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| #3 Best PC Game of The Year 2015 |
The epic Grand Finale of the epic Witcher series, 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt' (Polish: Wiedźmin 3: Dziki Gon) is a high-fantasy, action role-playing video game set in an open-world environment, developed by CD Projekt RED. Announced in February 2013, it was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on 19 May 2015. The game is the third in the series, preceded by The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, which are based on the series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.Played in a third-person perspective, players control protagonist Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter known as a witcher, who sets out on a long journey through the Northern Kingdoms. In the game, players battle against the world's many dangers using swords and magic, while interacting with non-player characters and completing side quests and main missions to progress through the story.
Overview :
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is more than 30 times larger than previous Witcher games, requiring players to sail by boat to some locations and ride on horseback to others. However, fast traveling around the areas of known locations is also possible. The Witcher 3 was described as "20% bigger than Skyrim". Many actions the player performs affect the world, with many of the quests having a number of options on how to complete them, and differing outcomes. CD Projekt RED anticipated approximately 100 hours for the completion of the game, 50 of them belonging to side quests, and 50 belonging to the main story.
Wild Hunt improved on several aspects from past games. The fighting system from previous games was significantly revamped. Wild Hunt introduces some new mechanics, such as the ability to sense nearby objectives, people and resources ("witcher sense"), combat on horseback and at sea, swimming underwater and the use of a crossbow. Additionally, Geralt can jump, climb, and vault over smaller obstacles. The climbing mechanics were "similar to what we have in Uncharted". Item creation and potion brewing still remain as in previous games, but have been modified from The Witcher 2 to be less unforgiving. Traps from The Witcher 2 have been entirely omitted. The same five Witcher signs returned but slightly modified, with each one having an alternative form that can be used.
The game features responsive, advanced artificial intelligence and dynamic environments. The day and night cycle influences some monsters and their powers, similar to the common mythological motif of a werewolf gaining powers during the night of a full moon. The game also features a dynamic beard growth system, in which the beard grows as he spends time in the world. Ciri, an exceptional sword fighter with mythical powers from the Witcher novels, is a playable character in the game. Gwent is an in-game collectible card game, which replaces the dice games from the previous two Witcher titles.
Storyline :
The game begins with Geralt of Rivia searching for his lover, the sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg, with Vesemir, a senior witcher. Yennefer had previously tried to get in contact with Geralt, but had been forced to flee in order to avoid the fighting between the warring powers of Nilfgaard and Redania.
However, it is Yennefer who ultimately finds Geralt. Accompanied by a Nilfgaardian honor guard, Yennefer informs Geralt that Emhyr var Emreis, the emperor of Nilfgaard, has summoned Geralt for an imperial audience in Vizima, the nation's capital. In Vizima, Emhyr tasks Geralt with finding Ciri, the emperor's biological daughter and Geralt's adoptive ward. Ciri is a Child of the Elder Blood, the last heir to an ancient Elven bloodline that bestows her with the power to manipulate space and time. Emhyr believes that she is on the run from the Wild Hunt, a retinue of spectral elves determined to capture Ciri and use her abilities for their own malicious purposes. Geralt agrees to search for her, but for her benefit, not Emhyr's. Yennefer instructs him to begin his search by getting in contact with a Nilfgaardian spy in Velen.
Unfortunately, the Wild Hunt reaches the spy before Geralt, torturing him to death. Geralt manages to recover the spy's notes, which indicates that Ciri sought refuge in Crow's Perch, the castle of Velen's self-appointed ruler known as the Bloody Baron. The Baron refuses to help Geralt find Ciri until the witcher locates and returns the Baron's own missing wife and daughter. Geralt quickly discovers that the Baron's wife and daughter are missing of their own volition, driven away by the Baron's abuse and alcoholism. Geralt learns that the Baron's daughter fled to the city of Oxenfurt, but her mother's trail goes cold.
