The next mega-blockbuster RPG of the year, Witcher 2, will be out on 17th May.
I tried the first one for a while, but the ageing Neverwinter Nights engine was distracting me too much (modified or not). I kind of dig the combat and the story though.
GOG is selling it at USD 44.90 and am bundling with a free older RPG game from their library.
Anyone looking forward to it? Do you think it would be a good game?
I bought it off Steam yesterday - hoping they preload it before the 17th. I finished the first game (it was very buggy initially - mostly resulting in slow loads, but patches fixed that) and thought it was awesome. I’m very much looking forward to this one.
It’ll be this and LA Noire for the next few weeks…
Ach. I never finished The Witcher 1. I’ll be behind the curve on this one. Also, I haven’t finished New Vegas or Dragon Age 2. When the hell did studying start taking such a toll on my video game playing?
I love the world and such, and the new game looks like it’ll be amazing, but I just loathe the action RPG combat. Tried Witcher 1 for a bit and got to chapter 3 or something like that but just couldn’t get into it when every time combat started I sighed or groaned about it like it was some sort of chore. I envy those who like this sort of stuff, I really do. 
It took me about 4 attempts to complete The Witcher. I always got bored when I got to the swamp (Chapter 2?). I finally completed it a couple of weeks ago and was in love by the end. It’s one of those games where, if you can ignoring the mechanical flaws, you become completely absorbed in the story. I kept expecting something to happen to destroy the immersion but it never did. All the consequences of my choices flowed naturally to an awesome conclusion.
I appreciate that they’ve completely remade the combat system. I’m sure a lot of people will like it but I prefer a slower tactical approach in my RPGs. I also dislike the potion changes.
If the storyline is up to the same standards then I’ll endeavour to endure the poor mechanics. I’m also looking forward to importing my savegame and seeing my relations carry over to the new game.
I might not buy it on release day for I have a lot of games to play through at the moment but it’s definitely next on my list.
The Witcher 1 SPOILERS follow.
[spoiler]I wonder:
Will Triss end up being an enemy? The sorceresses seem to want to influence the people in power. I’m not convinced their intentions are good. Obviously she’s keeping secrets from Geralt (who isn’t?) but there might be a good reason for that.
Just what the hell happened to Geralt to make him come back from the dead? I read every book and journal entry and they never elaborated on it. Was he risen for some evil purpose? Is Geralt just a pawn in a long laid plan by some unknown villain?
Who was the assassin at the end of The Witcher? Was it another witcher or a normal assassin with witcher-like equipment?
Did Geralt earn further appreciation after saving the king’s life or is the king suspicious of all witchers due to the appearance of the assassin?
Can I actually form a proper relationship this time? I was in a seemingly serious relationship with Shani yet still Geralt was letching over all the women. It’s a bloody good thing he’s sterile. I’m not one of those people that demand relationships in RPG games but it was the one time it felt like the consequences didn’t match my actions.
I really enjoyed the fact that despite all the subterfuge, lies and treachery there was always someone Geralt could talk to and relax around. I refer to Zoltan, Shani and Dandelion. I wonder if that’ll carry over or if something will happen to destroy the trust and/or friendships. It’s the kind of game where I wouldn’t be surprised if any of them turned on me. Shani seems a little ignorant and judgemental, Zoltan is a drunk and gambler and Dandelion seems to be following me around constantly. Still, as it stands, I love all three.
[/spoiler]
The combat has been rewamped. You might want to make another go of it, Arrogance Ex Machina, at least when it hits the disocunt bin.
I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve had it on pre-order on steam since it was possible to pre-order it. (Which I kind of regret, since they’re offering it DRM-free on GoG and I’d like to support that. Because GoG are cool like that.)
On that GoG-are-awesome note, a special note for our Australian readership: GoG has definitely not done you a huge favour and put themselves up for liability vis-à-vis your brutal video game censorship system.
Via rockpapershotgun:
For only the second time in the past 4 years I ordered the collectors edition of the game. Couldn’t pass up all the geek gear in there.
Also pre-ordered from gog.com (You can pre-download the game form the now). Going to kepe the geek gear, and give the discs to a friend, and use the gog.com verison to play.
The game looks to be the best looking RPG ever! And the story, and the mature, gritty world looke fully realized.
Can’t wait.
Some new trailers:
Launch:
“Hope” - this one gave me goosebumps
Another cool one:
http://www.g4tv.com/videos/52929/the-witcher-2-how-to-kill-a-witcher-trailer/?quality=hd
I think this game is what everyone was expecting Dragon Age 2 to be.
It’s hilarious that CDProject, a tiny studio compared to Bioware can put out so much awesome.
So, anyone play this yet?
