The Witcher - RPG for the PC

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Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

(Before I get into the review, this game hasn't been getting the attention it deserves, so I want to say up front that if you like RPGs, you should go out and buy The Witcher. Right now, go. What else is out right now? Nothing. It's the spring and nothing comes out in the spring. Well, ok, GTA 4 is coming out in a few weeks, but c'mon, you'll have that beat in a week or two. Then what? The Witcher is fucking epic and could be played for months if you followed all the side missions.)

I haven't reviewed anything in a while, and I'm not done with the game yet, but let me throw out a review of The Witcher. I believe I know enough about the game at this point to do it justice.

The Witcher is a single player RPG set in a world under attack by mysterious forces. You play Geralt, a witcher who has lost his memory. Witchers are essentially monster bounty hunters. The twist is that they themselves are monsters of sorts.

When you first boot the game up, let the cinematic play, it's pretty bad ass and actually sort of important to the story. Once you do start a game, you might find it's got a bit of a learning curve, but not a terribly steep one. It's just that the battles are a bit different...but the same...hard to explain, but I can say it works well.

You start off with other Witchers for the training portion of the game until the story gives you a logical reason to set off on your own.

One thing that is very cool in this game is that your decisions affect the story. In fact, during this opening chapter, you make one of those decisions. You have to decide, during a battle, which person to go help and that decision has ramifications throughout the game. For those of you who love this sort of "choice" or like to replay through games, you're golden. For people like me who like to see and do everything on a single run through, it can be tough to figure out which is going to benefit you in the end.

In fact, my biggest complaint about the game is that it probably gives you too much freedom. Be aware that this game was designed by people who figured true RPG players were going to be their audience so they don't nerf much here. This can lead to tasks where it takes a bit longer to figure out what to do or missed opportunities.

For example: in the prologue, I spent 5 minutes trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing to defeat a certain enemy. Once I realized it, the fight was over rather quickly and easily. Also, in the first chapter, I had the chance to meet up with this chick and fuck, but I didn't do everything properly to get there.

I'm now in Chapter 3 (it's a long game), and I did some light reading over at gameFAQs.com to see what I missed from the first two chapters and I did miss some things mainly because I didn't yet know the ins and outs of how this world worked. But that's ok because more so than any RPG I've ever played, this game screams replayability.

Oh, and did I mention "fuck" earlier? Yes, you fuck. In fact, there are a LOT of opportunities to have sex in the game, and with each conquest, you get a playing card of sorts showing the woman you had sex with in a state of undress. Now it should be noted that the original version actually has adult versions of those playing cards, including an adult version of the actual scene. With the American version, the scene of you screwing plays behind the card you get and it's mainly a blurry CGI of Geralt kissing a woman. For you perverts...so everyone reading this...there are two patches to "correct" this issue.

And not just that issue. Apparently, the story is MUCH more fleshed out in terms of dialogue in the game's original language, Polish. I know one of the patches brings all the entire game's original content back into play, while another brings in the adult stuff for the U.S. audience, but I'm not certain if it helps to fill in the additional dialogue.

I would love to see what didn't get translated because I think the story is excellent as it stands.

Back to gameplay, let me discuss some of the easy stuff:
-The graphics are nice for an RPG. I mean, don't expect any Crysis type of effects, but RPG fans know better. I don't know that I've encountered a single issue with graphics.
-The camera I've had a problem with, but it's not a deal killer. usually, it works fine, but there have been a few times during fights where it puts something between my eyes and the action.
-The sound is excellent. Nothing more to say.
-The controls are a touch different, as I stated previously, but they work really well. I could describe it as a combination of Diablo style action and the typical RPG tactics. You can fight battles in real time or use the pause button to be more tactical, your choice.

The monsters are a mixed bag with some being pretty awesome and others being annoying as fuck. The designers used one monster a LOT and they know it as they did insert an item into the game that's a "repellent" for this particular breed.

In terms of levels and skills, when you gain levels, you get skill points to spend, ala Diablo.

Overall, The Witcher is an RPG made for experienced RPG players and more mature gamers. Vastly different from what you'd get from any console RPG where most of the characters are 14 and travel with cartoon dogs or something equally stupid. The gameplay is rock solid and the storyline is exceptional with deep characters. There is a LOT to do here and I'd probably recommend having a walkthrough nearby to consult just so you don't miss anything if you ony plan to play through once.

9 out of 10
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
Malcolm
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Post by Malcolm »

Hmm. An entire book series in the universe, apparently.
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Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

Yeah, I read something about this being based on a series of books.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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Troy
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Post by Troy »

Got this for Christmas, It was the only roleplaying game I had heard good reviews about and didn't really have.

I went into it expecting Oblivion, and for the first 10 minutes was frustrated it wasn't. Then I started in enjoying it as The Witcher, and by the end of the First Chapter, was absolutely blown away.

You play Geralt, a Witcher, a professional monster slayer, a dying profession. Elves and Dwarves have lost the last great war, and are living as Terrorist in small bands throughout the countryside. Plague and fale prophets and relegion runs rampant. You've been mutated as a Witcher to become a better warrior, so humans don't trust you, but you look too much like a human for nonhumans too as well.

