If you're reading this, you've probably read a billion reviews saying it's a great game, and those people are all correct: the Witcher 3 is very good. But this game has A LOT of shortcomings that need to be talked about, the biggest ones I'll mention here: 1) The core gameplay. The controls are an absolute mess, and Geralt handles like a schizophrenic ferret on crack (yes, he does). You've got potions, bombs, crossbows, and spells on top of your swordplay, and it all feels shoehorned in. You might focus on ONE of the above disciplines to make it not completely useless, but the others are just going to be dead space on your keyboard. 2) The UI. CD Projekt Red seems to deliberately cover up the gorgeous world they put you in with an extremely-cluttered HUD. They could vastly simplify it by addressing point #1, but, were they better designers, I think they could've made it go away entirely. 3) The combat philosophy. The story builds you up to be a powerful badass, and the combat tears idea that down. The Witcher 3 uses a leveling system for its enemies and loot that is completely out of place in this game. There is nothing more frustrating than spending 10 minutes slicing the ever-loving sh*t out of a nekker, only for it to one-shot you because it's 2 levels higher than you or something. The leveling system literally punishes you for adventuring – if you stray beyond the railroads, you either run into encounters that are ridiculously difficult that give you no reward (because you can't wield the loot), or encounters that are ridiculously easy that also give you no reward (because the loot is worthless). I could rant for hours about this, but honestly that wouldn't accomplish anything. Look, if you're interested in the game, go buy it. It's a very good game. But this isn't the second coming, like some people say it is. CD Projekt Red are not gods, and this is not a masterpiece that should last the centuries. I know I'm pretty much alone in that, but there you have it.
