Will playing TW1&TW2 ,take away from the TW3 experience?

[dimbismp]

Will playing TW1&TW2 ,take away from the TW3 experience?

I bought both games on steam,since there was an excellent deal (-80%).So,i am playing TW1 right now and it is pretty decent.He gamplay is fun,even though it is a lttle bit outdated and complex.I also like the story,even though i already read/watched was going to happen,as i wasn't sure i was going to buy the 2 games before playing TW3.

So,the question is this:
I fear that having played TW1&TW2 before TW3 will take away from my TW3 experience.Because,when i first saw TW3 i was really excited for this unexplored fantasy world.In other words,exploring this world for the first time in TW3 would certainly make me feel excited.(For example when i played Arkham City,my first and only Arkham game,i was blown away.I doubt i will get that unique feeling in Arkham Knight).
In conclusion,should i stop playing TW1&TW2 so that i can avoid the potential loss of that unique feeling?


(Don't know if i was clear enough/made you understand my thoughts)

 

[ReptilePZ]

It really depends on what you want to take away from the experience. Playing the first two games would help you have a better grasp on the story and characters, so that should make the experince better if you value having a clearer idea of what's going on. In terms of overall atmosphere, the devs have managed to keep things feeling fairly fresh across the first two games. One thing that is important to note is that TW1 and TW2 are not open world, so the scale of exploration will definitely be unique to the franchise in TW3.

In case you are worried about this, however, you could always play TW3 first, and then go back to TW1 and TW2 before replaying TW3.

 

[KingHochmeister]

I have no idea of what you are trying to say, but do continue playing the games, like rep said, you would understand the world and its characters and the state of the world at the beginning of Witcher 3.

I don't personally think that going into the final game of Geralt's story blindly would make it better than playing it while knowing his backstory (at least in the games).

 

[dimbismp]

Well,i know the story and the situation right before TW3.As i said,i wasn't sure i was going to play TW1&TW2,so i watched recaps,lore videos,i read the wiki etc.So i roughly know what's going on.Not as well as a fan who has played the games,but surely a lot better than a newcomer.

What i am trying to say is this:
When i will play TW3,i want to get a complete unique feeling.The gameplauy,hunting monsters,the atmosphere etc(story will obviouslybe different).In other words i don't want to think"been there,done that","more of the same" etc

 

[DukeAlmighty]

For sure not, having played both games before W3 will only add to the experience.

 

[EliHarel]

Maybe you're looking at it a bit narrowly, dimbismp? Yeah, there will be the same core elements. Signs, alchemy, swordsmanship, etc. Improved, but still the same at the core. So you'll be familiar with the basics.

But in no way can I see playing the previous games as ruining the experience, just because some gameplay mechanics are similar, because the highlight is the story and the world. Experiencing the world without prior knowledge actually diminishes the experience, I think. You have much less of an emotional attachment.

My history with the franchise was playing the first game, then stopping before the second because I loved it so much to instead read all seven books, and then replay the first game. And it was an amazingly improved experience. Yeah, I know the mechanics, but suddenly every name triggered a wide range of emotions.

When I first played TW1 and I heard about the Battle of Brenna, I thought "alright, so there was this big battle", and left it at that. Just trivia. A neutral fact. After reading the books, that "big battle" suddenly visualizes in my mind thanks to 30-some pages. Watching the Sword of Destiny trailer, I had goosebumps when I heard the Emperor speak, and when the camera slowly rolled up to show Ciri running. A few seconds, and I was smiling like a fool.

That's not an attachment you can develop by reading a Wiki summary, and without that attachment I think this franchise loses one of its main advantages over others.

An example from a different case - as preparation for MGSV I watched all the former MGS "movies", and my excitement for the game has significantly grown than what it was after just reading wiki entries.



This is just my opinion, of course. For all I know you don't give a damn about the story, in which case playing the previous games as preparation for TW3 is pointless. But I think that the game in general is all the more powerful when you're already invested in the world.

So not playing the previous games will ensure you have a unique experience with the mechanics, but you give up something much more important and powerful in my view.

