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[FloatOn]

PSA: Witcher 2 is currently $5 on steam. Buy it if you even remotely like rpgs
http://store.steampowered.com/app/20920/

So yeah, I played the intro to Witcher 2 something like a year or so ago and it didn't really grab me. Decided to hold off and play other things. After a long hiatus from the world of rpg I decided I may as well dive back in.

Somehow 30 hours vanished from my life over the course of like a week and a half. I completed the game and I can't adequately stress how much this game impressed me. I'll try anyway:

(I'm not going to go into story details but if they do pop up over the life of this thread be sure to spoiler tag any details)

Guys, I know the word "cinematic" gets tossed around and that is usually cue for our collective eye rolling at the gaming press/PR people in the industry. But let me just say that this was one of the most cinematic game experiences I've played. It's a game that is actually well written and full of intrigue so you really don't mind the story cut scenes. At first I was a little put off by the not fully open world, I really wanted to get out there and explore but somewhere around the middle of chapter 1 I got incredibly engrossed in the story and every single one of the characters. It takes many fantasy tropes and turns it on it's head in such a compelling way.

This game guides you down a path but gives you just enough choice to make it feel like the journey is yours.

As far as the mechanics are concerned it's all pretty straight forward. A big thing in this game is positional awareness when it comes to combat and knowing when to attack or defend. The sense of character progression is definitely there. Almost unfairly so. The start of the game is really rough going, you really can't take much or hand out damage. By the end though, you are very nearly over powered (or you think you are until you fight a boss or two).

But anyway, let me just say if you let this game slip past you and you are already on your next gen bandwagon. You are not done and you have a good 40 hours of homework to do before Witcher 3 hits.

Let me also say that Witcher 2 is so good that I'm incredibly tempted to go back and play the 1st because of how interesting the lore is.

 

[Savitar]

Get the novels, you'll love them.

Stay away from the TV show.

And wait in bated breath for The Witcher 3.

 

[krpiper]

I picked this up, but it doesnt run very well on my laptop, sub 25 frames

It looks amazing though, is the 360 port worth grabbing?

 

[FloatOn]

Get the novels, you'll love them.

Stay away from the TV show.

And wait in bated breath for The Witcher 3.

I knew about the novels but had no idea there was a tv show. It's that bad eh? Unfortunate.

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

On the PC waiting for you to try it


... Totally agree - best game of the last five years, no doubt about it. Took me by complete surprise, really didn't expect much. Instantly became one of my favorite games of all time, and put CDProjecktRed at the forefront of my most liked developers.

 

[M3z_]

Finished my 4th play through of this game two days ago. Really just a wonderful RPG through and through. So many things it does well, can't wait to see improvements to the areas it suffers.

 

[Painraze]

If I'm going to play it for the first time should I download the combat mod? Is that going to mess anything up for me as a first time player?

 

[Savitar]

I knew about the novels but had no idea there was a tv show. It's that bad eh? Unfortunate.

Yeah it was but it's not really worth it.

 

[Skelter]

Bought it on launch. Bought the physical collector's edition for PC. Bought the 360 Dark Edition and let my brother keep the game. Bought it on Gog.

Witcher 2 is one of my favorite rpgs this of the previous generation.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

WAIT TIL 'E DROPS 'IS FUCKIN GUARD

Make sure you do both major routes - Act 2 is a whole new beast depending on one of the final choices in Act 1.

Broche is of course the only right choice, but sometimes you just have to see how the other half lives.

 

[Savitar]

There is much about the Witcher you should look up.

If nothing else read up about Ciri and Yennefer as they are key and will be a focus for the third game so knowing about them helps.

 

[FloatOn]

If I'm going to play it for the first time should I download the combat mod? Is that going to mess anything up for me as a first time player?

I played it vanilla and it was fine for me. I'd say go down the swordsmanship path first and then worry about your magic.

 

[Syncytia]

I recently just started playing, after the first glitched for what seemed like the 10th time. I felt like I was just drudging through it so I said screw it and went to number 2. No regrets, loving it so far.

