Despite the fact that Witcher 3 is one of the most critically-acclaimed games in recent years, many people still think Skyrim can hold its own against it. There are multiple reasons for this including better graphics and gameplay mechanics, but the biggest reason may be because Elder Scrolls lore involves dragons being part of their history which makes them seem more culturally significant.
The “skyrim is better than witcher 3” is a statement that has been made for some time. There are many reasons why Skyrim is still the superior game.
Is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt a worthy successor to Skyrim? (Photo courtesy of CD Projekt)
A reader discusses why he disliked The Witcher 3 and why he believes Skyrim is still the best action role-player.
With the announcement that CD Projekt has been forced to postpone the next-gen versions of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 until next year, there’s been a lot of discussion on how The Witcher 3 has aged over the previous six years (yes, it’s been that long!). This coincides with a recent Reader’s Feature in which it was suggested that Skyrim should not be considered a classic, something I strongly disagree with.
While there are significant differences between the two games, the most apparent being Skyrim’s first-person perspective, they have a lot of similarities and, unless you’re a major Dragon Age fan, are the clear front-runners for greatest fantasy action role-player. Except… The Witcher 3 has never been a favorite of mine.
I’ll add that The Witcher 3 is a fine game, in the spirit of the last article, which made some completely legitimate criticisms without becoming unpleasant about anything. The speech choices and writing are unquestionably superior than those seen in Skyrim and most other games, but they aren’t quite enough to compensate for the game’s shortcomings.
One of the fundamental challenges in thinking about why the game never connected with me is Geralt. I don’t like for him or his narration, and I don’t want to play as him for an extended period of time. I believe it is a mistake to play as a named character in an open world game unless that character talks very little – like in Zelda and Far Cry (excluding the current one, I believe?).
I don’t want to spend 60 hours playing as someone else, especially someone I don’t really like, in a game that is meant to be about freedom and making your own decisions.
The Witcher 3’s most evident flaw is its terrible fighting. That may seem a little hypocritical given that Skyrim’s combat isn’t great either, but not only is first-person melee combat nearly impossible to get right, but while it’s a little hollow, Skyrim’s combat works as intended and, unlike The Witcher 3, never gets too boring or in the way of what you’re doing.
There have been many amazing games with third-person sword fighting and magic, so there’s no doubt that it can be done, unlike Skyrim. However, The Witcher 3 is clumsy, sluggish, and has terrible feedback. There’s just too much of stuff, and far too much of it looks the same. This is especially true when combined with the tracking and detective vision sections, which are the game’s second-worst features.
The horseback riding is likewise substandard. From a gameplay standpoint, riding ‘Roach’ about is entertaining, but it’s never enjoyable. You don’t want to bike about because riding is fun in and of itself; you simply want to travel from point A to point B or discover a new place. That, I believe, applies to almost all of the action in this action role-playing game.
I believe those are broad arguments that many people, even fans of The Witcher 3, would agree with, but as a last, more personal point, I believe there is something odd about the game’s tone that I didn’t enjoy. It’s not quite grimdark, but it’s so cynical, and there are so few truly decent characters, that I found playing it increasingly tiring.
I’m all for unclear characters and morality in games, but the whole game felt frantic to emphasize that everyone was imperfect (and by extension, CD Projekt was being incredibly mature and grownup), and that got to me after a while. Geralt and his circle of friends were supposed to lighten the atmosphere, but I never felt relieved since that component of the game didn’t work for me.
So Skyrim is still the game to beat for me. It might easily be, given the appropriate game, but for me, it’s still the best action role-player with a fantasy background, and The Witcher doesn’t come close.
Gosford, a reader
The reader’s feature does not necessarily reflect GameCentral or Metro’s opinions.
You may submit your own 500-600-word reader feature at any time, and it will be published in the next available weekend slot if it is used. As usual, send us an email at [email protected], and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
MORE: Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have been postponed until 2023.
MORE: New Netflix DLC for The Witcher 3 for PS5 and Xbox One X
MORE: Skyrim will be re-released for its tenth anniversary, but it will not be an Xbox exclusive.
Metro Gaming is on Twitter, and you can reach us at [email protected].
Check out our Gaming page for more stories like this.
The “skyrim vs witcher 3 poll” is a question that has been asked many times. The answer is always the same: Skyrim is still a better game than Witcher 3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Skyrim better than Witcher 3?
A: The Witcher 3 has a lot of random and buggy quests, while Skyrim is more linear and less tedious.
Which game is bigger Skyrim or Witcher 3?
A: That is a matter of opinion. You can compare the game sizes by using this tool, which includes both games in their entirety and will tell you how much space they take up on your hard drive or console storage.
Is there any game better than Witcher 3?
A: Witcher 3 is better than most other games. It has a variety of different quests, settings, characters and storylines that make it an amazing game to play
Related Tags
- skyrim or witcher 3 2023
- skyrim or witcher 3 reddit
- which is longer skyrim or the witcher 3
- skyrim vs witcher 3 sales
- the witcher 3 vs skyrim graphics
