Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Reserved for modern gaming discussions.
User avatar
Matchstick
Posts: 977
Joined: October 26th, 2017, 6:45 am

Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Postby Matchstick » June 13th, 2019, 9:22 pm

I know there's a whole separate thread devoted to physical releases, but I saw this little tidbit come out of E3 and couldn't believe nobody's given it its own topic yet.

Yes, The Witcher 3 was officially announced for Switch. It's slated to weigh in at about 32 GB, and the publisher is springing for a large-format game cartridge to hold all the data. The physical release for the game will contain the entire game on the cartridge, with every bit of DLC, with no downloads of any kind required.

It will be, officially, the first time The Witcher 3 will be available to play without any sort of downloads involved. Not only that, but the physical copy comes with some snazzy goodies and a nice classic-style cardboard box to hold them all. As someone who owns other boxed Switch games with similar goodies (Splatoon 2 Starter Edition, Breath of the Wild Explorer's Edition) I couldn't be happier! I love the way the boxes look on my shelf, as they harken back to a simpler time when all games came in an easy-to-mangle cardboard package. It also does a great job of making me feel like I'm truly getting something for my money, or at least getting my money's worth with my purchase.

I know there will be some compromises to make the game run well on the weaker Switch hardware, but that being said, I can't wait to pick this one up. Being able to take a game like this with me wherever I go, without a constant Internet connection or a nagging alert telling me I don't have a wi-fi signal, is the essence of why my wife and I got a Switch in the first place. No limited-release package, just the standard retail release coming with all the goodies and feelies you'd expect from a $60 video game.

It's a shame that, given the age we live in, releases like this are the rare exception, not the rule. To me, there's no bigger gutpunch in modern gaming than dropping $60 on a single disc game inside a flimsy, empty plastic storage case. While I can't say I'm the most optimistic about the state of physical releases going forward, I can only hope other publishers pick up on this release, and that it is a good sign of things to come. Here's hoping.

Image

Sonicx9
Posts: 1818
Joined: April 27th, 2015, 6:37 pm

Re: Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Postby Sonicx9 » June 14th, 2019, 12:32 pm

Matchstick wrote:I know there's a whole separate thread devoted to physical releases, but I saw this little tidbit come out of E3 and couldn't believe nobody's given it its own topic yet.

Yes, The Witcher 3 was officially announced for Switch. It's slated to weigh in at about 32 GB, and the publisher is springing for a large-format game cartridge to hold all the data. The physical release for the game will contain the entire game on the cartridge, with every bit of DLC, with no downloads of any kind required.

It will be, officially, the first time The Witcher 3 will be available to play without any sort of downloads involved. Not only that, but the physical copy comes with some snazzy goodies and a nice classic-style cardboard box to hold them all. As someone who owns other boxed Switch games with similar goodies (Splatoon 2 Starter Edition, Breath of the Wild Explorer's Edition) I couldn't be happier! I love the way the boxes look on my shelf, as they harken back to a simpler time when all games came in an easy-to-mangle cardboard package. It also does a great job of making me feel like I'm truly getting something for my money, or at least getting my money's worth with my purchase.

I know there will be some compromises to make the game run well on the weaker Switch hardware, but that being said, I can't wait to pick this one up. Being able to take a game like this with me wherever I go, without a constant Internet connection or a nagging alert telling me I don't have a wi-fi signal, is the essence of why my wife and I got a Switch in the first place. No limited-release package, just the standard retail release coming with all the goodies and feelies you'd expect from a $60 video game.

It's a shame that, given the age we live in, releases like this are the rare exception, not the rule. To me, there's no bigger gutpunch in modern gaming than dropping $60 on a single disc game inside a flimsy, empty plastic storage case. While I can't say I'm the most optimistic about the state of physical releases going forward, I can only hope other publishers pick up on this release, and that it is a good sign of things to come. Here's hoping.

Image


The "But Can It Run Crysis" of the Nintendo Switch for a ultra demanding game!

