IGN - 9.3/10
Though the straightforward and fetch-quest-heavy main story overstays its welcome...
CDPR's promise
I though fetch quest was more in DA:I
And CDP Red said the same,so why do they have it for the ign eyes only.
On the flip side, the PS4 version might have been the most stable version when they sent out their review copies.
Telegraph
There is no saving the world, here, no great evil force pervading the landscape, or a doomsday clock ticking down to inevitable destruction, with only you to stand in its way. The story of Wild Hunt is a personal one, set in a huge and unrelentingly beautiful world.
Eurogamer Poland
The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece, and in many respects simply the best and most exciting game in recent years. It captivates players with artistic vision, a huge world and an epic story. The developers were not looking for cheap applause - game design is uncompromising, consistent, thoughtful and nuanced.
AusGamers
It’s a story worthy of a place in the more accepted subculture of dark fantasy ruled across media by Game of Thrones. First-timers will easily love this facet but may also be surprised to learn that this series, and the books it’s based upon, have been the at the fore of adult and mature storytelling for a long time. Wild Hunt is both at times brutal and sexy, with a juxtaposition of hard-edged steel (or silver), blood and death being met with soft, naked skin; passion, lust and even love.
Impulsegamer
This game has got characters that you actually care about, a story that is very engaging from the get go and almost flawless gaming mechanics.
GameSpot
One of the best role-playing games ever crafted, a titan among giants and the standard-setter for all such games going forward. Where the Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game's quiet denouement.
Game Informer
It stands out for its wonderful writing, variety of quests and things to do in the world, and how your choices have impact in interesting ways.
Meristation
The end of a fantastic journey, it´s an extremely ambitious game, a real tour de force that shows CD Projekt will continue to shine. Really big, dense, with a nice narrative pace that mixes well with the open world structure. A stunning game.
JeuxActu
The Witcher 3 is a captivating game and a gorgeous title. Thanks to a very inspired artistic department, offering an even more accurate view on the gloomy world Geralt lives in, this third part proves itself as one of the most beautiful games ever made. But there is more: if CD Projekt took its game open-world, it's not simply for the sake of doing so. They handcrafted a very lively, very concrete universe in which you can enjoy your freedom to be the witcher you always wanted to be.
XGN
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is one of the best RPG games ever made. Its (main) story, excellent visuals, challenging quests and beautiful world makes this one of the best games in 2015.
3DJuegos
An amazing amount of content and a great story with many possible choices and consequences work pretty well with The Witcher series’ sandbox twist despite its numerous shortcomings.
Hobby Consolas
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best reason to make you buy a new console or a high-end PC. The new Geralt's adventure is huge, adult, surprising and always stunning. Everything we love about videogames.
LaPS4
RPGs have a new king with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt RED has turned Adrzej Sapkowski's work into an amazing interactive spectacle in terms of visuals, plot and gameplay mechanics. Every hour invested in this game will be an hour of fun. The only disappointment is the optimization of the game on PS4. Frequent frame rate drops blur the experience. An issue we expect to be solved with updates but, for now, are quite a burden while playing.
Vandal Online
The amount of content we find in The Witcher 3 is outstanding, as is its quality. It is true that there are some aspects with some room for improvement, but it delivers such a rich and unique universe that you will soon forget about them.
IGN
Even if the plot isn’t terribly interesting, the many characters who play a part in it are, and along with the excellent combat and RPG gameplay, they elevate The Witcher 3 to a plane few other RPGs inhabit.
IGN Italia
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt isn’t perfect (yet?), but it’s one of the best written RPGs ever.
Gameblog.fr
Gorgeous, generous, incredibly well written and fun to play, The Witcher's story conclusion is far from a disappointment. It's an amazing open-world RPG, looking like Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto's child, offering so many wonderful and lively places to explore, so many tasks to accomplish, so many fantastic stories and characters, so many great battles to fight, that it will take hours to explore the entire thing. A solid masterpiece that you can't seriously miss if you like RPGs - and have plenty of time to play.
Metro GameCentral
A colossal achievement in technical terms, with a level of interaction with the game world and its inhabitants that is unsurpassed in modern video games.
Eurogamer Italy
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an awesome dark fantasy game, with perfect storytelling, a beautifully crafted world and powerful characters. Due to the open world structure and its huge dimension, this game has some technical issues, yet the final experience is still one of the best around for RPG lovers.
Everyeye.it
When it comes to story, lore and characters, The Witcher 3 is simply stunning, a milestone in western RPGs. Although the gameplay is quite varied, and the offer in terms of quests and exploration rich, the combat system still lacks depth, and structure as questing never changes. As it is, it's a perfect game for whoever like to dive deep into a believable and vast imaginary world, but not for gameplay purists.
