This is included last as it's going to be a very divisive point. Understandably with a series that was first born in short stories, expanded into a string of novels and then games by way of an "inspired by" tie-in, there's a huge amount of backstory, character motivation and reason behind every part of The Continent itself. If Skyrim is Lord of the Rings with all its overblown spectacle-filled fantastical set-pieces, then The Witcher is Game of Thrones, where you need to pay attention to which lord is mounting an offensive in which direction, who's screwing over who and what it all means for you taking it all in. The game opens with a pre-rendered cutscene that goes back over the major events of both Geralt and the world's life, and there are many things you can infer from the scenes with Ciri and her training to be the first female Witcher afterwards - but aside from that the game just buckles under its own weight. There are so many references to towns, cities, Kings, nobleman and past characters all with a stake in where the story is heading, that if you haven't taken the time out to previously familiarise yourself with the difference between something like the Confluence of Spheres and what a Source is, you'll be left totally confused. Slightly misguided is a scene where you can retcon the events of the previous game through dialogue options, Mass Effect 2-style - but without the appropriate backstory or prompt to read up on what you're committing to through an in-game database available at the time, you're essentially flying blind. How are you finding The Witcher 3? Let us know in the comments if it lives up to the hype, which problems you have - or if none of the above has bothered you at all!
