The Witcher 2 - Beyond all expectation.
The Witcher was a flawed game, and ill admit from the start that I never finished it, it wasn't because I disliked the game just certain things happened that prevented me from ever going all the way, but the atmosphere and character clicked from the start. I have to go back now, and finish the first, and I am so compelled because its sequel is not only one of the best RPG's ever made, but one of the best games.
The Graphics
Stunning, with a decent gaming PC this game shines - on a above par PC this game will melt your retinas, I recently purchased a GTX570 forgetting that this game was about to come out, I'm so very glad I did, this game at full (Minus Ubersampling which is not needed and for crazy people) has some of the most believable environments I've seen in a game, the forest floor is filled with brush and grass, vines and flowers, huge trees, waterfalls, elven ruins and wide vistas, near the start of the game there's a vista off to the side of the main path that is easily missed, it overlooks a castle and town with church bells ringing due to the invasion, its a sight to behold and for it to just be sitting off the to the side just blew my mind.
I gush on the visuals here simply because they are so good, the lighting is out of this world and the developers knew it, there is always a break in the ceiling of caves so sunlight can cascade down a small waterfall with vines, the sheen of wet and natural lighting is an amazing effect, they use every trick in the book to startling effect, finally I feel justified in the system I built.
The Story
I won't speak much on this because this is honestly 70% of the game, seriously this game almost rivals Mass Effect when it comes to talking, and in fact I think this game may have Mass Effect 2 on the brain, it really does at its core feel like Mass Effect, but the decisions seem to influence the course of the game in a much greater, and more satisfying way. I can't wait to go back and beat it again to see how it all flows together in a different way.
The Combat
It's not perfect, but it still is leagues better than the first game, the game requires use of all your skills, and it gives you the tools to customize combat to your liking. The bombs, the traps, the Signs, the swords, the mutations, the talents it all blends together in a great way, your character is not gimped at the start, simply your base skills are laid out and you improve upon them, the only downfalls are that sometimes having a blow blocked doesn't seem right, like swinging while the enemies back is turned and it clearly connects but it doesn't. It happens but for the most part it stays engaging and your constantly on your toes, the dodge mechanic is put in to overdrive, and I did my fair share of abusing the Quen shield sign. Parry I will say seems ineffective but it may prove more useful at higher difficulties.
Overall
The game has its flaws, sometimes the animations don't blend so nicely, animations can kick in at strange times during conversation and cause characters to stroll through walls or pieces of the background, I had to bump major characters a few times as they got stuck on walls or in doors while trying to move to the next objective and in a few cases was supposed to follow a character and they just never seemed to want to start their journey without some proding. But these were far enough between each other and never fully stopped the game so just unfortunate leftovers, the game around this is simply breathtaking, its mature but not in a Bulletstorm way, all the violence and naked - ness serves the story and doesn't come off as pandering.
The game is worth every penny and I can only say this, I spent 48 hours in my first run and it felt entirely to short, I can give no game a better review, I want More and I will pay for it. Also the final line of the credits go to SpeedTree so even if none of this was this awesome 5 Stars.
