GOTY Edition or Trilogy bundle

[DeadByLag]

I've been keeping the Witcher series in the back of my mind and now my curiosity has grown more significantly. My main concern with game series is whether to begin playing the first game, especially those with rich story line.

Current there is a trilogy bundle that offers all three games, but Witcher 3 is just the base game, unlike the GOTY edition which appears to include more expansions. So it's either all the series games, or just the latest game with expansions.

For the veteran players of the whole series: has your experience with the older games helped/enhanced your experience with Witcher 3?

[Living Broscillograph]

Playing previous parts of a trilogy is always helpful to understand what's happening in its finale.

Originally posted by Living Broscillograph:

Originally posted by GunnDawg:

I picked this game up for sale today and while it's still downloading I got to thinking "wait, this is the third game in a series, I'm gonna be lost"

You won't be lost (CDPR did awesome work to make the game easy to learn and play in comfort for people not familiar nor with the trilogy nor with the books which story comes before the trilogy) but you're gonna be hated because of perfunctory understanding of the big story.

P.S.: See Yen vs Triss holy wars on forums for an example of ultimate misunderstanding between only-TW3 (and/or TW2-TW3) players and those who at least played the trilogy.

Originally posted by Living Broscillograph:

All trilogy tells a single story split into three major acts. So in terms of involving into the story it's absolutely worth playing all three games.

You can "play" the first two games on YouTube but it's better to play them yourself because many reviewers and letsplayers miss details in which the devil is (like for some reason many of them think that sex scenes are important content and thus shouldn't be avoided. However, somewhere it replaces plot details completely ruining the statement of its importance).

In terms of gameplay TW1 is like SW:KotOR but in real-time instead of turn-based (and almost without companions). It's graphics are much better compared to KotOR series :)
TW2 steps towards console players thus its controls can annoy on PC (especially after TW1).
While last difficulty of TW1 makes a player understand the importance of oil / bombs / alchemy mechanics, TW2 teaches to roll away and hit with timings.

These skills are important to play TW3 on the last difficulty (which is very enjoying if you went through the first two games). So it's also worth to play them from this point of view :)

Also, if you'd want to start not from TW3:

Originally posted by Living Broscillograph:

I'd say either play in order, either play TW3.
TW1 and TW2 are tied very close to each other, playing only one of them might pervert your view on some characters.
TW3 is designed to be friendly to newcomers not familiar with the trilogy, its glossary contains enough info to build a perfunctory picture of what's going on and who are all those people. TW1 and TW2 can help to build a good half of the picture though.

[DeadByLag]

Definitely sounds like the trilogy bundle is for me then.

How closely do the games adhere to Andrzej Sapkowski's works?

[Living Broscillograph]

The trilogy tell its own story (starting several years after "The Lady of the Lake" ends) and considers the books as canon. However, Sapkowski doesn't consider the games canon to his books :)

[DeadByLag]

Originally posted by Living Broscillograph:

The trilogy tell its own story (starting several years after "The Lady of the Lake" ends) and considers the books as canon. However, Sapkowski doesn't consider the games canon to his books :)

Ha I don't know how an original author can pick a canon from a game with multiple endings. :)

[CoolingGibbon]

Originally posted by BuzzardBee:

So once you buy the Trilogy AND the expansion pack for W3, you'd have it all, everything that was released for the Witcher games.

Well technically he'd still be missing the Witcher Adventure Game, if you wanna include that one as part of the series.

[Furiey]

Playing the older games (and reading the books) certainly enhanced my experience. But many people don't enjoy older style games.

I would compare the cost of the trilogy bundle + witcher 3 expansion pass to the Witcher 3 GOTY + Witcher 1 + Witcher 2 and see which is the cheapest way to buy all 3.

[DeadByLag]

Originally posted by BuzzardBee:

Thing is Sapkowski doesn't seem interested in providing his own story with any ending whatsoever.

I've been looking up the brief summaries on the saga's novels and it seems to me Sapkowski is done and dusted with that story line? His subsequent books are of other tales.

[Furiey]

Originally posted by BuzzardBee:

Right now on sale, the cost of the trilogy without the expansions is roughly equivalent to the cost of TW3 GotY edition alone. Up to the OP as to what he'd like to do.

I can't see the cost of the bundle as I have all 3, but based on what you say it may well be cheaper to get GOTY + W1 + W2 as the individual prices of W1 + W2 come to less than the expansion pass.

[DeadByLag]

Originally posted by Furiey:

I would compare the cost of the trilogy bundle + witcher 3 expansion pass to the Witcher 3 GOTY + Witcher 1 + Witcher 2 and see which is the cheapest way to buy all 3.

Actually you're pretty observant with the calculations here. :)

Purchasing GOTY package then adding on the previous games individually, they aren't that expensive. Opting for the trilogy bundle and acquiring the expansions later on will be more costly.

[DeadByLag]

Already in my library! :D

It was really late into the night, but I watched the intro of the first The Witcher; wow how awfully long and boring and stiff it was even for 2007. Shall soon see how the gameplay and story holds.

[Dionysus 🐭]

I would recommend getting The Witcher 3 GOTY over the Trilogy Bundle. If you really do want to play the previous games then also get The Witcher 2. I wouldn't recommend The Witcher 1 as it really hasn't aged well.

[DeadByLag]

Originally posted by BuzzardBee:

The first game is really quite dated now and shows it. But it's also mercifully short so there's that.

Yea I've been playing The Witcher (1) through to chapter 1 and the animation is awfully robotic and voice acting rather stoic. Switched to Polish voices instead. :)