Linkman247

As a fan of both the games and the books, this netflix series is better than I expected. However it is not without flaws. Despite these however it rises above them to establish this universe. Generally speaking the visual effects are pretty decent. There is a mix of both practical and cgi effects. Some cgi doesn't mesh as well with the live action. Swordplay is also generally decent. Though one could nitpick that all the twirling Geralt does leaves him open to attack. That said it is fantasy so its a bit easy to overlook this. Costume design is also decent. The nilfgaardians or black ones have armor that looks absolutely terrible. It not only looks impractical but it undermines them being taken seriously as a real threat. A powerful army cant afford better armor than this? The Cintran and Temerian armor however looks great. With regards to casting? Henry Cavill as Geralt, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer and Frey Allen as Ciri are fantastic. Even Joey Batey as the bard Jaskier (Dandelion) was a pleasant surprise offering up a damned catchy tune. Special note has to be given to the actress playing Tissia DeVries who also voiced Duchess Anna Henrietta in the Witcher 3 Blood and Wine. Some of the casting I was less thrilled about. I am not quite sold on Triss Merigold yet. Hopefully we get more in season 2. I also have a bit of an issue with the race swap of Fringilla Vigo. Nothing against the actress personally. But in something like this which has nations and geopolitical elements. Changing a charcters race can also change their backstory. In the Witcher lore, people with darker complexions typically come from zerrikania or Ofir. Fringilla is a 2nd cousin to duchess Anna Henrietta of Touissant. She is a secondary character and maybe like Triss in season 2 or beyond we get more that cements her place in this role. Much like Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in the Avengers. Narrative wise this show draws from much of the short stories from author Andrez Sapkowski. This works for and against it. There is some time skipping and jumping between characters that could be a bit disorienting for newcomers. Its nonlinear storytelling. Stick with it and you will see things converge as you see similar scenes intejected with new one that offer new context and perspective. It all comes together in the end and will leave you wanting more.

Warcraft 3 reforged is an example of how not to treat a beloved classic. But more importantly its an example of how not to treat a fanbase that adores it. The campaigns many grew up with are largely the same for better and for worse. That the campaigns can shine through the host of other issues is a testament to the original but reforged cannot get a pass simply for what its forbear did. The game was marketed as a substantial overhaul with new cinematics and more. But what we have is not that. The footage of the culling cinematic shown at blizzcon 2018 is not in game making this product falsely advertised. The unit models and structures mostly look ok but again, blizzard cant even take credit for that as much of this work was handled by Malaysian studio Lemon Sky. Lady Vashj's character model even had human ears (now fixed). For those who don't know vashj is a naga. The naga is a race of former nightelves. It illustrates a lack of oversight on Blizzards part. This lack of oversight extends to other issues. The game launched plagued with bugs and poor optimizstion. The frame rate chugs even during cutscenes. I experienced screen tearing causing me to enable vsync. I also had the misfortune of the instant defeat bug. Was this even playtested at all? Worse than that even is that reforged forces longtime fans to upgrade their classic wc3 client to reforged which introduces reforged problems into the original game. Not only that but automated tournaments, ladders and clans have been gutted from classic wc3. Your save progress is separate as well. Meaning that save data in wc3 classic is not honored by reforged. This means you need to play the campaign on each. They also appear to have removed iconic voice lines like that of the dryad saying.. "I'll distract the enemy with my human call...im so wasted im so wasted." More chinese pandering/self censorship? We also have a new eula that strips content creators of their moral rights. This means mapmakers could end up not even seeing so much as credit to their name as the creator because blizzard can take full ownership. This will stifle the community that kept wc3 classic going for 17 years. If you are a series vet you will likely find disappointment. If you are new or want to experience the story? The campaigns are I think worth checking out. However I would advise people to wait for patches. If patches even come. Blizzards J. Allen Brack said actions speak louder than words. But so far their words have rung hollow. Their actions have been to ban the community for talking about refunds, and to say "sorry you didnt get the experience you wanted" rather than "sorry you didnt get the experience we promised". I have since installed a clean version of wc3 classic without reforged's fel corruption.

Final Fantasy VII remake is a solid first entry in this episodic release. It deftly walks the line between homage to the original while also offering it's own spin. What once was a 5 hour segment in the original has been expanded to 40-50 hours depending on how much you engage with side content. Some times the sense of padding can arise. Some sidequests for instance feel a bit long in the tooth, but they do offer some slight character development for ancillary NPC's. In the latter part of the game you get a number of sidequests that have you return to previously visited areas. These could have felt like more of a chore than they were. They have fortunately been designed in such a way so as to overlap and allow you to complete a few of them at the same time. The standout of this remake is easily the characters. All of the characters here are presented with such care. They are further aided by a likable cast of voice actors that accentuate their personalities. Characters like Biggs, Wedge and Jessie feel fully fleshed out and become immediately likable. I do not want to spoil anything but go into the game with an open mind. It is not a 1 to 1 remake, but it did leave me eager to see where they go with the next installment.

I played Witcher 3 twice on PC putting in roughly 200 hours during each playthrough (expansions included). The Witcher 3 is a modern masterpiece and I have since begun playing it again on Switch. Is it as pretty as the PC version cranked up to Ultra? No. But the heart of what makes the Witcher 3 so great still shines through on Switch. It's characters and story still hold up well and will leave a lasting impact on you long after the credits roll. If you have not played this game yet? Give it a shot. Regardless of platform.