Witcher 1 is the best in its RPG mechanics - it really forces you to play and think like a Witcher ought to - there are problems, in the sense some skills are more "dominant" than others, but still its the better system of the 3 games
The combat is unfortunately a poor rhythm game - but the alchemy system is pretty sweet
The game has beautiful music, art direction and rich atmosphere
The writing is enjoyable and IMO the story is for the most part on par with "The Last Wish" (i.e., the best Witcher book) - the ending is particularly brilliant in its use of the medium's unique strengths, however alot was cut so unfortunately it doesn't reach its full potential
Finally between 1/2 and 2/3 of the Quests are boring fetch and backtracking nonsense
This last aspect could've been alleviated if the maps these quests take place in had a few shortcuts between the various paths - though visually, all maps are a masterstroke of virtual Worldbuilding
I know this is an unpopular opinion for more hardcore fans but honestly 1 is a game that deserves a QUALITY remake
Witcher 2 is in a weird transition spot from 1 to 3, so most of its gameplay systems suffer alot
The combat is quite a janky copy of Demon's Souls, with some fucked hitboxes/hurtboxes and too punishing back damage - not a good combo
Most systems were streamlined - alchemy included, which can now only be consumed during meditation - magic has balancing issues - there's a fair bit of QTE's for some reason
The music, artwork and atmosphere are IMO still pretty solid - but they have a very distinct tone from both 1 and 3, which why this aspect (and the game in general) is polarizing among fans
It all stems from the plot - 2 is less about Geralt facing up some kind of fairytale monster or moral dilemma with a spice of edgy 90's subversion, and more about Geralt unwittingly changing the political landscape because for some reason kings seem to like using him as their errand boy
Some people don't like this because they feel it's moving to much away from the core of the series
But honestly I think the writing and plot of 2 are superb - the political and worldbuilding tangles are handled magnifically and CDPR haven't shown the same level of talent since
The Quests range from fairly enjoyable to great - and overall it isn't too long a game
Each level is expansive, distinct and very well designed.
Finally the branching plot progression is some of the best executed in a videogame and choices have long term impacts - this naturally makes it a highly replayble package
Witcher 3 is the final stage of its evolution from middle market game to AAA blockbuster
The combat doesn't have the jank of 2, nor the repetitiveness of 1, but unless you mod it there's nothing here in the way of depth or even challenge (number bloat doesn't count)
The systems have been further streamlined to the point even a nutless monkey could understand and abuse them (still your casual player complains about the "demands" of the alchemy system) - character development mechanics are a joke - magic is wildly inbalanced - there's now level scalling worse than Skyrim
Music and art are slightly weaker compared to the other titles - atmosphere though, is a poor copy of 1
The writing is mostly decent with a few highlights - but this game is clearly leaning more toward "The Sword of Destiny" book, meaning instead of being about Geralt's cool adventures, it is now primarily about Geralt's soap opera relationships and personal issues
The plot is mediocre - your average "save the world" bundle of clichés, but mixed with biowaresque emotional engagement garbage (choose your waifu and connect with your daugther or be miserable)
Though IMO the worst of all is that the cool, complex political intrigues established by 2 get extremely simplified and retarded and it all ends with the same impact as a fart in the wind (probably to make sure your idiot audience can understand what's happening, give them easy villains, simple pay-offs and also because writing to acomodate all of 2's possible variables would be too hard)
The Quests are very samey, with only a handful standing out - in general they might not get as "bad" as 1, but at the same time they are neither particularly engaging or memorable
The world design is nice, with some cool looking vistas and comfy little spots, but overall it's mediocre on exploration
