The Ste?am Deck has been something of a revelation for PC gaming. This powerful device allows you to play your PC games on a portable screen, allowing for an experience more akin t??o something like the Nintendo Switch.

This is all well and good, but some PC games require the pinpoint precision of mouse-and-keyboard input. That's why we're taking a look at the 15 best Steam Deck games, so you know which titles are w??orth playing on your portable PC device. Al?l of the following games are marked "Steam Deck Verified," meaning you can guarantee a solid experience with these selections.

15. Phasmophobia

Hunting ghosts with friends, what could be more fun? Despite still technically being in Early Access, Phasmophobia is arguably the best game in its genre. You're placed on a map, which can be as small as a suburban house or as large as an entire prison, haunte?d by a ghost.

There are 24 different ghost types, each offering up three types of evidence to help you and your friends decipher what they are. You find this evidence using various types of ghost-hunting equipment, from spirit boxes to EMF readers. It's not entirely that simple, as these ghosts will drain your sanity before hunting and killing you. Phasmophobia is a blast, and we recommen??d playing with friends.

14. Diablo 4

Blizzard's long-awaited follow-up in its iconic ARPG series was worth the wait. Diablo 4 follows the same general gameplay loop as previous iterations, defeating powerful enemies throu??ghout dungeons while collecting hordes?? of loot to upgrade your build.

While technically an RPG, Diablo 4's quests and storyline play second fiddle to the game's unique brand of chaotic action. There's nothing quite like melting swarms of demons while finding a rare item that takes the havoc up a notch. Some might recommend a mouse and keyboard for Diablo 4,?? but you can definitely do just fi??ne on a Steam Deck.

13. Balatro

Balatro isn't your standard card game. There's almost too much complexity to sum up in a few sentences, but the gist of it is this: it's a roguelike deck-builder where you must score points by play??ing poker hands against blinds. With these points, you can upgrade your deck and buy joker cards, which affect the game in various ways. It's absurdly addictive and puts an impressive spin on a classic card game.

Given the nature of Balatro's controls, it really doesn't matter whether you play on a regular PC or on a Steam Deck. It plays very well on Valve's portable devices, so if you're looking for a more laid-back Balatro, Steam Deck is the way to go.

12. Portal 2

Portal 2 might be well over a decade old at this point, but it can still kick it with any modern release on the market. With sharp humor, challenging puzzles, and an endlessly replayable co-op mode, Portal 2 remains one of the best video games ever made.

Valve gets so much mileage out of one simple concept: you have a portal gun that you can use to open portals around the game world. You must u??se these por?tals to solve puzzles throughout each level, most of which are physics-based. Luckily, these puzzles don't require pinpoint mouse precision, which is why this is perfect for chilled-out Steam Deck play.

11. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 had its troubles upon its 2020 release, disappointing almost everyone. In the years since, CD Projekt Red has remained committed to making it the best game it can be via countless patches and the sublime 2023 expansion, Phantom Liberty.

At long last, Cyberpunk 2077 is (almost) everything it was hyped up to be, and it runs great on the Steam Deck. With engaging characters, powerful RPG choices, and the staggeringly beautiful open world of Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 is a game you can really sink your teeth into ??nowadays.

10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

If The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth isn't the best roguelike ever, then I don't know what is. Straight from the brain of Super Meat Boy developer Edmund McMillen, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth sees you fight through procedurally-generated dung?eons against s??ome of the most terrifyingly-designed monsters you'll ever see in a video game.

As you progress, you collect items on each floor. This contributes to your build, but not every item complements one another. This means you're constantly making important choices about what to pick up and what to leave behind. Each run is permadeath, resetting you right to the start if you die while progre?ssing through the floors. Because of the randomized floors and items, it might be one of the most replayable games ever made.

9. Dave the Diver

How many games do you know that can blend the action-adventure and restaurant simulator genres seamlessly? There's not many, let me tell you that much. Dave the Diver is one such title, and it's und?oubtedly one of the best games on the Steam Deck.

Dave the Diver is split into two gameplay sections. During the day, you dive into the sea, collecting ingredients from th?e ocean floor while fighting sealife with your harpoon gun. Later in the evening, you use these ingredients to run a sushi restaurant, improving its reputation through good food and service. All of this is complemented by a gorgeous pixel art style, resulting in a game unlike anything you'll have played before.

8. Resident Evil 4

2023's Resident Evil 4 might be the best remake in the series to date, and that's a high bar to clear. The game sees the return of Leon Kennedy, who is tasked with rescuing the p??resident's daughter, Ashley. You're faced with hordes of the undead throughout your adventure, which tops the 2005 original in just about every way.

Its graphics? Stunning. Its controls? Modern. The story? It has a tighter pacing this time around. And that's before we even get to the atmosphere, which is the real star of the show in the Resident Evil 4 remake. It's? absolutely dripping with ten??sion, which carries over even on the small screen of the Steam Deck.

7. Skyrim

13 years after its launch, and there's still nothing that quite evokes the same feelings as Skyrim. It's a classic RPG in every sense of the word, with one of the most detailed open worlds you'll ever explore, even after all this time. Inte??resting questlines and memorable characters are the tip of the iceberg in Bethesda's magnum opus.

On PC, Skyrim modding takes things to another level. Nexus Mods has almost 100,000 mods to download for the game, so the question is: can you mod Skyrim on Steam Deck? Yes! It's a bit more hassle, but it's certainly possible, meaning you can bring Skyrim up to modern standards on your handheld device.

6. RimWorld

Ludeon Studios' RimWorld is a far deeper game than it seems on the surface. At first glance, it appears to be just another construction and management simulator. Simply put, it isn't. RimWorld gives you numerous starting scenarios, where you must attempt to survive and escape from a proce??durally generated planet.

To make every playthrough unique, it employs the use of an AI storyteller, which can make decisions on the fly to affect proceedings. You can choose from various storytellers, each of which will change its behavior based on various parameters. Want something intense? Go with Randy Random. Want a more traditional narrative? Cassandra Classic will make that happen. The third is Phoebe Chillax, which offers a more laid-back experience. It's this storyteller feature alone that elevates RimWorld above every other game in the genre.

5. God of War

2018's God of War finally arrived on PC in 2022, breaking Santa Monica Studio's masterpiece free from its PS4 restraints. The game tells a powerful story between Kratos and his young son, Atreus, and thei??r journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye, at the highest peak in Jöt??unheim.

Its hack-and-slash gameplay is similar to previous God of War games, yet the combat still manages to feel distinctly modern. That's an achievement in itself. Just everything, from the impeccable score from Bear McCreary to the awesome world design, comes together as a full package to make God of War one of the best Steam Deck games.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

How will CD Projekt Red ever top The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? The culmination of an epic trilogy, this title is an extraordinary RPG, with impactful choices to be made even in the smallest of moments. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features some of the most well-written side-quests you'll ever see, as well as two fantastic expansions in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.

For a 2015 release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt holds up extremely well from both a visual and gameplay perspective. The combat st??ill feels very fluid, which is why it remains one of the best Steam Deck games you can play after almost a decade.

3. Stardew Valley

There's a reason life-simulation fans are still returning to Stardew Valley almost nine years after its release.?? ConcernedApe's game strips the formula back to basics but does everything it attempts just about perfectly.

There's farming, fishing, building, mining, socializing, romancing, and even combat - it's a pretty simple life in Stardew Valley. If you enjoy life-simulators, there's a good chance you've already played this game. If you haven't, there's a good chance Stardew Valley will convert you to the genre.

2. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is not for the impatient gamers out there. This open-world RPG by FromSoftware will test the limits of your patience, punishing you with sweet, sweet death over and over again. It's a classic Souls-like, defined by nigh-impossible bosses and frustratingly infrequent checkpoints, but with a bigger scale than anything the studio has ever attempted before. The satisfaction from victory in Elden Ring will have you jumping for joy.

Given that many would recommend Elden Ring with a controller anyway, I feel safe saying the game works great with the Steam Deck joysticks. Go forth and explore the Lands Between from the co?mfort of your own couch.

1. Baldur's Gate 3

Top spot was only ever going to Baldur's Gate 3. Larian's 2023 CRPG is an instant classic. With deep customization, fun combat, brilliant companions, and a gripping narrative, Baldur's Gate 3 is a game we'll all be playing for many years to come. I could wax further lyrical about its epic world, engaging quests, and a staggering level of freedom, but I reckon you get ??the picture.

Baldur's Gate 3 feels made for the Steam Deck in many ways. The turn-based combat lends itself well to the joystick controls, and the slow-paced gameplay in general makes it perfect for kicki??ng back on the couch and playing at your own pace.

The post 15 Best Steam Deck Games appeared first on Destructoid.

Sony has revealed the PlayStation Plus game catalogue titles for August 2024, and the list of games is headlined by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The critically acclaimed game from CD Projekt Red has won over 200 G??ame of the Year awards and is often considered one of the best RPG games of all time.

Even though The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt came out all the way ba??ck in 2015, i?t is still a game worth exploring, as the game takes you on an adventure as Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher who slays monsters for coin.

PS Plus Game Catalogue for August 2024

Among the list of games coming to the Game Catalogue for PS Plus Extra members, is Cult of the Lamb. The roguelike game from indie developer Massive Monster and publisher Devolver Digital is another headliner in th?e PS Plus titles for August 2024. Players start their own cult, and gain followers, a??nd there are also base-building and dungeon-crawling elements present in the gameplay.

Wild Hearts by developers Omega Force, released under the EA Originals banner, takes players to a world filled with monsters (known as Kemono) in the fantasy land of Azuma, which is inspired by feudal Japan. PS Plus Extra subscribers can also play Wild Hearts free of cost , and all gam?es from the catalogue will be playable from August 20 onwards.

Here ??are the games added to the PS Plus Game Catalogue in August 2024:

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Cult of the Lamb
• Wild Hearts
• Watch Dogs 2
• Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
• Ride 5
• Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris
• Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization
• Sword Art Online: Last Recollection

PS VR2 and Classic Catalogue games for August 2024

PlayStation Premium subscrib??ers get to enjoy all the games from the Game Catalogue available for Extra members, and they also get access to PS VR2 games and Classic Catalogue which features titles relea??sed for older PlayStation consoles.

• Vacation Simulator
• TimeSplitters
• TimeSplitters 2
• TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
• Sword Art Online: Lost Song

The post Witcher 3 and? Cult of ??the Lamb are coming to PS Plus game catalogue appeared first on Destructoid.

PlayStation revealed the upcoming August additions to the PlaySt?ation Plus Game Catalog on the PS Blog today, and it includes quite the treat for fans of the TimeSplitters franchise. All three of the TimeSplitters games that launched on PlayStation 2�em>TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2, and TimeSpltiters: Future Perfect—will be available for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers on both PS4 and PS5 st?arting on August 20.

