Last November I bought Skyrim on it's day of release. It was the only game I played all through the xmas period and into the new year. After numerous builds, saves, blogs and over 400 hrs of playtime I finally stepped back from Skyrim for a little break but found myself at a loss.
I didn't get to play the first Witcher game as it was a PC only title but heard great things from friends that did play it. So when I heard they were releasing it on Xbox I ran out and bought a copy.
You play Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher. Witchers are mysterious beings capable of using magic, swords and adept at creating a multitude of potions. The Witchers wander Temeria looking to tip the balance or bring peace to the realm. Some serve Kings others run wild causing havoc. One thing they are all famous for is Monster Slaying.
The game starts with Geralt being caught and imprisoned. The prologue of the game then starts as he is interrogated in his cell, jumping back into Geralts memory and playing through the events that lead to his incarceration.
My first impression of the game was that it had too complex a story for me to pick it up and get involved but you quickly get caught up and thrown into this crazy, adult, third person rpg adventure.
Geralt is an excellent main character and reminds me of Christopher Lambart in Highlander. Mean, moody, good with the ladies and the skills to kick some monster bottom. He's armed with two long swords. One a Silver Sword for monsters the other normal for Humans. Switching between becomes second nature as you recognise the different enemies and encounters. Fighting and completing quests leads to XP that levels up and unlocks a talent point to spend in the Witcher, Swordmanship, Alchemy and Magic development trees.
To start with the Witcher Tree is the only one open until you get some basic skills. Weapons and Armour can be crafted as well as found in the surrounding world or as rewards from quests. As you progress these items also can be upgraded with runes and oils for the blades and enhancements and throphies for the armour. The systems they provide is really simple and easy to use and I found I always had plenty of crafting items from gathering as I moved around.
The World of Temeria is a rich, vibrant and in some places purely fantastical place to run around. Highly detailed and large free roam areas surround all the towns. NPC's have a unique look,character and everything is voiced by actors with some extremely hilarious snippets. The language sometimes is rather crude but that only adds to the maturity of the game. Some one liners by your companions actually made me laugh out loud as they let loose a mouthful of abuse at a monster that got the better of them. The enemies are also very varied and unique. From cave dwelling humanoids called Nekkers to Harpys, Insectoids, Spirits and even a Dragon. All have individual fighting styles and tactics to defeat them efficiently.
The Combat is probably one of the best features, preparation is key and I recommend utilising the potions and oils. It does become a bit hack and slash but with the mix of magic, swords and the array of bombs, daggers and traps you can craft it can be quite frantic as you roll around dodging attacks and trying not to be surrounded. Later on you can unlock a feature were you can use a group finisher to instantly kill upto 3 ememies at once. These are animated kills and look brilliant, also if you stun an enemy you sometimes get a kill cam shot and blood spraying onto the screen. The fights are fast paced and if you don't use the right tactic you will die repeatedly.
I don't want to give to much away regarding the story as this is definately a game I recommend for all rpg players. But its not suitable for the younger audiences. One think that shocked me was the nude scenes with the various women Geralt charms. I haven't seen shots like that in a computer game before and for once it was refreshing to see it done a little bit more realistically in most cases lol.
Witcher 2 is a grown up romp of action, fantasy and magic and a must for all fans of RPG's and Skyrim. Two thumbs fresh for me 
You will love it refreshingly grown up.
