@Nei Thanks for posting this and confirming I'm not losing my mind!

I do wonder if there's an issue with old saves, then. If there's some kind of memory leak it shouldn't take long for people to figure it out.

@Alps_Stranger There's no need to be snarky, I'd like to know what's happened here as well.

Are we sure people aren't getting frame rates mixed up with the autosave hitching? Honestly the only technical problem I've noticed across everything I've played.

Could be various graphical toggles that are causing issues? I didn't notice anything in particular but I did spend most of my time without motion blur on and full screen effects on, for example.

I'm being genuine here. If this remaster had notable performance issues during the review period I would have 100% mentioned them.

@DennisReynolds @Drnsnsr No idea what to tell you guys, I've played around 30 hours on PS5 Pro with a 120Hz display using the ray tracing mode and it really has been flawless. No drops whatsoever, it's like butter.

I started a completely new save, if that makes any kind of difference.

The only problem I had is the one explained in the review: the hitching that happens when the game autosaves. This was also present in Complete Edition.

@Bramble Yes, all the improvements apply to the DLCs as well (which are now included by default, even if you haven't owned them before).

@CJM From what I can tell it's pretty much a rock solid 60fps on base PS5, although there is a somewhat noticeable dip in resolution compared to the ray tracing mode.

I think the frame rate is improved over the next-gen version, which did have some minor frame rate drops in busy areas. The game just seems to be better optimised across the board.

@VenomUK As someone who's played TW3 through far too many times, I personally don't think weapon (and armour) durability adds anything to the experience.

Some might argue that it adds immersion as Geralt would, realistically, have to maintain his equipment while travelling the world.

But in the reality of the game, you're just opening a menu and clicking 'repair' on item icons. There's nothing immersive about it, really.

And no part of the game is balanced around durability. You can still use broken equipment — it just has worse stats, and even then, it's usually not enough to make a truly noticeable difference in most fights.

In short, it's always seemed like a pointless mechanic to me in TW3. I don't think you lose anything of real value by turning it off.

@JalapenoSpiceLife As far as I know, mods do disable Trophies, like in other games with mod support.

I think it's just because you could, in theory, make a mod that's designed to unlock Trophies — and Sony's obviously against that as it undermines the system.

@Fizza Unfortunately I don't think so. Remastered is an update to the existing game, so it'll automatically overwrite Complete Edition when you download it from your library.

The only way you can avoid it is by having the old version installed on your PS5 and then avoiding the update download.

@Theamazing1 Yes, I think you can play The Witcher 3 with no prior knowledge of the games or the books and still have a fantastic time. The story is self-contained enough that you can take it as a standalone adventure. It's not a direct sequel in the traditional sense.

Having said that, it makes lots of references to past events and characters, both from the games and the books. So you will miss out on certain details if you're not familiar with the franchise.

But in my opinion, this isn't as big a problem as some fans might say. The writing is so succinct and effective in The Witcher 3 that you get caught up in the cast and world building very, very quickly. There's also a glossary that can give you the background on all kinds of stuff.

Hopefully that helps!

@General-Foley I think the combat does benefit from a higher frame rate. It being more responsive negates some of its inherent clunkiness.

But I'd still recommend trying the ray tracing mode just to see how it looks.

@Hyena_socks I think the biggest impact the new skill trees have is you can get to more advanced perks much, much earlier in the game.

That's because skills now branch off one another, so you unlock them in sequence even without fully upgrading the perk that came before. It's a really good change I think, from a gameplay perspective, because you get access to different combat options right off the bat.

However, you can still only equip a limited number of perks (nine total, like before) and the slots only open as you level up (like before).

So you do still need to purchase perks that you may not necessarily want, in order to access the perks they branch into.

Most of the perks work roughly the same way, bolstering different parts of Geralt's arsenal. But some have been renamed, and others are more 'active' like the review says.