Every game coming to PlayStation Plus Game Catalog in August

For those not looking to relive the early 2000s by building massive levels from the 1800s or far into the future, there are plenty of other exciting additions coming to the Game Catalog this month. Fans of massive open-world RPGs will be happy to see The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt added to the catalog, and those looking to feel the monster hunter void until Monster Hunter Wilds can do so with developer Omega Force and Koei Tecmo Games feudal japan inspired monster hunting title Wild Hearts from 2023.

Popular cult roguelike Cult of the Lamb that just received it's second major update of the year is coming to the collection, as is every Sword Art Online title including Lost Song via PlayStation Plus, while Alicization Lycoris, Fatal Bullet, Hollow Realization, and Last Recollection are al?l being added to both PlayStation P??lus Extra and Premium.

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium

• Cult of the Lamb (PS4, PS5)
• Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker (PS4)
• Ride 5 (PS5)
• Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris (PS4)
• Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet (PS4)
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4)
• Sword Art Online: Last Recollection (PS4, PS5)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, PS5)
• Watch Dogs 2 (PS4)
• Wild Hearts (PS5)

PlayStation Premium

• Sword Art Online: Lost Song (PS4)
• TimeSplitters (PS4, PS5)
• TimeSplitters 2 (PS4, PS5)
• TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (PS4, PS5)
• Vacation Simulator (PSVR and PSVR2)

All of these new additions will hit the PlayStation Plus Game Ca?talog on August 20.

The post Entire TimeSplit??ters series coming to PlayStation Plus Premium this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Though there's never been a dearth of mods for The Witcher 3, its modding scene has truly come into its own as of late, even before the official mod kit came out. Whereas Eternal Hunt revamps The Witcher 3??'s gameplay, Custom Player Characters lets you make your own Geralt.

Actually, the Custom Player Characters mod for The Witcher 3 is even more impressive than that, as it not merely an opportunity to add new beard and hairstyles to Geralt. Instead, this mod delivers a full-featured character creation menu that wouldn't be completely out of place in a mainline Bethesda Softworks RPG. Not only are female characters now on the menu for The Witcher 3, then, as impressive as that sounds, but you can also play the game as a proper sorceress.

The Witcher 3: Custom Player Characters is one of the most comprehensive Witcher mods we've seen yet

Developed by a modder known as nikich340, Custom Player Characters is nothing short of transformative. As the trailer featured above shows, the feature list is way more comprehensive than the mod's tit??le might have you believe:

• play The Witcher 3 as a Witcher, Witcheress, or a Sorceress
• create your own The Witcher 3 character from the ground-up, or use an existing NPC's appearance and/or armor
• improved female animation sets to reduce the character's skeleton stretching unnaturally
• all-new magic combat system for Sorceress characters, alongside a hefty story quest allowing you to learn new spells
• support for a separate female Witcher armor mod and separately available female Geralt voicelines

Granted, the mod's UI simply reuses The Witcher 3's dialogue interface to provide options to the player, which might look somewhat disappointing at a glance. With just a tiny bit of getting used to it, though, it becomes plainly obvious that nikich340 has produced a ridiculously powerful and feature-rich mod that can re-contextualize the entire Witcher gameplay experience, if you want it to do so.

A mod this powerful is, naturally, somewhat complicated to install. The whole process shouldn't be too problematic if you're even remotely familiar with modding on PC, but nikich340 warns that Custom Player Characters stores its data within The Witcher 3's game saves. In other words, uninstallation is going to be problematic should you ever need to get rid of the mod. Thankfully, Custom Player Chara??cters? comes with a one-click option to revert back to vanilla Geralt, if things get too broken to continue.

With mods such as Eternal Hunt, Custom Player Characters, and the recently ported old Witcher game maps, it's clear that The Witcher 3 has silently become a tru??e modding powerhouse, years after its release. Who knows what might be coming next, then.

The post The Witcher 3 mod lets you make your own c??ustom Witc??her or Sorceress appeared first on Destructoid.

If, like me, you’ve replayed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt more than half a doze??n times already, you know that there is only so much Geralt of Rivia c?an do to quench your thirst for fantastical fictional worlds and epic dragon-slaying protagonists.

The obvious choice at that point is to pick up The Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski. These were, after all, what introduced the world to Geralt and his unforgettable companions. You begin with The Last Wish and continue that journey with Sword of Destiny, t??wo collections of short stories detailing G?eralt’s earlier years as a feared monster hunter. 

Then it’s off to the main saga, consisting of five novels revolving around Ciri’s trials as the Lady of Space and Time. Only then do you realize you’re back at the beginning and have to play the CD Projekt trilogy again to see the “proper�ending to the story.

It’s a vicious cycle, and it always ends with you wanting more. So, what if you did the unorthodox thing and decided instead to read other fantasy novels that give off the same general feeling and vibe? In that case, these are the best books like The Witcher series.

10. Assassin's Apprentice

The first book in the acclaimed Farseer trilogy, Assassin’s Apprentice takes readers to the world of the Six Duchies and introduces them to the royal line of Farseers. Our main character is a bastard named FitChivalry Farseer, who gets entangled in a deep web of political intrigue and has to fight to the last ounce of his being for the very right to exist. Assassin’s Apprentice is intimate, brutal, and unforgiving, making it the perfect story for fans who love the darker aspects of The Witcher novels. Just like Ciri, Fitz i??s the wild card in the schemes of nobles and politicians, and just like Ciri, Fitz has to maneuver his way through untold dangers and treacheries to survive.

9. The Lies of Locke Lamora

This book tells the story of Locke Lamora, a charismatic con artist who forms and leads a group of thieves called the Gentlemen Bastards. The story takes place in a fictional city called Camorr, reminiscent of Venice in Italy with its canals. There is also a criminal underworld, and most of the book deals with Locke Lamora’s intricate heists. The Lies of Locke Lamora has brilliant prose, witty dialogue, and great twists. And besides, who among us wouldn’t want to relive the time when Geralt orchestrated a heist in the Hearts of Stone DLC?

8. The Red Knight

The Red Knight takes place in a fictional Medieval world where monstrous creatures roam the land, leaving the common people at their mercy. Unless, of course, you have enough coin to hire the services of the Red Knight, a professional fighter who makes a living out of killing these monsters, some of whom happen to be wyverns, ogres, and manticorns. Need I say more? If you love the Witcher-y aspect of Geralt’s life on the Continent, then picking up The Red Knight might just scratch that particular itch.

7. Graceling

The story of Graceling takes place in a world where certain people are born with Graces; innate special abilities that make them stand out from the rest of the people. But a Grace can just as easily be a curse, especially if it makes you a freak of nature. Sound familiar? Graceling centers around the story of Katsa, who is born with the Grace of killing, and thus manipulated by her uncle the king to do his bidding. Graceling is a story about responsibility, identity, and social justice, and its standalone ??nature can be a huge advantage if you don’t wish to get into another long fantasy series.

6. Prince of Thorns

When he was nine, Prince Jorg watched the deaths of his mother and brother, which left him traumatized and cold, bent on a path of revenge and destruction. Jorg now leads a band of ruthless mercenaries and has to meander his way through a post-apocalyptic world where civilization has regressed to a Medieval state, and where only remnants of a technologically advanced race serve as a memoir of humanity's glorious past. Prince of Thorns is gritty, violent, and realistic, being the first book in a trilogy of acclaimed and popular dark fantasy novels by Mark Lawrence called The Broken Empire.

5. The Last Kingdom

This might be a controversial inclusion, but there are a lot of unexpected similarities between Uhtred and Geralt’s respective stories. Sure, The Last Kingdom is mostly historical fiction and takes place in pre-Medieval England, but where do you think th?e inspiration for Andrej Sapkowski’s Continent came from? Uhtred and Geralt are both excellent warriors whose involvement in any political plot, any skirmish, and?? any conflict can help turn the tide.

They’re also very reluctant to get involved in things that don’t interest them, even if they inadvertently do every time. Geralt struggles with the meaning of destiny, while Uhtred is obsessed with it every step of the way. But most importantly of all, The Last Kingdom and The Witcher are both books tha??t?? offer character-centric studies of their protagonists.

4. The Gunslinger

The Gunslinger is the first novel in an eight-book dark fantasy series by Stephen King. It tells the story of Roland Deschain, the last of a group of knightly gunslingers hailing from the fictional world’s analogous King Arthur. Roland is on an unclear mission that takes him closer and closer to the Dark Tower, a mysterious building assumed to be the nexus of all creation. It’s unclear what Roland is looking after, but as the story progresses, we learn more about the protagonist and what his quest entails. The Dark Tower combines elements of dark fantasy, horror, and science fantasy to tell a deeply complex story about humanity, morality, and the fate of the world. We’re not saying the Dark Tower is strictly like the Tower of the Swallow in The Witcher books, but you can’t i?gnore the coincidental similarities.

3. The Black Company

The Black Company by Glen Cook is often cited as one of the most inspiring works of gritty dark fantasy, and a book that, in time, defined most of the tropes usually associated with dark fantasy and military fantasy. The story follows a legendary mercenary group called the Black Company and chronicles their story as they go up against powerful forces in their fictional world. The Black Company features a host of morally ambiguous characters and boasts a very realistic story, both of which are the bread-and-butter of the fans of The Witcher.

2. The Tower of Fools

How better to relive the experience of reading The Witcher books than picking up another novel by Andrej Sapkowski himself? The Tower of Fools is the first entry in the Hussite Trilogy, detailing the story of a protagonist called Reinmar of Bielau. The story takes place in the 15th century, during the Hussite Wars, in the Kingdom of Bohemia, and incorporates elements of fantasy (like mythical creatures and paranormal occurrences) into a well-rounded historical tale. If you loved Geralt’s party (or Hansa) in The Witcher books, you’re definitely going to love The Tower of Fools and the dynamic it introduces between its characte??rs.

1. The Mists of Avalon

Like many other fantasy stories out there, The Witcher has taken many in??spirations from the Arthurian Legend, going so far as to even feature one of the Knights of the Round Table, Sir G??alahad, in the final book, The Lady of the Lake. (The title itself refers to Ciri, who embodies aspects of the Lady of the Lake from the Matter of Britain.)

As such, The Mists of Avalon might also prove to be a ?great read, since it retells the Arthurian legend from the perspective of Morgan le Fey �or Morgaine �who is Arthur’s half-sister and a priestess of Avalon. Author Marion Zimmer Bradley deftly combines her lyrical pro?se with a deep understanding of mythology to give you a taste of the Arthurian romance unlike anything that has come before it.

