Witcher 2 'leaked' video

[Slowtrain]

I think the voiceactors themselves seem fairly competent actually, but it feels like they've gotten little to no direction. It often seems like the actors have not gotten information on the nature of the conversations, it often feels very disjointed like the actors don't have a clue what they're acting against so to speak.

 

 

I agree with this, and I think it is a problem in a lot of games. Oblivion seemed to suffer from this horribly, making already badly written dialogue even worse.

[Tigranes]

http://gamecorner.pl/gamecorner/1,86013,77...em_autorow.html

 

20 minutes gameplay. Looks like the first part of the game.

 

Graphics look purty enough to me, lots of bloom but not too bad, not as bad as Risen. The faces are a bit odd and animations are poor, though, Geralt looks... weird, and the sorceress chick looks plastic, like that Miranda chick in ME2 (judging by screens anyway).

 

Combat looks like Witcher 1 but flashier, with more vibrantly coloured slashes and more outrageous animations - lots of kung-fu leaping going on. Which, together with enemies moving around, means Geralt hits invisible walls while jumping and the whole thing looks a bit ridiculous. I don't know why they felt the need to inject extra EXTREME to the moves, compared to the supposed motion capture of a real swordsmaster for the first one this is comical. Still, it remains Witcher combat in the core.

 

Dialogue & voice acting seem fine enough, English translation is written pretty well. Looks like it's going to be an interesting RPG like last time round.

[Niten_Ryu]

Characters look weird. Original Witcher had great art direction and characters did look great for available polycount. Adam Badowski seem to be in Witcher 2 (not as art director but project lead? ) but couldn't find if original lead character artist Marian Chomiak is still in.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Characters look weird. Original Witcher had great art direction and characters did look great for available polycount. Adam Badowski seem to be in Witcher 2 (not as art director but project lead? ) but couldn't find if original lead character artist Marian Chomiak is still in.

 

As far as I understand from the information available on The Witcher's forums, a programmer actually said they had to redo the faces from scratch from 2 reasons :

1) the new facial animation system

2) they didn't seem good enough compared to the more proportioned new characters' faces.

 

Also, they're not final, Geralt face's textures are pretty much a placeholder and they're still thinking about giving the possibility of changin' Geralt's hairdo.

 

This is what the developers are striving for when designing Geralt's in-game face.

[Slowtrain]

[This is what the developers are striving for when designing Geralt's in-game face.

 

 

That looks a lot more like Geralt from Witcher 1 than the current Geralt.

 

The current Geralt looks like a GI joe face. Or something.

[Gfted1]

Is Geralt not human? Whats with the feline pupils?

[Slowtrain]

Is Geralt not human? Whats with the feline pupils?

 

 

Its a result of the Witcher's mutation process. In addition to physical trainign they are subjected to a course of drugs and herbs that cause physiological changes. Many potential Witcher's die during the regimen. Those who survive often ended up with obvious physical mutations.

 

 

At least that's what I gleaned from the first game. I never read Sapkowski's books.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Extremely interesting interview about The Witcher 2.

New info inside.

[Morgoth]

If they can overcome the mediocre writing and make more memorable characters, this might become one of the big RPGs of 2011.

 

Most likely though it will be utterly destroyed by DA2, which will also come out around the same time.

 

But I'm gonna buy both anyway.

[WorstUsernameEver]

If they can overcome the mediocre writing and make more memorable characters, this might become one of the big RPGs of 2011.

 

Most likely though it will be utterly destroyed by DA2, which will also come out around the same time.

 

But I'm gonna buy both anyway.

 

Mediocre writing? Granted, there were some groaners here and there and the translation was bad but I still find it superior to pretty much everything else on the rpg market except Bioware and Obsidian (not that there is much competition, but still..).

Edited April 22, 2010 by WorstUsernameEver

[HoonDing]

Mediocre writing = mediocre localization.

[Morgoth]

Mediocre writing = mediocre localization.

I disagree. A game with mediocre writing (a'la Bioware) but excellent localization can still "fake" an excellent cast.

[Orogun01]

Mediocre writing = mediocre localization.

I disagree. A game with mediocre writing (a'la Bioware) but excellent localization can still "fake" an excellent cast.

I disagree with your disagreeing. The Witcher doesn't focus on companions like Bio's games, I'm currently replaying the game and not one character has any depth. Although when you put them next to Geralt they look like the deep ocean blue.

[Tigranes]

I fart on your disagreeing with your disagreeing, good sir.

 

The Witcher had pretty good writing. Even in its first iteration when a lot of the dialogue was snipped for the English version, apart from odd bits where it seemed abrupt, the writing did its part and did its job, with moments of great stuff. With the Enhanced Edition it got better, too.

[Orogun01]

I fart on your disagreeing with your disagreeing, good sir.

 

The Witcher had pretty good writing. Even in its first iteration when a lot of the dialogue was snipped for the English version, apart from odd bits where it seemed abrupt, the writing did its part and did its job, with moments of great stuff. With the Enhanced Edition it got better, too.

I put a cork on your farting on my disagreeing.