Without further clues, Geralt turns to the second lead from the spy's notes, which leads him to an old acquaintance, the sorceress Keira Metz. Keira informs Geralt that a mysterious Elven mage had been searching for Ciri as well, and after guiding him through the mage's laboratory, Keira directs Geralt to the Crones of Crookback Bog, ancient spirits that assert dominion over Velen. The Crones order Geralt to destroy the Whispering Hillock, a rival spirit in the area, in exchange for information about Ciri. After dealing with the Hillock, the Crones reveal that they had tried to kill Ciri and deliver her corpse to the Wild Hunt. Geralt vows to return and kill the Crones, but not before realizing that they have imprisoned and enslaved Anna Strenger, the Baron's missing wife. Returning to Crow's Perch, the Baron reveals that following her stay with him, Ciri made for the Free City of Novigrad. The Baron then sets off to rescue Anna. If Geralt killed the Whispering Hillock, as the Crones commanded, the Baron manages to save Anna and vows to find a healer to restore her devastated mind. If Geralt released the Whispering Hillock, the Crones grow angry with him for disobeying them, and curse Anna, eventually killing her. The Baron subsequently hangs himself out of grief.
Arriving in Novigrad, Geralt discovers that the Church of the Eternal Fire, a militant religious organization patronized by Redanian King Radovid, is carrying out a pogrom against mages and non-humans in the city. Rendezvousing with Triss Merigold, his former love interest, Geralt learns that finding Ciri hinges on finding Dandelion, a bard and old friend with whom she had made contact. This leads Geralt to navigate a complicated web of entangling alliances within Novigrad's criminal underworld, chiefly between Sigismund Dijkstra, former head of Redania's spy network, and Whoreson Junior, a sadistic casino operator. After a complicated series of crosses and double-crosses, Geralt finally finds and rescues Dandelion, only to discover that Ciri teleported to the windswept archipelago of Skellige. While in Novigrad, Geralt also assists Triss in spiriting away fugitive mages (which can lead to a romance with her), and begins plotting the assassination of King Radovid with Dijkstra, along with former associates and Temerian loyalists Vernon Roche, Ves, and Thaler.
After being shipwrecked on the shores of Skellige, Geralt meets with Yennefer, who has been investigating a magical explosion in the region which she believes is linked to Ciri. The two attend the funeral of King Bran, Skellige's ruler, to discover that the island nation is caught up in a conflict of succession as Bran's son Svanrige is in conflict with Cerys and Hjalmar, the children of a powerful nobleman, for the throne. At the wake, Geralt and Yennefer steal The Mask of boros from the druid Ermion, which can be used to see visions of the past. Yennefer has Geralt use the mask in the forest decimated by the explosion, leading them to discover Ciri traveled to the island of Lofoten. The pair travel to Lofoten only to discover that the Wild Hunt attacked the village; Ciri was only able to escape with the aid of a man named Skjall, who was subsequently renamed "Craven", banished from the village for cowardice, and later died trying to redeem himself. Finding his body, Yennefer uses necromancy to get information from him about Ciri--after saving her from the Hunt, Skjall witnessed a deformed, baby-like creature wandering Skellige's shores. Summing up the clues, Geralt determines that the creature Skjall witnessed was Uma, a cursed being he had previously seen wandering the halls of Crow's Perch. Returning from Lofoten, Yennefer attempts to sever the connection she shares with Geralt (as per the magic of a djinn), but realizes she cannot. Geralt can then affirm his love for her, or sever their relationship altogether. Before leaving Skellige, Geralt also intercedes in the crisis of succession, determining whether Hjalmar, Cerys, or Svanrige ascend to Skellige's throne.
