Poll: Witcher or Oblivion?

[Vrach]

Having been a HUGE Tes fan for years i was surprised to find that when i recently started playing The Witcher i actually liked it a LOT more than Oblivion. It had a far more engaging story and more rewarding gameplay and when i finished it i found that i could probably never enjoy Oblivion again, it just seems crap to me now. Sorry guys.

Alright, good to know you found something more enjoyable than something you already really enjoyed ^^

That said, I can't agree at all. The translation kills the story for me as the delivery is just awful. Not that Oblivion is great at delivery either, but at least I can listen to it straight faced without wondering to myself "why is he making that unnecessary long pause in the middle of a sentence?" or "God, that completely sounds like a just decent enough translation" every 2 minutes, it just kicks me right out of any moment, even more so than the voice change in Oblivion.

On top of that, I'm a firm believer in the way TES combat system works on the overall, I like the whole first person combat about it and how it's handled (room for improvement for sure, but the concept is by far the most enjoyable one for me). Witcher combat system makes me want to kill things, out of boredom in the first game and out of shoddy controls for the keyboard in the second (not a matter of keybindings, but programming and responsiveness, I hear using a gamepad solves the issue, but that just makes matters worse imo considering it's a fucking PC game).

Most importantly, Witcher is just way too fucking unpolished. Every single bit of it, people can shout "hardcore PC RPG" at me till the cows come home, the only thing hardcore about it is how little thought and work went into designing the game's UI, combat system etc.

So yeah, as I said... glad you're having fun, it's always awesome to find a new game that you love even more than something you adored before, but I can't even begin to agree with you, not even in a "agree to disagree" way as all I see when I look at Witcher is an unpolished mess, granted with glimmers of awesomeness all over it, but too unpolished for me to bring myself to give a shit.

 

[Trololo Punk]

I'd have to say oblivion, for the simple fact that Ive never played any witcher, but I have heard some good things about Witcher 2.

 

[StormShaun]

I cant choose they are both awesome...aghhhhh *Brain explodes*

 

[00slash00]

its hard to compare the two since the gameplay is so different. however, im big on story and the witcher had a much much better story

 

[Stall]

Oblivion is obviously going to win, simply because this site has a lot of Bethesda sycophants, despite the fact that the company is probably one of the single worst in the industry for releasing buggy, half-finished products while expecting their "fans" to finish their work for them.

Anyways, I'll have to go with The Witcher. Vanilla Oblivion is dull, lifeless, and generic fantasy in all the worst ways. It's fun for the first few hours, but just gets worse and worse as you play it, and all the layers of veneer start to chip away. The Withcer was more interesting in terms of story, thus felt more compelling. It had its faults, but Oblivion had far more.

 

[superbleeder12]

I'm no Bethesda fanboy, but I prefer Oblivion. Primarily because of the mod-ability of Bethesda developed games. I played and beat the first Witcher, and I disliked just about every minute of it. The only thing it did well in my opinion was the moral choice options you have. While Oblivion isn't any better, mods add a lot to the game, hell, there's Nehrim, a complete conversion/story done in Oblivion.

 

[Kenko]

Both are good at what they do, they can't really be judged or compared with eachother as they are way to different.

 

[Baralak]

Oblivion is obviously going to win, simply because this site has a lot of Bethesda sycophants, despite the fact that the company is probably one of the single worst in the industry for releasing buggy, half-finished products while expecting their "fans" to finish their work for them.

Anyways, I'll have to go with The Witcher. Vanilla Oblivion is dull, lifeless, and generic fantasy in all the worst ways. It's fun for the first few hours, but just gets worse and worse as you play it, and all the layers of veneer start to chip away. The Withcer was more interesting in terms of story, thus felt more compelling. It had its faults, but Oblivion had far more.

I've got a friend who simply says Bethesda doesn't release games, just a bunch of sandbox toolkits.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

I have to go with Oblivion on this one. While the Witcher 2 had briliant graphics, an immersive story and challenging gameplay it lacked diversity. Oblivion had a wide open world (and while I'm on it a map that didn't make me want to smash things), relatively challenging gameplay and and interesting story. While the graphics weren't as good, it was made during a time where the graphics were less realistic. Oblivion has many different types of skill sets and fighting styles, more things to spend your money on and just plainly more things to do.

 

[Stall]

I've got a friend who simply says Bethesda doesn't release games, just a bunch of sandbox toolkits.

That's certainly a good way to put it, yes.

 

[The Becker]

Well Oblivion was shit so obviously The Witcher is better. But even then, it wasn't awesome. Witcher 2, though, is significantly better than either.

Oblivion was shit?... Wait what?

OT: I liked oblivion more than the witcher although i didn't beat it i couldn't really get into it, it was kinda slow starting off and i felt that the characters were not that good

 

[infohippie]

That's a really difficult question, since I love both but for different reasons. Bethesda make the best open worlds, which makes Oblivion a joy to just wander around in to see what you can stumble across.
Their quest lines (except the Dark Brotherhood and maybe the Thieves' Guild lines) are fairly drab and uninspired though, and the main quest line is pretty crappy. The NPCs in Oblivion are also mostly cardboard - again, except for the Dark Brotherhood lot.

