As far as content goes, Skyrim wins hands down. I love the game and could sink a few hundred hours into it easily. Story wise it can be a little shaky, but I think the concept in Skyrim is more focused on spending time however you want.
Story wise, I have to hand it to Witcher 2, but at the same time I did not play it for the story quite as much as the gameplay. The story in Witcher 2 is also harder to follow then some games. The thing about Witcher 2 is that it plays as a much different game then Skyrim and it is really hard to compare the two. I would have to say that Witcher 2 has far more exciting and challenging gameplay though, even on the lower difficulty settings. It was refreshing playing a hard game and I think its about as hard as rpgs should be. (Side note: Love dark souls, but there is hard and downright insane!)
Really hard to compare the two, I guess Skyrim has a slight edge though just simply because there is so much more in it.
Normaly I would vote for Skyrim. But I'm a huge PC gaming supporter and Witcher 2 as a pc exclusive really shined. Extremely high quality game in almost every way.
Skyrim on the other hand is just as high quality as witcher 2 but I just couldn't forgive bethseda studios for that ugly console UI. Hope one day there will be a mod that will completely change UI to better fit PC gamers. I wish characters were also better quality in Skyrim, but everything else, nicely done.
vote for skyrim and i agree with this, today devs are crossing the fence where its cheapest and easiest, make concole version and port it to pc with 32bit os so those pc owners and gamers who have top end systems sitting at their home cant enjoy the power of their machine. so i plead to devs make different version to console and pc even if the cost of package is gona be more i dont care aslong i can max the graphics look nothing like console. thanks.
I loved Skyrim 10 hours in, I've deleted it from my disk 30 hours later. It's hardly the fault of the game, it's just that it doesn't have anything to offer to me. Turns out, I don't like clearing out dangeons. 5 dungeons/caves and I was totally not going to go underground ever again.
As for quests, they are rather limited and I found that I can't be bothered with them. Most of quest are "go there kill a guy" and I don't want them. There is a limited number of side lines: I hated companions and thieves guild, so I couldn't force myself to do their lines, and there is no questline to work against them; I never felt like being assasin, so that's just leaves Empire/Nords squabble (which closely resembles local politics and I can't help but wish to just kill all of them) and Mages guild quest.
Daedric quests just never appealed to me. "Go find Azura Star because it's your destiny, allright?" "I've captured yourself into that metal cage - THERE IS NO CAKE!!! Now go bring to me the priest of competing daedra, 'cause I really feel like it. Oh, and I promise to give you a cake just like I promised 5 minutes ago." "Help me clear that cave of deaders, so that I could eat more human flesh. Helped? Now bring to me the priest and we'll feast together..." - that's where I've killed that stupid cannibal biatch and failed the quest. Really? I mean, am I supposed to somehow motivated by that?
I'll take Witcher 2 any time, even though it was rushed in the latter parts of the game.
I played The Witcher 2, and it had all of those things too, in spades. Except the graphics. They both have very nice graphics, with different styles. But one game is not unquestionably higher quality than the other in terms of technical quality.
Yes, I prefer Skyrim because of personal preference. Obviously. But I am saying that it is silly to claim one game is technically superior. They are both well made, but they both released with a great many problems. The Witcher 2 has had time to release a massive update that fixed most of the problems (which is in itself an admission that those problems existed). Skyrim has not had time to release such a patch, but when they do, I feel confident the same types of problems will likewise be remedied.
One is not higher quality than the other, and *definitely* not without discussion. They are very close in terms of technical achievement.
Of course, in terms of game of the year standards, The Witcher 2 is just another game. Well made, enjoyable, with a good story. Skyrim is well made, enjoyable, has a good story, and has immense amounts of additional content and side things to do. It has a much more well-developed skill and levelling system, and more varied combat and progression methods. It has a fully realised world to roam in and see. It is a great game, but it is not just a game. It is a massive, expansive nation to just go wild in. At the end of the day, The Witcher 2 is just a game, and not nearly masterful enough to be a game of the year.