I am downloading it at home (I am at work) so won’t get to it till tonight. Just curious about first impressions.
I was trying to finish the original Witcher but suspect I still have 20+ hours of gaming left on that to finish it. Not sure if I will hold off on Witcher 2 so I can import my game from Witcher 1 (as I understand it some choices made in #1 will affect the story in #2 but not sure if it amounts to much of anything).
I’m in the same boat.
It’s waiting for me at home. I got the ridiculous over the top collector’s edition too, with extra geek gear. Dice, playing cards, a bust of Geralt, art book, etc.
I wanted to display the bust proudly on our living room table, but the wife nixed that idea!
I’m thinking on top of the toilet now. It would add an air of class to the bathroom.
AND I’m also not done playing through the Witcher. I originally made it up to the swamp area way back when, but I lost that save. I started playign it again over the weekend, thinking I could marathon it. But no. I’m just to the first city, probably with tens of hours to play.
I think I’ll go through the first intro section of Witcher 2 to get a taste, then go back and finish the witcher one, walk through in hand in order to speed things up.
So far only a few outlets have reviewed the game. Bit-Tech gave it a 9.5 and a couple of eastern European publications rated it a 8.5-9.0.
Random internet people’s impressions are that the game looks fantastic - best looking RPG this generation - and that the story is interesting, and the combat MUCH improved from the original.
I’m waiting to pick up my limited edition at the shop.
If I had gotten it through GOG, I’ll be playing it right now. But for preorders, you can get the boxed limited edition at standard price, so I went for that.
(I do sound like a raving fanboy now, don’t I?)
Well, are you going to put your bust on the toilet too?
I’m having a touch of frothing rage right now. I spent the last twenty minutes before I had to go to work trying to get Steam to download the damn thing and only getting “Steam Servers are Busy” messages. So defeated, I went to work and logged in to my home computer via remote desktop and put it to download. Thinking myself clever, I spent the rest of my day [del]slacking off[/del] productively, safe in the knowledge that the Witcher 2 would be ready for me when I got back.
Oh, if I had remembered to turn off Windows Auto Update, that is.
DAMN YOU, MICROSOFT!
… 34% done … sigh
Games radar gave it a perfect score:
Truly a labor of love, this amazing sequel fortifies the foundations laid down by a flawed cl@ssic and creates a brilliant masterpiece. Visceral combat, dizzying player customization and a truly immersive story all come together to create one of the best role-playing experiences of the year.
You’ll love:
Beautifully realized world
Unapologetically mature tone
Difficult decisions that actually have consequences
You’ll hate:
Optimization isn’t the greatest
The rapid deterioration of your social life
You don’t have a gaming PC
Is it better than…
The Witcher?Yes. While the original game offered a truly fantastic RPG experience, there were just too many problems bogging it down for The Witcher to be considered a ****c. The Witcher 2 takes all of the foundations laid out by the original and improves upon them tenfold.
Dragon Age II?Hell yes. Whereas both games streamlined their role playing elements, Dragon Age II committed a mortal RPG sin: it ditched both player customization and challenging strategic combat for reasons I’m not entirely sure of. The game’s focus on framed narrative also butchered any type of plot cohesion and made Hawke’s epic tale seem more like three bite-sized stories. Likewise, Dragon Age II recycled more than the whole of Green Peace.
Mass Effect 2?No… but they’re basically equal. Witcher 2 wins outin terms of moral dilemmas. Whereas Commander Shepard runs into a handful of ethical conundrums that force you to pause the game and seriously consider your next course of action, Geralt has droves. The utter ambiguity of The Witcher 2’s world forces players to frequently choose between the lesser of two evils as opposed to simply deciding whether you want to be “right” or “wrong.” Mass Effect 2 is an utterly fantastic game, but it still suffers from a mild case of “donate to the orphanage or burn the **** to the ground” syndrome.
I’m running into the “must play in windowed mode” issue. Which is sucking hard.
Graphics, BTW are DEFINITELY better than on any RPG I’ve ever played. And I’ve played them all.
The bokeh depth of field is amazing in cutscenes, and the game overall looks like the best in-engine pre-rendered cutscenes you’ve ever seen in any game.
I have been playing it for 3 hours, and just out of the prologue and the jail. The game on Normal is hard; you have to mix up your sword blows and signs to get through the fights, and the enemies don’t pull punches. The game gives you all the ‘spells’ you need from the beginning, so there’s no hand-holding.
The fights so far have been challenging and interesting.
And oh, I think I’ll love fist-fights. The way they are executed is brilliant.
Indeed it is hard. I have had my ass handed to me numerous times now.
In one case, a boss fight, I faced four normal soldiers (not too hard if just those four), two more heavily armored knights (or whatever…one carried a shield, another in plate) and one boss knight who was devastating.
