*WARNING: This review is as of 1.31 and covers just the main game.* The Witcher 3 is one of the best games that have come out in recent years, and for good reason. It's the culmination of a saga, with a rich, thought out story that won't dissapoint fans. The choices in the game are pretty grey, most of the time with no "right" answer, and some of them may come to haunt you later, adding an element of realism. Even the most simple contracts have their little story, which makes the world feel real. Gameplay wise, the combat has been improved from its predecessor, feeling more "witchery". Geralt's skills are a step up from TW2, which makes for more varied combat. The game is HUGE, there are a lot of things to see and do, and it takes many hours to do it all. And you just wish there was more Gwent. On the technical aspect, the graphics are pretty amazing. The visuals are beautiful, full of detail. The locales of the game are varied, each one with it's own differentiated inhabitants, fauna and flora. The musical score is also very good, inmmersing you in Geralt's epic tale. Sadly, the game is not without its flaws. To start with, personally I'm not too sure the open world really benefits the game. While it makes for a very big and explorable world, in the end you are limited by your level, which restricts exploration. Plus, since the game is not divided in areas, the story is restricted by that same open world (as opposed to TW2, where you ended up playing a different game based on your choices). There are very glaring clipping glitches that were not present in 1.11, when I first played the game. There are a lot of glitches period, none too big, but annoying. Some still have not been fixed. It seems to me that when CDPR releases a new patch to fix something, they end up breaking something else. Let's just hope it ends up fixed for good some day. All in all, TW3 is a it's a very good game every gamer should have, but its flaws prevent it from being perfect.
Hatoful Boyfriend it's one of those games (visual novel, really) with a premise so ridiculous that you just have to try it. Fortunately for me, when I discovered this... thing, the game was on a sale on GOG, so I decided to buy and see how the hell this could work. I was pleasantly surprised. The birds rule the world. You play as a human girl that got accepted to one of the most prestigious bird schools. There, you met a diverse cast of... well, birds, which you can romance. From there on it plays like a typical VN of this sort: you choose the prettiest bird you fancy, and give them your attention to romance them (and get their ending). While the characters aren't specially original (well, maybe Okosan is the exception), they are well diferentiated, so you don't fell like is a chore to romance them all. Plus, the overarching story is interesting enough, so you fell compelled to see everything. The flow of the game is also smooth, so it never feels like a drag. Once you complete all the routes, you unlock the last arc. I don't want to spoil anythinhg, so I will just say that I did not expect it to be as good as it was. Certainly it made playing the whole game worthwhile. So, if you like good stories with a ridiculous premise, you want something different, or you simply like birds, this game is for you. You definitely won't regret your purchase.
A Bird Story is a short interactive tale, rather than a game. What this means is that the gameplay is practically nonexistant, so you pretty much just sit down for an hour and follow the adventures and misadventures of a boy and his pet bird. What makes the "game" stand out it's that there is absolutely no text involved, the story is told exclusively with images, which I thought was pretty original. The graphics com from RPG Maker, so they serve their purpose, but the sprites aren't specially nice either. Same with the music. In the technical department, the game it's very average. The story itself it's pretty simple, and while sweet, it certainly won't blow you away. I would recommend getting this game if you liked To the Moon, or if you want some casual entertainment for an empty hour or so. I got this on a sale for more or less a dollar, and while I enjoyed the game, I wouldn't pay more than that for it.