The Witcher, on the other hand, doesn't have so much of an open world. You can move freely within the section of the world each chapter is set in, but you can't wander further. There isn't so much stuff to randomly discover, either. On the other hand, the NPCs have more individual character, and I find The Witcher to be much more atmospheric and believable. I particularly like the way magic and monsters are presented as something the common folk turn to a professional to deal with, rather than the ubiquity of magic in Oblivion. The moral choice system in The Witcher is also quite good, with the results of some decisions not becoming apparent until several chapters later so you can't just check out one option then reload to try the next one.
As a fan of Sapkowski's writing, I also like how well they've managed to portray Geralt in the same way he is in the books.

On the whole, I'd say I like The Witcher slightly better, but it can't give the sheer amount of playtime that Oblivion can.

 

[dyre]

While I want to recommend The Witcher purely because its sequel was the single best RPG made in the past five years, I cannot recommend the first in the series. The story has horrendous pacing, as in you spend 15 hours of gameplay not moving the plot in any direction, and then you punch your computer in frustration and uninstall the damn thing. The combat sucks too.

Oblivion has its fair share of flaws, but the huge amount of freedom guarantees that it won't be boring, which is more than The Witcher (1) can claim

Oblivion all the way, The Witcher was a load of tedious, immature, repetitive crap.
With horrible characters.


I managed to get half way through the city area (third part?) before uninstalling and refusing to play it ever again.

Oblivion on the other hand got me playing for hundreds of hours with endless vanilla and mod related fun.


The Witcher is honestly one of the worst RPG's I've ever played, cannot for the life of me understand the appeal.

Son, you are missing out on so much. Are you talking about the first or the second? Both have rough starts, but im guessing the first since you didnt say otherwise, but anyhow...

My reaction when I started playing The Witcher: Oh wow WHAT THE FUCK is this piece of shit game? How the fuck? Thanks for the fucking tutorial, oh shit I forgot, you didnt have one. What the fuck is this bullshit about having 3 swords with 3 different styles as well? Shit man. Fuck this game, just fuck this game.

At the end of the second chapter: Alright *****, I spent 10 hours walking around this dirty piece of shit town, following 20 quests, not sure which one of them progresses the story, and you give me a dead end? You lousy piece of shit, I should have uninstalled you when I had the chance, what a ************, fuck this game, just fuck it.

My reaction when I got past the second chapter and further into the game: BEST. GAME. EVER. WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THIS MASTERPIECE!

I shit you not man. It really is a masterpiece. Its just that the second chapter is such a piece of shit. I have never encountered a more confusing, drab and tiring portion of a game, and I have played a lot of RPGs. But once you get past that... Dude, the story is golden. Best story telling and best story line I have encountered in a long time. Jesus I was glad that I stuck through it. I think it gets a lot of flak from a lot of people who didnt make it that far.

Damn, I almost wish I didn't uninstall if halfway through the second chapter >_>

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

That too. Reading the press (and comments!) surrounding that game makes me feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone. People bill it as a complex, 'core' RPG, when it really is about as deep and challenging as Fable. Is this some kind of worldwide practical joke? Did everyone have a stroke at the same time?

Well, keep in mind that it came out major WPRG contemporaries were stuff like Fable 2, Oblivion, Mass Effect, and so on. So a game that actually requires you to plan ahead at all, has choices and consequences at all (or at least C&C that aren't killed by a morality mechanic), and actually attempts to (mostly successfully) tell a story that's more complex than good vs. evil was inevitably going to pick up a cult following. It's certainly not lol teh best rpg evar!!1!, but it's got moments of sheer brilliance and is a better RPG than lots of more polished efforts by major developers.

The thing that gets me is that I am not a PC gamer so I didn't get to try it out as a franchise so all I can be is indifferent. I've read and watched a load of reviews and perused enough discussion to get a good idea of how the game works, which despite all the bile, I actually want to try.

However, I tend to dislike PC gaming and really don't want to constantly worry about the power of my computer system. It is like Yahtzee said, it is perplexing that it didn't get a port. Hopefully it will as we discussed in another thread. I'd hate to miss out.

Thus, I can't properly weigh in though I will say that I liked Oblivion because it allowed for a more blank slate approach. I got to write my own story and explore a world. I was very fond of the detail in the dungeons and wilderness, especially the easter eggs.

 

[Kahunaburger]

The thing that gets me is that I am not a PC gamer so I didn't get to try it out as a franchise so all I can be is indifferent. I've read and watched a load of reviews and perused enough discussion to get a good idea of how the game works, which despite all the bile, I actually want to try.

However, I tend to dislike PC gaming and really don't want to constantly worry about the power of my computer system. It is like Yahtzee said, it is perplexing that it didn't get a port. Hopefully it will as we discussed in another thread. I'd hate to miss out.

Thus, I can't properly weigh in though I will say that I liked Oblivion because it allowed for a more blank slate approach. I got to write my own story and explore a world. I was very fond of the detail in the dungeons and wilderness, especially the easter eggs.

