So i started playing The Witcher and I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised by the game. The presentation is flawless (art, environment, sleek menus etc), the character development seems deep and varied, the NPC's interesting, the world lively and atmospheric and the story intriguing, so far.

I'm looking forward to spending a lot more time with the game. I haven't made it all that far though, played through the initial attack on the fortress and now looking for clues in a small, scary town ravaged by the plague. Coolio.

Some things I didn't like, though: the slow-ass pace with which your character walks backward. Always need to do a 360 with the camera, meh. Combat seems to be pure point-click-attack. And while I don't really mind the whole bed-848654-women thing on a fratboy level, it really does kind of mess with the atmosphere that EVERY hot woman you meet is all like "hey, wanna have sex? Cause you know, we could if you wanted to".

Regardless, I have 1 card and messed up another one (I think) by implying to a waitress that she was easy. So yeah, that's coming along.

After some heavy duty playing over the past couple of weeks I finished The Witcher. Satis told me I should post about it some time so here we go, Monday morning at work serving a purpose.

First off: effing awesome game. Probably the best RPG I've played in a long while - yes, better than Mass Effect. I think it's been since the first Kotor since I've enjoyed a CRPG so much in almost every aspect. There are a few flaws like the beginning that was a little hard to push through and the balance being a little lost towards the end (I was a Godlike fighter), but other than that, superb game.

I loved the story and how you're a pivotal figure in the events but can't really stop them from spiralling out of control either...makes sense. The game also deals very thoroughly with topics like loyalty, neutrality and making choices. You're often forced to side with what at that time looks like the lesser evil, and neutrality will often cost you.

Other than that, sweet combat animations towards the higher levels, beautiful storyboard artwork with impressive voice overs, goosebumps-level ending (I stayed neutral btw, in case you wondered. I was sympathetic to the cause of the non-humans until they started pillaging and killing civilians), deep but intuitive potion making system and character development and a wonderfully medieval low-magic setting.

SPOILERS:

Loved the whole Alvin-is-the-grandmaster-time-paradox thing. Did you notice that the grandmaster will repeat a few things you 'taught' Alvin when you were acting as his father figure? Quite a sad ending really. And what path did you choose? I actually played the game without being my usual RPG batshit psychopath, and I blame it on the game putting forward really morally grey choices. I felt compelled to actually make conscentious choices. And I loved doing so. I ended up on the neutral path not because of some alignment I had set out to pursue or some such, but because of spontaneous choices I made throughout. Very cool.


P.S. if you haven't seen it, this is the neutral ending:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCtTNjAglEE

Start from 4 minutes in for the storyboards and the voice over.

What kind of RPG elements are there in this game?

I just saw a couple of youtube gameplay videos and it looked like a hack and slash console game.

The combat is hack n' slashy, definitely, but the story is impressive, as well as the settings, NPC's and moral questions. Character development is deep but focuses first and foremost on combat.

It's pretty much a very good blend of a hack n' slash game and a true RPG. Totally recommended.

I took the good path, then got bored on a subsequent playthrough so never explored anything else. Glad you liked it.

Good? You mean the Order or the non-humans? Because there is no 'good' in the game really, which (I felt) was kind of the point of the story. Both sides have legitimate reasons and/or goals to do what they do, but as so often the way they try to achieve their goals is inexcusable and individuals on both sides will corrupt the good intentions of others.

I actually felt sad to face off with Siegfried in the burning streets of Vizima. He was a good man, a friend once too, but had become so blinded by the lofty ambitions of the Order/checkmated by the politics of those above him that things just spiralled out of control. Especially when the riots started.

The non-humans spit me out too, btw, once I refused to help them fight the Order after they killed civilians and took children hostage at the village to ensure their safety. But I didn't kill Yaevinn. We both realized there was nothing left to say or do between us though...and he seemed to realize that he and his ideals had been used as a tool for some greater machinations and were ultimately pointless. All that bloodshed for nothing.

Yeah, I didn't just like the Witcher, but I loved it.

A friend of mine recently finished The Witcher too and, like you, he sided with the Sciotael. He explained it as "I didn't want to end up without any backup from anyone at the end...and I felt more sympathetic towards the elves and dwarves than towards the Order".

I don't get it really, not from you or him. Sure, the Order is a bunch of snubnosed moralists with fucked up ideas, but the Sciotael aren't exactly schoolboys either. In the last village where the Order has closed in a bunch of them, they're holding children hostage and have killed a few villagers and laid their bodies on the road towards the village as a deterrant. Like, what!? I'm all for a cause and shit, but for me, that was where my sympathy for them ended.

So I just went fuck it all and chose to side with neither of them. Which didn't exactly make me more popular with anyone and probably had at least as much or even more bloodshed of innocents as a consequence, but at least I knew I didn't actively aid in any of that. They could take their shitty war and stuff it.

Anyway...after all that, you can imagine I was pretty excited to see this leaked internal alpha trailer for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JciyoGmn ... r_embedded

Hot stuff! The voice acting in places is just placeholder (probably dev guys), so don't fret. They'll likely get the same guy again, who did a great job. Dialoue system has been smoothified and the timed mouse-click combat has been expanded on in bossfights. I don't usually like QTE but they fit the Witcher's existing combat system well I think.

Other than that...very sweet images and music. Can't wait.