The post 10 books to read if you’re a fan of The Witcher games appeared first on Destructoid.

On May 21, CD Projekt Red released its REDkit modding tool for The Witcher 3, which should allow for even more fan-made expansions to the hit action RPG. You'd think it would be a while until any such mods would pop up, but one modder has already used the tool to port over a bunch of maps from the first Witcher game.

This mod comes courtesy of Nexus Mods user AngryCatser, and sees several Witcher 1 maps—the Vizima dike, the Temple Quarter, the Trade Quarter, and Old Vizima—receive quite the glow up. After all, the original Witcher was from 2007 whereas The Witcher 3 launched in 2015. That's eight years of graphical improvements these old maps have benefited from. Also, to be frank, Witcher 1 never felt that good to control, so ??it's nice to be able to roam around these map?s in its far superior sequel.

What I find especially neat is that AngryCatser also combined all the maps into one seamless area you can explore, which just makes the whole thing feel a lot more immersive. However, they admit that this was something of a rush job and, as a result, the mod is not without issues. For starters??, it's apparently very ea?sy to fall out of bounds, and some of the textures are incorrect too. If this is what can be done with the REDkit tool in less than a day, though, imagine what the mod would look like with more time in the oven.

REDkit provides access to the same development tools CD Projekt Red has, meaning the possibilities for future mods have expanded in a huge way. The studio itself has said modders can potentially create new characters, quests, and animations if they wanted too. Such mods would breathe new life into The Witcher 3 and could keep people playing it for years to c??ome.

Fans may need it since there's no telling when the next Witcher game will release. Same goes for the remake of the first Witcher, which is being handled by Fool's Theory with CD Projek??t Red supervising. Hopefully, that remake will be similar to AngryCatser's mod and allow for more seamless trave??l between its areas as. And be prettier to look at, too.

The post Less than a day after The Witcher 3 gets official modding kit, someone has added maps from t??he first game appeared first on Destructoid.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt developer CD Projekt Red has today confirmed the official release date for The Witcher 3 REDkit. This is the official modding program built on the tools used to cre?ate the game in the first place, and they're coming to fans almost a decade l??ater.

CD Projekt confirms The Witcher 3 REDkit tools are fully launching on May 21, per its Steam news post, meaning we're mere weeks away from fans being able to access what could be the best modding tool for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This is exciting, because it means mod authors and players who want to make anything from a quality-of-life improvement to an entire quest for the game can now do so using a program specifically designed for working within The Witcher 3.

Make the mods of your Witcher dreams

Following a recent playtest, CD Projekt Red is unleashing this modding tool on the world. The official announcement post on Steam doesn't give this news much fanfare, but it does confirm that anyone ??who owns the game can get it for free.

I don't have any technical experience in making games, outside of silly text-based simulators for your browser. But looking through the images on the Steam page forThe Witcher 3 REDkit, it looks like a lot of the items f??rom the back-end of the game are explained to users, or at least have explainer text attached to them to make the process of modding m??uch less overwhelming.

Fans on Reddit are pretty excited about the news that this tool is finally getting into player's hands. User ToothlessFTW excitedly explained, "I'm hopeful that something cool can come of this, but it's also pretty late. The game is almost ten years old, I can't imagine there's going to be a lot of expansion-sized mods like CDPR clearly want out of this." I have to say, a large-scale fan-made mod would be a dream to see for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt around its 10-year anniversary.

With the knowledge that the next Witcher (or Polaris, as it's currently called) is being worked on, there's every reason for fans to continue exploring the series' past titles. The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings each now have a recommended set of mods for players who want to start them today, and I imagine The Witcher 3 REDkit will spark even more creativity in the Witcher 3 mod scene.

The post Mod your dream Geralt when ??The Witcher 3 REDkit launches later this month appeared first on Destructoid.

Anyone who has played and enjoyed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt knows how much content the?re is to explore, but thanks to The Witcher 3 REDkit, there's about to be an explosion of so much more.

The Witcher 3 REDkit is a modding tool for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, built by CD P??rojekt Red. While there are already mods for the game, this program offers unprecedented access to the tools the develop?ment team used to build it. This means fans can craft whatever they want for the game using its native development kit. However, it's got to go through a playtest first.

How to sign up for The Witcher 3 REDkit Playtest

To sign up for The Witcher 3 REDkit Playtest, you must visit the official Steam page and hit the Request Access button. This wil??l add you to the list of users who have requested access, but it won't guarantee you getting into the playtest.

CD Project Red explained in a news post on Steam that acc??ess?? to The Witcher 3 REDkit is going to be distributed in waves. This means you will likely get access to it eventually, but it depends on where you are in the queue and how many users are given access with each wave.

You must own The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to access and use The Witcher 3 REDkit. The tool would be pretty useless without it because it's built specifically to mod that one game, not as a modding tool for? multiple titles.

When is the release date for The Witcher 3 REDkit?

At the time of writing, CD Project Red has confirmed The Witcher 3 REDkit will be made available to all owners of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt later in 2024. However, the exact release date and the date it will be distributed for the playtest a??ren't known at the time of writing. The fact that CD Project Red is taking access requests indicates that access will be distributed pretty soon, though.

Once The Witcher 3 REDkit is live, creators will be able to submit their mods to the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Steam Workshop page. At the time of writing, this is also currently? in beta but will be fleshed out fully for the tool's final release date. Eventually, it's also where you'll be able to grab mods for the main game and start using them with ease.

The post How to sign up for The Witcher 3 REDkit Playtest appeared first on Destructoid.

Fans have been modding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC ever since i??t launched back in 2015. Later this year, though, de??veloper CD Projekt Red is releasing its own modding tool for the game, but you can test it out for yourself before then.

Signing up for playtest access is incredibly simple; just click the option for it on the tool's Steam listing. You aren't guaranteed to gain access straightaway, though, as CD Projekt Red has noted in a Steam news post that playtest access will be distributed in batches. So, be sure to keep an eye on your Steam Library for when The Witcher 3 REDkit Playtest is added. Prospective playteste?rs have also been warned that since they'll be trying out a beta version of the tool, it's bound to have issues that haven't been ironed out yet.

The tool promises to be incredibly comprehensive since it's based on the very tools the developers used for making The Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red has said this should "allow for nearly limitless freedom in modding [The Witcher 3] and, best of all, it'll be a free download, so there'll be no reason for mo?dders not to at least try it out. With how creative modders can be, it'll be interesting to s?ee what they can come up with using an officially supported tool like this.

This isn't the first time CD Projekt Red has offered official mod support. Cyberpunk 2077 has its own free REDMod DLC that can be used to create and install mods for the game. Hopefully, such a tool will also be made for the next Witcher game as well, and not release nearly 10 years after the game does. Unofficially dubbed The Witcher 4, the game has over 400 developers working on it according to an earnings call from last month, but there are still no real details on it, not? even its actual title.

The post Official The Witc??her 3 modding tool? is available for playtesting appeared first on Destructoid.

The gaming landscape as a whole has greatly shifted from the good days of the single-player ga??mes and the split-screen co-op, to a more online-oriented strategy. It's not the case that these games just don't exist, obviously, but the big-picture look drives us more and more toward online-focused, multiplayer experiences. That's fine if done well, but we'll always need great single-player campaigns, so let's honor the best of the bes??t. Easy task.

Below, I've outlined 15 of the best games you can play by yourself. While some of these may have a co-op campaign or some online functionality, those aren't their driving factors. With that in mind, let's? go ahead and break down those top picks, spanning console and PC generations new and old.

15. Baldur’s Gate 3

Please don't take Baldur's Gate 3's "low" ranking in ?my list of best-ever single-player games too harshly.

I just think it's too early to find a more permanent placement as BG3's very young, and I still, admittedly,?? have to get many more hours into the RPG so I can p??roperly gauge its grandeur. Please see this awkward placement in this ranking as me just putting a pin oi it and betting that this will be an all-timer. Perhaps even one higher on the list in a future update.

14. The Witcher 3

Even though its rather simplistic combat mechanics leave its action paling in comparison to the likes of the Souls series, that's the only nit I have to pick with The Witcher. And not doing one thing as well a??s one of the best series of games ever made can't be that big of a problem. Everything else is there, ??from gorgeous graphics to a captivating story filled with dozens of memorable characters. Also, the DLCs could probably take a few ranks, too. But I'll limit it to one.

Truth be told?, just hopping on Roach and going on a roadside trip alon?e to see all the moving vegetation will release more happy brain chemicals than most games out there.

13. Final Fantasy VI

Allow me to spoil it for you right now: you won't find Final Fantasy VII higher than this. This is the only Final Fantasy game on this li?s??t, and it was a pretty tough decision to make.

Wanna know what's weirder? I actually would've gone with VIII, and I know various loyal soldiers at Destructoid who would have my back. Still, even I have to accept that if there's one game in the series that came closest to doing everything right, that game is VI. It might look old as heck nowadays, but I'd argue that its 2D art style holds up better than VII's, and its gameplay mechanics definitely beat VIII's. Final Fantasy VI remains as crisp as ever, and its soundtrack is also one of the best in th??e series.

12. Portal

You either love or loathe puzzle games, a challenge that the people at Valve triumphed over very easily by making a puzzle game that's both fun and funny.

Underneath a simple level structure, Portal hides layers and layers of some of the best gaming mechanics and overall writing I've ever seen in a game. Oh, and yeah, there's always the fact that the Portal mechanics themselves were never before seen �almost wizardry-type stuff back when it came out �and still rem??ain p?uzzling to this day.

Play it now, play it ten years from now. Portal will never get old.

11. Titanfall 2

Please don't let Titanfall 2's supposed emphasis on multiplayer foo?l you. As far as I'm concerned, that's al??l just extra fluff that pulls you away from one of the best campaigns of all time.

Despite being rather sh?ort, there's no wasted time here. Those five or so hours w??ill have players finding one awesome new mechanic per level, enjoying some of the best setpieces in the history of gaming, and, perhaps, crying because of a robot.

10. Sid Meier's Civilization IV

Though the series was only about midway into its journey back in '05, I'd argue that Civilization 4 was likely its highest point yet.

Even if I'm wrong, I can at least hope you'll forgive me for snubbing your favorite game in the series. That's because ?all games in t??he series are responsible for the "just one more turn" curse that has destroyed so many of my nights I would've otherwise spent sleeping. Oh, and because doesn't go absolutely Nuke-crazy on this one.

9. Hades

If you're looking for the perfect balance between fun and challenging gameplay, then Hades is the game for you. Hades is trial and error perfected. It also features a beautif?ul art style, fun dialogu??e, superb gameplay, and gorgeous animations, if that helps.