Um, are you sure you played The Witcher 2? It is far from your average forgetable game. I love Skyrim, don't get me wrong, but I also understand what it is and what it's faults are. I'm not saying The Witcher 2 is a perfect game, but it irks me when I read people downplaying it simply because it isn't a sandbox game. Skyrim has a large world for exploring, but when it comes down to it outside of clearing dungeons and keeps, and the usual exploration, there isn't much else to do. The Witcher 2 has plenty to explore and if you are looking for distractions there's gambling, arm wrestling, fight clubs and prostitutes to keep you occupied. Also, from a technical aspect, The Witcher 2 is superior. It's optimized better and has updated graphics, after all, that is what "technical" is, isn't it? This isn't to say Skyrim is ugly, Skyrim is far from ugly but it's clearly behind.
The Witcher 2 also has choices that affect the story, both immediate and delayed. Skyrim has a great story, but The Witcher 2's story is on a whole new level. Characters are much more developed and feel real. Skyrim's characters, for the most part, and one sided and flat. Once again I'm not saying Skyrim is bad, but this is an area where The Witcher 2 truely outshines Skyrim.
I am not talking about patched Witcher 2 but as it came out and please do not claim your preference as 'great many problems'... Witcher 2 did not have any way near as many issues nor they were similar in nature.
You're being a bit disingenuous here. Because they're not the same kind of problems doesn't excuse them from being problems.
What's funny about this discussion between you and Dubhlaith is that each of you are insisting your choice is clearly superior to the other, while simultaneously telling the other that "their choice is based purely on opinion". You're both doing exactly the same thing, making the same argument only for a different game.
It's very clear you feel Witcher 2 is the superior game. It's very clear Dublaith feels Skyrim is the superior game. It's very clear each of you feel you are right and the other person is wrong. And so, the whole thing is going around in circles.
Neither of you is being objective except in that there are bugs in Skyrim as a new game, and there were bugs in Witcher 2 as a released game. Are you seriously going to sit there and split hairs over "which types of bugs each has/had determines which is the better game"? That's really taking it too far in trying to cling to an opinion.
Perhaps you just agree to disagree, and leave it at that?
If you think that superb and bearable graphics are same level, there is no point in discussion as you are not capable of objective judgement.
Again, you are pushing your own personal opinion as fact, while simultaneously accusing Dubhlaith of "being incapable of objective judgment". Problem is, neither are you. Neither of you are.Hence the debate goes in circles.
For my own view... My own opinion of each game is my own opinion. I'm personally enjoying Skyrim a lot more than I do/did Witcher 2. And I loved both Witcher 1 and 2, placing them among the better games I've played. So I'm not just being a Skyrim fanboy. I just feel Skyrim gives a much more "full" much more immersive experience... even with the bugs and quirky AI.
However... that's just me.
Objectively speaking... Skyrim has pretty much dominated the gaming scene since it launched. It's being discussed literally everywhere I go. People I know who barely have time to play games at all are complaining of losing hours of time being caught up in it.
I did not see the same reactions to Witcher 2. Not even close. One could argue that Bethesda is a bigger game studio, better known with more titles under their belt.. and they'd be right. However, we've seen how quality titles can be released "out of nowhere" from new developers and become hits. So there's no reason the same couldn't have happened for CD Projekt.
Metacritic Score for Witcher 2: 88/100
Metacritic Score for Skyrim: PC: 94 XBox: 96 PS3: 95
While 88 is a very respectable score... for Skyrim to get 94-96 across 3 different platforms is saying something.
If it came down to those two games... I'd have to say it's a non-brainer. Skyrim will take it.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I think we'd need to choose 2 RPGs of the year. Witcher 2 is the peak of awesomeness in story-telling RPGs, whereas Skyrim is the best free-roaming in living world. Both games advanced their own subgenre of RPGs and are better than the ones before them. It's impossible to objectively say which one is better, it comes down to your personal preference about story-telling vs. free-roaming.
Skyrim is in a class all it's own. I'm 88 hours in since launch. Only a few rare games in my gaming career has pulled me in this hard, and I'm still fascinated by it...the stories...the different characters...the exploration....combat, crafting, enchanting, magic. 88 hours in and only 38 percent of main story line done. So much to see and do and be distracted by.
Some people say, ahh whats the big deal they did Morrowind and Oblivion. Well, the tech hadn't really allowed their vision to blossum in my opinion. Also third person integration was clumsy. But with Skyrim, third person integration is skillfully done and the game looks beautiful in design and art style. There is no loading that I am aware of accept when going into cities or dungeons, otherwise there is a vast world to explore minus any loading that I am aware of. If it happens it is doing so unobtrusively.
