@shaunk: the only people who can play that are Wii U owners. TW3 is available on the big 2 + PC and is generally far more ambitious than it and almost every other release this year. Compared to that, yes, it's unimportant.
@auspexao: This "time investment" argument is false, though. All of these guys have pumped tons and tons of hours into Destiny, enough time to have finished TW3 and then some. They just don't enjoy TW3 and prefer garbage junk food.
Pretty much agree with Dan's sentiments on The Witcher 3. Absolutely stunning, beautiful world and writing that puts pretty much any other modern RPG to complete shame but man, the gameplay and quest design is pretty weak and really only starts gets worse 50 hours or more into it. I'd say the combat certainly requires more skill than Skyrim's, but at least in Bethesda games you can significantly change up how you play, either being a rogue, a mage, a battle mage, etc. In The Witcher 3, you are always going to be using those two swords and signs throughout the game, it can be quite repetitive. Pretty much as soon as you start playing the game, that's how you can expect to play the entirety of the next 100 hours or so. It doesn't help that even on the highest difficulty, once you hit level 10, most of the enemies become insanely easy. Most of the quest design seems to be "go to area, examine with Witcher sense, follow red trail, examine shit, kill monster." It's almost as bad as pretty much every other mission in the Assassin's Creed games being a "trail this guy and eavesdrop" mission, in my opinion.
That being said, I'm still absolutely in love with all of the characters and I'm heavily invested in the plot and do plan on finishing it but I can certainly see why someone could dislike it.
First of all, if you want to be that reductive about the quests in TW3 you can be just as reductive about MGSV - Get this guy out or blow this up, etc. Second, if it's too easy try upping the difficulty. It can be incredibly hard, requiring use of all kinds of oils and spells and using dodges.
@sinjunb: Rorie was the only one who said he thought the characters were bad, and the only thing he said was that he never liked Geralt as a protagonist. Brad has previously praised the writing and the world building, and Dan has done the same whenever he's talked about it. Their problem with the game lies in the gameplay and the pacing and that alone. They were also highly critical about aspects of the MGSV story on the Spoilercast. You're literally inventing arguments in order to get outraged.
I didn't really hear any of that from Dan this week, nor much of a defense from Brad. The energy in the room was that none of them cared much about the game, Dan and Rorie being almost downright hostile to it. It's just kind of really gross to me when looking at how profound the writing is in this game, even going so far as to have a fully fleshed out depiction of an alcoholic with a tragic arc framed around that. It's a milestone for gaming, and if all these guys (besides Brad I suppose) are just going to shrug off all that achievement because of some gameplay quibbles... I can't even listen to them anymore. Or at least that's how I feel right now. Maybe I'm just not the right audience, because MGSV to me was a hollow time waster of a game and I don't care about nor never intend to play Mario Maker.
Dan has literally said that it's a top 10 game for him this year a number of times on previous Bombcasts. Brad has also praised the world and the story, which he did on this very episode while at the same time being critical of the way it plays. They have never said that the characters are bad, and didn't say that on this episode either. As I said, their issue with the game has been the gameplay since day 1.
But you're free to not listen to the Bombcast anymore, go for it.
They've whined endlessly about the gameplay, and apparently it's so bad they can't even finish it. The pro's so outweigh the con's here that for them to even complain as much as they are is, as I said, really gross. And thanks, I will go for it!
@sinjunb: Rorie was the only one who said he thought the characters were bad, and the only thing he said was that he never liked Geralt as a protagonist. Brad has previously praised the writing and the world building, and Dan has done the same whenever he's talked about it. Their problem with the game lies in the gameplay and the pacing and that alone. They were also highly critical about aspects of the MGSV story on the Spoilercast. You're literally inventing arguments in order to get outraged.
I didn't really hear any of that from Dan this week, nor much of a defense from Brad. The energy in the room was that none of them cared much about the game, Dan and Rorie being almost downright hostile to it. It's just kind of really gross to me when looking at how profound the writing is in this game, even going so far as to have a fully fleshed out depiction of an alcoholic with a tragic arc framed around that. It's a milestone for gaming, and if all these guys (besides Brad I suppose) are just going to shrug off all that achievement because of some gameplay quibbles... I can't even listen to them anymore. Or at least that's how I feel right now. Maybe I'm just not the right audience, because MGSV to me was a hollow time waster of a game and I don't care about nor never intend to play Mario Maker.
