Here's 35 minutes of uninterrupted The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gameplay. And it's wonderful.
Agile combat. No standstill, knockdown dragout matches. And it's possible the demonstrator was just too good at combat, or the enemies he faced were weak, but there was no good indicators of when and if Geralt was being hit by anything. (One of my quiet little pet peeves in role-playing games is how that tucked-away hit point bar is your only indication that you're dying.)
At the 8:50 mark, listen to a swell of Witcher folk music slowly turn up the soundtrack.
I love Geralt's empathy when dealing with a mute, childlike "godling" in the swamp, versus his snide remarks in dealing with greasy mercenaries.
The vistas are stunning. Realistic terrain that isn't afraid to swell gently rather than be ceaslessly craggy for the sake of hiding nooks and crannies around every corner. The light and shadow of the swamp is particularly striking.
There's also an edge and dark comedy to the writing that contributes to the character of the world every bit as much as the god rays and the speed trees. And even with the grimy, low fantasy fiction at play here, there are memorable set pieces, more subtle than just outsized architecture.
My heart sunk only for a moment when the demo narrator said we'd be spending most of our time in the character inventory screen. That'd be a shame. But if the demo was any indication, there's actually very little time spent there at all, which I can appreciate.
I'm not here to pick winners, but between The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition, I'm chomping at the bit to start this Wild Hunt.