While I did enjoy The Witcher 2 greatly it's a game I played through twice, deleted and never looked back. Skyrim on the other hand is a game I see remaining on my computer for years to come. The graphics are a little behind The Witcher 2 but the art style is much better in my opinion and the world is about 100 times more fleshed out. The Witcher 2 did have choices but they still roped you on to a path that you really couldn't stray too much from once you made you're initial choices in the game. In Skyrim it's totally up to me what to do and where to go at any time. Witcher only really had one story line with two very narrow slightly branching paths. Skyrim has about 10 completely different major storylines with dozens of minor storylines. Also in Skyrim you are free to just go and do your own thing if you want and completely ignore all story if you want and still progress. Not so with The Witcher 2... If you want to progress you have to progress the story.
In conclusion both are great games but for completely differing reasons. The Witcher 2 told a story and was a wonderful interactive novel while giving the player some control over the plot outcomes. On the other hand in Skyrim the player IS the author of their own epic story and offers real choice on every aspect of game play. In my opinion and it looks like the opinion of the overwhelming majority Skyrim wins this contest hands down. I also feel that The Witcher 2 does deserve the Game of the Year nomination more than most others but they have had the misfortune of releasing their game in the same year that a game released that could probably win 'Game of the Decade' easily. Bad luck for The Witcher 2 and CDProjekt.
I think we'd need to choose 2 RPGs of the year. Witcher 2 is the peak of awesomeness in story-telling RPGs, whereas Skyrim is the best free-roaming in living world. Both games advanced their own subgenre of RPGs and are better than the ones before them. It's impossible to objectively say which one is better, it comes down to your personal preference about story-telling vs. free-roaming.
Originally posted by WSIMikeIt's very clear you feel Witcher 2 is the superior game.
Not at all.
I do not compare those two, they are both different as I said thus I only compare objective quality of both games and Witcher 2 wins there hands down.
The graphics part is clear example. Skyrim is graphically sub-par not only compared to Witcher 2 but to contemporary standards - DX9 only, low res textures. This isn't my preference, this is clear and objective measure.
Of course, in terms of game of the year standards, The Witcher 2 is just another game. Well made, enjoyable, with a good story. Skyrim is well made, enjoyable, has a good story, and has immense amounts of additional content and side things to do. It has a much more well-developed skill and levelling system, and more varied combat and progression methods. It has a fully realised world to roam in and see. It is a great game, but it is not just a game. It is a massive, expansive nation to just go wild in. At the end of the day, The Witcher 2 is just a game, and not nearly masterful enough to be a game of the year.
I am not talking about patched Witcher 2 but as it came out and please do not claim your preference as 'great many problems'... Witcher 2 did not have any way near as many issues nor they were similar in nature. You're being a bit disingenuous here. Because they're not the same kind of problems doesn't excuse them from being problems.
What's funny about this discussion between you and Dubhlaith is that each of you are insisting your choice is clearly superior to the other, while simultaneously telling the other that "their choice is based purely on opinion". You're both doing exactly the same thing, making the same argument only for a different game. It's very clear you feel Witcher 2 is the superior game. It's very clear Dublaith feels Skyrim is the superior game. It's very clear each of you feel you are right and the other person is wrong. And so, the whole thing is going around in circles. Neither of you is being objective except in that there are bugs in Skyrim as a new game, and there were bugs in Witcher 2 as a released game. Are you seriously going to sit there and split hairs over "which types of bugs each has/had determines which is the better game"? That's really taking it too far in trying to cling to an opinion. Perhaps you just agree to disagree, and leave it at that?
If you think that superb and bearable graphics are same level, there is no point in discussion as you are not capable of objective judgement.
Again, you are pushing your own personal opinion as fact, while simultaneously accusing Dubhlaith of "being incapable of objective judgment". Problem is, neither are you. Neither of you are. Hence the debate goes in circles.