User avatar
BlasteroidAli
Posts: 1594
Joined: April 9th, 2015, 7:50 pm

Re: Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Postby BlasteroidAli » June 15th, 2019, 12:36 pm

Hand held it is going to run at 540p. As a console it is going to run at 720p. So very much looking like a ps3 version of the game.

Sonicx9
Posts: 1818
Joined: April 27th, 2015, 6:37 pm

Re: Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Postby Sonicx9 » June 15th, 2019, 2:24 pm

BlasteroidAli wrote:Hand held it is going to run at 540p. As a console it is going to run at 720p. So very much looking like a ps3 version of the game.


Still for a ultra demanding modern large scale AAA game, it still a show peace for the system. Also the port is being done by Saber Interactive who fun fact handled the PS4 Pro/Xbox One X Witcher 3 patches, so that why they are doing the port. Also handled Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on Xbox 360 and The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One. And mind you Saber Interactive have done Nintendo Switch projects in the past and present such as NBA Playgrounds series (both day to date port releases running on UE4 at 60FPS target a rarity for the Switch with UE4 BTW!), Spintires: MudRunner, (a late Nintendo Switch port in 2018 last year as PS4/Xbox One and PC where first in 2017.), Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn (day and date Switch release), and the upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered (likely day and date release for Switch and PC/PS4 and Xbox One.). So from the looks of it the port is in good hands.

User avatar
Matchstick
Posts: 977
Joined: October 26th, 2017, 6:45 am

Re: Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Postby Matchstick » June 16th, 2019, 12:40 am

Personally, I'm not too concerned with how the game runs. I'm sure it will be fine. While I don't know much about the publisher of the game, CD Projekt Red, they have a great reputation for quality in the gaming community. I doubt they would have commissioned the Switch port if they had any doubts about how the final product will play out.

I'm just happy about the quality of the physical release. Very few publishers seem to go the extra mile anymore and really give you some true value for your money. It's the main reason why I stopped buying a lot of newer games, especially at the $60 price point. It wasn't too long ago that nearly every brand new videogame came with a nice display box and an instruction manual, at the very least, and there were usually other goodies in the box, such as a poster, map, stickers, a comic book, coupons, or a catalogue of other games by the publisher. The outer package might have even had its own bells and whistles, such as a reflective holofoil finish or at least some attractive cover art.

I just don't feel like many publishers care if their games really stand out on the shelf anymore. Store display marketing has gone from, "Hey, look at me and my awesome cover art! Buy me, pleeeeease!!" to, "Eh, I'mma game, you gonna buy me, aintc'ha?" It's a shame. Sure, not every game these days has "bad" cover art, so to speak, but I feel like the effort and detail that used to go into package design just isn't there in most major releases. Even this version of The Witcher 3 doesn't have the best cover art, but at least the larger-size retail package makes it more eye-catching than the average Switch release.

Nicalis is another company that seems comfortable with giving out some bonus goodies with their games. My copy of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap came in a pretty average-looking game case, but inside was a soundtrack CD, keychain, and a nice, glossy manual. It was even released as a budget title and had a brand new retail price of $30. Now that's more like it! I was in the store this past week and saw another one of their new releases, a puzzle game on Switch. It came in a larger cardboard box and included a bonus, physical "puzzle cube" inside. Do those included freebies make the game, itself, any better or worse? Absolutely not. But do they make me feel like I'm getting more value from my purchase? Hell yes, they do!

Axiom Verge also had a nice physical release a few years ago, called, I believe, The Multiverse Edition, which was priced about the game as the standard physical release of the game. It, too, came in a large-format cardboard box which included a map, soundtrack, art book, and documentary disc. Sure, AV was already a pretty great game in its own right, but the bonus display box and included goodies really showed that the publisher was willing to take that extra step. They knew they already had a quality game on their hands, but they weren't afraid to give those who were already enthusiastic about the game a little more bang for their buck. They got my money ($40 brand new at Best Buy) and it remains one of my proudest purchases in recent memory.