Basically, some perks now activate under specific circumstances in combat, as opposed to providing passive stat boosts and stuff. So I'd say the system's generally more involved, and the reworked perks make you consider your build and style of play a bit more.

Oh and there are also a few completely new perks, most of which are to do with different armour sets and types. So again, more character build expression.

@species I did have a bug during a session that seemed to mute certain sound effects, but a reload fixed it.

There was another situation where the sound effects were buried beneath the audio mix for some reason, but that only lasted one fight. Other than that I haven't noticed anything.

@wildcat_kickz Yeah the outdoor lighting in particular, and just the sheer amount of added environmental detail makes a massive difference.

I was just saying to Sammy and the others, the game actually looks better than the original pre-rendered screenshots from 2015.

@TheLotteryMan1 This is a good question, because I've read that more finishers have been added to the game, but I haven't actually seen any new animations during my time playing it.

I'll provide an update if I do see any.

@Jey887 No, none of the accessibility stuff disables Trophies according to CDPR. I haven't been able to verify this because I've already unlocked most of them through the Complete Edition (it's the same list since this is technically an update).

And while I really like Triss' plucky personality, I think it's hard to turn down Yennefer. She just fits so well with Geralt as a character.

@wildcat_kickz I should point out that our review screenshots are taken randomly from the ones we upload. They change every time you visit the page.

If you want to see them all, you can go to the game page and click on the full gallery: https://www.pushsquare.com/games/ps5/witcher_3_wild_hunt_remastered

Thanks for the compliment, I did try to take good ones (which is relatively easy when a game looks this nice)!

If anyone's got any questions about the game or the review, let me know and I'll try to answer them.

This is the third time I've reviewed The Witcher 3. I'll be back when the PS6 port comes out. And then the PS7 remake.

EDIT: The review's now been updated with additional information and a score.

@IntrepidWombat Tallgeese!

@Mes_Urson @Nem I'd take both in a heartbeat!

@Ardath_Biru From what I can tell, I don't think so. Halo remains a Microsoft IP — it's just that Activision is being allowed to tackle it in place of Halo Studios, which seems to have been massively downsized.

I got so excited when I saw that trailer pop up. Damn!

@__Seraph Yeah I'm a massive JRPG fan, just never got around to playing Lufia 2 even though I played the first Lufia years ago.

Agree with you and @Foxhound, we need a Breath of Fire collection. Adore that series, especially 2 and 4.

@__Seraph Thanks for the clarification — I've never played Lufia 2!

@GilaMonster I saw someone coin 'Tokyo Game Slop 2026' earlier. Maybe a bit harsh but it did make me laugh.

@freddquadros Based on everything (Falcom's president) Kondo' has said, it sounds like they're going to do The Third because the team wants to finish the Sky trilogy.

The question now is what Falcom's schedule looks like, and whether it'll prioritise another remake over Horizon's sequel.

Great pics Sammy!

@Anke I really like this approach!

Must admit, I struggle to see the point of having this on your screen, unless you just want to be bombarded with yet more mentions of Fortnite.

@belmont All we know for sure is that the next game's story is finished, and Falcom's confirmed that it's been in development, in some form, alongside the remakes.

We just don't quite know how far along the overall development timeline is. It's entirely possible that it'll release next year, but it could also be 2028.

Fortunately I think Falcom will likely mention it in the relatively near future now that 2nd Chapter is out.

@Fiendish-Beaver To answer your questions...

1. You absolutely need to have played 1st Chapter before playing this. It's as direct a sequel as you can possibly get.

2. I fear if you ran out of patience with Metaphor, you'll almost certainly run out of patience with any Trails game. They all have colossal scripts and can become incredibly chatty for long periods at a time.

They're generally slower-paced RPGs with a very heavy emphasis on character relationships and interactions, which in turn drive the world building (which is seriously in-depth) and storylines.

@themightyant I did everything there was to do in around 70 hours. It's quite a bit longer than 1st Chapter, just like the originals.

