The Witcher 2 Review Bonanza
The Witcher 2 Review Bonanza
Review - posted by VentilatorOfDoom on Mon 23 May 2011, 15:14:19
Tags: CD Projekt; The Witcher 2: Assassins of KingsSome reviews of The Witcher 2 are showing up on the net, here are some examples.
Elder Geek provide a video review and a buying recommendation.
Wired Controller were facing the daunting task to find words to describe just how excellent The Witcher 2 is, 9/10.
Last, and most certainly not least worth discussing is the moral decisions made within this game. This is how you do it, and anyone putting decisions and branching story paths in their games in the future needs to match this game’s vision and execution. The Witcher 2 always makes the choices you have to make grueling ones, and never has a good choice and an evil choice. These choices are just simply difficult to make and will catch players off guard to stop and think of the impact they can cause. This was the key component in this game that made me certain The Witcher 2 had accomplished a crowning achievement within the game world.
The Witcher 2 is not perfect, but I feel it’s as close as you can get. Games like this are rare and are the soul reason I keep playing games to this day. They immerse you, they invoke feelings, they challenge you, and above all entertain you like no other medium can. If you fancy yourself a gamer, then you need to go out and play this game.
Games Pundit score it 8/10.
The quests are well written, and pull you through beautifully drawn worlds, dealing with well designed enemies very difficult bosses. In fact, this game has some very difficult bosses, and not like Dragon Age’s bosses which get their difficulty from just math. These bosses actually force you to use specific tactics to defeat them, and their difficulty isn’t contrived, but based on response time and creativity. A Witcher who doesn’t use the environment is half a Witcher.
Still, as much as I love this game, it has some downsides that I’d like to bring to light. Parts of the game, specifically the side-quests, are incredibly repetitive. Consider the fist-combat, which is based on quick-time events. To finish a single area, you have to endure through roughly 5 minutes of the same fight animations being executed over and over again.
Dice poker, another mini-game with a series of related side-quests, is even more annoying, due to the fact that skill can only help so much in a luck-based game.
Several quests which I had every intention of completing were permanently failed for me when I accidentally progressed to far into the main story-line. Warnings from the game? RP-style warnings via dialogue, such as “We probably won’t be able to come back after this. . .”? Even the mercy of convenient auto-saves? The Witcher 2 has none of these.
Gameplay Monthly rate it A- realizing that The Witcher 2 is how a sequel should be done.
The Witcher 2 isn’t without its problems but they’re vastly overshadowed by everything the game does right. The main quest is short compared to other RPGs, lasting around 20 solid hours, but the experience is a thrill ride from beginning to end. Because there are two entirely exclusive paths that branch into their own unique parts coalescing into one of 16 unique endings, the replay value is high. You cannot see everything in the first play nor the second or arguably the third. Unlike some RPGs, there is no filler; The Witcher 2 is a full-course serving that will be remembered as a classic for years. For $50 you’re getting a real deal: this is PC roleplaying at its greatest. Take note, pretenders, because CDP Red shows how you make a real action-RPG.
Spotted at: Gamebanshee
Elder Geek provide a video review and a buying recommendation.
Wired Controller were facing the daunting task to find words to describe just how excellent The Witcher 2 is, 9/10.
Last, and most certainly not least worth discussing is the moral decisions made within this game. This is how you do it, and anyone putting decisions and branching story paths in their games in the future needs to match this game’s vision and execution. The Witcher 2 always makes the choices you have to make grueling ones, and never has a good choice and an evil choice. These choices are just simply difficult to make and will catch players off guard to stop and think of the impact they can cause. This was the key component in this game that made me certain The Witcher 2 had accomplished a crowning achievement within the game world.
The Witcher 2 is not perfect, but I feel it’s as close as you can get. Games like this are rare and are the soul reason I keep playing games to this day. They immerse you, they invoke feelings, they challenge you, and above all entertain you like no other medium can. If you fancy yourself a gamer, then you need to go out and play this game.
The quests are well written, and pull you through beautifully drawn worlds, dealing with well designed enemies very difficult bosses. In fact, this game has some very difficult bosses, and not like Dragon Age’s bosses which get their difficulty from just math. These bosses actually force you to use specific tactics to defeat them, and their difficulty isn’t contrived, but based on response time and creativity. A Witcher who doesn’t use the environment is half a Witcher.
Still, as much as I love this game, it has some downsides that I’d like to bring to light. Parts of the game, specifically the side-quests, are incredibly repetitive. Consider the fist-combat, which is based on quick-time events. To finish a single area, you have to endure through roughly 5 minutes of the same fight animations being executed over and over again.
Dice poker, another mini-game with a series of related side-quests, is even more annoying, due to the fact that skill can only help so much in a luck-based game.
Several quests which I had every intention of completing were permanently failed for me when I accidentally progressed to far into the main story-line. Warnings from the game? RP-style warnings via dialogue, such as “We probably won’t be able to come back after this. . .”? Even the mercy of convenient auto-saves? The Witcher 2 has none of these.
The Witcher 2 isn’t without its problems but they’re vastly overshadowed by everything the game does right. The main quest is short compared to other RPGs, lasting around 20 solid hours, but the experience is a thrill ride from beginning to end. Because there are two entirely exclusive paths that branch into their own unique parts coalescing into one of 16 unique endings, the replay value is high. You cannot see everything in the first play nor the second or arguably the third. Unlike some RPGs, there is no filler; The Witcher 2 is a full-course serving that will be remembered as a classic for years. For $50 you’re getting a real deal: this is PC roleplaying at its greatest. Take note, pretenders, because CDP Red shows how you make a real action-RPG.