Even the people who were already used to the marvelous games by Supergiant were surprised by the quality of this one, so it's quite a blast to start this one if you've never touched the team's other bangers like Transistor or Bastion.

8. Stardew Valley

Paraphrasing philosopher Henry David Thoreau, it's fine to leave the city and any current measure of success to just take it to the countryside to chill and stuff. Stardew Valley woul??d be the video game versio??n of that quote, if not for the fact that its sole developer ended up creating one of the most successful games of all time.

It's a curse he deserves, though, as this immersive far?m life sim can truly steal you away from your life?? �and you'll feel all the better for it.

7. Bloodborne

All Bloodborne required for success was to be Dark Souls but faster. But FromSoft didn't set out to "merely" succeed with Bloodborne. The company completely revamped the Souls genre for action? addicts and created the most lusciously engrossing world in the series.

You could call Bloodborne "Lovecraftian", but it just adds so much more to the table that even calling it the best Lovecraft-ins?pired creation in hi??story feels demeaning.

6. Red Dead Redemption

I love Red Dead Redemption 2, but the simple fact that its entire plot cares more about setting up the events of the original than it does about creating a satisfying stand-alone series should leave n??o doubt over which one has the better plot.

The development of Red Dead Redemption varied from completely bonkers to nightmarish, but the result is, in my opinion, the most personal and personally fulfilli?ng work in Rockstar's catalog.

5. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind

Though its combat mechanics feel a little lackluster when compared to the games of today, I’d argue it’s still much more fun and immersive than Oblivion and Skyrim.

The thirst for adventure, discovery, and treasure hunting that I got from Morrowind has yet to be surpassed by a Bethesda game or by any other company �and I fear Morrowind will never be beaten in that regard.

4. Grim Fandango (Remastered)

Over 25 years since its initial release and its massive commercial flop, Grim Fandango remains the? funniest game I’ve ever played and ??the best classic adventure game in history.

It's just a miracle that the good people at Lucasart??s managed to come up with an adventure game that only features one or two awful puzzles that make no sense. While I wouldn’t recommend the original version nowadays, the remaster is ace.

3. Half-Life 2

Even though Half-Life is the one that got it started, I maintain that Half-Life 2 is the one that perfected it. By "it", I'm talking about this concept that I've made up called the "Immersive FPS", a very exclusive game genre that pretty much just features the games in the Half-Life series.

Even though it might not look as technically impressive as the more recent FPS games of nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to find a game that immerses you so well simply via its beautifully well-realized world and its writing. Much like Portal, I believe that Half-Life 2 is one of those games that will never age a day �but you will, so think?? about getting to it.

2. The Legend Of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

I thought about Ocarina of Time, about Majora's Mask, and I even thought about A Link To The Past. Then I mulled over, "Yeah, but which Zelda game would I recommend to a kid of today that I didn't want to strike as completely stuck in the past?" Well, the answer would be Breath of The Wild, so I picked Tears of The Kingdom �because it's Breath of the Wild but better.

You can complain that it just reuses a large portion of the area from the original Zelda game for the Swit??ch, but, well, I really like that game, so that actually feels like some sort o?f retro compatibility, which I also love.

In all seriousness, though, I do feel like Tears of the Kingdom shows Nintendo at its most ingenious, an??d that's saying a lot about the video game company that built its brand? on ingenuity.

1. Elden Ring

Even though it's only two years old, you already know damn well that no one who has played it will ever forget Elden Ring. The only reason why I'm not saying that this is the culmination of everything FromSoft has been working on for the past decade is that I just know tha??t those mad people will manage to come up with something even better next. Still, this is absolutely the most fulfilling single-player experience you can have right now.

... And, even with everything I've just said, I'm cool if you hate me for not having Dark Souls occupying this spot. I ki??nd of hate me for that as well.

The post The 15 best single player games, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

The Witcher 3 may not be the go-to mainstream RPG anymore, now that Baldur's Gate 3 has that title, but if you're keen on modding, now may be the time to jump back in. The new Eternal Hunt mod offers an excellent excuse to do just that.

The Witcher 3 has a decent modding scene, though it still falls behind some of the most-moddable games from Bethesda and the like. It remains to be seen whether the community will pick up CD Projekt Red's flagship fantasy ARPG after its official modding tools come out later this year. Yet, that's not to say that there aren't any quality mods available for The Witcher 3 at all.

The Witcher 3: Eternal Hunt is, in fact, possibly the best mod the game has received yet, and it builds upon the core gameplay experience of the title in virtually every way. It adds stealth, for goodness' sake, and it?? lets you turn Geralt into a frog.

What is The Witcher 3: Eternal Hunt?

Certainly, the creator of The Witcher 3: Eternal Hunt, apokryphos, does warn you right off the bat that their mod is a fairly comprehensive beast. "One mod to rule them all and in darkness bind them," does the description promise, loftily. In truth, however, Eternal Hunt is even bigger than it might seem after reading through its lengthy Nexus Mods page. "Its features number? in the seve??ral hundreds," promises apokryphos. They are, most certainly, correct.

Having spent some time playing Eternal Hunt and interacting with its settings menu, yours truly is still completely at odds with attempting to describe everything that the mod revamps, changes, or simply outright improves about The Witcher 3. If you're not keen on fiddling with settings, it's not something I'd necessarily recommend, but Eternal Hunt is a dream come true in most ways.

The Witcher 3: Eternal Hunt comes with all of the following:

• A reworked combat system with all-new animations
• Over 100 new weapons, armor sets, and other gear
• Eating and drinking animations
• Unique Witcher school animations and movesets (triggered by equipping full sets of Witcher school gear)
• Reworked stamina and targeting systems
• A new parry system
• Sneaking
• Improved AI
• Melee Rage feature for Geralt
• A wealth of all-new random and world encounters
• Reworked blood and gore
• New weather conditions
• Wearable cloaks, hoods, and masks
• Visible equipped gear
• More quality-of-life features than one could shake a silver sword at

This, note, is a wholly inexhaustive list. The mod also allows you to, for example, entirely ignore Gwent (why would you do that?). You can also turn off the baseline item durability and weight management s??ystems, ?should you find those annoying.

Eternal Hunt adds more content, but it also changes most gameplay systems

On top of all of the goodies listed in the section prior, the underlying gameplay loop changes and additions featured as part of The Witcher 3: Eternal Hunt are simply too numerous and exhaustive to keep track of. All of it is managed via the in-g?ame mod me??nu, keep in mind, so it's easy enough to tweak things according to your taste.

For example, Geralt can now sneak around enemies, if he so desires. He can also discover and use unique weapons, which grant him effects and abilities he never had access to in the base game. Augmented Zirael??, for examp??le, gives Geralt some of Ciri's abilities, allowing him to zip around the battlefield just as his adoptive daughter usually does. Finding the Gharasham Blood Ring, on the other hand, lets Geralt turn into a higher vampire to dish out punishment. It's a good thing, too, because Geralt is now also stalked by vicious assassin creatures, whose ranks include Assassins of the Profaned Ichor, who wield Elder Blood abilities themselves.

It's a downright ridiculous feature-set that will make any fan of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt reach for that sweet, shiny 'Install' button once again, and it's bound to keep you busy for a good long while. The installation of Eternal Hunt is somewhat tricky if you're not used to The Witcher 3's modding systems, but following apokryphos' instructions to the letter should do away with any potential problems.

The post The Witcher 3: Eternal Hunt is the revamp mod you didn’t know you needed appeared first on Destructoid.

Bungie has officially announced an unexpected collaboration for both Destiny players and The Witcher fans. CD PROJEKT RED will partner up with Bungie to debut Witcher-inspired content in Destiny 2. The crossover is set to launch alongside Destiny 2's Season of the Wish on November 28.

This isn't the first time Destiny has seen a crossover with another franchise, but it's certainly among the more high-profile, right along with the previous Sony crossover. That collaboration introduced armor sets inspired by God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Ghost of Tsushima. The next set of Guardian cosmetics adds more ar??mor to your closet, along with a finisher, Ghost shell, ship, Sparrow, and ??emote.

Guardians meet The Witcher

The crossover is inspired by the famed monster slayer Geralt of Rivia. As far as Guardian cosmetics go, the collaboration between Bungie and CD PROJEKT RED looks to have produced some genuinely unique pieces embracing the source material. The result is something that steeps Bungie's fantasy-inspired sci-fi aesthetic even further into fantasy elements. Accouterments of The Witcher are vis???ible, with rustic leather belts and woven hoods accenting the three Guardian Class appearances.

Each class sports a distinct look, with Titans outfitted in something reminiscent of heavy armor Geralt could wear in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings �gratuitous amounts of ch?ainmail and all. Hunters look like they mi?ght have Redanian colors, with a matching red set of pants, cloak, and hood. Over most of the Hunter's armor, it's accented with studded leather. Then there's the Warlocks, battle mages decked out in sporadic metal bits, leather, and cloth robes. All Classes have two swords sheathed on their backs.

Toss a coin for The Witcher

Beyond Witcher-themed armor, there's an additional few in-game items, including a Ghost shell, ship, and Sparrow. While the Sparrow and ship remain elusive, the promotional art offers a glimpse at the Ghost. It's hard to say with certainty, but it could be a twist on Geralt's iconic wolf medallion. Additionally, players can express themselves with a unique emote and finisher, adding another touch of The Witcher's flair to Destiny.

If you're wondering how much it'll cost you, Bungie has yet to reveal specific pricing for its upcoming cosmetics, but it wou??ldn't be surprising if the cost aligns with the last big crossover. Back in the day, Bungie's various PlayStation cosmetics ran players $20 per Class armor set. The community didn't love the price, but the cosmetics appeared popular nonetheless. Given that the premium Eververse releases always s??ee some adoption, the previous price points are likely here to stay.

The post Destiny 2’s next crossover adds The Witcher swag appeared first on Destructoid.

We're all very much familiar with the rocky star Cyberpunk 2077 had when it launched ne?arly three years ago. Fortunately, CD Projekt Red has been able to turn thin??gs around, and the studio wants the game to have a successful evolution going forward.

According to a recent interview with PC Gamer, narrative director for CDPR Igor Sarzyński hopes Cyberpunk will enjoy a "similar evolution" to the Witcher series. By this, they're referring to the significant ways each subsequent entry changed for the b??etter.

What that means going forward, we can't be certain. However, with the developer now working on the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077, the team will no doubt be taking on-board lessons learned for both this and the new Witcher saga that's currently in development.

A mended reputation.

Despite the differences between the two IPs, CD Projekt Red were able to (eventually) pull off a successful RPG in something more futuristic than The Witcher. There were certainly new things for the developer to learn, and Sarzyński explains that while ??s??ome aspects worked "out of the box," others required a bit more work.

