The Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings PC Review

Posted on 11th September 201111th September 2011 by

Developer CD Projekt Red

Publisher Namco Bandai

Platform PC (Xbox 360 to follow)

Release Date Out Now

The Witcher 2 is a game that grabs your attention and holds on to it with both hands. From the very first cut scenes you’re drawn into it and taken through an engrossing story into the life of a monster hunter. In a nod to the original game you start out running through the woods (again), only this time you’re captured this time by the King’s men.

For fans of the original game, this intro will be eerily familiar and the Witcher 2 continues right where the previous game ended. For newcomers, the story may be a little confusing but not overwhelming – you won’t exactly need a degree to get yourself up to speed on what happened in the original game.

While the original was good (if a little buggy), for the sequel they upped the ante and pulled out all the stops. The developers aimed for perfection but ultimately didn’t quite succeed. They did give it a damn good shot though producing a grittier, louder, more vulgar and morally challenging RPG than what’s currently around at the moment in the likes of Fallout New Vegas and Dragon Age 2. The Witcher’s original moral choices really stood out from the crowd and the sequel continues to deliver. To quote Terry Pratchett, “There’s no black and white, only white that’s got dirty” – this is never truer than in The Witcher series. Expect no easy good/bad choices and like the original, those choices will have consequences.

The Witcher 2 really delivers on graphics, music, its dynamic weather system, voice acting, morality in how you make your choices and depth in the main story itself. Where it fails is on the steep learning curve in figuring out the controls and some of the mini-games. This was a failing on the prequel too and unfortunately some parts of the game just feel neglected, particularly the mini games where it’s RTFM time if you’re looking to play most of them.

The controls for the game itself are the standard WASD + mouse controls with inventory, map, etc. Those of you who’ve played the Dragon Age or Elder Scrolls series will be familiar with the now standard-fair inventory system where items are categorized (an improvement over the original Witcher’s). It’s now a lot easier to buy and sell and to easily get rid of your junk items although I have a big problem with the really bad overlays when selling items – I can’t see the items I’m trying to sell for several seconds – a real pain if you’re selling a lot in one go.

Like the original, an area that’s a bit of a let-down is the fact that you still have to figure out how to get/make your mutagens (specific witcher upgrades) – the original was never very clear on how to do this. Time and time again, this game leaves too much for the casual gamer to figure out and this makes it a hard game to penetrate at times. That said, the gamer that spends time learning the game’s environment and nuances will be rewarded with an exponentially deeper and more satisfying gaming experience.

Good Points

Fantastic graphics with plenty of tweakable options for lower spec machines
Musical scores really add to the atmosphere of the game
The voice acting is well done and along with good scripts written for the actors. These add a lot of depth to the gaming experience.
There is an in depth storyline following on some short while after the end of the original game. It is not necessary for someone new to the story to be familiar with it however.
The morally grey choices available to Geralt as he makes his way through the game has become something of a trademark for The Witcher and the sequel does not disappoint.

Bad Points

For some reason, there is no “Continue game” option which is not automatically selected when you start it up. Seems a pretty big ‘whoops!’ for an RPG.
When selling, the list of items you’ve just sold displays across your current inventory making it very hard to make out. This is a real pain in the a** when you’re trying to sell several items at once.
Some of the mini games could really use some explaining. They’re not too difficult to work out but a quick explanation in game would have been nice. Some time with the manual is necessary if you want to get the most from the extra game functionality. The original game suffered from a similar problem and I’ve no doubt that some gamers missed out as a result.

Summary

This is a beautiful game that is a must have for any RPG fan that will test your system’s specs to their limit but the steep learning curve and lack of friendly walkthroughs make this game something of an investment and is not great for the casual gamer. Those that do spend the time will not regret their purchase – this is a great game – make no mistake – and a welcome addition to any fan’s collection.

Rating: 8/10

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