The Witcher 3 Expansion Pack is 20 hours long! - INFYNITEX

SOURCE : http://www.irishexaminer.com/technow/games/the-witcher-3-expansion-pack-is-20-hours-long-323028.html

Every time we read about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it sound better and better and this latest bit of news continues that trend.

Last week we heard that it would take more than 200 hours to finish all the quests in the game and now we're getting some details on the upcoming paid DLC. Apparently there will be two expansion packs for the game released after launch, which will contain entirely new story elements and locations and multiple hours of gameplay. Here's the breakdown of the two packs, straight from the developers:

"Hearts of Stone will take Geralt on an all-new, 10-hour-plus adventure into the wilds of No Man’s Land and the nooks and alleys of Oxenfurt, where he’ll try to complete a contract from the mysterious Man of Glass. Caught in a thick tangle of deceit, Geralt will need all his cunning and strength to solve the mystery and emerge unscathed."

"Blood and Wine, a 20-hour-plus tale that will introduce the all-new in-game region of Toussaint, will take Geralt to a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret."

That's at least 30 extra hours of gameplay, including entirely new assets and locations. And bear in mind this is in addition to the 16 entirely free DLC packs which will arrive post release, offering up in game items like new armour, character skins, new beards and entire extra quests.

It's great to see a company paying real attention to DLC, especially in a world where Season Passes often contain a limited amount of content. Naturally, the expansion packs will come with a cost - you can get the Expansion Pass for €24.99 on Steam or GOG.com now. There's no standalone price for consoles just yet but you will be able to pick up the game and the expansion pack for around $85. Hearts of Stone will be available for €9.99 and Blood and Wine will retail for €19.99, though those prices aren't set in stone.

Hearts of Stone arrives in October 2015, with Blood and Wine coming in early 2016 - the free DLC packs will be released over the next number of months.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC from the 11th of May 2015.

Two major Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansions announced - INFYNITEX

SOURCE : http://www.pcgamer.com/two-major-witcher-3-wild-hunt-expansions-announced/

 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt won't be out for more than a month, but CD Projekt has nonetheless announced two big expansions that will collectively add another 30 hours to the game: Hearts of Stone, slated to come out in October, and Blood and Wine, expected in early 2016.

Hearts of Stone, with an estimated ten hours of new content, will set Geralt off into the wilds of No Man's Land and the back alleys of the Redanian city of Oxenfurt as he struggles to complete a contract given to him by the mysterious Man of Glass. Blood and Wine will tack on another 20 hours of game-time in the new region of Toussaint, a land untouched by war but hiding "an ancient, bloody secret." Both expansions will add new adventures, equipment, enemies, and "characters both new and dearly missed."

Alluding to earlier promises of free DLC, CD Projekt Red co-founder Marcin Iwiński explained that the studio views these releases as true expansions, more akin to, say, the Bloodmoon and Tribunal add-ons to Morrowind than the smaller-scale DLC that's common today. "We remember the time when add-on disks truly expanded games by delivering meaningful content. As gamers, we’d like to bring that back," he said in a statement. "We’ve said in the past that if we ever decide to release paid content, it will be vast in size and represent real value for the money. Both our expansions offer more hours of gameplay than quite a few standalone games out there."

An "expansion pass" is now listed on The Witcher 3 website, although the links weren't live when I hit them. CD Projekt says the suggested prices are $10 for Hearts of Stone, $20 for Blood and Wine, or $25 for the expansion pass, which includes both. It will also be available bundled with the game for $80, but Iwiński urged gamers who aren't comfortable with paying for the expansions up front to wait. "Don't buy it if you have any doubts," he said. "Wait for reviews or play The Witcher and see if you like it first."

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt comes out on May 19. For now, you can get a taste of what's in store with our bearrific hands-on preview.

THE FIRST 15 MINUTES OF THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT – IGN FIRST - INFYNITEX

SOURCE ; http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/06/the-first-15-minutes-of-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-ign-first

To kick off this month's IGN First, we have the first 15 minutes of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Projekt Red's ambitious open-world adventure.

We've skipped the opening cinematic and cut straight to the gameplay, as Geralt of Rivia sets out on the final part of his adventure.

Throughout the month, we’ll have loads of new footage showing the complex combat, how to best use magic, and new environments. We’ll also have a detailed hands-on impressions later this week after a spending huge amount of time playing Wild Hunt, too. See video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McI_PbjqWsg

The Witcher 3 Lets You Befriend Monsters; Geralt Can Now Bargain Contracts - INFYNITEX

SOURCE : http://www.ibtimes.co.in/witcher-3-lets-you-befriend-monsters-geralt-can-now-bargain-contracts-628120

We are counting days to the final release of the much-awaited The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The next Witcher is said to be the biggest of them all, with Geralt going out in the wild all guns blazing, once again. Now, it seems, there's even more food for thought for fans with details emerging for the title.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt YouTube

In a recent interview with Gamer.ru (translated by "TemerianGirl" on the game's official forums), senior writer Jakub Szamałek talked about certain different inclusions in the new game.

