Phew! Completed the game this afternoon. I'm at loss of words as to how amazing this adventure turned out to be. I will stop comparing it to Skyrim now, since I feel it has a different theme and in my opinion, completely decimates Skyrim.
That being said, I'm glad this is another game, which lived up to it's kick-ass trailers. The last game which did this was Assassin's Creed II. To be honest, I never thought I would connect with this game, given the fact that I knew jack about the first game. And being a story driven title, this put me in a state of quandary. Anyway, I'll just try to sum up my thoughts on this game and not post a review, as you already have hordes of them.
The Witcher 2 is quite possibly, the best action/RPG I have played till date. Everything about this game reeks of high quality production values. Right down from the storyline, visual presentation, to the very last bit of dialogues uttered. It's fascinating how CDPR were so creative to bring these characters to life from the words available in a graphic novel. For once, the storyline is not about you being the only hope to save a planet, or even a person for that matter. This is about Geralt of Rivia and his quest to regain his memory, whilst clearing his name from being branded as a kingslayer, very early on in the game. This is where your escapade begins and you just wish it never ends.
The Enhanced edition has made every effort to add new content and make the game accessible to the everyone. On my first attempt, I was utterly confused with the gameplay. The use of signs, character builiding and combat was sort of difficult. But now that I have a fair grasp of the RPG elements and having played the tutorial level, a lot of the gameplay elements made sense. I went back to watching the gameplay of the first Witcher and found an immense amount of improvement in the sequel. CDPR worked upon their flaws and made it more refined. If you spend enough time with this game, almost every aspect of it will feel really simple and basic. Be it crafting, alchemy, character building tree, potion consumption, inventory management etc. everything is self-explanatory.
As I have stated before, the developers have taken the time and pain to explain every detail of the quest in your journal entries. And you know what, it's written in a narrtive form, by Dandelion, one of the game's character. This is one game where you really feel the need to know all the NPCs history. Some of your game's choices even depend on you knowing their past. None of them are more than a page long, most of all, not boring at all. This game has truly defined the words 'character development' and it's not just for Geralt, it's for every single person. You'll actually bond with some of them, develop a sense of love or hatred, find some extremely amusing and some inspiring. The point is, this game actually has the power to unleash your feelings towards the characters and influence your decisions.
Ah! "Decisions, choices". I never thought these words had meaning, in video games, till I had played Mass Effect saga. But The Witcher 2, not only takes these words seriously, it manages to change the events of an entire chapter of the game. This is something I have never witnessed. While I'm told both paths are equally splendid, I have to say, this is a great way to bring players back to the game, even after it's completion. Coming back to the choices, I love how there is no moral ground you stand on. There is no paragon or renegade meter, no good or bad, no moral or amoral sides to your character. You don't have to worry about Geralt turning into the devil's accomplice or kissing the angel's feet. It's completely your call. You decide if a person is lying or telling the truth, you decide if killing someone off or letting go is the best option, you decide if you just don't want to give a dam; it's your choice. But always remember, like in the real world, your actions will always have consequences. Good or bad, you'll have to live with it. That's what I f*ckin' love about this game. There are certain characters who will be so convincing in their speech and expressions, that can't help but empathise with them and that's when you make a choice and BAM, he/she turns out to be a back-stabber. Surprised? Don't be, that's how this game works. You just have to go with your gut feeling on some, while research/informed choice on the other.
This is a mature game, so expect mature content. Nothing is forced in this title. You have the option to make something happen, or not. Acts of violence is very hard-hitting in this game. You'll really feel the pain for a character's death. There are lot of other controversial subjects which are reflected in this game, like Rape or Incest. Although, not explicitly depicted, it's implied. Remember, this could influence your decision. Sex, nudity, abusive language, you name it, this game has it. I'm amazed at how strongly CDPR has treated the women in this game. While most games just tend to use them as eye candy and sexual objects, this game has some of that, but also makes an attempt to present the stronger side for them. Ves, Triss, Saskia etc. They are all presented in a very bold and independent form. For the voyeur folk, shift to YouTube, if this is your sole purpose of playing the game.
I'll end this by saying, this game was a brilliant adventure and I hope CDPR all the luck for their next project. These guys have an immense potential. For the people who haven't tried this game, you need to, right now. So I'm definitely waiting with bated breath for the announcement of Witcher 3.
So is it related to the division of Aedrin by Henselt and Nilfgaardians? Can you confirm if there was no personal or ulterior motive behind this plotting on Roche's end?