I've got a problem with a setting in the config file though...
MeshTextureDistanceScale automatically reverts to the lowest possible value if I try anything higher than 1.2 (the highest value the game will set). I've seen settings where people are using 5+ there, but for me it just goes to the lowest which is really disappointing with my GTX780. Any ideas?

 

[markot]

Over rated game thats pretty bad.

Poor combat and gameplay. Terrible systems. (Lol its in the book! Fuck that shit, bad is bad.)

Boss fights that were tedious.

Quit playing after awhile due to the terrible mechanics that just ate up every sense of joy you attempted to ring from its carcassssssss.

It looked good.

Id say, 4/10.

 

[Savitar]

Over rated game thats pretty bad.

Poor combat and gameplay. Terrible systems. (Lol its in the book! Fuck that shit, bad is bad.)

Boss fights that were tedious.

Quit playing after awhile due to the terrible mechanics that just ate up every sense of joy you attempted to ring from its carcassssssss.

It looked good.

Id say, 4/10.

There are no bad opinions.

Except for that one.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Someone got himself stunlocked trying to button mash

Give us a little more meat on them criticisms besides "it's terrible" mayne

 

[phrizek]

I picked this up, but it doesnt run very well on my laptop, sub 25 frames

It looks amazing though, is the 360 port worth grabbing?

Yes, the 360 version is one of the best ports I've come across. At parts of the game I couldn't believe some of the visuals my 360 was pumping out. If the only way you can play this game is on 360, don't hesitate. It's what I did when my laptop couldn't handle it. It should be pretty cheap now too.

 

[markot]

There are no bad opinions.

Except for that one.

Sorry for expecting a game to tax my graphics card, not my patience!

The combat systems in these games are so bad that the series itself is just a pile of mess till it can get away from them.

Staying true to bad makes you badder.

 

[FloatOn]

Someone got himself stunlocked trying to button mash

Give us a little more meat on them criticisms besides "it's terrible" mayne

To be fair though, at first the game does seem like it could be a bit arcadey when it comes to the combat but really that is a very quick way to get yourself killed in this game. It really does require more patience then you are led to believe at first. Once you get into the flow though, it's damn enjoyable.

Sorry for expecting a game to tax my graphics card, not my patience!

The combat systems in these games are so bad that the series itself is just a pile of mess till it can get away from them.

Staying true to bad makes you badder.

I don't even know what this means. I'm really trying to make sense of this but I can't grasp why you don't like it. You just don't? ok...

 

[NotUS]

PSA: Witcher 2 is currently $5 on steam. Buy it if you even remotely like rpgs
Let me also say that Witcher 2 is so good that I'm incredibly tempted to go back and play the 1st because of how interesting the lore is.

Since you've only played it once, you've not experienced the full game.

Depending who you sided with at the end of Act 1, determines what area of the game you play in Act 2 and how Act 3 plays out.

If you choose to play it again, make the opposite choice to what you originally did, and Act 2 will be a completely new experience, in a new area, with new quests, new characters, and new choices to make.

It's like a new game, and I'm not making this up!

 

[Otakumegane]

My laptop isn't strong enough to run this at at acceptable framerate without SLI (I really got to learn how to do this)

Want to play.

 

[Skilotonn]

I'm feeling the Witcher love a lot on GAF over the last couple of days, and I'm so hyped to actually play it even though my 360 copy is still sealed.

Might as well ask this here, and please, no spoilers guys:

A friend of mine who started on it many months ago brought up something that I never let shroud about my judgement, plus I've never heard anyone mention it before - he borrowed the game and the guide from a friend of his, and he said that he got the impression that there are some things in the game that you can't find without the guide. He personally found that it was a turn-off to the game despite loving the story like crazy as well as everything else about the game. According to him he was on the second disc on 360, no idea how far that is story-wise, or how many hours in. He gave some vague example about standing in fire to level up something that was never stated in-game and only in the guide, I can't remember because I really couldn't comment on it since I knew absolutely zero about the game at the time. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to buy it despite the only RPGs I love are Phantasy Star Online Eps. 1 & 2 and the Mass Effect series.