For my own view... My own opinion of each game is my own opinion. I'm personally enjoying Skyrim a lot more than I do/did Witcher 2. And I loved both Witcher 1 and 2, placing them among the better games I've played. So I'm not just being a Skyrim fanboy. I just feel Skyrim gives a much more "full" much more immersive experience... even with the bugs and quirky AI. However... that's just me. Objectively speaking... Skyrim has pretty much dominated the gaming scene since it launched. It's being discussed literally everywhere I go. People I know who barely have time to play games at all are complaining of losing hours of time being caught up in it. I did not see the same reactions to Witcher 2. Not even close. One could argue that Bethesda is a bigger game studio, better known with more titles under their belt.. and they'd be right. However, we've seen how quality titles can be released "out of nowhere" from new developers and become hits. So there's no reason the same couldn't have happened for CD Projekt. Metacritic Score for Witcher 2: 88/100 Metacritic Score for Skyrim: PC: 94 XBox: 96 PS3: 95 While 88 is a very respectable score... for Skyrim to get 94-96 across 3 different platforms is saying something. If it came down to those two games... I'd have to say it's a non-brainer. Skyrim will take it.
I think you are both either misunderstanding or misrepresenting my argument, and frankly, it is a little annoying. My opinions on Skyrim as a game are clearly my opinions. Anyone trying to say I am claiming them as fact has some other problem, I think. I prefer Skyrim as a game, because to me, it isn't just a game, and The Witcher games are just games. They are fine, and way about average, but in the end, just games. But that is obviously my opinion, and we all know it. Don't be ridiculous.
What I am claiming as fact is that, in terms of quality, one is not clearly superior than the other, and this goes both ways. I mean, The Witcher 2 didn't even have an invert mouse option. You could hardly pick up things. Combat was ridiculous (This was a huge part of the patch, so to claim it wasn't a big problem is deluded). Graphics were poorly optimised, so while you might think they are significantly better (I disagree, and think higher resolution textures are not a huge deal again, my opinion), it did not run well on my computer, which can run every other major title this year on maximum graphics with zero problems. While the bindings were better, the actual mouse controls were clunky and jumpy.
Obviously, my preference for Skyrim is opinion, but for you, gdemami, to sit there and tell me Skyrims odd graphical bugs and terrible bindings for PC are atrocious, and the many problems The Witcher 2 are totally fine, you are not being objective.
They are very different games, and so you might not like one and love the other, and that's fine. But they are both great games, big games, and have a number of problems. It is bizarre to me that you can say The Witcher 2 didn't have problems and Skyrim;s are terrible. That's just not the case.
TLDR: They both have had big problems, that are almost inevitable with a big game. To say one is better than the other due to the bugs and other issues is not fair and not the point. And even if it were, they are on par with one another in magnitude of issues.
The game of the year should be decided on other things, like how good is the gameplay overall, how fun is the game to play, how immersive is the world and the story? These are the questions I think should be the deciding factors. I like one much better, but these questions are purely subjective. And yes this paragraph is all opinion, so don't go trying to say I am claiming Skyrim is better as fact. I'm not, and I never did. I'm claiming that to say The Wticher 2 is better as fact is ridiculous.
But I agree with WSIMike on one thing, though he seems to have missed the entire point of my argument. Skyrim will almost certainly win, regardless of what any of us say.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it." Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
I couldn't get through The Witcher 2... and I was REALLY excited for its release... and was very disappointed. Skyrim was also much anticipated and I love it.. and I'm still enjoying it even with the bugs!
On almost any other year, I'd have picked Witcher 2 over the competition. Unfortunately it has to square off against Skyrim this year. So yeah, I chose Skyrim.
Witcher 2 definitely did do some things better than Skyrim though. I enjoyed it's manner of storytelling and its dialogue a lot more. Graphically, while you really can't go wrong with either game, Witcher 2 may have had the single best graphics I've seen on a PC to date. Witcher 2 also did a marginally better job at building up and executing certain settings, in my opinion. When I got lost in the dangerous jungle, I really felt like the jungle was closing in on me. I found myself looking over my shoulder after i ducked around each tree. The haunted hospital was well done too. It even inspired a large part of a GW2 fanfic I had been writing!
But yeah, Skyrim wins in almost every other category.
On almost any other year, I'd have picked Witcher 2 over the competition. Unfortunately it has to square off against Skyrim this year. So yeah, I chose Skyrim.
