While having done my share of gaming ages ago, starting with such classics as Day of the Tentacle, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis or Monkey Island and working my way  through a few Star Wars Titles (Jedi Knight, Mysteries of the Sith), all of those played on my various PCs and laptops, a few years back I got my first taste of what it’s like playing on consoles. Xbox and Wii where the first ones, courtesy of my ex-boyfriend, and when Assassin’s Creed Unity came out last year and I had nearly trashed my laptop because I had to play Black Flag on the lowest graphic settings and STILL could kiss the Jackdaw goodbye every single time a storm broke over me and my pirate buddies while squaring it off against virtually any enemy ship or sea fort, I decided that I needed to own one. The discussions I had with my trainee at work! He was all for buying an XBox One, but I liked the PlayStation better. For, you will not believe it, aestetic reasons mostly. That I bought a PS3 additionally afterwards, just because I wanted to be able to play some of the older games, is another story.

Which brings me to the topic at hand: The Witcher III – Wild Hunt.

Since I am a great fan of fantasy or sci fi novels – favourite authors are David Gemmell, Guy Gavriel Kay and Celia Friedman among others – I got onto the hype train and bought my copy days after the game was available here in Germany. Actually I had not been aware of the first two installements of the series and today I know that I really must have missed true gems of the industry.

If there is one thing I absolutely love about games it is the possibility to explore open worlds. Which is why Assassin’s Creed 2 and The Last of Us rank among the best I have ever played. But…

But once I dove into the world of the witcher Geralt the sheer detail and depth that the developers put into creating this world left me with my mouth hanging open with total awe. I could spend hours riding along the coasts of the Skellige isles, enjoying the sunset viewed from the topmost balcony in Khaer Morhen or just immersing myself in the city hubub of Novigrad.

The characterization was fantastic, every side mission a joy to play and I felt thoroughly entertained – remind me to never get between three witchers and their vodka – the entire time.

Actually it is one of those games that, once finished, you want to think on a while. I still find myself smiling at pieces of dialogue that stuck with me and I still feel deeply whenever I remember tough situations that left me with a  great sense of loss. It is rare, for me at least, when a game does that to you. In fact I can’t remember when I was last touched in such a way by a movie.

If you have experienced something similar with another game, I am very grateful for your recommmendations!