 

The Witcher's writing shines on its environment and not on their character's, specially Geralt whom is the one that the great majority of interactions occur with. I'm hoping that in this game they can at least give Geralt an emotional range. The guy uses the same tone of voice and facial expression to express: love, anger, sorrow, joy. The rest of the characters ;while having some depth, are treated only on the surface. Even the ones you are supposed to have a connection with.

 

Basically, my whole view on the game is as the game itself is, bleak, grey and shallow. I have no opinion either negative or positive of any of the characters. They are only as interesting as the circumstances surrounding them are. E.G. Abigail the witch; boring. Abigail the witch about to be burn by the whole village; spark of interest.

[HoonDing]

Do yourself a favour and get the EE, which allows the game to be played with Polish voice-over & English subtitles. English voice-over of the Witcher is crap.

[Meshugger]

Do yourself a favour and get the EE, which allows the game to be played with Polish voice-over & English subtitles. English voice-over of the Witcher is crap.

 

Exactomundo. That's pretty much what i did. With polish VO, the game did get a certain exotic vibe to it, and not just by a "lulz, that's not english"-kind of way either. Did wonders in terms of atmosphere.

[Gorgon]

If they can overcome the mediocre writing and make more memorable characters, this might become one of the big RPGs of 2011.

 

Most likely though it will be utterly destroyed by DA2, which will also come out around the same time.

 

But I'm gonna buy both anyway.

I dunno, is DA still going to be popular by then. The addon by all acconts wasn't that good. Hell the OC had lots of problems.

 

I'm not sure I would buy DA2 at least not untill I had gotten a few opinions.

[Orogun01]

Actually I have the EE. I haven't given the Polish a try but the rest of the VO sound the same, emotionless.

[Tigranes]

Basically, my whole view on the game is as the game itself is, bleak, grey and shallow. I have no opinion either negative or positive of any of the characters.

 

Funnily enough, that's how I like it, actually. The entire game should be bleak and grey. I'm just afraid that if they try to make it more 'cinematic' and add more emotion and depth to characters they'll end up disneyfying everything. i.e. Do we really need to see Abigail or Triss break down and cry and tell sap stories about their past in TW2? I know that's not what you mean, but I'm just afraid of it being handled badly.

[Gorth]

Basically, my whole view on the game is as the game itself is, bleak, grey and shallow. I have no opinion either negative or positive of any of the characters.

 

Funnily enough, that's how I like it, actually. The entire game should be bleak and grey. I'm just afraid that if they try to make it more 'cinematic' and add more emotion and depth to characters they'll end up disneyfying everything. i.e. Do we really need to see Abigail or Triss break down and cry and tell sap stories about their past in TW2? I know that's not what you mean, but I'm just afraid of it being handled badly.

 

The last thing the world needs is an emo Geralt

[Orogun01]

Funnily enough, that's how I like it, actually. The entire game should be bleak and grey. I'm just afraid that if they try to make it more 'cinematic' and add more emotion and depth to characters they'll end up disneyfying everything. i.e. Do we really need to see Abigail or Triss break down and cry and tell sap stories about their past in TW2? I know that's not what you mean, but I'm just afraid of it being handled badly.

I agree with you, that is part of what creates the unique environment that sets the Witcher's storytelling apart from all the "Hollywood-esque" games that play to stereotypes and known formulas. But there are moments when the story demands some emotion, E.G: romancing Trish/Shani. Even the dialog choices that actually do emotion; like laughter, sound the same as every other word that comes out Geralt's mouth. Is like hearing HAL go through the script.

 

They don't need to go overboard and do a tearjerker moment, just do the emotions as they fit the situation.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Funnily enough, that's how I like it, actually. The entire game should be bleak and grey. I'm just afraid that if they try to make it more 'cinematic' and add more emotion and depth to characters they'll end up disneyfying everything. i.e. Do we really need to see Abigail or Triss break down and cry and tell sap stories about their past in TW2? I know that's not what you mean, but I'm just afraid of it being handled badly.

I agree with you, that is part of what creates the unique environment that sets the Witcher's storytelling apart from all the "Hollywood-esque" games that play to stereotypes and known formulas. But there are moments when the story demands some emotion, E.G: romancing Trish/Shani. Even the dialog choices that actually do emotion; like laughter, sound the same as every other word that comes out Geralt's mouth. Is like hearing HAL go through the script.

 

They don't need to go overboard and do a tearjerker moment, just do the emotions as they fit the situation.

 

I haven't read the books, but from what I've seen from the forums, the reception and the general attitude of the developers it seems it was intended to be like that, basically Geralt is as inexpressive as a man (a witcher?) can be.

Though, the polish voice acting is a little bit more varied, may be because I don't understand polish though.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Summary of a polish preview.

[HoonDing]

Flashback images, that tie in the plot's current events with the future and the past, will now be actual in-game cutscenes, rendered in realtime and answering many of the questions from Geralt's past. Devs didn't say if Yennefer and Ciri will show up (they were pretty enigmatic about the lore characters).

Hype-o-meter rising.