Combat... Combat was superb, and the first thing that actually impressed me about it
If memory serves me right, all you had to do is sit and watch the witcher swriling his weapons around;
and maybe click LMB once in a while when a little sword icon lights up for Geralt to extend his combo animation.
Is this "QTE-light" shit the superb combat you were impressed by?
Indeed it is. The very first thing that hooked me to the game was Geralt's combat in the game. I would never have played through the game if not for the combat; combat that was lost in the sequels, and that's why I abandoned both of those games early on.
Geralt is a graduated Witcher; a competent combatant. The player only need click on his target to have him do his best to them. But Geralt has specialized combat behavior that weights his chances for fighting/handling groups, or focused upon single combat. That choice matters. Choice of potion(s) matters. The mini-game to click while the sword is lit is trivially simple, and yet the player cannot always succeed at it. It does give an effective reward—when you manage it; it never gets old because it's never guaranteed.
As mentioned above, in the Iso/3D view, Geralt can dodge (flip clean over an opponent); effected by a double-click to the destination.
In Witcher 2 and 3, the combat is simplified; degenerated into rolling on the ground, and blindly swinging at whatever is in front of him...including trees and walls. Geralt (a trained swordsman) would never behave like that in a fight; to thrash and flail about like that in a serious encounter. In Witcher 1 it's not even possible for the player to have him strike out at a non-target. Every absurd [out of character] action further damages the suspension of disbelief, and makes him out like an empty marionette instead of an experienced expert.
I was disappointed by the QTE's that replaced the bar fights in the sequel. Disappointed by the stripped down alchemy system, and the potion roulette that he played on his knees in the mud—hoping the ones he used might actually be of use in the near future, rather than having them within reach on a bandolier for use when the need became obvious.
Yes, I by far preferred the first game's mechanics to the sequels, especially the combat.
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