Witcher 2 definitely did do some things better than Skyrim though. I enjoyed it's manner of storytelling and its dialogue a lot more. Graphically, while you really can't go wrong with either game, Witcher 2 may have had the single best graphics I've seen on a PC to date. Witcher 2 also did a marginally better job at building up and executing certain settings, in my opinion. When I got lost in the dangerous jungle, I really felt like the jungle was closing in on me. I found myself looking over my shoulder after i ducked around each tree. The haunted hospital was well done too. It even inspired a large part of a GW2 fanfic I had been writing!
But yeah, Skyrim wins in almost every other category.
that hospital was CREEPY! See I got annoyed at the jungle though.. and the tutorial didn't do a very good job. I was glad that I had replayed Witcher 1 to prepare for Witcher 2's release. I dunno each have their issues, but ultimately I will finish Skyrim whereas I couldn't finish Witcher 2.
I think this says it best...but if I must call it...I lean toward Skyrim because it is more immersive and less linear than the Witcher. The combat in the Witcher 2 though is really well done for the type of game it is.
I think this says it best...but if I must call it...I lean toward Skyrim because it is more immersive and less linear than the Witcher. The combat in the Witcher 2 though is really well done for the type of game it is.
I agree too, not every year we get 2 games of this quality,so yes we are the winners.
Ive played both but SKYRIM is way ahead of The Witcher 2 for me no competion.
There both rather different RPG'S Witcher is limited small world follow path while Skyrim is huge OPEN world witch is million times deeper game and million more quests plus awesome exploring.
I enjoyed The Witcher 2 but i was realy waiting for Skyrim and it have deliverd for me bigtime.
The Witcher 2 hours ingame spent around 40hours.
Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim 120hours and counting will prolly be 300+hours if not more.
Hope to build full AMD system RYZEN/VEGA/AM4!!!
MB:Asus V De Luxe z77 CPU:Intell Icore7 3770k GPU: AMD Fury X(waiting for BIG VEGA 10 or 11 HBM2?(bit unclear now)) MEMORY:Corsair PLAT.DDR3 1866MHZ 16GB PSU:Corsair AX1200i OS:Windows 10 64bit
Normaly I would vote for Skyrim. But I'm a huge PC gaming supporter and Witcher 2 as a pc exclusive really shined. Extremely high quality game in almost every way.
Skyrim on the other hand is just as high quality as witcher 2 but I just couldn't forgive bethseda studios for that ugly console UI. Hope one day there will be a mod that will completely change UI to better fit PC gamers. I wish characters were also better quality in Skyrim, but everything else, nicely done.
In witcher 2 i hated the movement specially in small spaces and combat was ok but still did not like it much, maybe Witcher 2 seems made for PC first but in my opion it was even more made for console then Skyrim. But skyrim UI is indeed a huge mistake by bethesda. But character in Skyrim move so much better and i love the combat.
Only verygood thing i loved about The Witcher 2 was it was released with no DRM thats also reason why i bought the game but for me feels alot more like console game then Skyrim.
Hope to build full AMD system RYZEN/VEGA/AM4!!!
MB:Asus V De Luxe z77 CPU:Intell Icore7 3770k GPU: AMD Fury X(waiting for BIG VEGA 10 or 11 HBM2?(bit unclear now)) MEMORY:Corsair PLAT.DDR3 1866MHZ 16GB PSU:Corsair AX1200i OS:Windows 10 64bit
Comments
As far as content goes, Skyrim wins hands down. I love the game and could sink a few hundred hours into it easily. Story wise it can be a little shaky, but I think the concept in Skyrim is more focused on spending time however you want.
Story wise, I have to hand it to Witcher 2, but at the same time I did not play it for the story quite as much as the gameplay. The story in Witcher 2 is also harder to follow then some games. The thing about Witcher 2 is that it plays as a much different game then Skyrim and it is really hard to compare the two. I would have to say that Witcher 2 has far more exciting and challenging gameplay though, even on the lower difficulty settings. It was refreshing playing a hard game and I think its about as hard as rpgs should be. (Side note: Love dark souls, but there is hard and downright insane!)
Really hard to compare the two, I guess Skyrim has a slight edge though just simply because there is so much more in it.
vote for skyrim and i agree with this, today devs are crossing the fence where its cheapest and easiest, make concole version and port it to pc with 32bit os so those pc owners and gamers who have top end systems sitting at their home cant enjoy the power of their machine. so i plead to devs make different version to console and pc even if the cost of package is gona be more i dont care aslong i can max the graphics look nothing like console. thanks.
