The Witcher 2

[hiromu656]

Back in the day (not really) the first Witcher came out. I was insisted to play by various sources, but when I actually tried the game, I ended up quitting nearly 30 minutes into gameplay. Although I've been watching countless amounts of Witcher 2 gameplay, screenshots and interviews and it looks pretty good. Is anyone else looking out for the game, or does someone want to tell me why I'm a fool for disliking the first?

[Dwarra?]

The first one was like a self powered roller coaster, you really had to push to get into the game. I don't blame you for quitting after 30 minutes. As for The Witcher 2, I haven't really looked into it much. I've seen a few demos and screens and it seems like all they really want to do is kill Dragon Age. [spoiler]Which Bioware took the liberty of doing for them with Dragon Age 2[/spoiler]
It looks like your generic cutting shit up and using magic (well alchemy) game with delicious graphics so it should hold me off for a few months while I wait for Skyrim.

[Holkeye]

Fuck yeah. I can't wait for this. The first one was awesome. I'm considering the collector's edition, but I haven't decided yet.

[hiromu656]

Dragon Age 2 was the game I wanted to play until Skyrim, of course when it released... well you know the rest. I remember playing the Witcher's first area where I had been fighting all those guys and they were introducing combat to me and what not. It was fun the first few kills, then it kinda got boring because I was kind of getting the feeling that there wasn't going to be anything tactical about combat other than getting chains and combos. I haven't gotten rid of it, I may go back to it in the future, but as of now I'm going to be waiting for the Witcher 2 review.

[Holkeye]

If you've only played 30 minutes of the Witcher, then its far too early to have an opinion of it. The first 2 hours are just the introduction, bread-crumbing you through the various aspects of play. Once you leave the coven area or whatever it was called, then the real game starts. The tactical aspect of the combat actually lies in three things: The first is the chaining, as you mentioned. The second is choosing the stance that you use during a battle, which is imperative. The last is the most important, which actually takes place before entering combat. That is using the right potions for the job. Alchemy is a huge part of the game, and the potions have more of an effect on gameplay than in most other games, rather than being tacked-on. The simple act of drinking a strength potion, (I think its called a Lion potion, I can't remember,) can make all the difference. I like having to prepare, and think things out before acting. This is something that I was expecting in DA2, but it didn't occur. I'm hoping the Witcher 2 maintains this, while adding more to the mix.

So yeah, I'm really excited for this. I've been pumped for a while.

[hiromu656]

Alright, I'll try to hold out for a bit longer then, I'll go back to the game tomorrow and see what happens. And the potion drinking thing remains in the Witcher 2. I was just watching a video a few minutes ago, (there are others but this is the most recent I watched) where a man is showcasing some combat. He drinks a potion that increases his strength, then makes oils that increase weapon damage and also places some sort of spell on the floor that serves as a trap. It looks like a giant tactical jump past Dragon Age 2.

[Holkeye]

Yep, that's why I'm excited. One thing that I really hope they add this time though, is skippable cutscenes. In the first one, losing against a boss and then having to watch the same cutscene again was really annoying.

[Kokowam]

Bump, but would Witcher 2 be a game that you'd need to play the first to understand the second?

[pacdiggity]

I would say so.
Or some in-depth reading about the first game.

[SirJackRex]

The Witcher quickly became my favorite RPG. There's no moral-ambiguity bullshit, unlike most games' meaningless "moral" trilemmas.  Its world is so corrupt and the inhabitants so diverse, it's refreshing. You're never given the standard "Heroic-Neutral-Evil" trichotomy; you usually need to decided which of the evils is the lesser, and worth supporting or destroying. You never need to accumulate "morality points" in order to say and do specific things. Characters may despise you, and no amount of gifts will change that. It mostly never gives you the usual "the fate of the world is with you" shtick. You're just one man inhabiting the world, seeking revenge while trying to survive the brutality and scheming. And, oh, the sex cards. Such a novel touch.
Geralt is just so awesome, too.

Bump, but would Witcher 2 be a game that you'd need to play the first to understand the second?

It's $4.99 at GOG right now.
You should play it first. Chapters I and II are mostly boring (unfortunately that's about 15-20 hours of gameplay if you don't know what to do), but the story and characters are peerless as far as western rpgs go. The RPG system is also great! Almost every skill point invested has a noticeable and immediate affect, the alchemy system is very useful, and the combat is pretty neat. The combat system is basically a giant quick-time event, but it's done fairly well. It's also very stylized and fun to watch.