@MichaelNau I don't think so, no. You just get access to a few bonus items depending on how high level Estelle was when you finished 1st Chapter, but that's it.

You do, however, get to see all of your previous quest progress from the first game in the journal, which is a really nice touch. Makes the whole thing feel like one big adventure.

If anyone's got any questions about the game or the review, let me know and I'll try to answer them.

Fellow Trails fans, it feels like we're living in the series' golden age.

@rjejr I'm about halfway through and unfortunately I don't like it very much. But then I'm not really a Marvel fan!

@Oram77 Nah all the stories and characters are standalone.

My only concern about playing Persona 5 for the first time is that Persona 5 Royal is simply a better game (in my opinion), and it all but makes the original release redundant in terms of gameplay.

@AhmadSumadi Everyone knows IGN can only be trusted when their score lines up with your own agenda.

@darylb24 Marvelous is actually developing this one as well, which I was quite surprised to learn.

Sammy's headline might seem hyperbolic, but he actually jumped online while on holiday to tell us how excited he was about this being announced.

I don't doubt for a second that he did in fact scream.

@ducklagom I don't think people are necessarily getting dumber, but it's easier than ever to witness people being dumb.

@Fighting_Game_Loser Completely agree, video's even funnier when you think about how many people were throwing them abuse on Twitter.

@somnambulance It's worth mentioning that Pragmata beat Saros to Game of the Month (and by some distance) back in April.

Obviously Saros isn't quite on the same production level as Wolverine but it's like you say, there's a growing sense of negativity towards all things PlayStation — and at the time, I thought Saros losing that vote was a sign of things to come, to some extent.

@Marquez From what I understand there is a character creator but it's very limited. You can be male or female and then change your hairstyle, eye colour, and a few other details.

Seems like facial structure will always be the same.

I think this has the potential to be incredible from a gameplay perspective, but I must admit that seeing all of the icons and completion percentages on the map made me very nervous.

@Marquez I'm bookmarking this comment for when we do the staff awards next year!

@Bieeelak Good to hear! I hope you do enjoy it if you decide to check it out down the line.

@CosmicJester Performance seems to be massively improved across all platforms, even in the game's busiest areas.

@Bieeelak It's a little more technical than Ragnarok's system — timing has to be more precise (at least on the normal difficulty) and you need to play less aggressively in general — but yeah, I think you'd probably have a good time.

Both combat systems ultimately rely on reading your opponent's moves and finding openings, and they both feel fantastic to actually play.

Might be worth checking out the (now extended) Onimusha demo on PS5. It's a bit on the easy side, but it'll give you a good idea of the combat's rhythm and flow.

@Glotny @SuperSilverback I played the vast majority of the game in Japanese.

The English voice work seemed solid from what I heard, but I just couldn't gel with it on a personal level. The English accents on top of feudal Japan just doesn't work for me.

I've seen others say the English voices are great, though, at least for the most part.

@D6rkLordS6t6n I haven't heard of any DLC plans, I think Rebel Wolves is focused on making this into a series as opposed to fleshing out the first game. But I suppose it might depend on how well it performs commercially.

Can definitely see this game getting a number of updates, though.

@Hyena_socks I quite like him, although like the review says, you can't really alter his personality much through your own choices.

I think he's got decent depth, though. He's young and naive but he's also worn down by all the horror that's around him, even if he doesn't realise it. The other central characters also play off him really well.

So yeah, he's a solid lead in my opinion. He's not going to be an immediate favourite and spawn an insane amount of fan art overnight, but he's likeable and nuanced.

EDIT: No, I don't think there's any real way to alter his core personality, corruption or not. I had maximum corruption by the end of the game (which is really just your overall vampire 'level') and it seemed to make no difference to how he acted.

The only thing I can think of is when you're on low health as a vampire, there's a chance that Coen will lose control and drain the blood of the person you're talking to in dialogue. But this never happened to me either.