This game is all about choices and morality, only, no side is good or bad, everyone sucks, everyone is a criminal. The game fucks with you badly, in the first chapter, for the first half everything seems pretty straight forward save the villagers from monsters, blah blah. Without going into details, these innocent villagers all have stories, and all have issues. All the choices you make have serious repercussions, and they aren't like get a potion or a sword choices, they are big ones, save this person, find him helping you four hours later in another part of the world.

Just starting the second chapter, love the alchemy system, the monster systems, the loot system, everything.

Especially like the part where I get to have sex with hot women. Nothing to graphic, but in the first chapter, I've managed to charm and bag four so far. Each time you do you get a little "card" essentially a sexy drawing of them. I've been a bit of a cooz hound, often choosing the tougher fights for less reward, as long as it got me a piece of ass.

This is you:

Image




Edited By Troy on 1230483729
WSGrundy
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Post by WSGrundy »

I assume you are but are you playing the enhanced edition?
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Post by Malcolm »

Didn't Leish review something like this?
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
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Troy
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Post by Troy »

Yeah Enhanced Edition.

Dunno on that last bit, I did a search, didn't find anything.
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Post by Troy »

Did a little research and didn't realize that the Enhanced Edition of the game fixes basically everything the player base had complaints about when it was released late last year.

Explains why everything is so OMGWTFSWEET!!

Finished chapter two last night. Accidentally got myself involved in the war, on the side of a guy that seems pretty cool, but FUCK THAT, after the first chapter I don't trust him for anything, just gonna use his organization for their blacksmith.

The second Chapter was much larger in scope, early on I was almost overwhelmed with the amount of quests in my journal. I checked a walk through this morning and saw I missed a few in both chapters, and a few of the harder to find monsters. If i can't go finish these in Chapter 3, I'll reload chapter two and redo them, and the ending too.
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Post by WSGrundy »

Troy wrote:Did a little research and didn't realize that the Enhanced Edition of the game fixes basically everything the player base had complaints about when it was released late last year.
Except for the naked lady cards that the Euros still get.

It was also free to anyone who bought the original version which is cool.
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Post by Leisher »

Yes, I did.

The Witcher is pretty awesome.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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Troy
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Post by Troy »

My version has boobies.

In one awesome case, big green ones.


*Edit*

Damn, I searched twice and didn't get it.

Apparently the EE is 1000X better than the older edition. You should run back through!




Edited By Troy on 1230583006
Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

I've heard that owners of the original Witcher get some discount or something so I may just upgrade.
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Post by Troy »

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Post by TheCatt »

I started playing this morning. I haven't done an RPG in forever.

Was pretty fun. The only issues I've had so far is that someone gave me something for a mission, and I was already full inventory, and didn't realize it, and so I didn't get the item.

I'm still in the first chapter... not sure how far in, as I seem to be doing multiple missions at once.
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Troy
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Post by Troy »

TheCatt wrote:I started playing this morning. I haven't done an RPG in forever.

Was pretty fun. The only issues I've had so far is that someone gave me something for a mission, and I was already full inventory, and didn't realize it, and so I didn't get the item.

I'm still in the first chapter... not sure how far in, as I seem to be doing multiple missions at once.

Be sure to have a very good save game each time your journal tells you to "speak to the Reverend" for whatever reason.

One of those times kicks off a no-look back chapter closing mission, which will screw you out of completing some cool side missions (learned that after reading the walk through of all the side missions I missed. If it does, be sure to check everywhere and finish off all the side quests.

What difficulty are you playing on? After reading the PA forums, I went with hard, as I read medium was a little to easy, and I love me some potions.




Edited By Troy on 1230678822
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Post by TheCatt »

I went with intermediate, since I'm not much of a gamer. Most battles have been fairly easy, the exception being a group of ghouls I went up against.

I've been saving about every hour or so, but will keep that in mind about the speak to the rev bit.

The only thing I've been having issues with is the large # of items, especially for ingredients, potions, etc.
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Post by Troy »

TheCatt wrote:I went with intermediate, since I'm not much of a gamer. Most battles have been fairly easy, the exception being a group of ghouls I went up against.

I've been saving about every hour or so, but will keep that in mind about the speak to the rev bit.

The only thing I've been having issues with is the large # of items, especially for ingredients, potions, etc.
I don't remember having much of a problem until the Third Chapter, when I had to purge my inventory of all the useless food and drinks.
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Post by Troy »

Did you really fill the lower 3 bars of your inventory with ingredients? I haven't even come close and I've fought A LOT of different monsters at this point. And I've read all the books I can, too.
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Post by TheCatt »

Ah, ingredients not full, but they were giving me an item, not ingredient.

Well, I triggered that mission you mentioned that advanced chapter 1, so i'm going to go back and see if i can finish the others first.
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Troy
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Post by Troy »

Be sure you have:

Gotten 3 cards.

Checked out the place Mikul sent you again.

Gone into the place the Rev stands in front of.
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