CD Projekt Tuesday
So, I think this might have actually been news the last time I posted about CD Projekt:
And of course, various people at CD Projekt RED have been interviewed about The Witcher 3 in recent weeks. A few previews of the game have come out as well, although most of these have been of the “hands off” variety:
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Interview
- RED Engine was originally meant to be used in The Witcher 3, New Tech Details Unveiled | DSOGaming | The Dark Side Of Gaming
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Video Interview
- Eyes-On: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Rock, Paper, Shotgun
- Drawn into the huge world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Destructoid
- CD Projekt Talks The Witcher 3 And Fans – Features – www.GameInformer.com
- Gamescom 2013 Interview: The Witcher 3 Story Design Producer Talks About Geralt, Quests and Making You Cry | DualShockers
- Witcher 3 Interview – Gamescom 2013 | TheGamersHub
- Sabotage quests in The Witcher 3 based on reputation “a good idea”, 100 hours of gameplay for the casual gamer – PCGMedia
And of course, a new CGI video, entitled “Killing Monsters”, was released as a promotional thing. A lot of gaming press outlets billed it as gruesome, but honestly I can’t say it’s worse than what I’ve encountered in any number of action games.
As well, new screenshots abound!
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt “Killing Monsters” Countdown Begins
- ‘The Witcher 3’ Killing Monsters – Did CD Projekt RED Just Cross The Uncanny Valley? – Forbes
- New Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt screenshots arrive with combat, hideous creatures | Gallery | PC Gamer
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Screenshots
Of course, The Witcher 3 will feature a massive open world to explore, which has been the focus of some coverage in and of itself:
- Drawn into the huge world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Destructoid
- How open is the open world of The Witcher 3? – YouTube
And under the “ephemera” label:
- The Top 10 Games Adapted From Books – Features – www.GameInformer.com
- A Witcher board game is in the works for 2014 – Destructoid
Okay, that’s it for now. I’ll be back on the regular format for CD Projekt this weekend!
I read some article (http://ruminatron5000.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/killing-monsters/) about the Killing Monsters trailer going on and on about sexism and all sorts of PC bullshit, but didn’t buy it for a second. What’s strangest of all is that the trailer isn’t that brutal, at least toward the condemned woman. The most intense violence is conveyed by verbal foreshadowing (“Get the hammer”). Here’s a breakdown of the actual violence in the trailer, excluding that exchanged between the men:
Punch to stomach, woman cries out and stoops over.
Woman pushed to ground, tussling ensues.
Hand on back of neck as woman reaches toward horsemen, followed by kick to right side.
More tussling on ground.
Dragged toward tree branch.
Hoisted to knees by noose around neck.
Dragged across ground (whether by noose or clothing/body not clear)
Pushed to ground as Geralt approaches.
Funny to me that people can’t distinguish between actual violence and implied violence, the latter of which is generally much more effective at creating a sense of uneasiness and making one’s hairs stand on end. The same concept applies to creating a sense of fear. Imply but don’t show, and when you do show make it just enough to allow the imagination to fill in the unseen details.
The biggest problem with that article is that the author (authoress?) clearly has no clue what The Witcher games are about, or what the titular character does (I think she may also have missed that Geralt is being accompanied by Triss, who is decidedly not a man…but I would have to re-watch the trailer to confirm that.
I digress.
What is a witcher? Within the lore of the series, a witcher is a trained warrior whose sole purpose is to find and slay all manner of terrifying monsters, such as whatever it was that Geralt was seen handing over the head of. Witchers are the ghostbusters of their world, the ones you call in when the arcane, the demonic, or the straight-up horrible beasts of the world (and beyond) are howling outside your door.
So the trailer, ultimately, is drawing a comparison between the treatment of the woman (and her tormentors themselves) and the most foul, demonic beasts that Geralt has had to pit himself against. It is, in its own brutally artful way, condemning the violence being done to the woman.
I believe Geralt is being accompanied by the head Witcher, Vesemir. From what I understand, Triss will not be a “companion” in Witcher 3 in the same way that she was in the first two games.