The Witcher games have always had a different style of combat to set them apart from the usual run of the mill fantasy adventure games out there. Witcher combat was a combination of agility, the right sword, magic and patience. It’s the kind of combat that rewards a clever mind, and punishes a player who runs in sword first and attempts to hack all the things. It’s also the kind of game that almost featured decapitation on ice.
“At some point we had the idea of ice-skating,” senior game designer Damien Monnier said at a panel on designing open-world games during PAX East (via Eurogamer), describing a feature that was prototyped but eventually cut from the game:
It was more than an idea – it was actually a prototype. You were going to ice-skate and fight, and you could slice heads and the blood goes on the ice and it’s beautiful. I really liked it. It did look amazing, but ultimately – this feature was going to be at the end of the game and introducing new game mechanics at the end of the game was quite wonky.
Fair enough. The Witcher 3 has already suffered several delays, with the latest one moving the game from a February launch to May of this year. Adding another gameplay feature, would have pushed the game dangerously close to another delay. Still, once the title has launched, there’ll always be the option to add Geralt On Ice as a free DLC pack. Which now makes me want the game even more.
Last Updated: March 10, 2015
Admiral Chief
March 10, 2015 at 09:33
Wait….what?
Pariah
March 10, 2015 at 09:38
Now every time I see Will Ferrell, I’ll see Geralt. That’s kinda cool, except for the Will Ferrell movies.
Brady miaau
March 10, 2015 at 10:18
Will Ferrell movies – Bleecch
Geoffrey Tim
March 10, 2015 at 09:38
that header might just be the best thing I’ve seen on the internet this week.
Admiral Chief
March 10, 2015 at 09:38
Seconded
ReaperOfSquirrels
March 10, 2015 at 09:40
Thirded
Loftus
March 10, 2015 at 09:49
Fourth
konfab aka derp
March 10, 2015 at 09:55
Fifth
Brady miaau
March 10, 2015 at 10:21
Perhaps I do not get pop culture or I am not “down with the kids” (Yeah, saying this to you, yeah) but I do not understand why? And, if you have to explain it, it probably loses all meaning. Probably some sort of movie I never watched or something, right?
Matthew Holliday
March 10, 2015 at 11:58
Blades of Fury, featuring Napolean Dynamite & Ron Burgandy.
you stay classy, San Diego.
Brady miaau
March 10, 2015 at 13:14
Napolean Dynamite & Ron Burgandy?
And ok, I will stay “classy”, wink,wink, nudge, nudge.
Ok, so a movie then
Capt. Bob of the Blood Ravens
March 10, 2015 at 09:39
But The Witcher 3 is already on ice…till May 2015.
Umar
March 10, 2015 at 09:40
That is by far the best header so far.
Matthew Holliday
March 10, 2015 at 09:44
introducing new game mechanics at the end doesnt work, he’s right.
but it would have been a good idea for one of those 16 free DLC packs they mentioned.
DLC is a viable way of introducing new game mechanics late in the game.
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
March 10, 2015 at 10:04
DLC IS NEVER VIABLE.
DON’T SUPPORT DLC
Brady miaau
March 10, 2015 at 10:17
How so? Mass Effect 2 and 3 had DLC that was both meaningful and introduced some new game play elements. And for the price of the new content, it was well worth it.
From Ashes (on the DVD) for Mass Effect 3 was a bit sucky, I agree.
I do not, however, buy the argument that all DLC is not viable. Some of it surely is. Fallout 3 and New Vegas? Broodwars, the ultimate “DLC”?
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
March 10, 2015 at 10:39
Ok maybe NEVER is a strong word, but only because of these very few exceptions to the rule which you’ve mentioned. The few do not justify the rest of the pack. 🙂
Brady miaau
March 10, 2015 at 11:21
Ah, but do the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many? Or is it the other way round? I always forget.
Anyways, sad for the Nimoy family, his passing away.
Expansion
March 10, 2015 at 10:26
I tend to agree. I have never bought paid for DLC. It just doesn’t make sense. I paid for the game and now you want me to pay more for the game. Fuck that. What about those buying the Witcher 3 who doesn’t have internet, they won’t be getting the DLC.
If it was an expansion pack, then that’s a different story. Adding like a whole game worth of content. I’ll buy that. And non internet users can buy that in retail.
Gr8_Balls_o_KFM_Fire
March 10, 2015 at 10:40
Hehe. Expansion. I see what you did there 😀
Matthew Holliday
March 10, 2015 at 11:51
I both agree and disagree.
more often than not, DLC should be included in the vanilla game. That devs are removing content, to later be released as DLC, is a sad situation.
but DLC is here to stay and seeing as it is here, it makes for a usefull tool to introduce new mechanics into the late game, like this ice skating thing, that would otherwise be excluded and forgotten.
Games like Mass Effect and Borderlands are great examples of DLC done right, their vanilla games are great & complete stories on their own, made better by the DLC, while also adding massive replay value.
There are however, dozens of games with examples of how NOT to do DLC.
CoD, battlefield, racing games etc, where DLC is simply, new maps, tracks, guns and cars, should not be encouraged.
CoD, has like 10 maps, with DLC releasing more guns and maps etc, but it ruins their matchmaking system, which only pairs you with people that have a matching set of DLC to you.
Battlefield, also has ilke 10 maps, but premium, which costs as much/more than the game, introduces another 12-16, which at the end of the games life, only 5 of the maps are being played in public servers.
DLC in these situations are NOT viable, they add content to the game, but add nothign to the experience.
Hammersteyn
March 10, 2015 at 09:54
IRON LOTUS!
RinceThis
March 10, 2015 at 09:55
HAHAHAHAHHAHAAH! I forgot about that!
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 10, 2015 at 09:56
Geralt of Rivia Pro-(Ice)skater.
heist
March 10, 2015 at 10:22
Think this is a reference to a scene in the books. Ciri doing some serious damage on the ice.
Pariah
March 10, 2015 at 10:26
Siri, where’s the nearest ice rink?
“I’m sorry, but mice don’t blink.”
Brady miaau
March 10, 2015 at 10:24
So, effectively, an on rails section like shooting a gun from the car in Halo 3 or something? This does sound much, much cooler though!