The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the most anticipated games that will be releasing in 2015. Due to the first two games of the series being lesser known, a lot of gaming enthusiasts will be getting his or her first experience with The Witcher gaming franchise in the third installment. So should newcomers play The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings before jumping into The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? Let’s take a look at a few factors, including the quality of the two prequels and their connections to the third game.
The Witcher
The Witcher was first released on October 30, 2007, in North America. The Witcher Enhanced Edition, which came with additional improvements such as added animations and reduced load times, was made available on September 16, 2008. A PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version of the original game was in development before eventually getting cancelled.
In combat, Geralt can switch between strong, quick and area clearing attacks. To perform combos, you have to timed your strikes rhythmically. You can also use bombs and potions in battles. While fun at first, the combat can get repetitive the more you get into the game.
In terms of story, the dialogue choices in The Witcher aren’t exactly blatant. Not to mention that the payoffs to your decisions won’t occur right away. Along with the engrossing main plot line, the story from the original game still holds up very well by today’s standards. You can purchase the first installment of the series with this page on Amazon.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings came out first for the PC on May 17, 2011. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition would then come out on April 12, 2012 for the Xbox 360 console and computer platform. In addition to some fixes, the new version of the game added more gameplay and cut scenes (which include expanding the ending sequence).
Like a good sequel, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings expanded from the concepts of the original. For instance, the combat has more depth as Geralt have more weapon variety and can set traps. The speed of the battles have also been sped up as the rhythmic combo system of the original has been replaced with a more action-oriented setup.
The sequel also has the same ambiguous dialogue choices as the first game, which will result in multiple branching paths and many different endings. You can buy the second game with this link.
Series Recap in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The development team, CD Projekt Red, is well aware that most of the players in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be completely new to the series. The studio already reveal a plan where there will be a recap of the previous installments near the beginning of the game. With that said, the summary will most likely not be as comprehensive as actually experiencing the events in the first two games.
Save Transfers
Of course, there will also be incentives for returning players. For PC gamers, they will be able to transfer their save data from The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Doing so will bring their choices from the second game into the third as well as other potential bonuses.
Unfortunately, the save import feature won’t be included in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of the WRPG. Instead, console players can pick between several dialogue choices at the start of the sequel in order to change the world state in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to their liking.
Potential of Remastered Releases of The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
One of the biggest trends on the PS4 and Xbox One is the abundance remastered ports for games that were released last generation. With the looming release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it would make a lot of sense for CD Projekt Red to port The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings to the current-gen consoles.
With that said, a representative from the company mentioned that the studio currently has their hands full with finishing the development of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the upcoming DLC packs in addition to working on Cyberpunk 2077. While CD Projekt Red could always enlist the help of an external team for the ports of The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, it sounds like fans may have to wait a long time. Thus, it may be best to the original versions of the first two games of the series, especially, if you are planning to do so before jumping into the third installment.
Recap
While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will include a recap of the first two games of the series, you are better off playing the first two games. Not only are the prequels great (especially The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings), they are also relatively cheap. With The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt being the last installment of the trilogy, you should at least try out The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings if you want to get the most out of the excellent RPG series.
You can purchase the first two games with the next links: The Witcher Enhanced Edition and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition.
The release date is set for May 19th for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the PS4, Xbox One and PC.