I'll try to complete Ioverth's path and see if I can find some answers. I have to ask, on you first play-through:
That being said, I'm glad this is another game, which lived up to it's kick-ass trailers. The last game which did this was Assassin's Creed II. To be honest, I never thought I would connect with this game, given the fact that I knew jack about the first game. And being a story driven title, this put me in a state of quandary. Anyway, I'll just try to sum up my thoughts on this game and not post a review, as you already have hordes of them.
The Witcher 2 is quite possibly, the best action/RPG I have played till date. Everything about this game reeks of high quality production values. Right down from the storyline, visual presentation, to the very last bit of dialogues uttered. It's fascinating how CDPR were so creative to bring these characters to life from the words available in a graphic novel. For once, the storyline is not about you being the only hope to save a planet, or even a person for that matter. This is about Geralt of Rivia and his quest to regain his memory, whilst clearing his name from being branded as a kingslayer, very early on in the game. This is where your escapade begins and you just wish it never ends.
The Enhanced edition has made every effort to add new content and make the game accessible to the everyone. On my first attempt, I was utterly confused with the gameplay. The use of signs, character builiding and combat was sort of difficult. But now that I have a fair grasp of the RPG elements and having played the tutorial level, a lot of the gameplay elements made sense. I went back to watching the gameplay of the first Witcher and found an immense amount of improvement in the sequel. CDPR worked upon their flaws and made it more refined. If you spend enough time with this game, almost every aspect of it will feel really simple and basic. Be it crafting, alchemy, character building tree, potion consumption, inventory management etc. everything is self-explanatory.
As I have stated before, the developers have taken the time and pain to explain every detail of the quest in your journal entries. And you know what, it's written in a narrtive form, by Dandelion, one of the game's character. This is one game where you really feel the need to know all the NPCs history. Some of your game's choices even depend on you knowing their past. None of them are more than a page long, most of all, not boring at all. This game has truly defined the words 'character development' and it's not just for Geralt, it's for every single person. You'll actually bond with some of them, develop a sense of love or hatred, find some extremely amusing and some inspiring. The point is, this game actually has the power to unleash your feelings towards the characters and influence your decisions.
Ah! "Decisions, choices". I never thought these words had meaning, in video games, till I had played Mass Effect saga. But The Witcher 2, not only takes these words seriously, it manages to change the events of an entire chapter of the game. This is something I have never witnessed. While I'm told both paths are equally splendid, I have to say, this is a great way to bring players back to the game, even after it's completion. Coming back to the choices, I love how there is no moral ground you stand on. There is no paragon or renegade meter, no good or bad, no moral or amoral sides to your character. You don't have to worry about Geralt turning into the devil's accomplice or kissing the angel's feet. It's completely your call. You decide if a person is lying or telling the truth, you decide if killing someone off or letting go is the best option, you decide if you just don't want to give a dam; it's your choice. But always remember, like in the real world, your actions will always have consequences. Good or bad, you'll have to live with it. That's what I f*ckin' love about this game. There are certain characters who will be so convincing in their speech and expressions, that can't help but empathise with them and that's when you make a choice and BAM, he/she turns out to be a back-stabber. Surprised? Don't be, that's how this game works. You just have to go with your gut feeling on some, while research/informed choice on the other.
This is a mature game, so expect mature content. Nothing is forced in this title. You have the option to make something happen, or not. Acts of violence is very hard-hitting in this game. You'll really feel the pain for a character's death. There are lot of other controversial subjects which are reflected in this game, like Rape or Incest. Although, not explicitly depicted, it's implied. Remember, this could influence your decision. Sex, nudity, abusive language, you name it, this game has it. I'm amazed at how strongly CDPR has treated the women in this game. While most games just tend to use them as eye candy and sexual objects, this game has some of that, but also makes an attempt to present the stronger side for them. Ves, Triss, Saskia etc. They are all presented in a very bold and independent form. For the voyeur folk, shift to YouTube, if this is your sole purpose of playing the game.
I'll end this by saying, this game was a brilliant adventure and I hope CDPR all the luck for their next project. These guys have an immense potential. For the people who haven't tried this game, you need to, right now. So I'm definitely waiting with bated breath for the announcement of Witcher 3.
So is it related to the division of Aedrin by Henselt and Nilfgaardians? Can you confirm if there was no personal or ulterior motive behind this plotting on Roche's end?
I'll try to complete Ioverth's path and see if I can find some answers. I have to ask, on you first play-through:
What did you do with Letho? Let him go or kill him? What about the Dragon and Sile?