Was he just not being attentive to the game and there are things that a sharp person would see that would give you hints to find hidden things in the game? Or is it really so that there are things that you would never find without a guide otherwise? Personally my mind was made up to play this game, and I've watched the first two hours or so of the game being played by a couple different people on videos/streams and I see that I'm going to love it regardless.

Is he right, or can I tell him he was wrong and that he should continue from where he was in the game from that long ago?

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

why cannot witcher into space?

Didn't bother getting more than 30 minutes into the first game. No real intention of going back either. Witcher 2 was tough as balls when I finished it at version 1.0 or whatever. I remember they added a tutorial later on, lol. Boss fight near the end with

Spoiler

the dragon

took me approximately 500000000000 retries to finish. God damn.

I never really messed around with potions much, I'm assuming the game would have been easier if I had.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Over rated game thats pretty bad.

Poor combat and gameplay. Terrible systems. (Lol its in the book! Fuck that shit, bad is bad.)

Boss fights that were tedious.

Quit playing after awhile due to the terrible mechanics that just ate up every sense of joy you attempted to ring from its carcassssssss.

It looked good.

Id say, 4/10.

This kind of mindset if why rpgs are in the age of action man instead of the thinking man.

 

[HeelPower]

OP you MUST play the first witcher.I actually prefer to TW2.TW2's plot is genious but the emotional factor is diminished compared to the first.Also the frist welcomes you better into the world while the second thrusts you mercilessly.Also TW1 offers more diverse gameplay and a bigger world.(yeah if you can believe it)

TW2 is wonderful ,but just feels a tad too cold.TW2's decision making is superior and so is the overall depth of plot and replayability.On my second playthrough with different choices and the game feels vastly different towards chapter 2.

My laptop isn't strong enough to run this at at acceptable framerate without SLI (I really got to learn how to do this)

Want to play.

Try it on Onlive.Check this page.If you have decent internet you can buy on Onlive and it will play the game even on a low spec laptop.You can even check the demo for free to see what it looks like.You get a free digital copy on GOG when you buy it from onlive as well.

Was absolutely worth it for me.

 

[phrizek]

Since you've only played it once, you've not experienced the full game.

Depending who you sided with at the end of Act 1, determines what area of the game you play in Act 2 and how Act 3 plays out.

If you choose to play it again, make the opposite choice to what you originally did, and Act 2 will be a completely new experience, in a new area, with new quests, new characters, and new choices to make.

It's like a new game, and I'm not making this up!

This was the most mind-blowing thing for me during my second playthrough. Props to CDP Red, because not many developers are willing to lock away a huge chunk of content to make your choices feel significant. Mass Effect 3 suffered from this terribly as every choice you made somehow shoehorned you into pretty much the exact scenario everyone else would experience. The Witcher 2 did it right.

 

[frankMX]

Should I play Witcher 1 before playing Witcher 2? I am more interested in Witcher 2 .I am thinking watching youtube videos and maybe reading the book for the first game .Is that enough?

 

[Naminator]

OP you MUST play the first witcher.I actually prefer to TW2.TW2's plot is genious but the emotional factor is diminished compared to the first.Also the frist welcomes you better into the world while the second thrusts you mercilessly.Also TW1 offers more diverse gameplay and a bigger world.(yeah if you can believe it)

TW2 is wonderful ,but just feels a tad too cold.TW2's decision making is superior and so is the overall depth of plot and replayability.On my second playthrough with different choices and the game feels vastly different towards chapter 2.



Try it on Onlive.Check this page.If you have decent internet you can buy on Onlive and it will play the game even on a low spec laptop.You can even check the demo for free to see what it looks like.You get a free digital copy on GOG when you buy it from onlive as well.

Was absolutely worth it for me.

OnLive is still around? dafuq?

 

[CrackPebbles]

Is 8 hours a fair enough chance to say im not a fan? combat was a bore with zero strategy or feeling of growth, was on autopilot the whole time, and I hardly care for the lore and such (im sure its great! im just not a fan of the setting) Everyone tells me the thing that makes this game so special is its story, and the choices you face, etc,etc, so I should have known off the bat that I would not care for this game, I need some substance, some challenge in my combat, I guess as far as western rpgs go Im better off sticking to ones that are more partial to strategy, hell I disliked dragon age origins but still had more fun in the 20 hours I spend on that game.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Should I play Witcher 1 before playing Witcher 2? I am more interested in Witcher 2 .I am thinking watching youtube videos and maybe reading the book for the first game .Is that enough?

