We're days away from Witcher 2, a game with crazy RPG hype and truly amazing footage (i'm nowhere near an RPG enthusiast and it even gets me excited).

Best game since Deus Ex.

One of the most flawed RPGs in years.

I'm towards the end of Chapter 3 now, trying to beat the game before Tuesday. It's awesome. In this chapter it really picked up for me. Combat is super fun now, my character is getting really powered up and I've learnt how to use potions much more effectively. The story is great and the choices are interesting and impactful and the side missions are really unique.

The Witcher is a brilliant game. Brilliant story and characters, really well done bleak, morbid atmosphere.

Sad to be honest, always seemed like a great RPG of what I played of it but recall being overloaded with so many other games to play that took my attention away. Never have got around to playing the original but think The Witcher 2 looks like it'll be great. 

Certainly show up Dragon Age 2, as the average RPG that I thought it was. 

After playng it recently I'd say it takes a while to get into but after that the story is really immersive and it is a great RPG.

Plus Geralt is one of the most awesome characters in gaming.

I'm towards the end of Chapter 3 now, trying to beat the game before Tuesday. It's awesome. In this chapter it really picked up for me. Combat is super fun now, my character is getting really powered up and I've learnt how to use potions much more effectively. The story is great and the choices are interesting and impactful and the side missions are really unique.

The problem with the game for me is the first 2 chapters are pretty damn weak. Hopefully they've changed the pace a bit in the sequel. The graphics look amazing from the trailers and gameplay clips.

yeah the first two chapters are weak, but after that it picks up and it gets way awesome.

KING OF THE WILD HUNT

snorfest boring wrpg game. I like dragon age and oblivion more where it's slightly more casual.

I really, really love the first game pretty much warts and all. I love the characters, the plot, the mechanics (even the rhythm game combat) even the silly sex cards if I'm honest! Aside from the technical stuff that really hurt the game IMO when it first came out, there isn't a lot about 1 that I didn't really enjoy and the director's cut fixed the majority of the tech stuff anyway.

I only played the Enhanced Edition, but I absolutely loved it. it was so refreshing to have consequences to your choices without some stupid karma meter.

Some parts were awesome, some parts were horrible. I really enjoyed the investigation in Vizima and the autopsy, but the whole thing with the vodyanoy and the lady of the lake seemed very filler and boring.

It's pretty good, the sex stuff seemed a little pandering to the "I'm playing a mature game but I'm really here for teh boobiez" crowd but overall pretty solid for it's time.

One of the most flawed RPGs in years.

Started playing it about a week ago and finished yesterday, have to agree it has a slow start, but once you hit chapter 2 it really picked up for me, spent so much time just walking around talking to people and never got tired of it. Shani's house party was really great and can't think of many other games that have done stuff like that. It's probably one of my favourite RPGs now, never saw that ending coming and I really should have. 

@phrosnite said:

One of the most flawed RPGs in years.

Basically this. Terrible combat system. Over the top focus on sex, (worse than anything people have lambasted Dragon Age for) up to and including the "Sex Trading Cards".

@GrandHarrier said:

@phrosnite said:

One of the most flawed RPGs in years.

Basically this. Terrible combat system. Over the top focus on sex, (worse than anything people have lambasted Dragon Age for) up to and including the "Sex Trading Cards".

yeah and the books the game comes from have a lot of sex in them as well, so what's your point

and that's fair enough, but it's not like it was a critical part of the game; I only had sex with like 2 people or something.

Haven't played it yet, but I will as soon as possible.

I just started playing it.  Its okay so far, but im not very far in.

I played the vanilla Witcher and the enhanced version. I loved it. The characters were cool, the story was darker and the choices you could make grayer than anything I had ever played. I still thought the early pacing was off. The first two chapters really dragged, sometimes leaving me wondering what to do next. And the sex cards in the game seemed rather juvenile and really didn't do anything for me.

But with each passing chapter after the first two the game got better and better and by the ending, which was really well done, I felt like I had lived the life of a Witcher. Not just any Witcher mind you, but Geralt of Rivia "The White Wolf", his story became mine. Great game.