My last final is Tuesday afternoon. I already can't wait to get home.

[Holkeye]

Completely agree, but The Witcher isn't a western RPG. Its Polish.

[pacdiggity]

England = western world
England < Europe
Europe = western world
Poland < Europe
Poland = western world
However, I see where you're coming from and would agree with you were it not for my incredible logic and deduction skills.

[Holkeye]

Not by gaming standards. It would be considered Eastern European, rather than "Western". Like STALKER.

[Sophist]

Holk is correct. Not all of Europe is considered the western world.

[pacdiggity]

I would still think that Poland is west enough.
I wouldn't call Romania, Armenia etc. western, you are right.
Germany's west in my mind, and Poland is just to the east.
Though they are both relatively large countries... for Europe at least.

[Holkeye]

Anyway, I just picked my copy up tonight, and the packaging alone is beautiful. Two DVDs in cases, a guide sandwiched in between, and a pretty nice slipcase around it all.

[SirJackRex]

Good to know. I pre-ordered it, but it's being shipped directly to me. It'll be here Wednesday. There's the chance that it'll arrive Tuesday, but it's unlikely.

Speaking of probability, did anybody else think that the Dice Poker probabilities were shit? Maybe it's just the rush of gambling and losing, but my god; the dice appear to have a memory, and a bias toward the previously rolled side.

I roll a Y. I need an X. I re-roll the Y, and get another Y. Polish mathematics, I tell ya...

[Holkeye]

So, I cracked open the game, and it is gorgeous. There's a letter inside detailing the slothful king, with a coin inside. Also there is a map, some papercraft, a soundtrack disc, a making-of DVD, a guide, the bonus content, and the game. That is a lot of stuff for $50. I didn't shell out $130 for the limited edition, and I couldn't be happier. Everything that I wanted in the LE is in the standard. Compared to Portal 2, where you get a disc and a code, this is so great. I wish all games came with this much stuff. It makes buying the game much more fulfilling.

Edit: Oh, and the comic book that I got for pre-ordering. I forgot about that.

[Gracie]

Wish I had gotten around to playing the first one :/ it looked gorgeous.

[SirJackRex]

Totally. The contents, for a $50 game, are awesome! The comic seems pretty cool, and its art and paper remind me of older comics, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

This game is impressive. I'm not sure whether it's unbelievable or just great, because it has all sorts of weird, or maybe just unfamiliar, mechanics. I'm only about an hour in, though.

It's stunning. I've never played a game on high (Crysis excluded) that looks as good as or better than this does on custom-medium. And its performance is as good as its visuals. Its art direction is phenomenal, and the level of detail is astonishing (especially those vistas :O). The motion blur is very nice, and it's done very judiciously. It never feels obtrusive (cough cough Mass Effect cough cough First Person Shooters).

The combat is brutal yet very fun; I died several times during the opening battle. But it doesn't feel cheap, and it's not frustrating. It's not just friendly, especially if you employ hack-n-slash tactics (it really seems as if they'd work...at first).
The targeting system is strange. It kind of jumps from one target to the next. I'm not sure about how it works, but it can be annoying. I try to avoid using it.

[Holkeye]

Did you read about the dynamic graphics? The game automatically adjusts the visuals when your computer starts to strain, keeping your framerate consistent. Pretty awesome, and I hope other games use it in the future.

[Dwarra?]

Yeah bullshit, my FPS is all over the god damn place
I haven't really played much though, been busy with pokemans and Uncharted.
I will say that when I loaded the game on Ultra High, right when you walk out of the tent was the most beautiful sight I have ever laid eyes on.

[Kokowam]

If I wanted to play Witcher 2 and understand it, would you recommend I play the first game first or just simply read a summary? If the latter, anywhere good you guys know? ;p

[SirJackRex]

The Witcher 1 should be played first, but I suspect a summary would suffice. This is more or less a summary (skim over the Primary Quests for each chapter, too):
http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/The_Witcher_storyline

You definitely need to know the world and characters, or you'll be lost. There's no real tutorial, and a very brief summary of the end of TW1 (which shoehorns right into the whole "Assassins of Kings" story).

My FPS is consistent. I did have a brief but huge drop once. Do you have an ATI/AMD video card? Apparently it doesn't like those very much.
Which other papercraft doll did guys you get? I got the Rotfiend; it's pretty fugly. I tried assembling them, but I didn't get it so I just put them back.

[Dwarra?]

It's my processor. I don't think I have a problem graphics wise