After a few tries I loaded an earlier save and buffed with potions and whatever I could (you cannot use potions while in combat so no gupling healing potions…you need to do your buffs prior to combat which usually means dying before you figure what you need). I still got walloped.
The uber-knight alone would be very difficult in a sword fight (he can end you in seconds). When you get ganged up on even four “normal” soldiers can cause some trouble. All together it was impossible.
I ended up doing a Benny Hill around the courtyard throwing fire spells and slowly whittled them down. Not elegant but not sure how else to have managed it.
The problem is I have occasionally pulled off some really cool moves (in one case used the spell to push someone away and then in slow motion I was jumping through the air and skewered the bad guy mid-leap). I have had a few other such occurrences. Some even less grand but still cool spin moves to get people behind me. Thing is I have no idea how to make it happen on command. They just sort of happen to me sometimes.
Also, the heavy/slow swing seems reaaaaally slow. Judging the timing and distance it is difficult to land a heavy blow without the other guy just moving out of the way or hunkering down and guarding against it (or taking the opportunity to skewer you).
Overall I am liking it and it makes any fight one to worry about. Few things are “easy” (Drowners are still easy 1v1). Just I am not big on fight games where it become “hit Q, roll, left click, e in 0.5 seconds” to make something cool happen. I will say some things are fun and can be pulled off in combat with a bit of maneuvering:
Maneuver an opponent to the edge of a cliff or wall and cast the spell to push them back…they go flying off cliff/wall. Very satisfying 
As for the fist fighting I like the old way better (Witcher 1). This is certainly more cinematic but it is a twitch game. See a letter flash on the screen and try to mash it before it disappears (which can be pretty long to near instantly).
Also find the dice game a bit lacking. The new dice design are cooler but harder to read and nothing is telling you what you got. You can also roll dice off the board.
I will say this is the best looking RPG I have ever seen. Bar none. I have a good rig and am running everything on “High” and it looks fantastic (I have not tried Ultra High but suspect that would kill my machine). No noticeable lag whatsoever. Cloth looks like cloth, leather like leather, wood like wood, stone like stone and so on. Indeed cloth you can see the weave and it bends and adjusts as you would expect real cloth to do. While the characters are computer characters they have avoided the Uncanny Valley for the most part. Variety is everywhere. Re-used textures seem hard to find (e.g. a wall that is one texture repeated 10,000 times…for instance the castle walls look like different stone was used at various parts of construction).
There are many times I will stop and look in awe at vistas like this one (and I have seen even cooler…the trebuchets are seriously awesome to see in the fog and then up close).
I really like that it is an adult game. No pulling punches to appeal to a broader audience. Nudity is nudity…not a bit of side-boob (Triss is hotter than ever…not a spoiler…you’ll see guaranteed). Foul language can be really foul:
When wandering the prison there is one door you can “peek” through and the guy on the other side launches into a non-stop stream of profanity.
None of it seems gratuitous though.
The developers really put a lot of time and effort into every little detail on this thing. The world is very immersive and makes you want to explore.
Overall I very much recommend this game to anyone who likes RPGs.
I’ll also mention one other annoyance. Picking up loot is a bit of a hassle. You have to position yourself carefully to get the popup to grab stuff. It is a minor point but the only one that really niggles at me (since it happens constantly).
The combat is still pretty hard on easy once you get to Floatsam. I keep getting curb stomped by small groups of monsters.
Geralt sure takes his sweet ass time drawing his sword. No hurry it’s not like monsters are TRYING TO GNAW YOUR FACE OFF!. Where the hell are my supposed allies? Oh right getting drunk at the pub.
The invisible barriers are really freaking annoying. Trying to use ladders or jump down requires you to be pixel perfect. It’s 2011, is there no better way of doing things?
Some reading I did suggested the Quen spell (shield) is the way to go in fights. Many are claiming it is THE key to victory most times.
I have not used it in Witcher 2 yet but in Witcher 1 it would cease to work as soon as you attacked. Not sure how it works here and it does seem it still requires skill to know when to cast and when and how to attack but again, I have seen lots of complaints about the difficulty and Quen seems to be the default solution for most.
As for invisible barriers? What invisible barriers? I have had no problem navigating and getting in position to climb or jump down has not been a problem. You cannot run off an edge to your death so just run right to the edge and the popup to climb/jump appears.
As for Geralt drawing the sword it is annoying. Sometimes he auto-draws and I have pressed the button to draw which means he sheaths it. Once, due to the lag in button press and animation, I drew/sheathed/drew/sheathed/drew/sheathed/died (I was getting pounded the whole time). That definitely sucked.