GRYOnline.pl
The Witcher 3 is a game aiming for highest praise - you simply can't get enough of it. The need to see what happens next kept me glued to the console for many more hours than I had planned. Unfortunately the The Wild Hunt isn't perfect - the number of smaller and bigger issues can surprise (in a bad way, of course). It is an amazing game but right now the amount of bugs is simply too high.
Destructoid
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a huge step up from its predecessor, mostly because it manages to tell a more compelling and personal tale. At the same time, that intimate feel is juxtaposed against a gigantic, sprawling open-world adventure that may hit some snags along the way but still comes out on top.
GamesRadar+
Sloppy combat and ongoing optimisation can't quite spoil this dark fantasy adventure, set in a stunning world of blood and black magic.
Playstation Official Magazine UK
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a surprising failure as an open-world video game, but within its beautifully lit world of monsters lies a much more traditional story-driven RPG of immense quality.
There is no saving the world, here, no great evil force pervading the landscape, or a doomsday clock ticking down to inevitable destruction, with only you to stand in its way. The story of Wild Hunt is a personal one, set in a huge and unrelentingly beautiful world.
Eurogamer Poland
The Witcher 3 is a masterpiece, and in many respects simply the best and most exciting game in recent years. It captivates players with artistic vision, a huge world and an epic story. The developers were not looking for cheap applause - game design is uncompromising, consistent, thoughtful and nuanced.
AusGamers
It’s a story worthy of a place in the more accepted subculture of dark fantasy ruled across media by Game of Thrones. First-timers will easily love this facet but may also be surprised to learn that this series, and the books it’s based upon, have been the at the fore of adult and mature storytelling for a long time. Wild Hunt is both at times brutal and sexy, with a juxtaposition of hard-edged steel (or silver), blood and death being met with soft, naked skin; passion, lust and even love.
Impulsegamer
This game has got characters that you actually care about, a story that is very engaging from the get go and almost flawless gaming mechanics.
GameSpot
One of the best role-playing games ever crafted, a titan among giants and the standard-setter for all such games going forward. Where the Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game's quiet denouement.
Game Informer
It stands out for its wonderful writing, variety of quests and things to do in the world, and how your choices have impact in interesting ways.
Meristation
The end of a fantastic journey, it´s an extremely ambitious game, a real tour de force that shows CD Projekt will continue to shine. Really big, dense, with a nice narrative pace that mixes well with the open world structure. A stunning game.
JeuxActu
The Witcher 3 is a captivating game and a gorgeous title. Thanks to a very inspired artistic department, offering an even more accurate view on the gloomy world Geralt lives in, this third part proves itself as one of the most beautiful games ever made. But there is more: if CD Projekt took its game open-world, it's not simply for the sake of doing so. They handcrafted a very lively, very concrete universe in which you can enjoy your freedom to be the witcher you always wanted to be.
XGN
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt is one of the best RPG games ever made. Its (main) story, excellent visuals, challenging quests and beautiful world makes this one of the best games in 2015.
3DJuegos
An amazing amount of content and a great story with many possible choices and consequences work pretty well with The Witcher series’ sandbox twist despite its numerous shortcomings.
Hobby Consolas
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the best reason to make you buy a new console or a high-end PC. The new Geralt's adventure is huge, adult, surprising and always stunning. Everything we love about videogames.
LaPS4
RPGs have a new king with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CD Projekt RED has turned Adrzej Sapkowski's work into an amazing interactive spectacle in terms of visuals, plot and gameplay mechanics. Every hour invested in this game will be an hour of fun. The only disappointment is the optimization of the game on PS4. Frequent frame rate drops blur the experience. An issue we expect to be solved with updates but, for now, are quite a burden while playing.
Vandal Online
The amount of content we find in The Witcher 3 is outstanding, as is its quality. It is true that there are some aspects with some room for improvement, but it delivers such a rich and unique universe that you will soon forget about them.
IGN
Even if the plot isn’t terribly interesting, the many characters who play a part in it are, and along with the excellent combat and RPG gameplay, they elevate The Witcher 3 to a plane few other RPGs inhabit.
IGN Italia
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt isn’t perfect (yet?), but it’s one of the best written RPGs ever.
Gameblog.fr
Gorgeous, generous, incredibly well written and fun to play, The Witcher's story conclusion is far from a disappointment. It's an amazing open-world RPG, looking like Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto's child, offering so many wonderful and lively places to explore, so many tasks to accomplish, so many fantastic stories and characters, so many great battles to fight, that it will take hours to explore the entire thing. A solid masterpiece that you can't seriously miss if you like RPGs - and have plenty of time to play.