Also, this is supposed to be a games criticism website. If they can't even take the time to finish one of the most important open world games ever made because they can't get over their own bullshit, they've lost a ton of credibility. I'd even say they shouldn't be taken seriously (not that they've ever claimed they should be), but then you get Austin Walker's really great pieces on all sorts of things, so the two are really at odds with each other. Sometimes East has almost nothing in common with West.
TW3 is a flagship open world game, unarguably one of the most important releases of the year. It is literally their job to cover games like this. If they're using personal reasons to not do their job, they're not doing their job very well and shouldn't be taken seriously as a games criticism website.
This site is not an all-encompassing "games criticism website."
Giant Bomb is about these people and their personalities and interests. It usually involves video games, but it can also include whatever they want to do.
This site is -- and always has been -- about whatever these guys feel like doing. It's about them playing games and giving their opinions. It's about whatever floats their personal boats (Ranking of Fighters). It's about their ineptitude at sports games but the fun they have goofing around with them (Don Bradman Cricket, where they don't even know how the sport is played!). It's about wrestling (PAXAMANIA & Power Bombcast). It's about Formula1 (Alt+F1). It's about board games (GB Unplugged). It's about personal challenges (Breaking Brad). It's about totally stupid shit that nobody in their right mind should do (Mario Party Party).
If you're coming here for serious game criticism and a comprehensive look at all the "important releases of the year," then you're visiting for the wrong reasons. How many reviews per year do they even write?
If you don't like what they're doing now, that's totally fine. If them not liking or paying enough attention to The Witcher 3 is the breaking point for you, that is your prerogative and is completely valid.
But please don't misunderstand what the site is about in the first place. It's not about games criticism.
They should amend the Wikipedia, Google, and whatever else entries describing themselves as a video game website if they just want to be a nondescript "personality" website (which, you're right, they now exclusively are especially after this TW3 shit).
I think I'm done listening to the Bombcast. I had to turn it off when they all started becoming completely dismissive about The Witcher 3, it was just baffling and sad. They not only didn't care much about the writing, but thought the characters were bad... and they think MGSV has a good story. Bad taste doesn't even cover this one. There's so many interesting conversations to happen about this game, and it's as strong an example of gaming moving forward as a medium as anything, but these guys just don't give a shit. I can't listen to the opinions of people who just end lines of dialogue with "it's not fun!" when the game in question has so much to offer beyond that. Fun gameplay is not the end all be all of a game in 2015. There's story, character, immersion, atmosphere, ideas, the list goes on. Fun gameplay with none of those other things going for it is junk food. At the end of the day it doesn't matter.
Also, this is supposed to be a games criticism website. If they can't even take the time to finish one of the most important open world games ever made because they can't get over their own bullshit, they've lost a ton of credibility. I'd even say they shouldn't be taken seriously (not that they've ever claimed they should be), but then you get Austin Walker's really great pieces on all sorts of things, so the two are really at odds with each other. Sometimes East has almost nothing in common with West.
@pokysharpy: I have seen this a few times and while it makes total sense for you, it doesn't make sense for them as a reason to not play something. It's literally their job.
It's their job to create content for this website, not to play every game that comes out. Most of the stuff they play is on their personal time. And these are all 30-something dudes in various stages of social/family life, so they have varying degrees of personal time for games. Listen to Vinny on any Beastcast and he makes no secret that he barely has time to play any games. Meanwhile Dan can spend tons of time playing MGS V and devising evil Mario Maker levels.
If "it's literally their job" to play all these games, then you are putting them on the clock 24/7. That's ridiculous and would break the site.
Work/Life balance is a real thing, even when your job is working for Giant Bomb.
TW3 is a flagship open world game, unarguably one of the most important releases of the year. It is literally their job to cover games like this. If they're using personal reasons to not do their job, they're not doing their job very well and shouldn't be taken seriously as a games criticism website. I'm not just saying this because I'm a fan of the game, I'd be saying the same thing if they did this with any other major release. They've even gone on record as saying how much time they've spent on stuff like Destiny or Paper Mario. Its not because they don't have time, it's because they're choosing to spend their time on other games that aren't as important. What it comes down to is GBWest is more interested in going on and on about Destiny, MGSV, and other stuff that has what they consider to be fun gameplay. I've listened for over a year and I'd nearly call them anti-intellectual. GBEast is almost the opposite, and way better for it.
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