Witcher2

[BobSmith101]

I see it's being released for the 360 next month. I've got one, but it's not connected to the net so I'd like to know a few things.

 

1. How buggy is likely to be ?

2. Is it a good RPG ? I don't mind pre-gen characters but I want what I do in the game to matter.

3. What is the combat like ?

 

Thanks.

[Gorth]

I see it's being released for the 360 next month. I've got one, but it's not connected to the net so I'd like to know a few things.

 

1. How buggy is likely to be ?

2. Is it a good RPG ? I don't mind pre-gen characters but I want what I do in the game to matter.

3. What is the combat like ?

 

Thanks.

1. On release, the PC version was crappy. Couldn't start the game because the font size on larger resolutions made the play button unselectable.

2. No idea. Gave up after yet another QTE and constant button mashing. Lacked the special atmosphere of it's predecessor. User interface is horrible. Cold, ugly, sterile and unpleasant to use.

3. Boring action intermingled with QTE's. Corridor shooters has nothing on its linearity.

 

Just my 0.25 of course and I'm fairly sure there is a large number of people who likes that kind of game. I found the first one infinitely more fun though. Uninstalled W2 after some hours play and wrote it off as a loss of money.

 

[Gorgon]

it's not THAT bad. And theres lots of naked chicks.

[Tigranes]

Now, now, Gorth. That's pretty partial.

 

1. All things considered it's not a game where you're likely to come across game-breaking bugs. It's an extremely polished game and suffers from very few major hiccups compared to most other RPGs.

2. You do make choices and they do have consequences. Let's see... in one sense, there's a lot of C&C: the entire game branches into two after Chapter 1, then you have two very different Chapter 2's. Within those different Chapter 2's you also make some major decisions, etc. However, it is also quite a 'cinematic' experience and that does palce limits on the kinds of things you can affect. Nevertheless, I'd say what you do matters.

3. Here it's really a matter of opinion. It is 'actiony' and is primarily aimed to recreate the actual experience of swordfighting. Other than that, see for yourself...

 

That said, you really should play it for the PC, if you've got a good machine. It's pretty much one of the best-looking PC games around, period, and is likely to undergo some heavy nerfing to make it work on the aging console.

[HoonDing]

Pretty much what Gorth said.

 

It's a competently made, great looking game, but incredibly boring. Takes itself way too seriously (which shouldn't be a surprise, considering how full of themselves the CDPR devs are).

Edited March 13, 2012 by virumor

[sorophx]

it's a decent RPG, but no the best of the last couple of years, that's for sure. it's better than Dragon Age 2 though as far as I can tell (haven't really played any of the two from start to finish, just put around 10 hours into each).

[Nepenthe]

I wouldn't day1 it for the xbox, as Tigs points out above it takes pretty heavy advantage of newest PC tech and the studio has 0 console releases to their name. Sounds like a recipe for massive performance issues, if I ever heard one.

[Lexx]

Loved Witcher 2, will make a new replay as soon as the pc patch with the new content is out.

[Orogun01]

Consolized combat mechanics which won't be a problems since you are getting it for the 360, same thing with the interface issue. Although if they haven't done anything about the inventory you won't be able to mod it (PC master race!)

Great C&Q and writing, though its not a game for everyone its a very well done game.

[Malcador]

Didn't get many bugs in my playthrough, or at least any I really remember (even in a funny way, like ME1 when I somehow slid backward through the world during the Matriarch fight). Combat wasn't too bad, for me, when fighting mooks, I wish they'd somehow put the stances in. The boss fights (especially the last one) I wasn't too taken with but it's just a matter of rotations. \

 

As for it being a good RPG, I had fun playing it and the branching over Act 2 was well done. I'd wait to see how the console port turns out, but recommend the game.

[Zoraptor]

I see it's being released for the 360 next month. I've got one, but it's not connected to the net so I'd like to know a few things.

 

1. How buggy is likely to be ?

If it's like the PC release it will most likely be 'glitchy' rather than genuinely buggy. As noted previously, it is their first game for console though certification ought to catch major potential issues. Might be a good idea to wait if you'd have problems patching.

 

2. Is it a good RPG ? I don't mind pre-gen characters but I want what I do in the game to matter.

Hmm. Relative to something like traditional D&D there isn't a whole lot of character differentiation based on 'class'- you can develop as a fighter, a thief/ alchemist or a fighter/ mage, in effect, or a combination of those, with specialisation ultimately being rewarded. In terms of in game Choices and Consequences it's a bout as good as it is possible to get with a fixed storyline. It's also nowhere near as linear as Gorth makes it out to be, though nowhere near as free form as something like Chapter 2-3 in the original game either- more KOTOR as opposed to BG1, I guess.

 

3. What is the combat like ?

It's what we'd call 'consoley'. Not a button masher though, in fact that's probably why a lot of people had trouble with it as button mashing is a recipe for disaster- I'd compare it to something like Batman: AA mechanistically. It certainly does have some obnoxious QTEs, though this is perhaps because the PCGMR aren't used to them.

[Nonek]

I enjoyed it immensely, rather Chaucerish romp.

 

1. Probably be as buggy as hell on first release, however they're very good with support.

2. You have a profound effect on the world around you, eye of the storm and all that hokum.

3. Combat's basically arkham asylum with swords once you're good at it but with a touch more emphasis on preparation and winning before you've started.

