2011: A Great Year for RPG Gamers (Witcher 2)
By DeadManRollin 14 Comments
When the first reviews of Witcher came out, I wasn't really interested about the game. However, after reading the considerably better reviews for the enhanced edition, I really got interested in the game and bought it. The experience of playing witcher was totally a new one from me. I bought it just after playing Oblivion and completing Neverwinter Nights, and I was expecting a character creation screen at the very beginning of the game.
The below portion will have spoilers regarding Witcher, so please don't read if you haven't completed the game.
But no, there wasn't any. Witcher does not have any character creation and or customization options. You get a badass hero named Geralt to play with, who has recently lost his memory. The game quickly takes you to Geralt's first romantic interest. She reminds him that he was "really good in bed" before he lost his memory. This was one of the many unique aspects of this game.
The combat was totally different from anything I've ever seen before. Before playing witcher, I had experience with Drakensang, Neverwinter Nights, Oblivion and Dungeon Siege 2. But none of those games had 3 different battle stances, and neither limited the types of weapons the protagonist could use or carry. While Geralt can only use a regular sword and a silver sword (axes and knives, too, if I remember correctly), the heroes in other games could wield daggers, staffs, shields, maces, bows and what not. As a unique twist, Geralt can also unleash a number of spells that can affect the gameplay dramatically.
I got really indulged in the game, and I must say, Witcher was the first RPG game that gave me the creeps. Walking through the fields at night was an unforgettable experience. I am yet to see another game properly utilize day and night effects to a useful manner. Dragon Age 2 makes some quests available only at night, but that's not even remotely comparable to the brilliance of Witcher.
The character is fully voiced, and dialogues have real impact in the way NPC react and quests unveil. The frustrating part is that in most cases, you will not get a second chance to provide the right response and get the quest done. So you really need to follow the story in order to get the desired outcome. Like there is one instance where you can either kill a witch, have sex with her and let her leave or have sex with her and let the mob kill her. It is a bit difficult to understand what will lead to what and I was totally flabbergasted when my unmindful responses led to the burning of her by the mob.
So I had to reload an older game and replay that portion.
I just wrote about Dragon Age 2 in my last entry, and it amazes me to realize how deep and involving witcher was. It's a 4 year old game, and still very much recommended and playable. And with Witcher 2 coming out within the next 3 weeks, this could be the best thing to do--replaying Witcher and getting ready for the sequel.
Unfortunately for me, I could never complete the game. There was this stage called marsh which broke the game for me. That level was tedious, and path finding was a chore. I played for hours (without resorting to walthroughs) in vain just to find out any quest element. The map was not helpful, and the journal is a bit difficult.
I still feel like going back to this great game and I think I will do it soon. Witcher is in my opinion a one of a kind RPG game. Dragon Age: Origins tried to bring some adult theme in to the game, but the ones depicted in Witcher are much more involving(!) and satisfying.
I started playing Dragon Age: Origins when I got stuck in Witcher. I guess that is one good reason as to why I never got back to Witcher. Playing the 50 plus hour campaign 6 times, and then going for DA2 over the last 2 years have made it impossible for me to go back to Witcher.
But now is the time for revisiting Geralt's old story--before the new one unveils. I also have a new GPU now so things should look nicer, too. I used to have a Geforce 8600 GT back then, and now I own an AMD 6870.
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