Jenkinz: Did any one notice that the discount on The Witcher 3 has increased?
It used to be stepped, depending on whether you owned both the previous games or just one of them.
Now it is 20% off regardless.
Any idea if this is because Witcher 1 is in the promo, or just a general relaxation of the requirements?
TL;DR
Should I get the Witcher 1 in this promo to secure the increased discount on the Witcher 3?
I see The Witcher 3 promo on the homepage as showing "10% off" by default. I own both Witcher games on GOG and so if I go to the promo page it does offer me 20% off for owning the other 2 games though.
From what I've seen both CDPR state as well as gamers who have played the games state, you can play The Witcher games individually and enjoy them even if you haven't played the previous games, however they do form a 3 part story that allegedly tracks the 3 Witcher novels the games are based upon and so if you're like me and enjoy the story elements of games and want to enjoy a whole story, you'll probably want to play all 3 of the games in-order as I do. I consider my gaming much like watching movies for example, so if someone hasn't seen or read any of the Lord of the Rings books/films, watching The Return of the King first will be enjoyable for sure, but it's like reading the last 1/3 of a book that tells a complete story.
Granted it may be a bit different for video games depending on the game etc. and also with individual tastes, but while I haven't completed any of The Witcher games I did try them out and have a fair number of hours of fun to realize these are fantastic epic games with rich storylines that are very immersive - for me anyway and I wouldn't want to miss out on any part of the story personally so I would recommend to anyone else to get all 3 games and play them in order for maximum immersion, maximum understanding of the story and characters etc.
If that sounds like an experience that matches your way of thinking then it's a great idea to get the first two games at the best prices you can find. You may want to pick them up on promo pricing while it's around, or perhaps surf the forums looking for active giveaways now or in the future where people are giving away game codes as both of those games were widely stockpiled if I remember correctly. If you do have them all you'll get the highest discount on the 3rd game of course, but if you don't want or wont play the first games and say... buy them just to get the discount on the 3rd, you might pay out the same amount as the discount countering it. :)
If you're still unsure how to decide though, I highly recommend going and watching all of The Witcher 1 and 2 trailers you can get your hands on on Youtube and/or the official game site. Personally I find any attempt to resist the games after watching the trailers impossible, but that's just me. ;o)
Hope this helps you make the decision soon to be Witcher! :)