I am not in favor of the $100+ collector's editions of games, nor am I in favor of publishers charging a premium for any physical bonus content for their physical games. I am just happy to see standard retail releases come with a nice selection of physical goods, many of which used to be standard issue a few generations back, and selling for standard retail price. It bites that a game coming packaged with a manual these days seems like a special occasion, but I'll tell you this - the ones that do catch my attention a lot more than the ones that don't.

If a publisher shows me they were willing to spend that extra 35 cents or so on their packaging, I'll show them that I'm willing to consider their game that much more than I would have been otherwise. It really is that simple.

Sonicx9
Posts: 1818
Joined: April 27th, 2015, 6:37 pm

Re: Witcher 3 on Switch - no downloads required

Postby Sonicx9 » June 16th, 2019, 1:56 pm

Matchstick wrote:Personally, I'm not too concerned with how the game runs. I'm sure it will be fine. While I don't know much about the publisher of the game, CD Projekt Red, they have a great reputation for quality in the gaming community. I doubt they would have commissioned the Switch port if they had any doubts about how the final product will play out.

I'm just happy about the quality of the physical release. Very few publishers seem to go the extra mile anymore and really give you some true value for your money. It's the main reason why I stopped buying a lot of newer games, especially at the $60 price point. It wasn't too long ago that nearly every brand new videogame came with a nice display box and an instruction manual, at the very least, and there were usually other goodies in the box, such as a poster, map, stickers, a comic book, coupons, or a catalogue of other games by the publisher. The outer package might have even had its own bells and whistles, such as a reflective holofoil finish or at least some attractive cover art.

I just don't feel like many publishers care if their games really stand out on the shelf anymore. Store display marketing has gone from, "Hey, look at me and my awesome cover art! Buy me, pleeeeease!!" to, "Eh, I'mma game, you gonna buy me, aintc'ha?" It's a shame. Sure, not every game these days has "bad" cover art, so to speak, but I feel like the effort and detail that used to go into package design just isn't there in most major releases. Even this version of The Witcher 3 doesn't have the best cover art, but at least the larger-size retail package makes it more eye-catching than the average Switch release.

Nicalis is another company that seems comfortable with giving out some bonus goodies with their games. My copy of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap came in a pretty average-looking game case, but inside was a soundtrack CD, keychain, and a nice, glossy manual. It was even released as a budget title and had a brand new retail price of $30. Now that's more like it! I was in the store this past week and saw another one of their new releases, a puzzle game on Switch. It came in a larger cardboard box and included a bonus, physical "puzzle cube" inside. Do those included freebies make the game, itself, any better or worse? Absolutely not. But do they make me feel like I'm getting more value from my purchase? Hell yes, they do!

Axiom Verge also had a nice physical release a few years ago, called, I believe, The Multiverse Edition, which was priced about the game as the standard physical release of the game. It, too, came in a large-format cardboard box which included a map, soundtrack, art book, and documentary disc. Sure, AV was already a pretty great game in its own right, but the bonus display box and included goodies really showed that the publisher was willing to take that extra step. They knew they already had a quality game on their hands, but they weren't afraid to give those who were already enthusiastic about the game a little more bang for their buck. They got my money ($40 brand new at Best Buy) and it remains one of my proudest purchases in recent memory.

I am not in favor of the $100+ collector's editions of games, nor am I in favor of publishers charging a premium for any physical bonus content for their physical games. I am just happy to see standard retail releases come with a nice selection of physical goods, many of which used to be standard issue a few generations back, and selling for standard retail price. It bites that a game coming packaged with a manual these days seems like a special occasion, but I'll tell you this - the ones that do catch my attention a lot more than the ones that don't.

If a publisher shows me they were willing to spend that extra 35 cents or so on their packaging, I'll show them that I'm willing to consider their game that much more than I would have been otherwise. It really is that simple.


You have a good point when physical games come with goodies, it becomes a nice bonus you do not see anymore.


Return to “Modern Gaming”