The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Review

By Quintin Smith Published 20 May, 2011

Son of a witch.

Version tested: PC

Do you know that strange bit of gaming folklore that an RPG can be judged by its first town? It's true more often that not. Baldur's Gate 2 was a planet-sized experience that thrilled in first setting you loose in the intimidatingly vast city of Amn. The first Fallout's settlement of Shady Sands was a bleak scrap of nowhere where the primitive inhabitants could be saved, perhaps, but they could also be exploited.

The Witcher 2's first quest hub, the damp and drunken swamp town of Flotsam, is as true a statement of intent as I've ever seen in an RPG. If you didn't play the first Witcher and aren't aware of the setting and mythology behind these games, a description of Flotsam should bring you up to speed.

Flotsam is a gory place. On one side, the stinking, moss-coloured Pontar river dutifully carries a huge number of trade vessels, but also a legendary monster. On the other, a larger-than-life fairytale forest hides everything from colonies of burrowing, bloodthirsty imps ("Nekkers") to the Scoia'tael, a guerrilla army of elves.

In the universe of The Witcher, elves and dwarves are the subject of heavy racism from humans, and the Scoia'tael represent a furious, deeply political elf faction who Just Won't Take It Anymore. If they had their way, Flotsam would be reduced to ash. They can't have their way, however, thanks to Flotsam's similarly resolute commander and his disproportionately large, hateful, womanising militia.

Flotasm sounds like hell, right? Wrong. Flotsam's beautiful. Everything from the architecture, to the conversations you overhear, to the tasks given to you by the nervous inhabitants - it's all breathtakingly believable. Flotsam being a disgusting and dangerous place, both materially and morally, isn't the point. The point is that - as you watch a butcher hack a cow apart under a pale sun and listen in on a conversation about who shagged who last night - the setting is real enough that you'll actually be disgusted, and feel in danger.

1

Kate Middleton is so last month. 'The Geralt' is going to become the new most-asked-for haircut. Watch this space.

This is the most obvious of The Witcher 2's many achievements. It provides a world that's so well thought out and so lovingly crafted that the player is transported. Flotsam is a shitty place, yes, but The Witcher's is a shitty world. What CD Projekt has achieved here, more so than any RPG I can think of from the last five years, is bringing its (shitty) world to life.

This plausibility extends to the game's merciless plot. It's a tale of love, war, unlikely allegiances, unexpected rape and even more unexpected pregnancies, assassinations and accidents, with so many bent moral codes and political groups that any gamer who wants more than a vague sense of what's going on will often find themselves referring to the brilliantly written in-game codex of information.

For now, it's probably best to sum the plot up by saying that your character, Geralt of Rivia, is trying to prove that he is not, in fact, the titular assassin of kings, and move onto exactly who and what Geralt is.

Geralt is a Witcher, a rare breed of mutant notable for two things. One, they're legendarily strong and have a knack for magic, and make their living as monster slayers. Two, they're sterile, and therefore a hit with ye olde ladies.

2

Scraps of defeated monsters can be hung on Geralt's back. Which is nice, as the ladies love a desiccated troll penis.

The Witcher games have, a little sadly, come to be defined by all the sex Geralt has, with the "sex cards" you collected in the first game being a pretty memorable feature. The sex cards are actually gone this time around. While Geralt can still seduce his way around the world if you so desire, there's less sex in general (with one wonderfully venomous quest even using the promise of it to trick you). In part that's because this is a shorter game (clocking in at some 25 hours), but also because it's keener to press you into the fighting that defines Geralt.

Combat is also the key area where The Witcher 2 falls from greatness. When it works, which it does for most of the time, it's a joy. Simultaneously slow and panicked, you control Geralt from a third-person perspective, delivering heavy blows from one of his two-handed swords (silver for monsters, steel for everything else) with clicks from the mouse. A few key shortcuts handle magic, evasive rolls, throwing knives and traps.

Combat itself is a matter of crowd control. You get hits in where you can, cast spells when you can't, and live in terror of being flanked. Being totally surrounded results in you getting bounced around like a football with such incredible brutality that it might be funny if it weren't happening to you.

When it works, it's fantastic. The game routinely pits you against a half-dozen or more enemies, and surviving these encounters by the skin of your teeth through quick thinking and preparation feels massively satisfying. There's a sense that Geralt wins fights not because he's the hero, but because of talent, training and intelligence. Which, of course, makes him even more of a hero. He's a great protagonist.

The problem is one of balancing. The Witcher 2 has an inverted difficulty curve. Rather than starting you off gently and getting tougher as you learn, The Witcher 2 starts off ungodly tough after an inadequate tutorial, then eventually plateaus into being hugely tricky, before you finally end up progressing far enough into the game's skill trees that everything becomes too easy.

Where most games expect you to climb a mountain, The Witcher 2 is more like being thrown out of a plane after a parachute and then expected to walk the last 20 miles. This imbalance extends to the gear Geralt finds, which is all over the place. You might painstakingly craft a jacket from the carapaces of forest spiders only to find something better with relatively little effort not 20 minutes later.