 

[dimbismp]

Maybe you're looking at it a bit narrowly, dimbismp? Yeah, there will be the same core elements. Signs, alchemy, swordsmanship, etc. Improved, but still the same at the core. So you'll be familiar with the basics.

But in no way can I see playing the previous games as ruining the experience, just because some gameplay mechanics are similar, because the highlight is the story and the world. Experiencing the world without prior knowledge actually diminishes the experience, I think. You have much less of an emotional attachment.

My history with the franchise was playing the first game, then stopping before the second because I loved it so much to instead read all seven books, and then replay the first game. And it was an amazingly improved experience. Yeah, I know the mechanics, but suddenly every name triggered a wide range of emotions.

When I first played TW1 and I heard about the Battle of Brenna, I thought "alright, so there was this big battle", and left it at that. Just trivia. A neutral fact. After reading the books, that "big battle" suddenly visualizes in my mind thanks to 30-some pages. Watching the Sword of Destiny trailer, I had goosebumps when I heard the Emperor speak, and when the camera slowly rolled up to show Ciri running. A few seconds, and I was smiling like a fool.

That's not an attachment you can develop by reading a Wiki summary, and without that attachment I think this franchise loses one of its main advantages over others.

An example from a different case - as preparation for MGSV I watched all the former MGS "movies", and my excitement for the game has significantly grown than what it was after just reading wiki entries.



This is just my opinion, of course. For all I know you don't give a damn about the story, in which case playing the previous games as preparation for TW3 is pointless. But I think that the game in general is all the more powerful when you're already invested in the world.

So not playing the previous games will ensure you have a unique experience with the mechanics, but you give up something much more important and powerful in my view.

Wait,how did you manage to make the conclusion that i don't give a damn about the story?Just because i am a newcomer doesn't mean that i am not interested in the narrative.The story is the main reason i play video games...I don't care if gameplay and graphics are bad,as long as the story is good.

Also,i never said that i only read the wiki.I watched so many recaps,retrospectives etc to understand better the story,and i also watched the lore series etc,before deciding to buy the games.You said you did this with MGS.So,why am i wrong here?And i would like to read the books,but i have little free time,so...What i said is that i want to get the best possible experience from TW3

Anyway,i will probably play the two games,as all of you suggested.Besides,i am really impressed by TW1,so..

 

[Sharpy47]

For sure not, having played both games before W3 will only add to the experience.

This. I recommend you to play Witcher 1 and Witcher 2 - They are absolutely Amazing games, and they really won't take anything from you in W3 - they will only add to it.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Play both first games to enhance your experience with the third. Your question is like "should I read all the previous books in the series if I just discovered the last sequel that came out"? The answer is - sure, you should if you want better experience. If not - you'll miss out more.

 

[EliHarel]

Wait,how did you manage to make the conclusion that i don't give a damn about the story?Just because i am a newcomer doesn't mean that i am not interested in the narrative.The story is the main reason i play video games...I don't care if gameplay and graphics are bad,as long as the story is good.

Also,i never said that i only read the wiki.I watched so many recaps,retrospectives etc to understand better the story,and i also watched the lore series etc,before deciding to buy the games.You said you did this with MGS.So,why am i wrong here?And i would like to read the books,but i have little free time,so...What i said is that i want to get the best possible experience from TW3

Anyway,i will probably play the two games,as all of you suggested.Besides,i am really impressed by TW1,so..

Sorry, just a failing in communication. I didn't mean to presume about you specifically, and I didn't mean to judge and make it sound as something bad, either. A player can not give a damn about the story, and that's fine. We play for different reasons. I might think that he's missing out, but he can have different preferences. And "he" is just this imaginary, general player I have in my mind, not necessarily you.

My bottom line is that playing the previous games will make the third all the more engaging, because playing the games develops a much deeper connection than reading about them, if that makes sense? My example about the books was just meant to show how it makes the experience all the more memorable.

If you say that the story is the main reason you play, then that's all the more reason to play the previous ones.