Now with all the game elements iterated and working we?ll, we’ll focus on connecting them even tighter and creating a coherent, total immersion experience.

With the recent 2.0 patch and Phantom Liberty DLC only improving things further, the game is now in the state that some would argue should have been the case at the start. Either way, CDPR is looking to evolve Cyberpunk 2077 as it moves forward with the franchise.

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Some games provide intentionally scary moments, while others turn into horror masterpieces entirely by accident. In honor of the sen?timent, here's a list of regular games turned into horror masterpieces via the miracle of video game glitches.

Skyrim NPCs can survive decapitation

‌The world of Skyrim is a magical place, though not all th?e magics conta??ined within are necessarily good ones.

Remember that guy who gets beheaded right at the start of Skyrim? Well?, he does lose his head every time, as there's no way to mess with t??hat scripting, but the wound isn't always fatal. This guy �as well as other enemies who wind up headless �can just get up and go on with their lives.

While there's no recording of this headless horseless man going on a vendetta against ??Dovakhin for doing nothing to prevent his execution, I would keep my eyes open on a playthrough where that happens.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Low

Demon babies in The Sims 3

‌The Sims series is as far as it gets from a horror experience �or is it? Well, it turns out that babies in The Sims can become pretty hellish. There's a glitch that turns the babies in The Sims 3 into what feels like an early version of the necromorphs from the Dead Space series.

Putting our offspring in this world can be scary, yes, but I doubt this was an intentional allegory for the fears of parenthood like in David Lynch's Eraserhead.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Low

The Manimals in Red Dead Redemption

The original Red Dead Redemption could sometim?es mix up human and animal models, which resulted in human NPCs behaving like animals. No, not in the Wild West sense where we expect everyone to play like barbarians.

I'm talking about people literally behaving like animals. Some move like four-legged animals, some others ??even fly as if they were birds. Sure, this sounds fun when you're just reading about it, but it's probably not as fun to get mauled by a bunch of suit-and-tie-wearing coyotes.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Low

The evolved Manimals in Assassin's Creed Origins

Video games have gotten better over time, and that's why Assassin’s Creed Origins features an evolved version of the Red Dead Redemption glitch shown above. Now, instead of havi??ng humans behaving like anim??als, we have some animal NPCs that adopt human mannerisms.

This might not be ancient Egypt done right, but it sure as hell is ancient Egypt?? ?done cool.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Low

Inexplicable Statue in Witcher 3

‌The Tower of Mice is already one of the eeriest places in the entirety of The Witcher 3, but it gets even worse if you pay attention at the wrong time.

If you stand in the specific spot shown in the video above, you’ll get to see a weirdly lean creature p??hasing ??in and out of existence. What is it? Nobody knows for sure, but it's creepy as hell. The good news is that it's completely harmless. Maybe it actually likes Geralt.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: This specte??r is there for any player who wants to meet it.

‌Alma following you in FEAR 2

Alma is the little The Ring-inspired girl that serves as the poster child for the FEAR series. She shows up to spook players throughout FEAR 2, natur??ally, but this weird glitch makes her follow you around nonstop. The player in the video above gets rid of her by throwing a punch, which caused her to fly away in the most awkward manner possible. This is the perfect com?bination of funny and terrifying.

‌‌The FEAR series is ?already scary enough as is. It doesn't need its scare factor to get furthe?r inflated by wacky glitches.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Astronomically ?low. This may be the only recorded? instance of this glitch.

NBA Jam has ghosts

�em>NBA Jam ca??me out in �??3, a few months after the tragic death of Drazen Petrovic.

Imagine trying to enjoy the game when the arcade machine starts shouting his name �and no one else’s �even though he's not even playing. That’s as close as it gets to a video game haunting �and it's totally real.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: 100%. This glitch is presen??t in ev??ery early version of the game.

Fallout 4 companion becomes your greatest enemy

Most Fallout 4 fans don’t like Preston Garvey very much because of how pushy he gets with helping settlements, a?nd most of them haven’t even had to deal with him going mad.

Yes, it's possible that Garvey will turn into an unkillable Terminator-like figure that will hunt players down until the heat death of the universe. Yes, that's something that happens, and someone has lived to document it.

This brave wasteland journalist tried everything, from regular bullets to explosives. Nothing would stop Garvey. The best he could do was temporarily stun the unsto??ppable force. He then had an idea, to build the most powerful settlement ever built. Maybe its concentrated firepower would destroy Garvey. Too bad the settlement refused to shoot Garvey, seemingly remembering that he's the only person in the land who cares about settlements.

The ordeal ended not with Garvey's death, but with him randomly going back to ??friendly mode. There's no way of knowing how?????????????????????????? long this peace will last.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Extremely low, but keep your ey?es open, and don't neglect your settlements.

Mount and Blade’s terrifying skybox

‌In Mount and Blade: Warband, a weird glitch might turn the entire skybox into th?e face of an angry? man who merely stares at the player. Who is that? Why is he so pissed? Nobody knows.

I’m assuming that’s a very pis??sed-off medieval god, which is sadly the worst possib??le kind of god.

Chances of it happening on your playthrough: Very high. This is a surpri?singly common glitch.

The post Creepiest glitches in video games appeared first on Destructoid.

Even if I primarily play it on PC and Xbox Series X, I'm still amazed that The Witcher 3 on Nintendo Switch (otherwise known as "The Switcher") fits on one physical cart. I'm also amazed that, nearly four years after the Switch version's October 20??19 release, the publisher is still patching the game intermittently. This newest hotfix involves ambient audio issues, which should now be cle?ared up.

The hotfix addresses ambient audio issues

Here's the full statement from CD Projekt Red, via the Witcher game franchise's Twitter account:

"We have just released a hotfix for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on Nintendo Switch! It fixes the issue of ambient audio being absent for some players and resolves any regional restriction that was incorrectly applied on the Korean version of the game 🇰🇷 Be aware the game version won't change so if you are unsure if it has a??pplied please check the date of the last update."

It's ??a small fix, but it's appreciated regardless! This port was a miracle in any context,

Other recent Witcher news mostly involves collector's items

Beyond that patch, there isn't much to report on The Witcher front, other than that it might be a while until we see any more games from CD Projekt Red.

A Geralt bust figure is up for pre-order now, as well as a Ciri collectible. Oh, and a Witcher version of Monopoly.

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Physical edition fans, rejoice!

In a time when digital media can disappear out of thin air with nothing but the blink of an eye from a jaded executive, I think it's more than fair that some fans prefer to own physical copies of their favorite media, including games. Fans of The Witcher 3 who want to have the game available in physical form for their PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X are in luck, because CD Projekt Red is releasing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition in the European and North American regio??ns next week ??on January 26.

//twitter.com/??witchergame/status/1616406686734??110723

The Complete Edition will of course include the base game, as well as the game's previously released DLCs, Blood and Wine and Heart of Stone. This edition will also come along with the the recent next-gen update that the game received in December, which mainly focused on quality-of-life changes, as well as extras like a new quest, a photo mode, cross-platform progression, new outfits inspired by The Witcher's Netflix series, and more.

What's more, we also got news that CD Projekt Red is also working on some improvements to the next-gen PC version of the game, which is in desperate need of a patch when it comes to performance issues. These problems have persisted after a hotfix patch from the studio, and experts have suggested that the game will need a more intensive overhaul in order?? to run more smoothly on t??he PC platform.

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A gorgeous upgrade to Geralt's big quest

CD Projekt Red showcased the upcoming next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt today, and it looks pretty great. From big updates to small little changes, it seems like a really good?? excuse to dive back into this massive RPG.

The special REDstreams showcase aired today, going over the details of what's to come for the update. While it's a next-gen boost for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, PC owners will also be able to take advantage of the tune-ups too. To start, here's a trailer:

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBT2SP21f3Q

On the? graphics side of things, consoles will get the option for ??a performance or graphics mode. Performance will target 60 FPS, while the graphics will aim for 30 FPS with ray tracing.

PC players will get to keep ratcheting up the looks, with an ??Ultra Plus option that b??oost background characters and the level of detail. That's something for the 4090-buyers to show off their fancy hardware, I assume.

New tools in the update

It's not just a graphical update, though. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also getting a photo mode, which looks somewhat similar to Cyberpunk 2077's own photo mode options.

A new in-game camera also brings everything in a bit closer, putting the player's perspective deeper in the action. It's an over-the-shoulder camera that's a bit more reminiscent of God of War (2018), and could make for a?n interesting way to replay.

Plus, there's some new content. Geralt will be able to take on a quest to get a set of armor based on the Netflix series, and there's an alternative outfit for Dandel?ion in??spired by Netflix's Jaskier.

All of this, plus a host of quality-of-life options and other touch-ups, are making a compelling case for dipping back into the world of The Witcher. Though this update has been pushed back a few times, it's arriving pre??tty soon, and I'm personally going to be hard-pressed to not dip into this before the year's?? out.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen update is out on December 14, 2022.

The post CD Projekt Red shares what’s in store for The Witcher 3 next-gen update appeared first on Destructoid.

Cyberpunk's first DLC is right around the corner

Fans of CD Projekt Red's most recent release, Cyberpunk 2077, have been waiting quite some time now to learn some more information about the game's first official DLC: Phantom Liberty. News of the spy thriller expansion was first released back in September via a teaser trailer, and we know it's scheduled to drop sometime in 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S (Stadia is also listed as a platform for release in the official Cyberpunk website's blog post from a few months ago, but I have a feeling that one is subject to change).

While news of a more specific release window is up in the air, we do have confirmation as of today that Phantom Liberty will be paid DLC expansion, but we don't know how much it'll be yet, either. Paying for DLC is something that CD Projekt fans know well (just look at The Witcher 3), and if I had to guess based on precedence, I'd say this new expansion should be somewhere around $20 depending on how big it is. In a comment to GamesRadar+, the global PR director for CDPR, Radek Grabowski, said that the expansions are "traditionally cheaper than full-price games," so at the very least we know it won't be $60. We'll take what we can ge??t at this point.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbVKBoDuhZ0

This likely won't be the only DLC we see for Cyberpunk, either, but if you ask me a spy thriller theme is a great place to start. I imagine the adventure will have something to do with corporate espionage, and if we're basing predictions on the past Witcher DLC, there's a good chance we could see new maps and characters, and even get a whole new synth-style soundtrack. I for one will be excited to see what comes next for Night City, especially after the renewed hype for the game from the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime.

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Roach will soon run on newer hardware

The Witcher is getting its update for newer consoles soon. The free next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been locked in for December 14.