However, what grabs most of the interest is the fact that you'll have a choice to side with monsters at times rather than killing them, according to Szamałek. He even added that there are some monsters that may help Geralt complete certain quests in the game.

"Yes it is possible. Geralt basically kills the monsters that are dangerous to people, but there are reasonable monsters who have a valid reason to show aggression," Szamałek said.

"You might meet a monster with whom the locals treated badly, and even then you have to decide whether to kill it or, on the contrary, to deal with people who put a contract on it. There will be some monsters who will assist you in the fulfillment of certain side quests. In any case, you have to expect a few different scenarios," he added.

Aside that, according to man, there will is also the option to bargain in the game for, say, contracts. "I also like our mechanics of bargaining. When you sign up for the execution of the contract, you can bargain. People either accept your terms, or offer their own, cheaper price. It's a simple system, but it allows you to feel yourself as a Witcher," he said.

He added that in the game, as well as in the books, "The Witcher has to deal with extremely dangerous work for very little money, and customers never want to pay what should have been paid or they may be screaming about being robbed."

Szamałek now feels that the opportunity to bargain will "allow you to experience it all on yourself, that's why I like it so much."

Lastly, Szamałek also revealed that if you're ever short of cash in the game, you can always take a bank loan. "As I recall, this option, as deposits, is not available in the game, but you will be able to take a loan in the bank and then buy something you want. Well, first you have to pay for previously received credit before taking a new one."

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is set to be unleashed on 19 May for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Are you looking ahead to grab a copy of the game on release? Let us know.

Witcher 3 More Gameplay Details: Smaller Islands Are Yet to be Revealed - INFYNITEX

SOURCE : http://wccftech.com/witcher-3-gameplay-details-smaller-islands-unveiled

In an interview with a Russian news source Stratege.ru, Jakub Szamatek ( Witcher 3’s writer), revealed some new information about the game. He said that the players will be able to take a boat to travel to other islands or maybe swim there, whichever they choose. He also added that the team had lots they had yet to show the gamers.

“You can not only use the boat to sail but also swim under water, opening up new areas that are inaccessible by land,” said Szamałek. “We have designed five large islands and about the same number of smaller ones, which we have not yet demonstrated in public.

He then emphasized the importance of in-game dynamics in the Witcher 3 where the game flaunts its wholeness by giving the gamer freedom to choose his way forward.

“You will see a lot of interesting places to explore: ancient ruins, abandoned buildings, caves and much more. We created each of these places in a unique way for the players who want to get there.

Additionally, he added that all of the Witcher 3’s dynamics may not be associated with the game’s main story and there are many which just compliment the game and make it interesting for the player succeeding to give a more complete experience that the Witcher 3 team wanted its fans to get.

“Some of them will be associated with Geralt’s story, while others just hide behind a lot of secrets. In general, they all carry some meaning. Our team spent a lot of time to recreate the world of Geralt and make it feel alive.”

The Witcher 3 makes its way onto the current-gen consoles and PC platform on the 19th of May. Witcher 3 is just round the corner and there’s a lot to be excited about in the Witcher 3.

The Witcher 3 Can Take Over 200 Hours - INFYNITEX

SOURCE ; http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/04/04/the-witcher-3-length/

People always ask me the same thing every day. “Gera, when will we get a game that is so long it’s in the realm of possibility I will die before finishing it?” they sigh. “When will the day come where I can finally stop using clocks and interpret the passage of time entirely through the medium of game hours?” For fans of time, this is a reasonable but oft-ignored request.

The good news is the kindly folk of CD Projekt Red have presumably stopped sleeping in order to provide their The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt [official site] with over 200 hours of content.

This comes according to senior game designer Damien Monnier, who said on Twitter that this length encompasses “everything” – from side-quests to, I guess, the romantic act of marital Ploughing.

Comparatively, The Witcher 2 clocked in around 50 hours if you include milling around pubs and looking at birds. It’s a heck of a growth spurt. The studio’s already said the new game will feature a main storyline that’s around 50 hours long. While not a mathematician, as someone who’s watched Countdown I can confidently say “everything else” in The Witcher 3 will take around 150 hours to finish based on maths. To put it another way it’s about 1,000 hours long in dog years.