The pair retrieve Uma from Crow's Perch, and present him to Emhyr in Vizima. Discovering that lifting the curse on Uma may hold the key to finding Ciri, the trio decide to take him to Kaer Morhen, an abandoned witcher school. There Yennefer and the other witchers lift the curse on Uma, who reveals himself to be Avallac'h, Ciri's elven companion. Avallac'h reveals that following the attack on Lofoten, he teleported Ciri to the abandoned Isle of Mists for her own safety. Geralt resolves to rescue Ciri and return her to Kaer Morhen, but realizes doing this would attract the Wild Hunt. After assembling a small army of companions at Kaer Morhen in preparation for the coming battle, he travels to the Isle of Mists. Although he finds Ciri in a deathlike state, Avallac'h's magic awakens her in his arms. Ciri reveals why the Wild Hunt wants her power: Eredin, the King of the Wild Hunt, is afraid of his own world being destroyed by a mythical power known as the White Frost, and is determined to use Ciri's power to conquer new worlds, regardless of the human cost. Ciri teleports Geralt to Kaer Morhen while the Hunt chases after the duo. After a brief reunion with Yennefer, Triss, and Vesemir, the Hunt attacks. During the battle, Vesemir is killed by Imlerith, a Wild Hunt general, trying to protect Ciri. Distraught, she releases all her uncontrollable powers, causing Eredin and the Hunt to retreat; Avallac'h then casts a spell rendering Ciri docile. Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, Ciri, and the other allies then hold a funeral for Vesemir.
Seething for revenge, Ciri and Geralt travel to Velen and kill both Imlerith and two of the three Crones of Crookback Bog. Emboldened by these victories, Geralt and Ciri travel to Novigrad and help Triss and Yennefer reform the Lodge of Sorceresses to aid in their fight against the Wild Hunt. They also learn about the Sunstone, found on Skellige, that can lure Eredin out and trap him into a location. Geralt also follows through with the assassination plot against King Radovid; afterwards he must side with Vernon Roche or Djikstra on future plans, resulting in the death of whoever he does not side with. In Skellige, Geralt finds the Sunstone with the help of Phillipa Eilhart, the sorceress who struck the killing blow on Radovid.
Making their last stand on the Skelliger isle of Undvik, Avallac'h uses the Sunstone, which draws the Hunt and their fleet out. Geralt and his allies, along with the Nilfgaardian fleet, attempt to defeat them. Geralt defeats Caranthir, the Hunt's navigator, and moves on to face off against Eredin in a brutal fight and emerges victorious. However, the White Frost begins to descend on Skellige. Ciri insists that only her Elder Blood can stop the White Frost before it consumes all life on every world, and after a heated discussion, Ciri goes through a portal and confronts the White Frost, ending the threat by destroying its source.
The epilogue of the game varies according to the choices the player made in the game. Concerning Ciri specifically, there are three possible outcomes: if Geralt presented her to Emperor Emhyr, the assassination of Radovid is carried out, and subsequently sided with Roche, then Ciri will reluctantly accept the throne of Nilfgaard, reasoning that she could do more good for the world as an empress than as a vagrant monster-hunter; if Geralt did not present her, then Geralt and Ciri fake her death, and Ciri becomes a wandering monster-hunter like Geralt; if Ciri died stopping the White Frost, then Geralt hunts down the last Crone to recover Vesemir's medallion, his only memento of Ciri. This ending ends with monsters swarming the house Geralt finds the amulet in, with his fate left ambiguous.
However, it is Yennefer who ultimately finds Geralt. Accompanied by a Nilfgaardian honor guard, Yennefer informs Geralt that Emhyr var Emreis, the emperor of Nilfgaard, has summoned Geralt for an imperial audience in Vizima, the nation's capital. In Vizima, Emhyr tasks Geralt with finding Ciri, the emperor's biological daughter and Geralt's adoptive ward. Ciri is a Child of the Elder Blood, the last heir to an ancient Elven bloodline that bestows her with the power to manipulate space and time. Emhyr believes that she is on the run from the Wild Hunt, a retinue of spectral elves determined to capture Ciri and use her abilities for their own malicious purposes. Geralt agrees to search for her, but for her benefit, not Emhyr's. Yennefer instructs him to begin his search by getting in contact with a Nilfgaardian spy in Velen.