This update will be free for those who already own The Witcher 3, so no need to worry about buying it twice. While the next-gen part points to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, CD Projekt Red also confirms it will also arrive for PC players. A physical version is also in the works for a later date.

As for what's in the update? CD Projekt will be showcasing that next week, in a special REDstreams over on their Twitch channel. The showc?ase will have some details, as well as a gameplay reveal for the fancier version of this massive RPG adventure.

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A shinier Wild Hunt

The next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a welcome end-of-year surprise. The project had been fairly quiet, as the spotlight had been mostly on other games like Cyberpunk 2077, which got its next-gen update earlier this year.

And I can't lie, I've been waiting for this update too. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was one of? the better RPGs of the last generation, especially with its excellent pair of DLC stories. I was just holding out for an excuse to hop back in, and well?, this is as good as any.

It's a good time for a Witcher refresher too, as the series has a lot on the horizon. While part of CD Projekt is working on Cyberpunk, another branch is developing the next trilogy in The Witcher series. The Molasses Flood is also working on its own Witcher project, and third-party studio Fool's Theory is developing a remake of The Witcher, the first game, in Unreal Engine 5.

The post The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gets its next-g??en update in December appeared first on Destructoid.

How many coins you got left to toss?

As part of the investor call held yesterday by CD Projekt RED, the studio noted its continuing interest in its high-fantasy franchise The Witcher ??�Not only did the Polish developer announce that pre-production had already begun, but also suggested that the as-yet-untitled release is expected to kick off an entirely new "saga" set within the sex-and-monster-filled universe.

During the call, CDPR CEO Adam Kiciński was asked to elaborate further on his use of the word "saga" to describe the new title, which is currently in its pre-production stage. Kiciński then explains that CDPR sees the first three Witcher titles, (The Witcher, Assassins of Kings, and Wild Hunt), as?? presenting a single saga within Geralt's world, while the new title will be the first chapter of a whole new arc.

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It remains to be seen which lands, heroes, enemies, and narratives are set to make an appearance in the new games, but one can expect CDPR to give it their all with the new release �given the huge interest in The Witcher property following the globally successful Netflix series. In addition, CDPR will likely be looking to repolish its reputation, which took one hell of a ding in the aftermath of the Cyberpunk 2077 launch. CDPR had previously been viewed as?? something ?of a "can do no wrong" studio to many �a prestige that the developer will be looking to reclaim.

Of course, we are some years out from our return to the digital iteration of The Continent, so Witcher fans?? will, unfortunately, have to sit in their local tavern and Gwent it out until Geralt of Rivia (or whomever) is finally ready to draw their swords and venture into the great unknown once more.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ?is scheduled to launch on PS5, PC, and Xbo?x Series X in 2022.

The post CDPR wants new Witcher title to spearhead ‘second saga’ of games appeared first on Destructoid.

Press any button to continue

One of the things I love most abou?t video games is that they have a whole new set of standards and conventions not shared by any other medium. Fail states, collectible bits of story in the form of journals or audio diaries, and randomly generated content are only a few examples of features that can o??nly be found in an interactive medium, but today, I want to hone in on one factor of a game's overall experience that has a special place in my heart �video game title screens.

A game's title screen, also known as the start screen, is the first thing you're going to see �you know, it's what appears after you boot up the game but before you actually start playing it. It's usually accompanied by music and some animations. Back in the arcade days, these title screens had to be as flashy and exciting as possible to draw players in, because that was most of the appeal. As ??the years went on and games evolved a lot, title screens have also changed significantly.

A feature unique to games

To me, though, one of the coolest things is that title screens don't really exist in other media in the same way �they're mostly unique to games. Books have cover art, movies have posters, and games have box art,? all of which are a static image that features the work's title, who made it, and some art to give consumers an idea of what that thing is all about. Game title screens have the same kind of idea, but taken to the next level.

It's not usually just static art �you're also getting some animation and music to really set the tone of what you're about to be in for. I guess the next closest ??thing is the menus on a DVD (oh my god, remember those?), but while those menus could have a lot of personality baked into them, they were never a core part of experiencing a movie. Title screens on a game are inescapable, though, and usually for the better. I can even find them?? meditative, as an image or feeling to sit with for a moment before I dive into the rest of the game.

A single, striking image

When I think of really great video game title screens, the most immediate answer that comes to mind for me is The Last of Us, which should come as a surprise to approximately no one who has read this column before. The image of the solitary window with vines growing in it is one of the most iconic to come from the game, and I find its simplicity incredibly brilliant. There's also the detail of the scene changing ever-so-subtly after you finish the game, but I won't spoil that if you haven't done so yourself yet. I find it really interesting as well that this isn't an image that's ever shown to u??s in the actual game �it could be any window, anywhere �but it shows us the beauty we can find in an impossibly ha?rsh world. The title screen reflects Joel and Ellie's story, and by extension the thesis of the game, perfectly.

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In a game that has some of the most tense, white-knuckled combat encounters, and some of the most gut-wrenching story sequences in any game ever, there's something h??aunting about how peaceful and understated this opening image is. There's a constraint in its design that mirrors that of the game itself, and that constraint is hard to find in other blockbuster games �especially in the next game in the series that would come along a few years later.

What's this game all about?

On the flip side, Naughty Dog's Uncharted games have some really great title sequences that also do a great job of previewing what players have in store. With the exception of Uncharted 4 (which was unfortunately Last of Us-ified more than I would have liked), Uncharted's title screens gave us a taste of the adventures we were about to embark upon. While the first game in the series is honestly my least favorite, it does have my favorite title screen of the series �it's simple, with the game's title front and center, various closeups of Nate's notes and other old documents fading in and out of the background, and of course, the bombastic??, swelling theme of the series is on full blast. We're about to embark on a treasure-hunting adventure, and the game is letting me know that straight away.

Another favorite of mine is Animal Crossing �so much of those games (at least early on in the series) was about getting to know the villagers that inhabited the town and spending time with them, so having the game focus on a different character each time the game was booted up was another very simple, sweet choice. I know exactly what I'm in for with the AC title screen, and sometimes I'm tempted to just leave it up as a screensaver becaus??e it's so fun to just watch my favorite?? villagers take a leisurely stroll around town.

A new insight

Then there's the modern classic, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the title screen of which depicts Geralt resting or meditating by his camp. I love this because it shows us a part of the game we never get to see: our favorite Witcher resting and recouping by a fire, presumably recovering from or preparing for one of his many adventures. Taking a moment to just sit with Geralt like this before diving back into the game is a really nice touch, because it's vulnerable in a way we usually don't?? get to see from this character.

The list could go on and on from here: Stardew Valley's title screen is quaint and endearing, Mass Effect's is beloved for its musical theme and soothing visuals, and I haven't even played Xenoblade Chronicles, but that red sword in a sunset-soaking field has to be one of the most iconic images to come from g?aming over the last de??cade.

The thing I love too is that while there are trends in what a title screen might look like, a lot of games tend to feature a single focus on a specific scene or item, for example (which goes all the way back to the original Final Fantasy VII title screen). However, there are no hard, fast ru??les of what a title scre??en can look like, and I think as games continue to evolve, we're going to see developers get even more creative, which is exciting to look forward to.

I'll admit that I've never designed a title screen, so I'm not quite sure how these developers were able to capture this magic the way they did, but it's really cool to?? see how something that started as a necessity to draw customers in back in the arcade age has evolve?d into one of the most succinct ways to express what a game is all about.

Title screens are just another way for games to express their artistic vision, and ther?e really is nothing else like them out there. It's not always a sure thing, but from my experience, a good title screen is a s?ign that I'm about to play a really amazing game.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

The post Welcome to th??e game w??orld: how video game title screens tell their own stories appeared first on Destructoid.

The shinier Wild Hunt looms closer

Geralt's adventures won't be waiting too long to hit the newer generation of consoles. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next-gen version is now slated to launch somet?ime in Q4 2022.

The news arrives today via The Witcher Twitter account, roughly lining up with the seventh anniversary of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's launch. The next-gen version, which should bring The Witcher 3 onto PlayStation 5 and Xbo?x Series X|S as its own? version, is planned to release in Q4 2022.

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The next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has slid around a fair bit. It moved into 2022 and then, most recently, slid into an undefined window. Alongside that news, CD Projekt also confirmed that it was bringing development in-house, rather than over at Saber Interactive. The team at Saber had previously handled The Witcher 3's Nintendo Switch port.

Something ends, something begins

CD Projekt had this next-gen version in the works alongside Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen. The latter launched in February, in a surprising reveal and release event.

But while Cyberpunk 2077 is a fairly new game, it's been seven years since the launch of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It's a massive game, but it's fair to say that Witcher fans would probably like to see how the world looks on newer har?dware.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOnpO5A7bAU

Anticipation for new Witcher content is likely also higher than usual, thanks to the recent announcement of a new Witcher in development. The next step in The Witcher universe is being made in Unreal Engine 5 a?t CD Projekt R?ed.

The studio has also been strictly calling it a new saga. With a new step forward in the world, it'd be nice to have a next-gen version of Geralt's journey too. The old witcher got a nice send-off with Blood and Wine, and it'd be nice to re-experience that.

We'll ??see what CD Projekt?? Red's got in store as the year rolls on.

The post The Witcher 3 next-??gen versions will arrive in Q4 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

CD Projekt Red is finishing the project in-house

Fans eager to dive back into the world of The Witcher 3 on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X are in for a longer-than-expected wait �the enhanced version has been delayed again. It was scheduled for a Q2 2022 release, and the publisher isn't publicly committing to a new launch window yet as the work ne??eded to get to the finish line is still being scop??ed out.

//twitter.com/witchergame/status/15142852745530?08135

"We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt," tweeted CD Projekt Red.

"We are currently evaluating the scop?e of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further?? notice," the studio continued. "We'll update you as soon as we can. Thank you for your understanding."

We're far enough along now that it feels strange to even call this the "next-gen version," but the wait should (hopefully) be worth it �we know this game rules. If you're curious, the PS5 and XSX versions of The Witcher 3 were originally announced in September 2020.

The shift to an in-house setup is fuel for speculation, as up until now, the ball had been in Saber Interactive's court. The studio previously worked on the almost unbelievable Nintendo Switch port of The Witcher 3, whose existence still surprises me to this day.

Clearly, CD Projekt Red has had its hands full with Cyberpunk 2077. With that game's PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions out in the wild, it's just a matter of time for Geralt and co.

When the day finally comes, these refreshed versions of The Witcher 3 will be a "free update for everyone who owns the game on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4." There will also be a standalone Complete Edition for folks who are coming in totally fresh. The original promise is "a range of visual and technical improvements �including ray tracing and faster loading times �across the base game, both expansions, and all extra content," so there will be a lot of adventures to soak up. Is it..?. is it time for a ?full replay?