I loved Skyrim 10 hours in, I've deleted it from my disk 30 hours later. It's hardly the fault of the game, it's just that it doesn't have anything to offer to me. Turns out, I don't like clearing out dangeons. 5 dungeons/caves and I was totally not going to go underground ever again.
As for quests, they are rather limited and I found that I can't be bothered with them. Most of quest are "go there kill a guy" and I don't want them. There is a limited number of side lines: I hated companions and thieves guild, so I couldn't force myself to do their lines, and there is no questline to work against them; I never felt like being assasin, so that's just leaves Empire/Nords squabble (which closely resembles local politics and I can't help but wish to just kill all of them) and Mages guild quest.
Daedric quests just never appealed to me. "Go find Azura Star because it's your destiny, allright?" "I've captured yourself into that metal cage - THERE IS NO CAKE!!! Now go bring to me the priest of competing daedra, 'cause I really feel like it. Oh, and I promise to give you a cake just like I promised 5 minutes ago." "Help me clear that cave of deaders, so that I could eat more human flesh. Helped? Now bring to me the priest and we'll feast together..." - that's where I've killed that stupid cannibal biatch and failed the quest. Really? I mean, am I supposed to somehow motivated by that?
I'll take Witcher 2 any time, even though it was rushed in the latter parts of the game.
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Skyrim will be an obvious winner.
Anybody crossing their fingers for any other game, I hope it won't be too painful for you when it doesn't happen.
Um, are you sure you played The Witcher 2? It is far from your average forgetable game. I love Skyrim, don't get me wrong, but I also understand what it is and what it's faults are. I'm not saying The Witcher 2 is a perfect game, but it irks me when I read people downplaying it simply because it isn't a sandbox game. Skyrim has a large world for exploring, but when it comes down to it outside of clearing dungeons and keeps, and the usual exploration, there isn't much else to do. The Witcher 2 has plenty to explore and if you are looking for distractions there's gambling, arm wrestling, fight clubs and prostitutes to keep you occupied. Also, from a technical aspect, The Witcher 2 is superior. It's optimized better and has updated graphics, after all, that is what "technical" is, isn't it? This isn't to say Skyrim is ugly, Skyrim is far from ugly but it's clearly behind.
The Witcher 2 also has choices that affect the story, both immediate and delayed. Skyrim has a great story, but The Witcher 2's story is on a whole new level. Characters are much more developed and feel real. Skyrim's characters, for the most part, and one sided and flat. Once again I'm not saying Skyrim is bad, but this is an area where The Witcher 2 truely outshines Skyrim.
It's late, and I don't feel like typing anymore.
For my own view... My own opinion of each game is my own opinion. I'm personally enjoying Skyrim a lot more than I do/did Witcher 2. And I loved both Witcher 1 and 2, placing them among the better games I've played. So I'm not just being a Skyrim fanboy. I just feel Skyrim gives a much more "full" much more immersive experience... even with the bugs and quirky AI.
However... that's just me.
Objectively speaking... Skyrim has pretty much dominated the gaming scene since it launched. It's being discussed literally everywhere I go. People I know who barely have time to play games at all are complaining of losing hours of time being caught up in it.
I did not see the same reactions to Witcher 2. Not even close. One could argue that Bethesda is a bigger game studio, better known with more titles under their belt.. and they'd be right. However, we've seen how quality titles can be released "out of nowhere" from new developers and become hits. So there's no reason the same couldn't have happened for CD Projekt.
Metacritic Score for Witcher 2: 88/100
Metacritic Score for Skyrim: PC: 94 XBox: 96 PS3: 95
While 88 is a very respectable score... for Skyrim to get 94-96 across 3 different platforms is saying something.
If it came down to those two games... I'd have to say it's a non-brainer. Skyrim will take it.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
I think we'd need to choose 2 RPGs of the year. Witcher 2 is the peak of awesomeness in story-telling RPGs, whereas Skyrim is the best free-roaming in living world. Both games advanced their own subgenre of RPGs and are better than the ones before them. It's impossible to objectively say which one is better, it comes down to your personal preference about story-telling vs. free-roaming.
Skyrim is in a class all it's own. I'm 88 hours in since launch. Only a few rare games in my gaming career has pulled me in this hard, and I'm still fascinated by it...the stories...the different characters...the exploration....combat, crafting, enchanting, magic. 88 hours in and only 38 percent of main story line done. So much to see and do and be distracted by.