Apparently they were trying to port Witcher 1 but it failed for some reason, and a Witcher 2 port is theoretically on the way but is mired in legal troubles. But yeah, I agree with you that it's strange that there's no console port, especially because Witcher games really lend themselves to consoles a lot more than, say, something like Dragon Age: Origins, and even that game got a port.

 

[DeathWyrmNexus]

The thing that gets me is that I am not a PC gamer so I didn't get to try it out as a franchise so all I can be is indifferent. I've read and watched a load of reviews and perused enough discussion to get a good idea of how the game works, which despite all the bile, I actually want to try.

However, I tend to dislike PC gaming and really don't want to constantly worry about the power of my computer system. It is like Yahtzee said, it is perplexing that it didn't get a port. Hopefully it will as we discussed in another thread. I'd hate to miss out.

Thus, I can't properly weigh in though I will say that I liked Oblivion because it allowed for a more blank slate approach. I got to write my own story and explore a world. I was very fond of the detail in the dungeons and wilderness, especially the easter eggs.

Apparently they were trying to port Witcher 1 but it failed for some reason, and a Witcher 2 port is theoretically on the way but is mired in legal troubles. But yeah, I agree with you that it's strange that there's no console port, especially because Witcher games really lend themselves to consoles a lot more than, say, something like Dragon Age: Origins, and even that game got a port.

I will say this, I envy the shit out the PC gaming Modding community for the simple things, like the dragon mage mod for Dragon Age Origins...

 

[Capt. Crankypants]

Why can't we like all the things?! =(
Loved the witcher for it's fantastic story and dialogue and beautiful beautiful scenery. I always found the combat dull though. The Signs made it a bit better, but -click- -click- -click- wasn't too engaging. Basically, everything other than the combat was done very well.

Other hand, loved Oblivion because of it's amazing freedom and cave exploring and choice of play-style. Never enjoyed being a sneaky, backstabbing dark-elf bowmaster as much in my life. The story was kindof meh, and it didn't look as good, but I didn't care, because it's so liberating to be able to go where you want and fight how you want. Oh, and the arrows lodging in creature's/people's corpses where you hit them was just such a classy touch, loved it.

 

[Volkov]

The Witcher by a longshot. Greatest RPG of the last 5 years, DESPITE having well-defined problems.

 

[infohippie]

I've tried a couple of times to get into The Witcher, and failed both times. Geralt is instantly unlikable, and everyone else (at least, in the first few minutes) is instantly forgettable. The bad guy looks kind of silly, which is an odd complaint I know, but it stands out to me. The combat seems simplistic and boring, as do your options for leveling up. The story doesn't really draw me in, possibly because I want to punch Geralt in the face just for looking like a dick. That, and the bad guy doesn't really do anything bad enough to earn my hatred. Then I go to some generic looking town and get attacked by boring looking ghost dogs who kill someone I don't know.

I have a feeling I'm selling myself short. I'll try again one of these days, and hopefully stick with it long enough to get to the good parts, if any.

Which "bad guy" are you talking about? Azar Javed, the big muscular fire mage? Or The Professor, smaller guy with glasses and crossbow? Remember, they assaulted your School's home, killed a young witcher trainee - the only one your School had remaining - and stole the various mutagens required to make new witcher trainees. Basically they just cut off your group's entire future, as well as now having opportunity to learn to use the secrets witchers have guarded for generations, not even allowing your closest allies to examine.
That whole intro bit in Caer Morhen is kinda crappy, don't judge the rest of the game by it. And the first proper chapter, with the "ghost dogs" (barghests), is something I find quite enjoyable once you start to get into the plot for that chapter, although most people who like The Witcher don't think it actually starts to get good until a good chunk of the way into the next chapter after that.

 

[infohippie]

It does. It significantly improves on the original (and really, any mainstream ARPG/WRPG to come out in the last few years) in pretty much every way.

Truly? I mean, I really dislike the first Witcher, but I was also disappointed as I felt it had a lot of lost potential. If the sequel is truly a much, much better game and improves on the things I mentioned in my previous post significantly, I might get interested in the series once more.

I can't help but be skeptical however. I'm going to have to look into it before I decide to give it another chance.

He's right, it really does. Heavily branching plot lines, much improved characterisation, much improved handling of sex and relationships in-game, better voice acting, way better combat (while also being much harder) and IMO it even manages to do quick time events right!
The areas you get to explore are amazingly detailed and very atmospheric, and as icing on top - the sheer graphical quality! It's prettier than Crysis, and requires a similarly beefier computer to turn everything up to full, but is still surprisingly gorgeous even on low settings.
My biggest issue with it would have to be that it's way too short. It took me about thirty plus hours to first beat it, but an intro, two large chapters, and one short chapter is just not enough for me. I'd have really liked to see a couple more chapters, but I guess we'll wait and see if there are some good expansions on the way. Having said that, it does have pretty good replay potential.
Also, the two groups of whores you meet (and can indeed hire if you wish) all have comedy-oversized breasts - please try to see past that. At least the main love interest character has a much more normal sized rack.