The Powerwash/Witcher Combo

After finishing up all the available content for the fabulous Powerwash Simulator, I decided that it was finally time to check out the "next-gen" update to one of my faves, The Witcher 3.  Back in December, CD Projekt announced the release of a graphically revamped version.  Besides the updated graphics, they also promised a few other added goodies to draw players back into the massive world of The Witcher.  I've been spending some time with good ol' Geralt in an effort to see if all these new, improved features have actually changed much.

My new adventure didn't start off well as there were a slate of technical issues back when the update was first released.  I tried to turn on ray tracing and it immediately crashed to desktop (a common issue at the time).  After that, I decided that messing with the fancy graphics probably wasn't worth it and decided to wait awhile.  Several patches later and most of the performance issues seem to have been sorted out.  Honestly, I'm not really in it for the sparkly graphics updates, but the added and improved content.

What's new?

The new Valley of a Thousand Flowers armor set.

+ You can claim two bonus epic armor sets for Geralt.  Both sets are low-level and nicely fill the weird early game gap between leaving White Orchard and making progress through Velen.  My early level Geralts were always a bit scruffy between levels 5ish and level 11 when you can start crafting Witcher gear sets.  The new armor sets have a nice look--one is a black and white themed number while the other has a sort of samurai-style vibe.  It's a nice change to gearing up in the early game.

+FINALLY they have put a fast travel point in the actual keep part of Crow's Nest!  Here's the *but* though--it only appears after you've completed the main Velen storyline (which makes sense because of story reasons).  I would highly recommend knocking out the main story first to unlock the ability to use this very handy fast travel point.

+ Some changes to Gwent cards.  They've added a card for the best character, Roach!  Plus, there's also some updated artwork and a few changes to certain card abilities.  I haven't noticed a drastic difference in how the matches actually play out though, so it's nothing too crazy.

The new White Tiger of the West set.

+ There are ties to Netflix's The Witcher series (which, sadly, lost it's Henry Cavill, so I will no longer be watching).  I was pleasantly surprised when I was doing my location clearing sweep in Velen and discovered a new quest at the Devil's Pit.  This new side mission is a meaty one that offers up a dose of Church of the Eternal Fire wickedness and a new monster to fight.  The reward--potential designs for a Witcher Armor set inspired by the armor style from the Netflix series.  Of course, you have to wait until you can travel to Kaer Mohren to find the designs.

+ Photo mode!  Another FINALLY kind of thing!  I need to start grabbing some nice shots of Geralt because the lack of photo mode in the past has kept me from snapping pics.

If you haven't played The Witcher 3 in awhile, this update might be a great opportunity to start another epic adventure.

In other news, Powerwash Simulator released an update that offers up a few new bonus jobs as part of the "Muckingham Files."  There are three new locations to clean up--a massive satellite dish, a filthy food truck, and a strange solar installation.  They also released a roadmap for future development that indicates that there will be some paid DLC coming out at some point.  I'm extremely excited for the possibility of even more powerwashing!