The story of both games is wasted if you are not the one making the choices that drive it. I would recommend against spoiling the first game. Read the books if you want background information, both games are sequels of the books.

 

[HeelPower]

OnLive is still around? dafuq?

yup and works amazingly well..wouldnt have experienced the witcher epics if it werent for that service.

 

[woober]

Witcher 1 has the better story if you liked 2. Witcher 2 is presented better.

 

[markot]

This kind of mindset if why rpgs are in the age of action man instead of the thinking man.

I love combat that makes sense.

The witcher combat is sense making non.

I love crimson shroud and you use die for the combat.

Its not knowing what it wants to be, its half way between action and tactical and stratagy and doesnt do any of them even remotely well.

 

[Khatoz]

This is one of those games where the hype around it delivered, also CD Projekt RED has supported the game amazingly with their free DLC packs.

One of the best games of last gen.

Witcher 3 shall be glorious @_@

 

[NotUS]

Should I play Witcher 1 before playing Witcher 2? I am more interested in Witcher 2 .I am thinking watching youtube videos and maybe reading the book for the first game .Is that enough?

I played Witcher 2 first, then Witcher 1 afterwards. Whilst not essential, you will get a better understanding of things by playing them in order.

The game mechanics are inferior in Witcher 1, so you may need to be a little accepting there, but it is a great game. I highly recommend installing the HD texture mods for Witcher 1, it makes quite a difference.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

This is one of those games where the hype around it delievered, also CD Projekt RED has supported the game amazingly with their free DLC packs.

One of the best games of last gen.

Yeah but they borked the difficulty. Something went wrong when a very challenging game became so easy after some patches.

 

[PBalfredo]

Is the combat in Witcher 2 any different from that of Witcher 1? Because in the original that's where it fell apart. There were no meaningful choices to make once you were engaged in combat. You had the stances and the sword types, but for every encounter there was such a clear cut difference between the correct sword/stance to use and the ones that make you die horribly, it really isn't a choice at all. Everything seemed to just boil down to how well you prepared your potions before the battle. Having battles be near-predetermined by how much I grinded and crafted potions was a deal breaker.

 

[frankMX]

The story of both games is wasted if you are not the one making the choices that drive it. I would recommend against spoiling the first game. Read the books if you want background information, both games are sequels of the books.

I didn't know the games are sequels of the books.I think I will start with Witcher 1 then

I played Witcher 2 first, then Witcher 1 afterwards. Whilst not essential, you will get a better understanding of things by playing them in order.

The game mechanics are inferior in Witcher 1, so you may need to be a little accepting there, but it is a great game. I highly recommend installing the HD texture mods for Witcher 1, it makes quite a difference.

I am interested in the story of this series, especially since its based on well-received books.I heard praise about Witcher 2 all the time but not so much about Witcher 1.So I am not so sure about how good Witcher 1 is.I know choices are important in Witcher series and that's it.I will start with Witcher 1 and move to Witcher 2.

 

[Khatoz]

Yeah but they borked the difficulty. Something went wrong when a very challenging game became so easy after some patches.

While this is a shame cause part of the apeal of the game at launch was the Dark Soul difficulty level, I remember that some of it was from the controls sometimes not being as precise as one would like for the type of combat the game was designed for, which later got fixed.

 

[NavyPharaoh]

Love the Witcher 2 lore, but I couldn't get a hang of the combat. Hopefully I'll get the chance to try again

 

[Locuza]

I for one don't think that Witcher 2 is a bad game, i had fun with it, 68 hours according to Steam, but i can't love this game.
I played Witcher 1 just like a junkie would sniff his crack, the whole game absorbed my life and i was so fucking pumped for Witcher 2 but i was disappointed on many levels.

Witcher 2 was so colorfull and bloomy, it lost much of the dark fantasy atmosphere.
It lost so many thinks i loved in Witcher 1.

