cdub77

This is a F2P game, so I'm rating it accordingly. I'm not going to subtract points because they are trying to make money on the game. If you don't like the model, just play a game with a model you do like. However, if you understand what F2P is like, this game is quite a delight on the PS4. THE GOOD: 1) Far and away what hooked me was the smooth control scheme for the controller. Unlike the FFXIV layout which was functional but not as good as keyboard and mouse, this is the first MMMORPG I've played on both PC and console that I prefer combat with a controller. It's intuitive and responsive (for an MMORPG that understandably lags in areas with high populations) 2) End Game is very casual for those that want it. you just need 1 - 2 friends to keep progressing. There is TONS of content. Some people say this means it's a grind. But to me, it means there is more to do. I prefer there to be more to do that I haven't done instead of simply repeating old things. I know some folks want to get to the top of the mountain, but in Neverwinter, that is going to take far longer than you could possibly imagine. So for me, this casual, long end-game that keeps getting updated means hours of fun in a familiar D&D world with voice-acted NPCs and stories written by people like R.A. Salvatore. I'm in! 3) Dungeons & Dragons Nostalgia. I've played lots of MMORPGs, but playing one set in the D&D franchise brings to memory so many games from the past that if you played these games, you'll enjoy this as much as I do! THE BAD 1) The fact this is F2P will be in your face the whole time. I recommend playing for a bit, if you like it, decide you are going to pay them for their work and decide where to spend your money. Those pay walls are there, but they aren't hard and fast. First: There is an exchange so you can swap currency you earn in-game for ZEN to purchase from the cash shop. Second, there are great guides online for completely free players to compete at the highest level in PVE and PVP, so if what you got is time and not money, then you can do it all here. 2) Bugs! Yep too many games have them. I get kicked from the server roughly once every 4 hours. This is too much. I hope it gets fixed! There are other bugs where you can get stuck and have to log in as a second character to fix this. It's annoying and time consuming, but nothing game breaking. 3) I may be wrong, but I don't think there is any 8-16 person PvE content. I am glad it's not dominated by this, but I would like a few reasons to work together as a big organized group. So even if it is in the game, at level 66 I've still not seen it or heard of it. So definitely under-represented. I've not run a heroic dungeon yet, which I know are tough, but I believe those are just 3 - 5 man dungeons. VERDICT: I have to give this game a strong score because it's truly fun to play. You should be able to tell if the things people say are bad about it will get to you or not. My opinion is that if they do not bother you, you'll find a lot to love about combat with a PS4 controller in this, the only true D&D MMORPG available on the platform, F2P or not. Lastly, I'm playing with several disenchanted ESO players who are finding a lot to like in comparison. I didn't play ESO, but if it rubbed you the wrong way, Neverwinter on PS4 might be just the ticket!

I've got to preface this by saying I'm not only a big Dragon Age fan who has played all three (and I & III multiple times through), but also a huge fan of the Deep Roads. What that means to this review is that the lore is particularly important to me and will be part of what I review. The Good: + This DLC really breaks the mode for DAI, and I found that really refreshing. Gone are all the tedious repetitive side quests that seemed filler to me and found there way into the Jaws of Hakkon. Also, for better or worse, this is a dungeon-crawl experience in the DAI universe. I LOVED that. Additionally, you're given a new operations table in the deep road and a new supply of dragon materials to craft with. Both of these helped fill out the experience nicely (Could have used more of the new war table though). Counter point: I could see how many would find combat constrictive in the corridors of the Dark Roads and beyond, but a few awkward battles never bothered me - I was sold on the change of pace. + Secrets and Easter Eggs - Exploration is not gone! It's now "I wonder if this little ledge is traversable and if it leads anywhere" or "cool I found a spot the Inquisition can come build a bridge and access that area over there." There is even one secret I'll not reveal that alludes to one of my favorite childhood movies and reveals a fantastic easter egg for long time fans of the series. Counter Point: There simply was not enough of this for $15 given Witcher 3 is giving us expansions that are nearly the size of Witcher 2 for just $25. I've paid $30 so far and will pay more for DAI DLC and it does not deliver value that it's main competition does. + The Lore: If you played Jaws of Hakkon, you noticed the novel approach Bioware is taking with overall Dragon Age lore and DAI DLC. The information and reveals at the end of this DLC are just as far reaching in their ramifications, it not even more so, than in the Jaws of Hakkon. Suffice to say, you'll learn a vital new secret about a staple of life in Thedas you never knew before that will truly enrich your appreciation of the world in a way that DA as a whole hasn't for me in a long time. Counter Point: There wasn't much else told beside this and more questions were given than answers. I wonder if this is because they are setting up something to come in future DLC. The Bad: - Underwhelming Dwarven Representation - Don't expect to see Orzammar or any significant aspect of Dwarven lore or culture. You are in a desolate area - a mine, and though the Legion of the Dead and one other Dwarf are with you, the DLC doesn't feel nearly alive enough for me. I'd have loved to see Bioware take the time to flesh out Orzammar again and let us take part in the political intrigue we did in DAO, but alas we are, like most of the Dwarves you will encounter - banished to the Deep Roads. Counter Point: The title of the DLC is the Descent and it does not misrepresent this, but that's a pretty weak counter point IMO if that's the best I can come up with. - Too Short - I loved what we were given, but it amounts to a five level dungeon. Albeit it's the best dungeon in the game and has expanding pathways and things to explore. Though they broke the mold that Hakkon didn't, they didn't spend enough time filling this with side-activities. Why isn't there some repeatable side game? In Hakkon they had an arena you got to fight in 5 times. How hard would it be to make it a 50 fight tournament of Stamina few ever finish? How hard would it be to put something like that in Descent? Just add a Legion of the dead base and have the tournament be with them. These are just ideas of how they could have added more content that they just didn't. Counter Point: Everything added was quality in my opinion. I had few complaints and never felt like I was doing the same thing over and over besides maybe searching for gears which was fun IMO. - No More XP - Bioware devs said they don't like having character development arbitrarily come to a screeching halt late in the game, yet for technical reasons I can't level past 27 or my inquisition past 20. This meant the joy of character development was missing from my DAI experience for the first time and this is a crying shame. I know they dropped last gen consoles on DLC, so maybe that means they can fix whatever technical issues now prevent the of continued character progression through DLC. Counter Point: You don't NEED to level up, the game is still fun, and a great way to fix this is to not invest in Inquisition Perks that give XP bonuses because now the game has 2 more areas of content to help you level. Overall I have to give it a 7 despite my desire to score higher. It just was too expensive without enough Dwarven elements or length to justify $15 unless you are a hard core fan who loves the lore. Then this is a must buy IMO.