Some people say, ahh whats the big deal they did Morrowind and Oblivion. Well, the tech hadn't really allowed their vision to blossum in my opinion. Also third person integration was clumsy. But with Skyrim, third person integration is skillfully done and the game looks beautiful in design and art style. There is no loading that I am aware of accept when going into cities or dungeons, otherwise there is a vast world to explore minus any loading that I am aware of. If it happens it is doing so unobtrusively.
Skyrim is my new girlfriend, lol.
While I did enjoy The Witcher 2 greatly it's a game I played through twice, deleted and never looked back. Skyrim on the other hand is a game I see remaining on my computer for years to come. The graphics are a little behind The Witcher 2 but the art style is much better in my opinion and the world is about 100 times more fleshed out. The Witcher 2 did have choices but they still roped you on to a path that you really couldn't stray too much from once you made you're initial choices in the game. In Skyrim it's totally up to me what to do and where to go at any time. Witcher only really had one story line with two very narrow slightly branching paths. Skyrim has about 10 completely different major storylines with dozens of minor storylines. Also in Skyrim you are free to just go and do your own thing if you want and completely ignore all story if you want and still progress. Not so with The Witcher 2... If you want to progress you have to progress the story.
In conclusion both are great games but for completely differing reasons. The Witcher 2 told a story and was a wonderful interactive novel while giving the player some control over the plot outcomes. On the other hand in Skyrim the player IS the author of their own epic story and offers real choice on every aspect of game play. In my opinion and it looks like the opinion of the overwhelming majority Skyrim wins this contest hands down. I also feel that The Witcher 2 does deserve the Game of the Year nomination more than most others but they have had the misfortune of releasing their game in the same year that a game released that could probably win 'Game of the Decade' easily. Bad luck for The Witcher 2 and CDProjekt.
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^ this! I wish they split that reward together
Guild Wars 2 Youtube Croatian Maniacs
My Guild Wars titles
Not at all.
I do not compare those two, they are both different as I said thus I only compare objective quality of both games and Witcher 2 wins there hands down.
The graphics part is clear example. Skyrim is graphically sub-par not only compared to Witcher 2 but to contemporary standards - DX9 only, low res textures. This isn't my preference, this is clear and objective measure.
Things like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci6i-CaEnDQ&feature=related
were simply not happening in Witcher 2 and Skyrim is riddled with such bugs.
I am not saying Witcher 2 is better game, I say Witcher 2 is made better thus it deserves the price more.
EDIT: Changed the link.
Nicely said. Agreed.
My brand new bloggity blog.
I think you are both either misunderstanding or misrepresenting my argument, and frankly, it is a little annoying. My opinions on Skyrim as a game are clearly my opinions. Anyone trying to say I am claiming them as fact has some other problem, I think. I prefer Skyrim as a game, because to me, it isn't just a game, and The Witcher games are just games. They are fine, and way about average, but in the end, just games. But that is obviously my opinion, and we all know it. Don't be ridiculous.
What I am claiming as fact is that, in terms of quality, one is not clearly superior than the other, and this goes both ways. I mean, The Witcher 2 didn't even have an invert mouse option. You could hardly pick up things. Combat was ridiculous (This was a huge part of the patch, so to claim it wasn't a big problem is deluded). Graphics were poorly optimised, so while you might think they are significantly better (I disagree, and think higher resolution textures are not a huge deal again, my opinion), it did not run well on my computer, which can run every other major title this year on maximum graphics with zero problems. While the bindings were better, the actual mouse controls were clunky and jumpy.
Obviously, my preference for Skyrim is opinion, but for you, gdemami, to sit there and tell me Skyrims odd graphical bugs and terrible bindings for PC are atrocious, and the many problems The Witcher 2 are totally fine, you are not being objective.
They are very different games, and so you might not like one and love the other, and that's fine. But they are both great games, big games, and have a number of problems. It is bizarre to me that you can say The Witcher 2 didn't have problems and Skyrim;s are terrible. That's just not the case.
TLDR: They both have had big problems, that are almost inevitable with a big game. To say one is better than the other due to the bugs and other issues is not fair and not the point. And even if it were, they are on par with one another in magnitude of issues.
