Review Eurogamer complains about The Witcher - 7/10

[Oarfish]

Isn't The Witcher, at least the The Witcher shown in that review, exactly what the codex would consider half an RPG (maybe not any more)?

Only if you consider PS:T and the Ultimas 'half an RPG'.

"Common wisdom has it that any game in which your character earns experience and levels up accordingly can be tucked away under the RPG blanket. For me, that's only half right."

Yeah, it is only half right, but the other side is being able to choose actions according to the way your wish to play your character in a game world that reacts significantly to those decisions. Not playing dress up dolly and choosing the colour of your nostril hair. Its not a sandbox RPG, or a party RPG where background is cosmetic, its a story driven RPG with a forced character like the Ultimas, PST and Gothic.

Ultima 8 is probably a good reference point for the game - its an action RPG with the emphasis on the RPG. Combat is much better and there are no retarded jumping sections.

 

[mathboy]

I don't see why you compare PST to The Witcher (the one seen in the review). The Witcher is a game where you don't choose your profession, your character already has an alignment and a back story and he talks to characters on his own (sometimes). In PST you are a the nameless one, and you have a past, that you don't remember (and are able to affect in some ways, I think, long time since I played it), but you choose your class and your alignment is chosen affected by your actions and in the end, it's the Nameless One you wanted. Pretty much the same with Gothic. I sadly haven't played the Ultimas.

I would compare The Witcher more to the Final Fantasy games, where you are given a character and improve it a bit while playing, but in the end, it's the same character.

 

[Jasede]

Thanks.

 

[Oarfish]

PST you are a the nameless one, and you have a past, that you don't remember

Geralt has amnesia A bit of an overused plot device that.

As for choosing your profession, as far as I remember makes little difference to the story in PST what career path you choose, though stats do affect dialogue unlike The Witcher. I believe there are 3 alternative endings based on choices, but no alignment or karma system.

 

[vrok]

In PST you are a the nameless one, and you have a past, that you don't remember (and are able to affect in some ways, I think, long time since I played it), but you choose your class and your alignment is chosen affected by your actions and in the end, it's the Nameless One you wanted.

Actually, you don't "choose" class in PS:T. You're innately a fighter. You can however change class to level up in later, if you discover where and how. And do you really need the game to tell you that you're good or evil? You're making the choices, you should know better than the game.

Also, The Witcher is not a game about transparent good or evil. I haven't discovered a single "good" choice that only had positive consequences. Every single one I made had at least one negative. Much like the real world, evil in The Witcher is a question of perspective.

I would compare The Witcher more to the Final Fantasy games, where you are given a character and improve it a bit while playing, but in the end, it's the same character.

Though of course, this is because you haven't actually played the game.

 

[pug987]

I would compare The Witcher more to the Final Fantasy games, where you are given a character and improve it a bit while playing, but in the end, it's the same character.

That's very misleading and just wrong. In Final Fantasy games you don't controll anything at all about your character. Not their actions, not their decisions, not the way they level up. In the Witcher you get to make decisions. Not ones that form Geralt's personality but certainly ones that affect his character. Moreover, there are like 1 or 2 (or none) characters worth mentioning in all Final Fantasy games I've played (4,5,6,7,8,9,10,X-2). If you really feel that The Witcher doesn't give you controll over your character and absolutely have to compair it with another game you should compair it with Betrayal at Krondor. That one is also based on a series of books and you don't even get to chose your character's dialogue. Still I don't hear anyone complaining that BaK is not an rpg. In fact many people, me included, think it was one of the best rpgs ever created.

 

[mathboy]

Thank you for making me understand what's wrong with the review. And for making me want to play the game once I have a better computer.

"The Witcher" the review talks about doesn't seem to have much in common with the real one, and this should be what the criticism here is focused on, not trying to make fun of what the reviewer says that is correct, but doesn't apply to The Witcher.

And about the Final Fantasy comment, after reading the review, that is the kind of game The Witcher seemed to be, and it's great if it isn't like that.

 

[WalterKinde]

I can't wait to play this game.
It will be the first RPG i have bought since Oblivion,yes i believed the hype about that stinker and got it on release day.