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The Witcher


Beric

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24 minutes ago, thegreatwha said:

Can't say I ever heard of it until just now. *shrugging shoulders*

Oh my!

 

It's a series of short stories and novels (which I have not read and cannot comment on the quality of), that have been turned into a masterpiece of a video game trilogy. If RPGs excite you I have to highly recommend giving at least The Witcher 3 a try.

 

There has already been a Polish film and TV adaptation of the story, but this will be the first in the English language. 

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1 hour ago, Beric said:

It's a series of short stories and novels (which I have not read and cannot comment on the quality of), that have been turned into a masterpiece of a video game trilogy. If RPGs excite you I have to highly recommend giving at least The Witcher 3 a try.

I'm not particularly invested in video games and indeed haven't played that many, but even I am familiar with The Witcher series and can attest the games are good. :3

 

However, I have read the books as well, and can definitively say they are rather better! The series isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the same is applicable of the games; for those who enjoy one or the other, the literature is objectively better written, as is almost always the case. I would say that the characterization carefully crafted by the author and the introspection afforded by the medium both serve to greatly enhance one's experience with the story.

 

Having said that, it is worth noting that the series is originally written in Polish. Even the best and most faithful translations perforce do disservice to the original works, and the English translations for the series are said to be among its worst. With this in mind, I managed to enjoy the books for what they are, but some people might understandably not be able to.

 

By reading the first book in the original Polish, I was able to confirm for myself that the series exhibits a surprising amount of philosophical depth (for it is arguably entry-level fantasy in both style and content) and that Andrzej Sapkowski is an excellent author! Now, I have to qualify that this is for a certain definition of "reading," as I was never fluent in that language and became extremely rusty by the time I perused it. :P

 

Anyway, I apologize for getting a little off-topic! I am cautiously anticipating the show; certain circumstances suggest it will be good, but while I believe in optimism, I know better than to expect much out of television or film adaptations. Just take a look at what Game of Thrones did to a meritorious masterpiece in the form of A Song of Ice and Fire *.

 

Still, glass half-full. Here's hoping for the best! :D

 

* Warning: Off-topic rant about Game of Thrones!

 

No doubt someone will try to tell me that GoT was good from start to end, and that I'm simply upset about how the story unfolded. Others will say that the last season was rushed, but it was otherwise good. Still others will say that the last two seasons could have used more episodes and effort, but the show could have been the best ever if not for that. Yet others will admit that the last two to four seasons were lacking, but the first four to six were perfect.

 

I am here to disabuse you all of these notions.

 

The cracks were there from the very first season, although I will say that Season 1 was largely wonderful; they could reasonably be ignored. They then deepened at an alarming pace as the show progressed. By Season 4, it was obvious the show was unwilling or unable to do the book series justice to the extent it had before, and there were more bad moments than there were good. Seasons 5 and onward were outright badly written, and often did not even make sense at the most basic narrative level. It should be quite telling that these seasons are the ones for which the show started to receive awards and acclaim.

 

Game of Thrones is, obviously, poorly written where A Song of Ice and Fire is well written. Beyond this, the show is nihilistic and characterized by acedia where the books are ultimately optimistic and hopeful; superficial where the books are deep; narrow in scope where the books are expansive; misogynistic, elitist, and otherwise suffused with unfortunate implications where the books are feminist and generally at least attempt to send an egalitarian message; loosely organized and poorly paced where the books are cohesive and thematically linked in a masterful way; excellent at presenting unintentional burlesques where the books do a sublime job making every character believable and to some extent understandable; and so forth.

 

Don't @ me. :chuffed:

 

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The trailer looks better than I thought it would, but I'm gonna reserve expectations, I haven't enjoyed most Netflix action shows much.

 

Witcher 3 has already perfected this story in my mind, CD Projekt RED are incredible people.

 

 

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While i cant say that im super hyped for it, as i've never read the stories, or played the games, it does look pretty interesting, and will get at least 2 episodes from me to scope it out.

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LOL! I have a few friends who have the majority of their playtime because of Gwent ^_^ And yeah I’m super hyped as well! I’ve been waiting for this ever since they announced it as a possibility. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

@Beric at your recommendation I gave the show a shot... I enjoyed it... A bit much

 

My wife called my phone to find me.. In the basement.. On the final episode later that day. :chuffed:

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  • 10 months later...

believe it or not, doesnt really bother me i know my reality and truth.. is that i know Anya Chalotra (Yennifer) in real life before she got famous as she use to live or still lives (havent spoke to her in over 48 months) in my home area of England.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...

oh man geralt looks exactly how he should in this trailer. just like the video game :) ill have to watch this when it comes out. 

 

toss a coin to your witcher

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48 minutes ago, wicken arr0z said:

oh man geralt looks exactly how he should in this trailer. just like the video game :) ill have to watch this when it comes out. 

 

toss a coin to your witcher

Well you're in luck, because it's been out the better part of a year! Pretty good, too. Season 2 got postponed like so many shows due to Covid. Perhaps end of this year. 

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