Unfortunately, the Wild Hunt reaches the spy before Geralt, torturing him to death. Geralt manages to recover the spy's notes, which indicates that Ciri sought refuge in Crow's Perch, the castle of Velen's self-appointed ruler known as the Bloody Baron. The Baron refuses to help Geralt find Ciri until the witcher locates and returns the Baron's own missing wife and daughter. Geralt quickly discovers that the Baron's wife and daughter are missing of their own volition, driven away by the Baron's abuse and alcoholism. Geralt learns that the Baron's daughter fled to the city of Oxenfurt, but her mother's trail goes cold.
Without further clues, Geralt turns to the second lead from the spy's notes, which leads him to an old acquaintance, the sorceress Keira Metz. Keira informs Geralt that a mysterious Elven mage had been searching for Ciri as well, and after guiding him through the mage's laboratory, Keira directs Geralt to the Crones of Crookback Bog, ancient spirits that assert dominion over Velen. The Crones order Geralt to destroy the Whispering Hillock, a rival spirit in the area, in exchange for information about Ciri. After dealing with the Hillock, the Crones reveal that they had tried to kill Ciri and deliver her corpse to the Wild Hunt. Geralt vows to return and kill the Crones, but not before realizing that they have imprisoned and enslaved Anna Strenger, the Baron's missing wife. Returning to Crow's Perch, the Baron reveals that following her stay with him, Ciri made for the Free City of Novigrad. The Baron then sets off to rescue Anna. If Geralt killed the Whispering Hillock, as the Crones commanded, the Baron manages to save Anna and vows to find a healer to restore her devastated mind. If Geralt released the Whispering Hillock, the Crones grow angry with him for disobeying them, and curse Anna, eventually killing her. The Baron subsequently hangs himself out of grief.
Arriving in Novigrad, Geralt discovers that the Church of the Eternal Fire, a militant religious organization patronized by Redanian King Radovid, is carrying out a pogrom against mages and non-humans in the city. Rendezvousing with Triss Merigold, his former love interest, Geralt learns that finding Ciri hinges on finding Dandelion, a bard and old friend with whom she had made contact. This leads Geralt to navigate a complicated web of entangling alliances within Novigrad's criminal underworld, chiefly between Sigismund Dijkstra, former head of Redania's spy network, and Whoreson Junior, a sadistic casino operator. After a complicated series of crosses and double-crosses, Geralt finally finds and rescues Dandelion, only to discover that Ciri teleported to the windswept archipelago of Skellige. While in Novigrad, Geralt also assists Triss in spiriting away fugitive mages (which can lead to a romance with her), and begins plotting the assassination of King Radovid with Dijkstra, along with former associates and Temerian loyalists Vernon Roche, Ves, and Thaler.
After being shipwrecked on the shores of Skellige, Geralt meets with Yennefer, who has been investigating a magical explosion in the region which she believes is linked to Ciri. The two attend the funeral of King Bran, Skellige's ruler, to discover that the island nation is caught up in a conflict of succession as Bran's son Svanrige is in conflict with Cerys and Hjalmar, the children of a powerful nobleman, for the throne. At the wake, Geralt and Yennefer steal The Mask of boros from the druid Ermion, which can be used to see visions of the past. Yennefer has Geralt use the mask in the forest decimated by the explosion, leading them to discover Ciri traveled to the island of Lofoten. The pair travel to Lofoten only to discover that the Wild Hunt attacked the village; Ciri was only able to escape with the aid of a man named Skjall, who was subsequently renamed "Craven", banished from the village for cowardice, and later died trying to redeem himself. Finding his body, Yennefer uses necromancy to get information from him about Ciri--after saving her from the Hunt, Skjall witnessed a deformed, baby-like creature wandering Skellige's shores. Summing up the clues, Geralt determines that the creature Skjall witnessed was Uma, a cursed being he had previously seen wandering the halls of Crow's Perch. Returning from Lofoten, Yennefer attempts to sever the connection she shares with Geralt (as per the magic of a djinn), but realizes she cannot. Geralt can then affirm his love for her, or sever their relationship altogether. Before leaving Skellige, Geralt also intercedes in the crisis of succession, determining whether Hjalmar, Cerys, or Svanrige ascend to Skellige's throne.
