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
Oh and I didnt play the first one either and it didnt impact my enjoyment of this one. They actually do a nice summary at the start. The opening vid on the game is prob one of the best sequences I have seen in a long time. Very impressive. I cant imagine how good it will look on your pc man v jealous
okies I have the author right cause the blurb on the back says that Geralt is the main character,
and no it's only on pc and xbox though they are thinking about porting it
Witcher 2
Just read this charlie I think its in the lap of the gods at the min http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-14-will-there-be-a-ps3-version-of-the-witcher-2
Good review Guy
I played it on the PC when it came out last year. Let me say to Ponty, or any other PC users, that it is very, very graphic intensive, it will literally make your graphic card scream in pain if it isn't high end. So keep that in mind.
OK, what I liked
What was not so good or needs to borne in mind
But all-in-all, I had a terrific time with The Witcher 2. It was a really fun and exciting romp that I got through in about 20-25 hours.
Oh, and you don't need to have played The Witcher 1 to enjoy this game
Which path did you take Paul? and have you played both paths? I went Scoia'tel my first playthrough and plan on starting another with Roche's path. I believe you're in a completly different area throughout Act II, which encourages replay value. There's alot of replay value in different choices you make, most likely 'cut scenes' wise.
Not sure if the final ending will always be different though. I've been talking with Guy about this game and we completly did opposite endings, but the finale (after you deal with Letho) was the same.
I'm playing this right now on PC, I had it for a while already but I first wanted to finally finish my playthrough of the Witcher 1 to import my save games, to keep my legacy alive in a manner of saying. They're based on books from a Polish writer, and it's made my Polish developers, they really earned my respect, too bad that only 1 of the novels is translated.