Thankfully, the game lets you lower or increase the difficulty at any time, although I'm not sure if starting off on Easy is all that wise. Instead, I'd recommend you learn early on that the shield glyph and charm glyph - the two lowest magic attacks on the list revealed by pressing Ctrl - are your best friends in all those wildly unfair fights.

Besides, it's only when you're struggling with fights that you'll get involved in the many excellent ways Geralt has of preparing for them. By sitting Geralt down to meditate (a pose in which he looks so absurdly badass that I can't help but wonder how many gamers will take up meditation as a result) you get access to the alchemy and potion-drinking menus, where you can mix any number of poisonous tonics that will buff him slightly. There are also traps, which can be assembled and set in advance.

3

Bulletstorm had a four-barreled shotgun, right? I will give 10/10 to the first game to feature a four-handed sword.

The sum of all of this is a combat system with all the potential in the world, but that coughs up everything from perfect duels and nightmarish battles against ridiculous odds to dull cakewalks and fights so infuriating that you need to turn the game off for a bit to make a cup of tea and do some catatonic staring out of the window.

It's a little disappointing, but it's completely fixable should CD Projekt choose to put out an Enhanced Edition, as it did with the first game. And it's something of an achievement that 'combat that's all over the place' is by far the biggest complaint anybody could level at the game.

The rest of The Witcher 2's errors - which consist of small glitches, bits of exposition getting jumbled up because you did some quests in the wrong order, a couple of crappy scripted events and some of the worst doors I've ever encountered in a game - are all inconsequential things that leave you free to enjoy one of the most impressive RPGs ever made.

Combat might have its low and high points, but the talking and exploring is one long high point filled with upward spikes into brilliance. Without wanting to give away a single moment, I found myself routinely cheering at my monitor, laughing more times than that, and had even more occasions where I stared hopelessly at my conversation options, too captivated by the situation to make a choice.

4

You end up fighting with doors so much throughout the game that I was half expecting the end boss to be a giant enemy door.

Speaking of choices, one decision you make in the game's first half alters the rest of it more radically than I ever would have believed if I hadn't talked to a friend who followed the other path afterwards. Between this, correcting all your other mistakes and following a different path down the skill tree, there's so much meat to be found in a second play-through that it's barely even a decision. If you've a completist bone in your body, you will be playing this game again.

Fans of RPGs should consider The Witcher 2 a must-buy. There's simply no competitor that can touch it in terms of poise, characterisation and storytelling, or the way in which it treats you not as a player - someone to be pandered to and pleased - but as an adult, free to make your own mistakes and suffer a plot in which not everyone gets what they deserve.

Everybody else should approach excitedly, but with a little caution. The Witcher 2's opening ten hours are as impressive as they are clumsy, and a little patience is needed until the game hits its stride. What a stride, though. What bravery and gravity. With a little time investment, this game offers everything the fantasy genre can be.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy

Comments (114) Latest comment 12 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • stamford1970 #1 1 year ago

    You wait ages for a number 9, then 2 come along at once......

  • Trejser #2 1 year ago

    Damn, great score! Go Poland! :D

  • jablonski #3 1 year ago

    Can't you just write 8+1 ?

    We would like that



    EDIT: spelling
    Edited by jablonski at 20/05/11 @ 16:07

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #4 1 year ago

    EG did you have a meeting and decide to make 9 the new 8 then ?
    Or has your 8 key just broke from over use and now your giving the 9 a hammering.

  • mrpsb #5 1 year ago

    So the combat is still rubbish, then. Oh well!

  • Darren #6 1 year ago

    I love you, EG... I f**king love you! :)

    I knew you'd give this incredible game the score it deserves. Well done and great review.

  • LimeScaled #7 1 year ago

    Looks amazing. From everything that I've read, this will be a special.

  • asphaltcowboy #8 1 year ago

    Sounds fantastic... might need to get that PC upgrade I was thinking about!

  • linea #9 1 year ago

    Ok... buying this then! Will need a new graphics card mind but.... a PROPER RPG! RAAAAA!

  • Tallon4 #10 1 year ago

    Damn....at moments like this I wish a had a decent PC

  • Haunted_Tree #11 1 year ago

    If you are struggling with the swordplay (at least at the start because the game isn't into hand-holding and likes to throw you in at the deep end), read the CVG article:
    http://www.computerandvideogames.com/302117/previews/how-to-survive-in-the-witcher-2/.

    Make sure you prep for battles, potion-up, quick save and then dodge-roll if surrounded.
    Edited by Haunted_Tree at 20/05/11 @ 16:11

  • Tallon4 #12 1 year ago

    Damn....at moments like this I wish a had a decent PC

  • Darren #13 1 year ago

    Great that the review mentioned how believable a place Flotsam feels in Chapter 1, especially when you compare it to the lifeless Kirkwall in Dragon Age II where people stand in the same bloody spot for years!!! It's amazing to explore a town and surroundings that don't feel like they've been created from hitting a Random Generator button (you reading this, BioWare?). I've spent over 14 hours on Chapter 1 alone and I'm still not bored of it as there's so much to see and do.

