PW4 with better mechanics vs PW3 with a better story?

[Pierson]

I'm looking into getting a PW game to celebrate OP being back and looked at both PW3 and 4. From the big reviews people have left the choice seems to basically be down to:

PW3 is a lot older so it's not as good mechanically and is kind of showing it's age graphically and is a horrible PC port, but on the other hand lets you replay the entire story from East Blue to Dressrosa and has an arcade mode people like.

PW4 is newer and has better gameplay, graphics and more characters, but the downside is it's only a few arcs and a challenge mode?

Is that about the size of things? If I want a more complete story and can find fixes for the port I should grab 3, but otherwise grab 4?

[Everybody do the flop]

The issue with PW4 is that they also cut out great arcs like Skypiea and removed all arcs where Luffy recruits someone (excluding WCI). In the end the story has so many holes in it, it feels more like half of a game than a whole game. I'd understand cutting East Blue content, but they didn't even keep all of the New World arcs!

PW3 also has more replayability and a level up system. Free Mode has a purpose, since there are side missions to complete that you can't do in your first run. PW3 has better maps too, while PW4 cuts a lot of maps up into smaller sections just to pad arcs out.

[Pierson]

Yeah that was what everyone else said as well basically so I got PW3. It's seven years old but it's still really great!

[Keytee Tamira]

Originally posted by Everybody do the flop:

PW3 also has more replayability and a level up system. Free Mode has a purpose, since there are side missions to complete that you can't do in your first run. PW3 has better maps too, while PW4 cuts a lot of maps up into smaller sections just to pad arcs out.

In fact, PW1 also had some arcs to have several maps. Like Arabasta was several maps in PW1. And it had actual platforming levels, which were kinda fun QTE stuff.

But yeah, i prefer PW3 way more. Because i can just lay on the ground and relax as Gecko Moriah and let my Shadow fight the foes. Lol.
And also i can play as Slim Shady Skypeian God there...

[Alex Kidd]

A lot of the character options in PW4 are honestly kind of strange too to long term fans.
I got the game on Switch, but was dumbfounded by many of these choices:

- Pretimeskip Strawhats aren't playable outside Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp, and Usopp isn't playable during Alabasta. The main characters aren't available in over half the missions as a playable option. Kidd and Bartolomeo get as many playable options as Nami does in the storymode, which is ridiculous considering how many more arcs she's in.
- Moria and Kuma are cut completely despite being Warlords and should at least appear in Marineford. Especially odd since Kuma has a model even since the Pacifista appear and yet he doesn't even get a NPC appearance. Moria only appears as a static image in a cutscene. We could have had a game with all the warlords and all the emperors if they just brought these two back.
- Garp is also cut as a playable character despite appearing in Marineford and Enies Lobby, but appears as a NPC at least.
- Ivankov for some reason remained a playable character despite Marineford being his only appearance in this game due to Impel Down being cut.
- Vinsmoke brothers of Ichiji, Niiji and Yonji prioritised as being individual characters despite not actually doing much in the story at all.
-Cracker isn't in the base game, leading to no Cracker battle in the story mode. Later rectified with DLC(for playable Cracker at least) but it means the final battle in seducing woods is Brulee instead of Cracker as it should be.
- Ceasar is cut entirely despite appearing in both Dressrosa and Wholecake. He appears in a cutscene but he's not even a NPC now IIRC. For some reason Punk Hazard, which heavily ties into the remaining post time skip arcs is also cut as an arc.
- Urogue, who still hasn't appeared in any story context at this time of writing being chosen over Apoo in the DLC despite Apoo being the only Supernova that appeared in Wano that was missing.
- Oden(a flashback character), Okiku and Smoothie(who still hasn't done anything even now) were prioritsed as playable characters in DLC over any of the Beast Pirates outside of Drake despite peddling Wano as the focus for this title. By that point at least Jack and Queen had appeared and done something.
- The cutting of the Kizuna system, making NPCs less special than before. A lot of the NPCs were also cut due to their arcs being gone.
- Speaking of, none of the NPCs were upgraded to playable status either despite some of them such as Mr. 2 being big fan favourites or others such as Mr 1 and Mr. 3 appearing in multiple arcs that were included in this game. It's more than Ivankov anyway.