Boss fight near the end with

Spoiler

the dragon

took me approximately 500000000000 retries to finish. God damn.

That Boss one-hittet me with nearly every attack, at max level and with portions, i played it on Dark-Mode.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

While this is a shame cause part of the apeal of the game at launch was the Dark Soul difficulty level, I remember that some of it was from the controls sometimes not being as precise as one would like for the type of combat the game was designed for, which later got fixed.

Oh yeah two of the bosses were almost broken when it released because of it. But it was good fun to see people going through that trial by fire, the first time the difficulty spikes like crazy.

 

[NotUS]

Is the combat in Witcher 2 any different from that of Witcher 1? Because in the original that's where it fell apart. There were no meaningful choices to make once you were engaged in combat. You had the stances and the sword types, but for every encounter there was such a clear cut difference between the correct sword/stance to use and the ones that make you die horribly, it really isn't a choice at all. Everything seemed to just boil down to how well you prepared your potions before the battle. Having battles be near-predetermined by how much I grinded and crafted potions was a deal breaker.

Different but better, it's more of a Dark Souls meets Hack n Slash. Not sure if that is the best way to describe it.

As with W1, you have the two swords, steel for humans, silver for monsters. You can use both swords to defeat either type of enemy, using them correctly just means more damage dealt.

You can approach a battle as hack n slash, but that can be difficult, and you will lose against multiple opponents. It requires better positioning of your character, moving/rolling out of danger if surrounded. The best approach is to draw them out for one on one battles.

As with any RPG, as you progress you improve your armour, combat skills etc. Alchemy is not essential at all, however it is always nice to have the odd potion which increases regen and sword damage.

 

[Bear]

Is 8 hours a fair enough chance to say im not a fan? combat was a bore with zero strategy or feeling of growth, was on autopilot the whole time, and I hardly care for the lore and such (im sure its great! im just not a fan of the setting) Everyone tells me the thing that makes this game so special is its story, and the choices you face, etc,etc, so I should have known off the bat that I would not care for this game, I need some substance, some challenge in my combat, I guess as far as western rpgs go Im better off sticking to ones that are more partial to strategy, hell I disliked dragon age origins but still had more fun in the 20 hours I spend on that game.

What difficulty are you playing at? The game has a pretty diverse range of difficulty options, I can't imagine any first time player would find them all too easy. I beat Dark mode twice and I still get a satisfying challenge out of it, although there are occasional balance issues. Even regular enemies can quickly do a lot of damage if you play sloppy.

 

[FloatOn]

I played Witcher 2 first, then Witcher 1 afterwards. Whilst not essential, you will get a better understanding of things by playing them in order.

The game mechanics are inferior in Witcher 1, so you may need to be a little accepting there, but it is a great game. I highly recommend installing the HD texture mods for Witcher 1, it makes quite a difference.

After reading the praise for Witcher 1 I decided I'm going to play it at some point. Really not sure when, but I'll squeeze it in somehow.

 

[Spacecowboy77]

Ugh.. I really wanted to like this game but I just can't.

I tried maybe 3 times to get back into it but every time I get bored and fatigued and just forget about it.

I think it's the political world in the game that bores me. Too many characters and interests that makes you lose interest really fast. Also some characters are really one dimensional.

Hopefully Witcher 3 will be more interesting as I loved the first game.

 

[Randy Monk]

Why the hell did they not include the "romance" cards?

They were the only thing that kept me going in the Witcher 1.

Yes I am typing with a straight face.

 

[Origami Superman]

Witcher 1 has the better story if you liked 2. Witcher 2 is presented better.

Yep. Witcher 1 was probably my fav story of the gen.

 

[CecilRousso]

It took some hours before I really started enjoy the game, and it's still not without it's flaws, but after beating twice I have this opinion about it:

#1 - I still want more, much more.
#2 - Nothing in the game feels like filler content.
#3 - The story is actually well written and interesting.

 

[badb0y]

I don't play these type of RPGs much, that being said I think the Witcher and it's sequel were among some of the best games released last gen.

It's that good.