by Jeff Francis on May 30, 2011
The
Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
has caused quite a stir among those in the RPG crowd since its release.
Developed by the Polish game company CD Projekt,
style="font-style: italic;">Witcher 2
has hit the gaming hordes like a baseball bat to the head. While many
are distracted by the fact that your character can have R-rated sex in the
game, others point to the vibrant world setting, nuanced choice
selection, and mature themes as elements that elevate the RPG model.
The overall plot of the game is that the player plays as Geralt, a
Witcher (monster hunter) who has been falsely accused of murdering his
king. Geralt must seek out the real assassin to clear his name, and by
doing so, becomes embroiled in epic plots and conflicts that effect
entire kingdoms. Is
style="font-style: italic;">The Witcher 2
the new single-player RPG king? Read on and find out!
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The world of Witcher 2 is
incredibly immersive and alive.
The greatest strength of the game is the quests and the choices
available to you in them. While you can finish the game in about 16-20
hours if you focus exclusively on the main plot (and are damn good at
the fighting), there are dozens of side quests for you to undertake and
flesh out the world. Even better are the choices you're presented with
during those quests. Most RPGs have a clear cut good or bad choice for
you to make. Here the choices are much more nuanced. You might have to
decide to back one faction over another, but yet each faction might
have legitimate reasons for you to take their side. There are choices
that look good or bad, but can end up having the opposite consequences.
You can be a good guy, but still be a bonafide prick. Early on you can save a
group of innocent people from being burned alive, but you can then
demand payment for your services. They’ll complain about how
they’re poor, and one of the options given to you is,
“Poor don’t mean broke.” At that point,
you can opt punch one of the poor bastards in the gut and force them to pay up.
The choices you make do have consequences. Piss one guy off and he
might send killers after you later on. Make a good impression or help a
person out and they might return the favor later on in the game. There
are plenty of repercussions for your actions, so it’s a good
thing that you’re a bad-ass.
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Combat in the game is
unforgiving.
Combat is fluid, dynamic, and deadly. You will live in mortal fear of
being flanked, because if enemy attacks you from behind, you're dead. You will do quite a
bit of dodging and parrying, not to mention setting up traps and
snares, to survive the brutal combat found in the game. You are also
able to cast a small number of spells ranging from a protective shield
to shooting fire at your foes.
On the negative side, combat can be aggravating. It took me awhile to
learn that I can't parry if I don't have any Vigor.
Attacking the wrong foe may move you out of position, allowing you to
get flanked. You will die…a lot. Get used to it. I stopped
counting the number of times that I died during the tutorial. Yes, I
said tutorial. I got angry, I got enraged, and I practically broke my
keyboard punching it in frustration….but I kept coming back.
Combat is insanely deadly through most of the game. Towards the end of
the game, combat becomes much easier due to the fact of your increased
abilities. So much easier, in fact, that this is a slight knock on the
game.
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The game recreates the gritty
late medieval period in costume, architecture, and attitude.
Combat leads us to the biggest negative of the game. In most games,
you’re gently led through the mechanics and gradually
introduced to the game setting and plots. In
style="font-style: italic;">Witcher 2,
you’re thrown into the deep end of the pool at the very
beginning. While there are hints that pop up, you’ll do a lot
of trial and error. Make sure to look at your journal (J) and click on
the “tutorial” icon for all the help hints given
out. It’s pretty much like signing up for flight lessons and,
on your first day, you’re told to take the controls and fly
the plane yourself. Make sure you read the
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for all the pertinent
info and check your journal entries often. As an added bonus, they’re well
written and fun to read.
I must point out that there is sex in the game, and this gets a lot of fanboys (and possibly their parents)
fanboys in a dither. Yes, you can sleep with prostitutes and some
female NPCs. (A friend of mine confided to me that he
couldn’t afford better gear because he spent all his money on
whores!) By doing so, you’ll be treated to a short
cutscene of the activity in question. These cutscenes are R-rated in
nature. Personally, I feel that they add to the game . Rather than becoming a distraction, the game's treatment of adult themes reinforces the earthiness of the game and contributes to its immersive nature.
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Armor that looks realistic and
cool? Anime fans may want to look away.
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You'll find plenty of things
to swing a sword at during your travels.
The game can be frustrating, but the hallmark of a great game is that
you’ll come back again and again despite the difficulty. I
damn near broke my keyboard a few times when combat was especially hard
and my throat got hoarse from yelling too much when the parry key
didn’t register, resulting in my death. However, after I
cooled down, I came back like an addict to his dealer and began again.
I have no shame.
A final note is that CD Projekt has said that all DLC for
style="font-style: italic;">The Witcher 2
will be free to all registered users. They’ve already
released one quest so far. If they release more DLC in the future, then
the value just goes up.
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How dangerous can a forest be?
Cons
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The Witcher 2 is an adult game
with adult themes...and hot computer babes.