The first half of The Witcher definitely dragged too much, but man oh man does that second half make up for it. Tough choices to make in the story, loveable characters, and a combat system that really grows on you over the course of the game.

I think the first game was a really good game.  They tried to do much with an old ass engine and performance kind of suffered for it.   I mean i still get like less than 20fps in chapter 3 with core 2 quad 2.4gz and gtx 480.  
But there was a good amount of choice and consequences story wise that made it interesting to play throughout the game a few times.  I really enjoyed the philosophical battle near the end of the game with the grand master.   

@GrandHarrier: it was definitely not that bad, and sure the combat was boring but fucking whatever, I've played worse before. and if you cannot clearly see the improvements they've made to the witcher 2 (esp. the combat) from the trailers, then...

It controlled badly, the voice acting was all over the place, and it was optimized piss poor. I didn't understand the hype

I guess I'm still on the not so good beginning, because right now it's slow. I started playing it this year, and it feels like a really old game, back when sex in mainstream games was something new. Also, the dialogue is really bad sometimes, noticeably recorded at separate times in separate booths. It's almost impossible to have a fluid conversation here. 

I finished it for the first time a few days ago and it's simply brilliant. The fact that it had a choice mechanic in there that was actually subtle surprised me, I didn't know it had anything like that until late chapter 2. Story was very good, though a bit slow in places,  voice acting was a bit all over the place and the combat was a little tedious at times.

My main problem with it was that even though my PC easily surpasses the specs, it constantly lagged when there was excessive fire and smoke (Chapter 1's boss fight was a right barrel of laughs). But those kinds of situations rarely occurred so it never really got in the way.

Really looking forward to playing 2, bought the collector's edition and currently awaiting it, even though my PC can't run it yet. Yes I'm an idiot.

If I could have gotten past the combat mechanics which I loathed I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the game a lot. The atmosphere and story seemed like they would have interested me, unfortunately other aspects spoiled the game. Here's to hoping the sequel remedies those.

It couldn't hold my attention, it really was quite a boring game. I got about two or three hours in to it and just never booted it up again.

I played the vanilla Witcher and the enhanced version. I loved it. The characters were cool, the story was darker and the choices you could make grayer than anything I had ever played. I still thought the early pacing was off. The first two chapters really dragged, sometimes leaving me wondering what to do next. And the sex cards in the game seemed rather juvenile and really didn't do anything for me.But with each passing chapter after the first two the game got better and better and by the ending, which was really well done, I felt like I had lived the life of a Witcher. Not just any Witcher mind you, but Geralt of Rivia "The White Wolf", his story became mine. Great game.

I played it like yesterday, so it's not really a retrospect. But I love it!

Great game, terrible pacing, and the way they handle quests is something to be desired. All of these things are addressed in the new one so.

just started it tuesday and the VA is terrible but the settings and atmosphere are good 

Man, this made me buy it. It's only $5 at GOG right now too!

No opinion, just picked it up $5 to play, I want to get in and play before getting the Witcher 2. I want to see if the hype is justified.

I barely remember anything about that game. I do recall enjoying my time with it, though.

I'm near the end of Chapter 3 and the battle system finally clicked. It's not perfect or anything, but I'm finally getting into the rhythm and pulling off some pretty cool stuff. The story seems to be picking up, too. Hopefully I can plow through the rest of the game before Tuesday.

Love it, great story, gritty, awesome.

It was loved by me. It had it's flaws even after the EE, but I still appreciated much. 
 
  

I like it, but I keep having to do the opening, and giving up because of how often I've installed/uninstalled the game. 

Interesting opinions in this thread. the combat, animations, frame rates and dialogue seem a lot better than what some people with negative opinions described, but i guess it's because it's the enhanced edition?

First time I tried to play it I didn't even make it to the second chapter, I think.

A slow start, but a great game none the less, cannot believe it is almost 4 years since I bought this game :o

I like it, but I keep having to do the opening, and giving up because of how often I've installed/uninstalled the game. 

@XII_Sniper said:

I like it, but I keep having to do the opening, and giving up because of how often I've installed/uninstalled the game. 

Force yourself to do the opening, permanently keep a save from the playthrough and just use it to skip ahead next time!