The game of the year should be decided on other things, like how good is the gameplay overall, how fun is the game to play, how immersive is the world and the story? These are the questions I think should be the deciding factors. I like one much better, but these questions are purely subjective. And yes this paragraph is all opinion, so don't go trying to say I am claiming Skyrim is better as fact. I'm not, and I never did. I'm claiming that to say The Wticher 2 is better as fact is ridiculous.
But I agree with WSIMike on one thing, though he seems to have missed the entire point of my argument. Skyrim will almost certainly win, regardless of what any of us say.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it." Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
WTF? No subscription fee?
I couldn't get through The Witcher 2... and I was REALLY excited for its release... and was very disappointed. Skyrim was also much anticipated and I love it.. and I'm still enjoying it even with the bugs!
I have to say skyrim. Couldn't even finish the Witcher 2. I'll have to see if I can rectify that but it didn't hold my attention.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Ive had a boner since I downloaded skyrim when it released. I think I should seek medical attention for that. Ill just continue playing...
On almost any other year, I'd have picked Witcher 2 over the competition. Unfortunately it has to square off against Skyrim this year. So yeah, I chose Skyrim.
Witcher 2 definitely did do some things better than Skyrim though. I enjoyed it's manner of storytelling and its dialogue a lot more. Graphically, while you really can't go wrong with either game, Witcher 2 may have had the single best graphics I've seen on a PC to date. Witcher 2 also did a marginally better job at building up and executing certain settings, in my opinion. When I got lost in the dangerous jungle, I really felt like the jungle was closing in on me. I found myself looking over my shoulder after i ducked around each tree. The haunted hospital was well done too. It even inspired a large part of a GW2 fanfic I had been writing!
But yeah, Skyrim wins in almost every other category.
that hospital was CREEPY! See I got annoyed at the jungle though.. and the tutorial didn't do a very good job. I was glad that I had replayed Witcher 1 to prepare for Witcher 2's release. I dunno each have their issues, but ultimately I will finish Skyrim whereas I couldn't finish Witcher 2.
That's a tough one.
I love both games...
Skyrim vs Witcher 2
Winner: Me
Playing: Nothing
Looking forward to: Nothing
I think this says it best...but if I must call it...I lean toward Skyrim because it is more immersive and less linear than the Witcher. The combat in the Witcher 2 though is really well done for the type of game it is.
I agree too, not every year we get 2 games of this quality,so yes we are the winners.
Ive played both but SKYRIM is way ahead of The Witcher 2 for me no competion.
There both rather different RPG'S Witcher is limited small world follow path while Skyrim is huge OPEN world witch is million times deeper game and million more quests plus awesome exploring.
I enjoyed The Witcher 2 but i was realy waiting for Skyrim and it have deliverd for me bigtime.
The Witcher 2 hours ingame spent around 40hours.
Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim 120hours and counting will prolly be 300+hours if not more.
Hope to build full AMD system RYZEN/VEGA/AM4!!!
MB:Asus V De Luxe z77
CPU:Intell Icore7 3770k
GPU: AMD Fury X(waiting for BIG VEGA 10 or 11 HBM2?(bit unclear now))
MEMORY:Corsair PLAT.DDR3 1866MHZ 16GB
PSU:Corsair AX1200i
OS:Windows 10 64bit
In witcher 2 i hated the movement specially in small spaces and combat was ok but still did not like it much, maybe Witcher 2 seems made for PC first but in my opion it was even more made for console then Skyrim. But skyrim UI is indeed a huge mistake by bethesda. But character in Skyrim move so much better and i love the combat.
Only verygood thing i loved about The Witcher 2 was it was released with no DRM thats also reason why i bought the game but for me feels alot more like console game then Skyrim.
Hope to build full AMD system RYZEN/VEGA/AM4!!!
MB:Asus V De Luxe z77
CPU:Intell Icore7 3770k
GPU: AMD Fury X(waiting for BIG VEGA 10 or 11 HBM2?(bit unclear now))
MEMORY:Corsair PLAT.DDR3 1866MHZ 16GB
PSU:Corsair AX1200i
OS:Windows 10 64bit
Own both games, both boxes sitting in my games pile...
Not even a fair matchup in my opinion. Skyrim hands down. Witcher 2 was solid, but Skyrim has blown me away.