Apologies if something came out as rude, not my intention.

 

[GuyNwah]

Here's why I believe you should play the first two games, or at the very least play Witcher 1.

This is a fantasy world with a mammoth backstory. Seven volumes of backstory, the major work of a writer who set out to reinvent a mythology for Poland the way Tolkien did for England. There is much in this world that is the way it is, one because it can be no other way without doing violence to continuity, and two because you're expected to understand it without long and boring exposition.

But it's not really about the world, it's about one particular man, how he has come to see this world the way he does, and what drives him to overcome death only to face it again and again. It's about the things he values and lives for. It's about what you come to value from seeing the world through his eyes.

So you can certainly play for the first time in the Prologue of The Witcher 3, and I am sure the game will play satisfyingly for you from that starting point, but I also believe you won't fully develop your connection to Geralt from there and reading Wiki articles. This game doesn't invite you to be amazed at a breathtaking world that looks like a Rubens come to life. It invites you to be Geralt, to share your emotions with his experiences. You'll get these best if you start from where CDPR picked up his story.

"Be me for a little while."

 

[vivaxardas2015]

I agree with lord GuyNwah. I would suggest everyone new to the Wither world, while there is still time, not just to play two previous games, but also to read the books as well, especially given that they are now available either in official, or in fan translation. TW3 is the ENDING of Geralt's story, that was started in the books, and continued in the games. It is virtually impossible to get everything what Geralt's saga has to offer just from reading in-game codex, or conversations. I believe playing TW3 will be a great experience for everybody, but for those who actually was with Geralt from the beginning, it will be greatly enhanced, So no, playing previous games won't ruin your experience, but, on the contrary, it will make it better.

 

[Alpha8Wolf]

I understand and I know what you mean, and no, they will not take away from the W3 experience.

 

[Aedan2]

I agree with those saying play all of it. I finished both W1 and W2 several times, and red all the books except Lady of the Lake and Season of Storms (reading Lady right now ), and it is so much fun when you deeply understand the world and lore of the Witcher. When I played it first time, especially Witcher 2, I didnt understand quite a bit, I didnt even know which king is the ruler of which country, who is allied with whom, and you must learn all of that, and than someone new comes and you see Geralt knows him, and than you are like WTF who is this guy and you just cant understand the story in a way you should, and the story is great.

 

[dixxn]

If you have the time, playing the first two is guaranteed to give you a better perspective of the game in whole. I've completed TW1 for two and a half times, two times for TW2. I currently playing my third TW2 playthrough, and still amazed that there's a dialogue that I haven't seen because this time I made a different decision than my first two playthroughs. I really encourage people to play the first two series.

 

[mecha_fish.619]

Having read the books and then replaying the WItcher and the Witcher 2 really improved those experiences for me. In fact, I forgot how much having read the books helped with the games that when my friend recently finished The Last Wish and she exclaimed "I'm enjoying this game WAY more than I did before, this is glorious" and I laughed and remembered doing the same thing. I recall looking at the recent tw3 footage (notably the January hands on edition) that some of the humour made more sense with previous knowledge of the universe and the games.

So with that in mind, I would assume playing the first two witcher games would only allow you to get more jokes and fully comprehend the meaning of certain aspects of the game. I would recommend reading the books and playing the games in order. This is my 5 cents.

 

[theta]

TW3 has numerous references to characters and event from previous installments. If you go for TW1 and TW2, in TW3 you'll learn what happended to characters you liked or disliked. Otherwise, they'll be just names and background stuff.

 

[Monstarcookie]

I agree with what everyone is saying about learning the story of the previous games, that it will only enhance the experience because of that emotional connection.

I also want to comment that the feel of the first game and the second game are totally different. Sure it's the same signs, the same weapon system but the gameplay is quite different imo. I don't know how much the gameplay in the third game will differ from the gameplay in the second game but I do believe it will still feel fresh and new. And since the third game is going to be open world while the first and the second really aren't, you're still going to get that feeling of "ooooh what's in this cave?" and "ooooh what can I do with these materials?"