method won't appeal to everyone.
MiamiWesker
Member
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...
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...
Maybe backward sentiments like the person I was responding to are a reason why many games don't strive for better. But you also don't see people invalidating the existence of trashy films an plots, or even trashy books.
Admiral Woofington
Member
The thing is, you're welcome to be all about gameplay but you immediately discredit the other aspects because they aren't for you and have gone on to basically insult people who can enjoy a game as a whole package because 'stories are just for books'.
Radical Edward
Member
I am happy Fallout didn't beat Bloodborne or MGSV for GOTY. It was a big disappointment to me and I think the W3 was a better game than Fallout so I would rather my GOTY games (BB and MGSV) didnt lose to a game I thought was much worse than W3.
I guess you don't follow sports. Once your team is out of contention, there are other teams, you like for other reasons, that you would rather see win the prize
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.
Its a mainstream awards show. All of the games nominated were safe choices.
Denton
Member
I see your PoV but I kinda agree with the sentiment of not wanting Fallout to win. Frankly, as much as I am enjoying it (80 hours and counting) it feels in many important respects regressive to previous games in the series. As such, it just does not deserve an award, let alone GOTY. It would feel quite unfair if it won, when TW3 made huge improvements across the board, instead of regressions.
OrbitalBeard
Member
I agree, it's silly.
And there have been plenty of amazing stories in games anyway. I challenge anyone to criticize the narrative of Shadow of the Colossus, for example.
Radical Edward
Member
Never said stories are just for books. I said that is where I would rather get my stories because it is pretty much a fact that film and books have much better stories than games. I understand that games are still in their infancy and will continue to develop but as it stands now, the narratives they tell are pretty uninspired. I like when the narrative is more of an afterthought in games (Love the story Nier tells, among other games) but lots of people play games for the "game" aspect. Hell, I love when a developer can nail both aspects but that is something all too rare these days
Okay...good for you, take your salt elsewhere.
lordfuzzybutt
Member
Well deserved.
The irony in your statement though is that the story is generally the last thing TW3 excels at. Most fans of The Witcher games and books like me would tell you that TW3 has the weakest main story among the trilogy. Where it does excel is the side-stories, dialogue, the world, the characters and your interactions with them, the graphics, the sound and the (possibly) the combat. I loved the combat, but it seems most people (like you) hate it.
And besides, are you movies and books you read from the eighties or something? Do you even keep up with contemporary art? Movies and books that generally get high reviews nowadays are themselves rather uninspired. I volunteered at the Toronto Film festival this year and got access to a crazy amount of movies, and one thing I noticed was the lack of ambition and inspiration in even the most indie and arthouse-y of modern movies.
OrbitalBeard
Member
I mean, if I just want a great story, then yeah, I'll read a book or watch a TV series/film.
Video games are more than that though. You can have a good story in addition to an interactive experience.
I do believe more developers need to embrace the unique storytelling methods games offer than other mediums cannot.
Krappadizzle
Member
Not really a sports guy. Unless you are talking Tennis2K2.
Now that you say this, I can kind of understand and I agree to a small degree. Hopefully BGS not winning anything will encourage them to step their game up big time.
Very true.
Fair points all around. I'm too much of a nice guy most often and kinda have a "let's all get along attitude" more often than not. Though I do have my moments.
piccio_ssl
Member
Although Bloodborne is my goty, i can't be mad for this. W3 is a fucking great videogame
Congratulations CDPR
Congratulations CDPR
texhnolyze
Banned
Admiral Woofington
Member
But I'm not only playing games for a story, I'm playing them for the whole package and a fantastic story can add to that, alongside fantastic gameplay if both are present.
The way you phrased it some games with amazing narratives don't matter and would have been better as books or games when the experience itself is unmatched if you just read about it or play it.
I mean Shadow of the Colossus, The Last of Us, the Uncharted games (basically the modern Indie films with interactivity), and to a weirder extent Journey. The latter would not have been the same as just a book.
Radical Edward
Member
How is that a trash observation? If I wanted to play a game of Basketball, I can play outside with my friends or 2k16. If the option is there, I am always going to choose to play outside because I enjoy it more. If I want to enjoy a good narrative, I typically don't turn to games because I enjoy the stories told in film more. It is m PERSONAL preference. If I want to game, I fire up some videogames, if I want a story, I put on a movie or read. It's not hard to understand
If you game for a compelling narrative, great, that's your preference.
Yeah, they completely killed the competition.
Good thing you don't make games.
Denton
Member
ah, dat salty salt
OrbitalBeard
Member
How so?
toddhunter
Member
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... 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.
Intheflorsh
Banned
Boom
LOL, TW3 is a "mass market" pick? Please stop, the game you liked most this year didn't win but can people stop hurling all this salt at an amazing game. I personally dislike Bloodborne, it's not my cup of tea, but I don't go around calling it masochistic crap or something. I know many people love it and people that are a fan of that type of genre/game style say it's the best in that category and I believe them. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean the game failed in some way.
RespectThySole
Member
What a ridiculous argument. The game excels at much more than just story.
EatinOlives
Member
I missed the whole show 
...because I was playing Witcher 3 all evening. To be this and Bloodborne were neck-and-neck for my personal GOTY, but today I completed the
quest and, to be perfectly honest, I'm starting to think Witcher 3 is pulling ahead of Bloodborne for me. As much as I love BB the narrative on W3 is absolutely unparalleled. Had a grin the whole time on that quest.
Yeah, I really wouldn't say the game is "mass market". The series only came to consoles starting with this installment, and I think there's a shitton of story and character development in the previous two games. You're thrown right in the thick of it for the third so you have to take quite a bit of time to catch up. Not to mention the jankiness of the combat system and difficulty spikes throughout doesn't make for a particularly palatable approach.
...because I was playing Witcher 3 all evening. To be this and Bloodborne were neck-and-neck for my personal GOTY, but today I completed the
Battle of Kaer Mohen
Yeah, I really wouldn't say the game is "mass market". The series only came to consoles starting with this installment, and I think there's a shitton of story and character development in the previous two games. You're thrown right in the thick of it for the third so you have to take quite a bit of time to catch up. Not to mention the jankiness of the combat system and difficulty spikes throughout doesn't make for a particularly palatable approach.
Radical Edward
Member
You mentioned truly great games with great gameplay and stories. Oh, don't get me wrong, if a game does both well, I am on board. For me, W3's gameplay didn't click at all. Maybe I was spoiled by BB, I don't know. I couldn't get through the gameplay parts in order to really appreciate the world and little stories W3 creates. On the other end of the spectrum, I can easily put up with no story or a really bad one if the gameplay is sublime.
Admiral Woofington
Member
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.
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.
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.
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