Maybe it's best to wait until the next Witcher game feels remotely close.

The post The Witcher 3’s PS5 and Xbox Series X versions are slipping out of Q2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Oh, you didn't hear? The Witcher is for girly girls, too

I am someone who identifies as a very girly gamer. So much so, in fact, that my TikTok algorithm figured this out pretty quickly, which means my For You page is full of creators who share similar interests to my own, which usually equates to looking cute and playing video games. One of them happens to be a girly gaming creator named Navami Nethravathy, who goes by @pinkjusitsu on the app.

The Yassification of Gaming

My favorite series she does is called "The Yassification of Gaming," the premise of which is to show femininely-presenting gamers how they can play games in a "girly" way. The term "yassification," like most popular slang these days, came from LGBTQ+ spaces dating back to the drag ball scene in the 1980s, and specifically from people of color. It derives from the simple te??rm "yas," which is a way of expressing overwhelming approval of something �having to describe it like this makes me uncomfortable in the way of having to explain why a joke is funny, but I digress.

Yassification, then, takes this a step further, and thanks to Urban Dictionary, is defined as, "the process of making something substantially better than its original version, or of having something appear to be significantly better than its similar or comparable predecessor." The meme swept Twitter last November, filling our timelines with pictures of historical figures and fictional characters sporting new hairdos and full faces of virtual makeup that were created in FaceApp.

An example of a "yassification" relevant to the gaming scene is the viral image of a before and after of someone putting makeup on Aloy from the Horizon series to bemoan the crime of the developers not maki??ng her pretty enough. A key difference here is that the original poster of the image was seemingly lacking any self-awareness, while those who post the memes now do so ironically.

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The type of content one would expect to see from "The Yassification of Gaming," then, are titles like The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing �games that are inherently seen as more "girly" because of their relaxing gameplay and large female player-bases. You know, the kind of games that only girls can play because they're too frivolous c??o??mpared to the more intense, manly titles gaming has to offer.

Reclaiming the "manly" games for the girls

But what's so brilliant about Nethravathy's series is that she instead chooses to focus on titles like Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and God of War, just to name a few. Anyone who's been around the gaming scene for more than like a day knows these games are considered to be some of the most "manly" titles you can play,?? and have predominantly white male fanbases. Rather than shying away from these titles due to their reputations, Nethravathy describes how to play them from a female perspective in a way that's really eye-opening, and quite frankly, fun.

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The Witcher 3 is girly because "you can ride a unicorn, date hot women, and dress up your swords with runestones, which proves that accessories are the best weapons." In the 2018 reboot of God of War, you can "forage for flowers in a witch's magical garden" and use them to "heal woodland creatures." BioShock's appeal to girlier gamers is "obvious" because you "literally get to live out your mermaid dreams." My personal favorite is the inclusion of Cattails, becaus??e nothing is gi?rlier than "fending for yourself in a cruel and thankless world."

One of her TikToks even includes her taking Link from Breath of the Wild on a "self-care picnic" because "even the hero of Hyrule needs a break sometimes," which I think is one of the most delightful examples of role-playing in a game I??'ve ever seen.

I love the energy of her page so much, because there are a ton ??of layers here. While her tone is purposefully silly and satirical, she really is appealing to those who enjoy feminine activities and aesthetics in a way that helps break down the intimidating, gatekeep-y feeling that this corner of gaming tends to have, and introduces more feminine gamers to amazing titles that they may not have tried otherwise.

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Something else that's going on under the surface here is a reclamation of the label "girl" or "girly." These terms are often used to address women even if they're well into adulthood (when's the last time you heard a grown man be called a boy?), and are used to infantilize, discount, or downplay women in subtle ways. We've seen a huge resurgence of women taking back derogatory terms that have been used against them in the past (the "bimbofication" movement is a great example of this, and goes hand in h??and with "yassification"). It's cool to see someone like Nethravathy presenting "girly" gaming as a fun, uplifting thing t?o do, especially because of how historically sexist the gaming industry has been.

There's more than one way to play

Apparently, some of the male viewers who have come across her videos aren't too thrilled that she's presenting their favorite "masculine" games as something girly. A lot of women have noticed a trend of men looking down on the things that women? love, perceiving anything feminine as inherently having less substance or importance �a phenomenon in pop culture that has been well-??known for years now.

I find any backlash to Nethravathy's videos to be pretty ridiculous, because perceiving The Witcher or Skyrim as a girly game is in no way nega??tively affecting anyone. The beauty of interaction through games is being able to experience a fictional wo??rld in any way you damn well please, and for a portion of us, that means making things look pretty and riding around on horsies.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1280"] _{[Image Source: Twinfinite]}[/caption]Sometime??s not taking things so seriously and just enjoying them for their aesthetic beauty or the feeling they evoke in us can be fun, and even freeing. She never? said that there's a right or wrong way to play the game �something some of the male players seem adamant about �but instead simply presents a new way to interpret the content.

Gender performance in games

Another wonderful thing about Nethravathy's discussion of girly gaming is that it also shines a light on gender performance, and how games allow for a safe space for us to play around with how we want to present ourselves. We've seen this for decades with character creators, and even more recently with character creators that allow users to choose genders outside of the male/female binary. Games with inclusive gender options run the gambit, from Dream Daddy to Forza Horizon 5 to Cyberpunk 2077.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1200"] _{[Image Source: Mic]}[/caption]It can be so affirming for LGBTQ+ players to have the option to explore their identity in a virtual world, but actual gameplay outside of the character creator isn't a conversation I've seen quite as often. Using The Witcher 3 again as an example, the player has no other choice but to play as Geralt, and while the player can't change his physical appearance or even romance anyone who isn't a woman (at least to my knowledge), players can choose to perceive Geralt's actions as more feminine �?which is where Nethravathy's examples of riding a unicorn and deco??rating your swords with gemstones comes into play.

Calling the game girly flies in the face of the male fans' insistence that The Witcher can only be interpreted as a super macho game, because at the end of the day, gender performance just comes down to how you choose to follow or reject the arbitrary rules that our culture has placed on us, and you can play around with those rules in ?a lot of really fun ways in an interactive artistic medium.

@pinkjujitsu is putting the kind of girly energy I want to see so much more of in the gaming space, because at?? the end of the day, they're for everyone. Games are entertainment �the whole point of them is to have fun, so just play them how you want. And if you want to try something new, maybe try playing ??your favorite game in a girly way, if you haven't already.

The post This “girly” TikTok creator is redefining gaming through the female gaze appeared first on Destructoid.

Get ready for a feast

Food has never looked so delicious as it does in video games. Whole sub-communities have popped up who are dedicated to recreating video game food as faithfully as possible, and it looks like a whole lot of fun to make some of this stuff. One series that has been a fixation of these gaming-inspired chefs is The Witcher, because the food in those games makes our stomachs grumble just by looking at it (which I guess is all we can do in this case). It was only a matter of time, then, before CD Projekt Red announced that The Witcher would be getting an official cookbook, which will feature 80 recipes inspired by t??he games.

The book is authored by Anita Sarna and Karolina Krupecka, who run the Witcher Kitchen and Nerds' Kitchen websites respectively. The book's pre-order page gives us some mouth-watering previews of what's to come: "Warm up over a bowl of fragrant stew or juicy baked fruit from the ?namesake trees of White Orchard; end a hard journey to Velen with a hearty, rustic meal at the local tavern; enjoy an aromatic snack as you stroll the markets of Oxenfurt; sample dishes from near and far in the diverse port city of Novigrad; dine on freshly-caught fish and mulled drinks on the islands of Skellige; feast on rich dishes in the sun-drenched climates of Toussaint and Beauclair; or forage on the perilous road to Kaer Morhen to learn the edible secrets of the witcher’s keep."

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It's really cool to see a huge game studio like CD Projekt Red embrace their fa??ns on such a huge scale. Not only will this book help talented members of the fandom have their work seen, but it also provides a really nice keepsake that players will be able to cherish. As someone who wants to be cooking for myself more this year, this would be a really fun project to take on.

The Witcher Cookbook is available for $35 for the physical version?, or $15 for the Kindl??e, and will be available wherever books are sold on October 25.

//www.tiktok.com/@destr??uctoid/video/7085439764924534021?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7052788164067706373

_{[Featured Image Source: Witcher Kitchen]}

The post CD Projekt Red gets?? our mouths watering with an official Witcher Cookbook appeared first on Destructoid.

Starting a fresh save is fun... but at what cost?

It's been an exhausting year. I look to video games as a way to unwind and relax, and even though my backlog is only getting bigger and bigge??r, I can't bring myself to start any new games �instead, I've stuck to my favorite five games that I k??now like the back of my hand. Why?

To put it fr??ankly, I've? been really depressed, and learning a new game is tiring. You have to learn a whole new set of mechanics, and know what a game wants from you for things as seemingly simple as progressing through the world with navigation. I can't tell you how many times recently I've been running around in circles because I can't find the path to a new area or come up against a particularly tricky platforming jump I couldn't make, and just gave up entirely. I'm calling this frustration "new game fatigue," and if it wasn't already a thing, it is now.

Okay, so I'm kind of being a baby about this. If I was really that stuck I could look up a playthrough and be on my merry way. But the problem is, I feel like Ben Affleck in that meme of him holding the cigarette. You know the one. I don't want to have to watch through an hour-long guide to a game before I start it. I want to be able to have fu??n from the second I get the controller in my hand.

In some cases, this is simply a case of poor design. Maybe the devs didn't make the way forward particularly easy to see for the sake of "realism." Or maybe they didn't tell the player how to use a healing item because they assumed e??veryone just knows that. It's never intentional, but the people who make games aren't perfect, and sometimes the way they implement things into games isn't optimal for easily-digestible tutorials.

The recent trend is making the tutorial as minimal as possible, but dude, sometimes you just gotta give us instructions. It's o??kay, we'll still think it's artistic or whatever.

Bu??t a lot of the time, I just can't handle learning a new game because I'm tired. Fully mastering a game with complex mechanics is one of the most rewarding feelings I get when playing games, but it often takes more brainpower than I have at any given moment. Sometimes the idea of sitting down and trying to figure out how systems like menus, crafting, and currencies work in a new game makes me want to go take a nap.

[caption id="attachment_302456" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] _{[Image Source: RPG Site]}[/caption]There are whole games that are off the table for me because it's just too much damn work. I have a little over an hour logged in Darkest Dungeon, which on paper I should love, but I shelved it when I realized I needed to watch like three hours of guides on YouTube to make it through a somewhat successful run. The Witcher 3 is arguably one of the best games of all time, and it's been in my backlog for years, but the sheer size and volume of that game means it keeps getting pushed until later. League of Legends is a non-starter.