I'm writing this review a full month after launch. I want to qualify my 10 by saying this is NOT a perfect game. Here's feedback I think you'll find helpful: The Good: *Story - I can't say enough (now that I'm really 75% done with the game - something no one who reviewed it the first week could say) how the story here is the bread and butter. NPCs have never been more memorable or believable. Side quests are more like "side stories" where Geralt stars as super-fantasy detective rather than fetch quests. Counterpoint: There are so many stories that even this new inventive quest style feels a bit stale by the end of it unless you take breaks. *The World - The first 10 - 30 hours of Witcher 3 are dominated by the swamp lands and plains of No Man's Land and White Orchard. I believe Developers would totally change White Orchard now if they could and give it the grand depth of Skellege and some of the more remote parts of the world. It's huge, it's got everything you want to see from a western fantasy RPG. Counterpoint: There is nothing here that hasn't been done in western RPGS before - nothing like the hard-to-imagine landscapes Final Fantasy creates. *Crafting & Loot: Collecting and upgrading Witcher Gear is a blast. There are 5 sets (Serpent, Bear, Wolf, Griffin, Cat) and each has at least 4 tiers of upgrades. The plans for these upgrades are hidden throughout the world in usually inventive out-of-the-way places that are fun to experience and explore. The gear looks very cool - and by the time you get it to high level, the complete look for Geralt is something you'll enjoy seeing in cut scenes, and you even have a passive ability you can level up to enhance the gear you wear based on type. Counterpoint: You don't have enough storage to keep all the gear you'd like to build and mats so the game forces too much inventory management to enjoy the crafting system fully The Bad: *The Controls - Everyone agrees this is the worst part of the game. It's worst when you are trying to talk to someone or open a chest and you are right next to them yet you cannot click on them. You tap your controller and you somehow bump into them, causing a scene and not helping. Totally breaks immersion. In battle the controls are bad as well - but not as annoying as interacting with npcs and objects. Particularly, the roll often over shoots and objects from the environment that shouldn't cause enemies to be out of reach. (I didn't talk about the horse, but I could have). Counterpoint: The devs have released several patches to improve the worst aspects of the game. I do believe this will improve moving forward. *The Difficulty - The game is cake - literally. I started on normal, was at hard by hour 20 and was at hardest difficulty by hour 40. I suggest all serious gamers start on the hardest setting. Why? Because it's most fun to play when you engage with the systems and role play Geralt. You're a monster hunting detective and you need to use everything at your power to overcome these awesome beasts. Epic battles where you worry about your potions and sign use are far more satisfying than hack-n-slash that happens at normal difficulty. I do hope an extra hard setting is released along with NG+ at some point. Counterpoint: This seems like the type of balancing that can still take place, so maybe this complaint goes away. *The Size - no matter how you slice it, the game is so big it's overwhelming. There is simply no way to do everything in it with any reasonable expectation of finishing soon. It must be handled like Skyrim and Fallout - given over to those games that you just accept you may never do everything in. The problem with this is that the way its presented really wants to make you see everything in it more than Skyrim. This produces fatigue at a certain point. Counterpoint: Anything lengthy produces fatigue - like a Marathon, or getting a law degree. So you just need to weigh if Witcher 3 is still delivering on what you want out of video games or if there is something else out there. I don't really see this as a serious complaint, but it is true and I do feel fatigue and need to seek other games to play every so often. For me - the 10 represents that I've spent more time and obsessed more over this world than I have any other game in years. I highly recommend it.