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One podcast is certainly not enough to discuss our entire thoughts on The Witcher 3. It is, in many ways, a testament to the game’s sheer breadth and overall quality. “Greater than the sum of its parts” would be my final assessment of it, though I fear its success and effusive praise could mean negative things for the continuing trend of the AAA space. “More is better” is one of the worst mottos one can have, especially as it takes a toll on developers crunching their life away in order to squeeze something out the door. Before we began recording, Steve had booted up Cyberpunk 2077 on his PlayStation 4. I did not see a myriad number of crashes, no, but I certainly did see plenty of immersion breaking elements that certainly made The Witcher 3 feel properly next-gen in comparison.

Ambition requires discipline, and The Witcher 3 may not have been subjected to enough criticism in order to properly temper CD Projekt Red’s expectations of themselves. I’m curious to see what state The Witcher 4 is currently in, and whether the PR blunder that has been Cyberpunk 2077’s release will have a significant impact on the next iteration of Geralt’s adventure. After all, The Witcher 3 was absolutely massive. Fans are no doubt now expecting a game as big – if not larger than – Geralt’s journey for Ciri.

You can, of course, read more of my thoughts here and here, with at least one more piece on the way. I may be able to salvage some of my thoughts gone unspoken in this podcast for another essay or two.

If there is any advantage to longer games, it is certainly that they leave plenty more to be said.

What are your thoughts on The Witcher 3? Please leave a comment below or send us an e-mail with your opinions.

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