And this is coming from someone who plays games for a living. A few years ago, when I got my first job in game development, my dad bought a PS4 to support me, and said he was going to play all the games I've worked on. I thought this was incredibly sweet of him, but almost two years later, he really hasn't played much of anything. He tried the 2018 God of War, and thought it was cool, but had to give ??up because he couldn't figure out the combos the game wanted him to do and kept dying.

He did return to the Ratchet & Clank series, which was one of his favorites to play on the PS2 that we had growing up. One night, he called me on the phone to ask me how to complete a l??evel, because although he was killing the enemi??es, they kept coming; he didn't realize that he needed to destroy the ship they were coming out of in order to stop them from spawning.

[caption id="attachment_302455" align="alignnone" width="1200"] _{[Image Source: The AU Review]}[/caption]Seeing my dad struggle so much to complete really basic game tasks gets me thinking a lot about games literacy, and how we need to design games with completely ??fresh players in mind, as well as b??uild out more tools and tutorials to make the learning process go more smoothly.

I digress though. My point here is that the one game my dad was able to complete was Jak and Daxter, his absolute favorite game of all time. When he kept coming up against games that didn't make sense to him, or felt like too muc??h effort to try and learn, he returned to a classic he knew inside and out. He said it only took him four hours to beat, and he really hasn't had any desire to pick up anything else. Welcome to my world, Dad.

So, do you experience new game fatigue? How do you?? combat it? Are you playing any games right now that feel like more trouble than they're worth?

The post Does anyone else get new game fatigue? appeared first on Destructoid.

It made for a fun watch, though

I've only ever played League of Legends once in my life. Story time: I was working a ?small event where they were holding a tournament, but they didn't have enough people to play, so I got roped in even though I had never touched the ??game in my life (I had at this point played a bit of Heroes of the Storm after my friends insisted a few months prior, and decided that MOBAs weren't really my thing). I climbed up onto the stage and literally set up my League account right there, and then we were underway.

I truly had no idea what I was doing, and kind of started just clicking randomly. Somehow we won because the other team neglected to kill any of our minions, so the??ir base got overrun. Afterwards, my friend who was hosting the event informed me that the game was actually streamed to the front page of Twitch, where the commentators decided to roast my obvious lack of knowledge for everyone to see.

[caption id="attachment_298479" align="alignnone" width="900"] [Image Source: Gamespedition][/caption]It was somewhat of a traumatic introduction to the beloved MOBA, but honestly, I probably wouldn't want to play League regardless. At this point it's pretty obvious that story-focused games are my absolute favorite, and while the world of League of Legends is full of some pretty cool lore, it's just not enough to pull my attention.

In comes Arcane, and here I was thinking that it was going to completely change my mind about wanting to play the game. Part of me dreaded it because I knew I didn't have the free time to spare to learn and then play a bunch of League. Turns out I had nothing to worry about.

Don't get me wrong, I had a blast watching Arcane. The visuals, the music, and the worldbuilding were all fantastic, and I hope that future shows and films can take note of all the unique things the show is doing to push visual storytelling forward. Its polish and production quality are unmatched, and it deserves all the praise it's getting in that regard. I think using the characters from your games that players already know and love and letting us go along on a journey with them is a really smart idea, and I look forward to seeing how Riot continues to prove that game properties can flourish as other types of media.

The crux of the Arcane, though, was supposed to be its characters. Most of the marketing I've seen has been focused on the relationship between sisters Jinx and Violet, which in theory is the emotional centerpiece of Arcane. After watching, I was disappointed in the lack of more full character development from prett??y much the entire cast of characters �the motivations were often muddled, and I found myself wondering why someone was acting a certain way rather than understanding it as the next natural step in their arc.

Plot-wise, there were so many different topics introduced, like the contrast between those who are privileged and the people they exploit, the dehumanization of drug addicts who are victims of a system stacked against them, the ethical dangers of letting scientific advances get out of hand, or hell, even what it means to be a family, an idea that had more screen time than any others. The ??show does a good job of setting everything up (I had a lot of hope after the first three episodes), but it lost me with its failure to say anything conclusive about its themes.

I can't pretend to know exactly why Arcane was made in the first plac?e. I ?want to believe that it was because Riot was so passionate about the story they wanted to tell, but the jaded part of me that lives in the real world knows that it's at least in part because they wanted to promote their games.

The biggest reason that's holding me back from giving Riot's games a chance is their lack of focus on narrative-driven entries to their catalogue. It's not like there's a problem with that �it's entirely their prerogative to make whatever the hell kind of games they want. I know for a fact that the stuff they make is awesome if you're a fan of the given genre. But for me, Arcane doesn't work as motivation to go and try League, because the experien??ce of watching it is so vastly different to playing the?? game.

With Arcane's release and subsequent success, I can't help but think of the other intellectual property that has become a pop culture monolith with its game-to-TV adaptation that also happens to be on Netflix: The Witcher. The games were already insanely popular, but the show is really what pushed it over the edge of becoming a household name to more mainstream? audiences.

The Witcher is a bit of a different case to Arcane, because the IP actually started out as novels first, then went to games, then TV. The focus on storytelling was always there from the beginning, and each incarnation provided a new interpretation of its world and characters. I actually think the way the series has done adaptations is really smart �with each medium telegraphing its narrative in its own unique way, I like that they allowed the different versions to do what was best suited to how the story was ??being told.

Having started as a game, and a non-narrative game at that, Arcane had a different set of challenges. They had to build the story from the ground up, and while there's a limitless amount of potential there, it's also lacking the inherent structure that The Witcher had the luxury of working off of as a starting point. That structure is exactly what I think Arcane would have benefited from the most.

The fight scenes in the show were bombastic and dynamic, and definitely evocative of the source? material, but all I co??uld think was, "man, this would have felt even cooler if any of these emotional beats were landing." It was a bit jarring to have a character gleefully mowing down enemies with a giant hammer/gun combo one second, only for them to be horrified by their actions the next. You can't have it both ways.

While The Witcher's show, novels, and games feel like close siblings, Arcane and League feel like distantly related cousins who see each other once every few years at a wedding or funeral. I guess it was silly of me to think that Arcane's story c??ould change my mind. No matter how interested in the characters I may or may not be after watching, the game is always going to be part of a genre that I just can't quite get into.

Story Beat is a weekly column discussing anything and everything to do with storytelling in video games.

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Cyberpunk 2077 also has a major update and expansion in development

The wait for the next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 (and also The Witcher 3) continues, as expected. When CD Projekt Red last checked in, the company said it was aiming for a Q1 2022 release for the former and Q2 2022 for the latter. Today, with the latest earnings report, that's still the case �the PS5 and Xbox Se??ries X/S versions are "??on track."

In the Q3 2021 earnings report, the exact phrasing is that the "next-gen versions are on track to meet their target dates." This follows last month's updated timeline.

"We are hard at work on the next-gen version of Cyberpunk, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2022, alongside another major update for all platforms," said CD Projekt Group president and joint CEO Adam Kiciński. "There is also ongoing work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3 and the Cyberpunk expansion."

The earnings report also touches on the mobile game The Witcher: Monster Slayer and the acquisitions of Digital Scrapes (now CD Projekt Vancouver) and The Molasses Flood. While the Canadian team is on deck to support "ongoing projects," The Molasses Flood is making a new game based on one of CD Projekt's IPs, which should be interesting given the team's track record with games like The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow.

While work continues on Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion, there's been a "gradual shift to new projects." On page two of the earnings report, you can see a visual representation of how the diff??erent teams are allocated and how that's been shifting in recent? months.

With everything that has gone wrong for Cyberpunk 2077, it's good that the Witcher 3's next-gen version is spaced out a bit. You'd have to think that the powers that be won't want to risk another sloppy launch �for many people, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions will be the "second chance." The situation has improved on PC (and players' sentiment is starting t??o reflect that), but cons?ole players have had really a rough go.

Is it too little too late, or are you feeling optimistic? I imagine plenty of folks picked up Cyberpunk 2077 in a dirt-cheap deal last wee?k with Black Friday savings everywhere and are waiting for that free next-gen upgrade. When the price hit $10, I was?? tempted.

_{[Image credit: KISS_OF_Death_SR]}

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A little more time is needed for both projects

CD Projekt has confirmed that the next-gen console versions of both Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt need some more time. The PlayS?tation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of both these ga?mes are now set for 2022.

In a regulatory announcement, CD Projekt outlined the updates to its publishing schedule. The next-gen-dedicated version of Cyberpunk 2077 is now aiming for the first quarter of 2022, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's next-gen v?ersion will be targeting the second quarter of 2022.

The decision was made, by "persons supervising development," to allocate more time to both projects. No further information was provided about a s?pecific date withi?n those ranges.

CD Projekt had already cautioned earlier this year that a 2021 launch for the next-gen version of Cyberpunk 2077 was shaky. That, alongside the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, are two big tentpoles for CD Projekt Red ?headed into the ?new generation of consoles.

Cyberpunk 2077 in particular has been dealing with bugs and troubles since its launch. Sony even pulled Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store for a while, though it has since gone back up on the digital storefront.

Time will tell if these PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and Wild Hunt have a more stable launch. Given the rough patches Cyberpunk went t??hrough on previous-gen consoles and PC, though, a little more time seems like the safer optio?n.

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A 'current-gen' build on the go

More information has been coming out about Valve's Steam Deck. CD Projekt has published some off-screen footage of someone playing through a few sections of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on the portable Steam Deck.

While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt running on the Steam Deck wasn't too much of a concern, seeing a game being played on the platform is really interesting. It gives you a sense of how the Steam Deck sits in the hands, and also the scale of on-screen action you ?ca?n expect to see.

//twitter.com/witchergame/s??tat??us/1445737514761801746

The developers showed off three different videos on Twitter, which included a town, some combat, and exploration. All around, it looks like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is certainly running on the Steam Deck. How well it runs is difficult to discern from off-sc?reen footage, but it certainly looks solid in the conditions CD Proj?ekt has shown.

Of course, the obvious comparison would be the Nintendo Switch version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Somehow, the massive adventure managed to fit onto the Switch, and it's been the handheld way to play Geralt's jo??urney.

With the Steam Deck, now there will be an alternative for would-be portable Witchers. And a more PC-focused one at that, though Valve has advised you not open the Steam Deck up and tinker with it. Still, mod support coul?d be pretty interesting to get running on this portable litt?le computer.

Steam Decks are expected to roll out in staggered fashion, starting in Dec. 2021 with the first ba?tch.

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