Post by doktorljubavi on May 19, 2011 19:03:05 GMT -5
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is the second installment of the Witcher series developed by CD Projekt RED, and was released May 17th.
CD Projekt RED improved a lot of the things from the first Witcher game, and I feel Witcher 2 was a huge success in that regard.
Gameplay: 10/10
They improved combat by a large margin compared to the first game, making combat very tactical heavy and albeit difficult in the beginning when you're first learning the new controls. I played Normal mode to start, and even in the beginning some fighters would hit extremely hard. Messing up was very unforgiving, which is a double edged sword. It's difficult and rewarding when you succeed, but at the same token you also get obliterated easily at times and can cause some serious nerd rage. Some boss fights you might feel frustrated on as the bosses are no push overs in this game. Finally, a game where Bosses earn their name.
CD Projekt not only improved combat, but also improved the Talent system, this time in the form of genes, and mutagens. The difference between the three trees, Swordmaster, Alchemist, and Mage are actually pretty huge. The playstyle of all three are a lot more different, and this was a huge improvement as the difference in Witcher 1 was incredibly small.
There is no re-specialization in this game, however, so choose wisely.
World: 9/10
The world itself is incredibly beautiful, and full of life. Villages, and NPC's are not dead, mindless zombies unless they are actual.. dead, mindless zombies. There are many "scenes" where something is happening, and you are given the option to intervene, or let the events unfold on their own. You are given multiple ways to influence the world around you, and like in the first Witcher, the NPC's are aware of the world around them. NPC's seek shelter when it's raining, they flee when they see monsters chasing you into town, guards notice you with your sword unsheathed, and every NPC is as if they are an actual person with tasks to complete, and function depending on the time of day.
I didn't give it a perfect score for one main reason, as much as the world around you is larger, and free to roam, there are some pockets full of things such as caves, puzzles, and outskirts where bandits roam that would otherwise not be seen by a player who is just completing quests and venturing further through the story. Exploration is it's own reward, sure, but I feel a lot of these great things are otherwise missed by most players.
Character Development: 9/10
Huge, huge improvement from the first game. Not only are you given a plethora of decisions, and sometimes even decisions you have to make within a certain time frame, but Geralt's character becomes incredibly interesting through out this edition of the story. Geralt's point of view can be heavily influenced by the decisions you make, and influence the overall ending of the game. It's not 100% perfect, but it was a huge improvement. Easily making Geralt a new object of fanboyism.
Overall Storyline: 10/10
Was I to expect anything less from CD Projekt? Their execution of the story was incredibly well done not only in the first game, but this game as well. From the beginning to the end, I could not put down the mouse and keyboard because I thirsted for knowledge. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, what events are to unfold based on my decisions, and where would I end up next? The story was filled with betrayal, friendship, allegiance, and unexpected events. In a world where every movie is filled with twists that are always foreseen, a lot of twists in this game I couldn't have even fathomed at first.
If you can't stand the combat, play at the easiest setting, and just enjoy the story, and every way you can mold it, as there is a possible 16 different endings. The story is incredible, and I cannot wait for a Witcher 3 to hit the shelves so I can continue Geralts story in another fantastic game by CD Projekt RED. They have a promising future if they can continue to deliver top of the notch storytelling, and holding on to the RPG title.
Final Score: 9.5/10
*Spoiler Alert*
I'd give them a solid 10/10 but Shani was not in the game, and that made me sadface.
CD Projekt RED improved a lot of the things from the first Witcher game, and I feel Witcher 2 was a huge success in that regard.
Gameplay: 10/10
They improved combat by a large margin compared to the first game, making combat very tactical heavy and albeit difficult in the beginning when you're first learning the new controls. I played Normal mode to start, and even in the beginning some fighters would hit extremely hard. Messing up was very unforgiving, which is a double edged sword. It's difficult and rewarding when you succeed, but at the same token you also get obliterated easily at times and can cause some serious nerd rage. Some boss fights you might feel frustrated on as the bosses are no push overs in this game. Finally, a game where Bosses earn their name.
CD Projekt not only improved combat, but also improved the Talent system, this time in the form of genes, and mutagens. The difference between the three trees, Swordmaster, Alchemist, and Mage are actually pretty huge. The playstyle of all three are a lot more different, and this was a huge improvement as the difference in Witcher 1 was incredibly small.
There is no re-specialization in this game, however, so choose wisely.
World: 9/10
The world itself is incredibly beautiful, and full of life. Villages, and NPC's are not dead, mindless zombies unless they are actual.. dead, mindless zombies. There are many "scenes" where something is happening, and you are given the option to intervene, or let the events unfold on their own. You are given multiple ways to influence the world around you, and like in the first Witcher, the NPC's are aware of the world around them. NPC's seek shelter when it's raining, they flee when they see monsters chasing you into town, guards notice you with your sword unsheathed, and every NPC is as if they are an actual person with tasks to complete, and function depending on the time of day.
I didn't give it a perfect score for one main reason, as much as the world around you is larger, and free to roam, there are some pockets full of things such as caves, puzzles, and outskirts where bandits roam that would otherwise not be seen by a player who is just completing quests and venturing further through the story. Exploration is it's own reward, sure, but I feel a lot of these great things are otherwise missed by most players.
Character Development: 9/10
Huge, huge improvement from the first game. Not only are you given a plethora of decisions, and sometimes even decisions you have to make within a certain time frame, but Geralt's character becomes incredibly interesting through out this edition of the story. Geralt's point of view can be heavily influenced by the decisions you make, and influence the overall ending of the game. It's not 100% perfect, but it was a huge improvement. Easily making Geralt a new object of fanboyism.
Overall Storyline: 10/10
Was I to expect anything less from CD Projekt? Their execution of the story was incredibly well done not only in the first game, but this game as well. From the beginning to the end, I could not put down the mouse and keyboard because I thirsted for knowledge. I wanted to know what was going to happen next, what events are to unfold based on my decisions, and where would I end up next? The story was filled with betrayal, friendship, allegiance, and unexpected events. In a world where every movie is filled with twists that are always foreseen, a lot of twists in this game I couldn't have even fathomed at first.
If you can't stand the combat, play at the easiest setting, and just enjoy the story, and every way you can mold it, as there is a possible 16 different endings. The story is incredible, and I cannot wait for a Witcher 3 to hit the shelves so I can continue Geralts story in another fantastic game by CD Projekt RED. They have a promising future if they can continue to deliver top of the notch storytelling, and holding on to the RPG title.
Final Score: 9.5/10
*Spoiler Alert*
I'd give them a solid 10/10 but Shani was not in the game, and that made me sadface.
Another Tweetable review by the Dok!