The pair retrieve Uma from Crow's Perch, and present him to Emhyr in Vizima. Discovering that lifting the curse on Uma may hold the key to finding Ciri, the trio decide to take him to Kaer Morhen, an abandoned witcher school. There Yennefer and the other witchers lift the curse on Uma, who reveals himself to be Avallac'h, Ciri's elven companion. Avallac'h reveals that following the attack on Lofoten, he teleported Ciri to the abandoned Isle of Mists for her own safety. Geralt resolves to rescue Ciri and return her to Kaer Morhen, but realizes doing this would attract the Wild Hunt. After assembling a small army of companions at Kaer Morhen in preparation for the coming battle, he travels to the Isle of Mists. Although he finds Ciri in a deathlike state, Avallac'h's magic awakens her in his arms. Ciri reveals why the Wild Hunt wants her power: Eredin, the King of the Wild Hunt, is afraid of his own world being destroyed by a mythical power known as the White Frost, and is determined to use Ciri's power to conquer new worlds, regardless of the human cost. Ciri teleports Geralt to Kaer Morhen while the Hunt chases after the duo. After a brief reunion with Yennefer, Triss, and Vesemir, the Hunt attacks. During the battle, Vesemir is killed by Imlerith, a Wild Hunt general, trying to protect Ciri. Distraught, she releases all her uncontrollable powers, causing Eredin and the Hunt to retreat; Avallac'h then casts a spell rendering Ciri docile. Geralt, Yennefer, Triss, Ciri, and the other allies then hold a funeral for Vesemir.
Seething for revenge, Ciri and Geralt travel to Velen and kill both Imlerith and two of the three Crones of Crookback Bog. Emboldened by these victories, Geralt and Ciri travel to Novigrad and help Triss and Yennefer reform the Lodge of Sorceresses to aid in their fight against the Wild Hunt. They also learn about the Sunstone, found on Skellige, that can lure Eredin out and trap him into a location. Geralt also follows through with the assassination plot against King Radovid; afterwards he must side with Vernon Roche or Djikstra on future plans, resulting in the death of whoever he does not side with. In Skellige, Geralt finds the Sunstone with the help of Phillipa Eilhart, the sorceress who struck the killing blow on Radovid.
Making their last stand on the Skelliger isle of Undvik, Avallac'h uses the Sunstone, which draws the Hunt and their fleet out. Geralt and his allies, along with the Nilfgaardian fleet, attempt to defeat them. Geralt defeats Caranthir, the Hunt's navigator, and moves on to face off against Eredin in a brutal fight and emerges victorious. However, the White Frost begins to descend on Skellige. Ciri insists that only her Elder Blood can stop the White Frost before it consumes all life on every world, and after a heated discussion, Ciri goes through a portal and confronts the White Frost, ending the threat by destroying its source.
The epilogue of the game varies according to the choices the player made in the game. Concerning Ciri specifically, there are three possible outcomes: if Geralt presented her to Emperor Emhyr, the assassination of Radovid is carried out, and subsequently sided with Roche, then Ciri will reluctantly accept the throne of Nilfgaard, reasoning that she could do more good for the world as an empress than as a vagrant monster-hunter; if Geralt did not present her, then Geralt and Ciri fake her death, and Ciri becomes a wandering monster-hunter like Geralt; if Ciri died stopping the White Frost, then Geralt hunts down the last Crone to recover Vesemir's medallion, his only memento of Ciri. This ending ends with monsters swarming the house Geralt finds the amulet in, with his fate left ambiguous.
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| Geralt |
The Witcher 3 : Wild Hunt has the best story of this year. It has made sure to swipe every best story award and many Game of The Years too. Gamespot gave it a 10 on 10 rating, making it the 9th game ever to achieve this feat. Definitely the best RPG out there and it will make you forget every other RPG. #3 on our list of best games of the year. This is what you do to a grand finale of an epic series. You will think about the characters for a few days even after completing the game. And, it is an adult game. Well every second game is an adult game but this game contains nudography. So kids, stay away!!
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Minimum Requirements
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Recommended Requirements
Our Rating - 93/100
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