The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings – Review by Ganondorf2002
In May of 2011 CD Projekt released their much anticipated sequel to “The Witcher”. In the four years that this sequel was in development CD Projekt developed the new “Red” game engine which allowed the designers and developers to implement many of the enhancements to Witcher 2, while still making use of existing pc hardware. Doing this allows many players with new and older pc hardware to enjoy the game. Some of the more noticeable graphical enhancements are the ambient ones, such as a light breeze moving tree branches, rippling streams, beautiful sunlight shafts peering in the deep forest through the trees.
It is not necessary to play the first Witcher to be able to understand this game. However if you want to complete the first game you can import your saved game into this sequel allowing some of your choices to impact this game.
Now into some of what makes Witcher 2 such a good game. CD Projekt really enjoys the idea of players having to make choices that have actual impact through out the game. Some of which is offered in the 4 different beginnings, depending on how you play the prologue. Along with 16 different endings. About the only down side to these choices is the game is limited to the prologue along with 3 different acts adding up to 40+ hours of game play. However with the multiple beginnings and endings there is definitely the element of being able to replay the game many times. Throughout the game there are several mini games such as fist fighting, poker with dice and arm wrestling. These mini game can not only be used to further some quests they can also be helpful in gaining orens (money).
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The graphics are both stunning and beautiful. For my taste one thing I was really ambient element. Some games tend to fall short in this area but Witcher 2 excels in it. Sometime when you are playing the game just stop and look around at the immense detail. Or you can look at some of the pictures and videos I’ll have posted here to help convey the detail. And further on the topic of graphics is the nudity in the game. It seems that when people hear that a game has nudity they are not pleased unless it appears to be on the same lines as an adult movie. First off this is a game, helps to remember that and second, this is not for you. Witcher 2 does have both nudity and sex involved in it but the way that it is incorporated into the game it comes off fairly natural. I mean after all sex is a natural part of life. One of the first scenes depicting nudity is in the prologue with Triss laying naked next to Geralt. You do get to see here for a brief time in the nude but if goes with the story being told at the time, not as something to be just so people can gawk at her.
The story is very compelling, (not trying to give anything away). You can learn more about the Wild Hunt that pesters Geralt, what the Scoia’tael really want, further and deeper development with you friends Triss, Zoltan, and Dandelion. Also you learn about the horrible mist that will not let the dead rest. While in the city of Vergen, the dwarven town some of the things you can learn about are a mysterious poisoning, how the dwarves honor not only their dead but the dead of the dead of worthy adversaries. Also make sure to talk to everyone you never know who will have valuable information, helpful quests, or just a good tale to hear. All this and more while you solve other quests and make choices that affect the story as it progresses.
While silver and steel swords are the primary weapons that Geralt prefers, there are an assortment of others ranging from hammers, axes, and throwing knives to name a few. There is also a lot of ways weapons and armor can be enhanced. Some weapons and armor have slots on them. These slots can be used to add a variety of runes, ores, armor plating, and other various enhancements. These upgrades can greatly help when you find your self backed into a corner. Some of these can be acquired through quests or vendors, and others can be made through alchemy. There is also a ton of temporary oils, or sharpening stones that can be applied, though these only last a few minutes they too can be a life saver. Also like in the first Witcher you can use alchemy to make your health potions, cat potions, weapons coatings etc.
For those that are fans of the Xbox you’ll be happy to know that Witcher 2 will be released for the Xbox sometime early 2012. It will have all of the updates and goodies that have been released for the PC version including the 2.0 update. Future DLC will be available for the Xbox release however due to policies in place by Microsoft it is not known if the DLC will be free as it is on the PC.
Now as of 9-29-11 Witcher 2 released a 2.0 update. This update address many issues such as:
40+ technical and game play enhancements.
All 9 DLC which are listed as:
- Troll Trouble (quest)
- Roche Commando Jacket
- Ultimate Alchemy Suit
- Ultimate Magical Suit
- Ultimate Swordsman Suit
- Finisher Pack
- Mysterious Merchant
- Barbers and Coiffeuses
- A Sackfull of Fluff (quest)
Special Dark difficulty setting
The new Dark Mode presents players with a new challenge, the highest level of difficulty where every foe is now a significant challenge requiring careful planning and consideration. Dark Mode also features several new sets of equipment and items all linked together through a dark legend in the game journal. These cursed items harm Geralt so long as the sets remain incomplete, but once the player collects all the components, the Blasphemer’s, Oathbreaker’s and Kinslayer’s outfits provide great advantages in combat. Dark Mode offers dark-themed gear with very high stats such as:
• 3 new sets of dark armor (light, medium, and heavy)
• 3 new sets of dark swords (3 silver, 3 steel)
• Other Dark themes/elements in the game
I have to say that the biggest thing to come out of the 2.0 update is the completely new arcade-style Arena Mode
Infinitely replayable and progressively more challenging, Arena lets you hone your combat skills and techniques against all the different monster types from the game. Dispatch wave upon wave of progressively more difficult enemies, earning awards that you can use to upgrade abilities, experiment with new weapons and armor, and to test your alchemy skills. Hirelings can also assist you in battle—for a price. Combat waves will continue infinitely until your character is defeated, after which you’ll see a statistical summary of results. Players can share their results with their friends by uploading this summary to the official Witcher forums or to Facebook. Arena Mode includes:
• New location, with a dynamic, responsive audience reacting to the events
• A new monster type, Werewolf
• Waves of different opponents, looped with increasing levels of difficulty
• 3 different prizes to choose from in each wave
• 3 new characters (mage, knight, and dwarven fighter) that can serve as allies during clashes
• A shopkeeper offering gear and enhancements
• 3 new GUI panels designed specifically for the mode
• New dialogue
• New background music
• New Witcher Forum and Facebook integration.
And just remember that once you buy the PC version of this game you can download this 2.0 update and all of its content FOR FREE. Nice Huh…… Also the devs have stated that this update is not to be the last for Witcher 2. Can’t wait to see what is next.
