So to start out I have't finished it I'm going to update this while I play it but so far I've clocked in 30 hours of playtime. In those 30 hours I have some of my best game experiences ever. The game is kinda of slow to get into but the opening sequence is very good and the art that goes along with it amazing. Though once you get the first glimpse of the world itself you become awed. It is one of the best looking games I have ever played and thankfully the gameplay and game itself is also amazing. The combat is a great improvement from the 2 entry in the series. It feels faster and much smoother. The story itself is great so far basically playing a game if hide and seek it feels like but it is something you can get into to. I'm not going to get really into more detail with the story because don't want spoilers.
The world it self feels alive unlike other rpgs. In the beginning of the game I slew some men in an inn and the innkeeper kicked me out and at probably the 27th hours in the game she came back in Novigard yelling how I slew men. So characters even minor ones will pop up ever now and then. Though the alive part is the consequences and how people react to you. I caught a arsonist who burnt a dwarve's forge down. I could either take his money or bring him back to the dwarf. I chose dwarf and arsonist met death an ending I didn't see coming. I come back later in the game to see his forge is actually rebuilt. Comparing this to games like skyrim when whiterun was damaged and never repaired. This small stuff is very appreciated like beard growth, i know what we all been waiting for. The characters actually remember some of your deeds or recognize you from tales of them. Choices you make can affect people you wouldn't even think it would affect. SPOILER KINDA I did a quest and choose to help save an orphanage only later did I find out it would kill a person who I considered a friend in the game.
To go to missions side quest are pretty fun they don't feel like a chore or boring even fetch quest. Though for side quest there are secondary quest which offer a little bits of story or just fetch quest. Then there a contracts where you go on a hunt for monsters. You start off buy contacting the contractor and from there you usually go to the scene of the monster attack and track it down from there. These are common in every single one I did but some you have to locate a special item or bait it out. They are fun quest and satisfying also. The monster of the contract are stronger then their normal counterparts usually and offer a little bit of story for that area. Like a wraith of a dead woman who was supposed to be married away. Then the next time of quest are treasure hunts. These involve hunting for valuable items like witcher gear. Witcher gear is divided in three schools cat- light armor, griffin- medium armor and bear- heavy armor. Each can be upgraded multiple times and come with weapons also. The have their own unique attributes that can go with your play style.
I have had good framerate so far probably lowest I've dropped is 25 in Novigard and there has been some glitches like trying to take the helm of a boat and shooting a hundred feet into the air to fall to my death. I haven't talked about the controls yet I want to wait on that but so far they are good takes a little bit to get used to some stuff but very good after that. Also the UI is much better then witcher 2 easier to navigate and is very helpful with characters and preping for monster the bestiary. This is where I will stop for now leave a comment if you want to me to talk about a certain aspect of the game I missed so far or not enough detail and I plan on updating this on maybe the 28th.
Update#1 According to game I have 7.5 days into game but I think that is wrong and something with the resume feature screwed it up but I'm guessing I have 4-6 days into it.
So after a few Patches framerate is alot better but the world is now having some trouble loading certain things but no big deal. The controls are really easy to get used to and you can pull off lots of cool stuff once you master them. The signs are all cool especially love their alternate forms also once you get to the tier three combat skills they add cool moves like spinning around with you blade and a strong attack but don't it yet. The UI is really ewasy to navigate and very easy to find where you need to go.
I just finished the story and I loved my ending it was great now you may not get same results, but I liked mine. The world has consequences and you have to make the choice you think is right. Though my one complaint is you don't play in the world you created based on your choices after finishing the main story instead you go back to the wolrd before the final mission.
Honestly its too good of a game to describe in words but hopefully I used enough to help you. It is probably one of the best RPGs made and so far best game this gen. Right now it stands as probably my GOTY but have to wait to see. I recommend you to pick it hope you won't be disappointed it is amazing. It is filled with emotions, great characters, and great combat. So far even after beating main story I love exploring and discovering new things. Please a comment if you want more info about it or any questions on something. I won't update this besides maybe with the DLC if I get them.