[Humanoid]

If the game had been released a decade ago (identical except with graphics of that era) I probably would have ignored it. Now though, it's probably my call for best CRPG of the millennium (slightly misleading because of the length of the millennium this far), and best 3D CRPG ever. My tastes have drifted a lot, and instead of the micromanagement-obsessed, more-is-better gamer trying to collect the largest, most optimal party possible, I look for more personal experiences. Nowadays I want a game where I still need to think, but not analyse. Where I can find, but not search. Fight but not strategise.

 

 

Yes, I'd prefer it with (at times significantly) less combat. Yes I'd prefer to be able to sit back at times instead of trying to anticipate a future QTE. Yes I'd prefer a more condensed UI. But put against its competition as a package, I'd take it over any other current game available in stores now.

[Pidesco]

I'd argue that it's a Bioware style RPG without the suck.

[Nepenthe]

I'd argue that it's a Bioware style RPG without the suck.

Is this attitude a prerequisite for becoming a member of the moderation team, or is it a part of Integration?

[Azure79]

1: Played on PC and didn't encounter any huge bugs. Ran smoothly for the most part on my old rig and still looked great with many of the graphic options turned off. I'm not sure how well it will run on 360.

 

2: I think it's a great RPG. You are presented with many choices and they do play into the game. As others have said, depending on how you complete Act 1, Act 2 will be totally different. I replayed the from the end of Act 1 to see how different choices worked out and I was pleased with the different path the game takes. In fact I would encourage you to play it twice, because you get a better grasp of the overall story. Other things I enjoyed were reading up on different enemies in the game to learn how to destroy them as well as learning how to harvest different raw materials for crafting. You can craft various potions and poisons for your sword and going into battle prepared pays off. You can develop along three main skill trees of sword fighting, magic and potions.

 

3: I would say sword combat is the weakest portion of the game. Unlike the Witcher 1, this game is more action based. You swing your sword with a mouse-click, actively dodge and roll away from enemies and block incoming attacks. My biggest complaint is that Geralt is presented as this master swordsman, but when you actually control him, you're running around in circles trying not to get surrounded and mostly do pathetic hit and roll away attacks, as being surrounded is usually a death sentence. This is mitigated somewhat if you upgrade a skill that literally gives you shields but has the drawback of the sword combat quickly becoming easy and tedious. There is no fluidity or rhythm to the sword combat and I think this is due to a lack of an effective block-parry-counter system. I found I enjoyed myself better when playing more as a magic user.

 

Overall though, I enjoyed it a lot and recommend it.

[C2B]

It's a really good game but certain aspects are overhyped including the C&C system which was IMO, while nice, not that impressive (Though I don't care for pure branching in general. Books and Movies are also capable of that, not to mention I'm not actually affecting details in the world like charachters. In a way I'm just choosing to go left or right at a roadblock. Forgive the rant ^^)

Edited March 14, 2012 by C2B

[Pidesco]

I'd argue that it's a Bioware style RPG without the suck.

Is this attitude a prerequisite for becoming a member of the moderation team, or is it a part of Integration?

 

Let me elaborate, then.

 

Bioware attempts to do epic, meaningful, full of C&C, big budget RPGs akin to Hollywood movies . Witcher 2 does all this, but better than Bioware has ever done. The writing is better, the C&C is better, the plot is better, the production values are better.

[WDeranged]

I never completed it, Deus Ex:HR came out and then Battlefield 3, Skyrim was the death blow, it's a shame because it's a good game, I'll no doubt go back to it once it's had the final updates.

[Orogun01]

I'd argue that it's a Bioware style RPG without the suck.

Nonsense, the writing is believable, the sex scenes actually show pixelated goodies, and the minigame its bearable.

[Malcador]

Hm, wonder if those sex scenes on consoles will make a kerfuffle. There was some fuss about ME's no ?

[Orogun01]

Hm, wonder if those sex scenes on consoles will make a kerfuffle. There was some fuss about ME's no ?

Its election year, so unless they can have the headline "Obama sells sex simulator to children" I doubt that Fox & friends will spend serious time with this.

[zero_or_more]

Trying to avoid repeating others - I didn't have any problems with the game technically, only the stupid drm which got disabled in the first patch, thank god. I had to get used to the combat, but it didn't felt over the top to me, it's just I'm not very good in targeting with 'consolized' mechanics.

 

However I really liked the writing as I think they did make a good effort to avoid everything being 'black and white' - even with the binary choices. I also like the character of the protagonist and some more important NPCs, so all that was enough for me to overlook any other flaws. But this is a pretty subjective thing I know.

 

All in all a solid RPG I think, worth the money.

[Humanoid]

Apparently the Enhanced Edition is activated now - but there may be an issue with a corrupted patch pre-download which can be manually rectified with replacing parts 1 and 2 from the following: http://en.thewitcher.com/ee_manual

 

 

reference: http://www.gog.com/en/forum/the_witcher_2/installer_corrupt/page1

[Lexx]

Yea, tried it already the night. First change I saw was in the beginning with the dragon. This part was a lot shorter, with the "jump away from fire"-part totally missing. Also the prequel is a lot easier in difficult, though I think this was done already in the 2.0 patch.