Metro GameCentral
A colossal achievement in technical terms, with a level of interaction with the game world and its inhabitants that is unsurpassed in modern video games.
Eurogamer Italy
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an awesome dark fantasy game, with perfect storytelling, a beautifully crafted world and powerful characters. Due to the open world structure and its huge dimension, this game has some technical issues, yet the final experience is still one of the best around for RPG lovers.
Everyeye.it
When it comes to story, lore and characters, The Witcher 3 is simply stunning, a milestone in western RPGs. Although the gameplay is quite varied, and the offer in terms of quests and exploration rich, the combat system still lacks depth, and structure as questing never changes. As it is, it's a perfect game for whoever like to dive deep into a believable and vast imaginary world, but not for gameplay purists.
GRYOnline.pl
The Witcher 3 is a game aiming for highest praise - you simply can't get enough of it. The need to see what happens next kept me glued to the console for many more hours than I had planned. Unfortunately the The Wild Hunt isn't perfect - the number of smaller and bigger issues can surprise (in a bad way, of course). It is an amazing game but right now the amount of bugs is simply too high.
Destructoid
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a huge step up from its predecessor, mostly because it manages to tell a more compelling and personal tale. At the same time, that intimate feel is juxtaposed against a gigantic, sprawling open-world adventure that may hit some snags along the way but still comes out on top.
GamesRadar+
Sloppy combat and ongoing optimisation can't quite spoil this dark fantasy adventure, set in a stunning world of blood and black magic.
Playstation Official Magazine UK
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a surprising failure as an open-world video game, but within its beautifully lit world of monsters lies a much more traditional story-driven RPG of immense quality.
Yeah, I understand your concerns.
However, I sometimes have to wonder what a 'fetch quest' actually should be defined as when using the term as a negative. I mean, for me, a game is made to have certain gameplay mechanics, and you're always gonna be using them over and over so in a way everything is a fetch quest.
You want to find Ciri? You'll go places and kill things. You want to craft certain items and need ingredients? You're on a self-given fetch quest to go somewhere and kill things. Want to explore? Want to rescue someone from a tower? You'll be going somewhere and killing things.
In the end, the same base mechanics, including Witcher Sense, are always used and repeated so I think that all that matters is how the 'fetch quests' are dressed up and whether there's any challenge or surprise involved in carrying them out.
In other words, I would say the negative definition of a fetch quest is when a bland npc simply tells you to go get something, with the barest of reasons, and then you simply go directly from point A to collect what's needed and then back again to collect your reward with absolutely nothing interesting, funny or thought provoking happening. No surprise, no funny moments, no decisions, no evolving mini-story, nada.
Let's hope the IGN review didn't mean those.
A good 'fetch-quest' would be like Precious Cargo. You meet a guy, he sends you off but as you 'fetch', you discover and unravel clues about a larger story behind what he first told you. You then confront him, give chase, make a decision and then have a conclusion to your actions.
As long as most have that kind of effort put into them, I'll be very happy. Maybe the IGN guy expected more than something like that example though? I'd say that was unreasonable for a 100 hour plus game+.
I don't get it either, I was bumned out when I read on IGN that the main quest was a bunch of fetch quests. But that in mind I don't hold IGN in high regard about their reviews. They always have something to complain about. I still remember that they complained about DAI and in the end it was chosen as game of the year.
One says the game fails as an open-world, some say this and that.. I would not put too much emphasis on each individual's words.
One thing to notice is that overall they like the game and want to play it
all of them.
Yeea, that's the only thing that makes me worry. I hope playing on Death March helps me to avoid thiis.
Or better, bring in the perma-death and let the the crying begin!
It's simply impossible to have an RPG without fetch quests in some form.
The awesome thing that CDPR are doing is putting a lot of effort even into such small quests so that they have a back story and character to them and so they feel interesting and not like a fetch quest.
In any case, I take the opinions of some reviewers with a pinch of salt. Especially when some of their 'conclusions' are not very accurate or actually correct, just proves that they may not have bothered to get deep into the game systems.
IGN can't be taken seriously. Are people still dispute this?
DAI was a mediocre to good game but nothing more. The story was idiotic and boring, the characters paper thin. The only thing you can trust from IGN is if the mention technical problems (and that's because they actually see them while playing, as everyone else's).
Congratulation to the whole CD Projekt RED team.. great reviews, great scores,.. hope that the PC version is going to be great too.. and, I hope that there are more NPCs in Novigrad in the PC version than in the console version.. it's the main city and there aren't that many people in there.. but other than that, really great work.. enjoy the praise your game is receiving