    The best RPGs in my opinion are those that create a living, breathing world for me to lose myself in. Oblivion and Fallout 3 did it, Witcher 2 certainly is the best so far and I'm hoping Skyrim takes that one step further.

  • Bravestinsane #14 1 year ago

    Scraps of defeated monsters can be hung on Geralt's back. Which is nice, as the ladies love a desiccated troll penis.

    Hmm if only it had a mechanical blue bird called Simon to go with it!

    I will add though the game is shit when it comes to optimisation im getting 20-26fps max on high settings, even disabling everything and setting everything to low makes about 1-2 fps difference, hopefuly ATI 10.5b drivers will sort that out.

    However i am only at the first village, im progressing rather slowly, well not that that opening flash backs are fucking long and make a decent tutorial.

    And i will say despite the horrendous performance i can't stop playing the game is fucking amazing, i got the retail spec edition for Game for £29,99.... and JESUS FUCKING CHRIST even the content of that box is incredible, soundtracks and bonus dev diarys on separate disks, the manual... a second manual... which is more like a novel is so fat and it's only in English.... fuck black ops and its 1 sheet of paper.... this is TRUE toilet reading material.

    Simply put.... even pirates should buy this game out of respect to the developers for giving so much, doing such a good job and saying fuck it DRM is sooo last century.

  • subedii #15 1 year ago

    OK, are people even aware that there's like, pages of text here? And not just a score?

    The score at the end is fundamentally meaningless if the text is describing something you're not interested in. Or conversely, ARE interested in but the score is low anyway (heck, that's why I loved Alpha Protocol despite it getting slated).

    People need to stop getting so bent out of shape over the flipping number.
    Edited by subedii at 20/05/11 @ 16:22

  • Darren #16 1 year ago

    The Witcher 2 is 25 hours long??? Did you blitz through it because you got the game late or something, EG? I've been playing the game for 18 hours so far and I haven't even reached Chapter 2!!! :o

  • Mockerre #17 1 year ago

    Just one thing. Optimalization. The game's performance is all over the place, so if you don't have a PC beast, be prepared to play it on the lowest details settings and sub-HD resolutions.

  • Nazo #18 1 year ago

    9 is the new 8

  • ghostblue #19 1 year ago

    I died 5 million times before starting again and changing to easy.

    The review say's you can change the difficulty on the fly! How, I cannot find anything in the manual or in the options. Please can someone enlighten me, as I would like to change back to normal.

  • cianchristopher #20 1 year ago

    It is a pretty great game, and the graphics are amazing. Even on medium/low settings. Amazing.

    The combat at the start is mental, though. I died about 20 times at the very start of the game (on Normal) where you fight the guards at the ballista. And, from what I've read online, I'm far from the only one.

  • subedii #21 1 year ago

    On the topic of performance, personally I haven't had any issues.

    I'm pretty much almost literally on the minimum system requirements, but I'm actually running with a fair few settings on medium. It looks awesome and still runs smooth, so take that as you will.

    In terms of actual performance I'd actually say it runs far smoother and loads MUCH faster than the first game (assuming it's running alright for your rig). Which is understandable since this is an engine built from the ground up for the game, and not a 3rd party one that they had to hack into working order for something it wasn't originally intended to do. Even so, I was actually really surprised with the short loading times after the first game.

    I also must have spent a good few minutes just staring at the trebuchets in the opening chapter. For something you're not likely to see again, everything's animated right down to the loading crew.

  • telboy007 #22 1 year ago

    If my PC hadn't decided to start ignoring my gfx I would gladly buy this. Hopefully the issue can be figured it out soon, by then there might be some patches and happy days. :)

  • Darren #23 1 year ago

    I think the game should have had a three page review given the score.

    There's virtually no mention of how stunning the game looks, how terrific the musical score is or how surprisingly good the voice-acting is. True, EG seldom mention audio anyway but it contributes greatly to the game's atmosphere IMO. And what about the fact that the game has virtually no loading times at all? And the beautifully slick user interface isn't mentioned either nor the fact that this game can be played with a controller, preferably an Xbox 360 one, with all the correct button icons shown in game. I think CD Projekt RED deserve praise for implementing them so well, especially as most RPGs don't support them on the PC, but I guess their inclusion more or less confirms that console builds are on the way. Quite right too, everyone should get a chance to play this.

  • Daeltaja #24 1 year ago

    Most obvious 9 ever! Hopefully CD Projekt will patch the issues outlined in the review.

  • karooo #25 1 year ago

    15 hours in chapter 2. Should have gotten a 10.

  • Darren #26 1 year ago

    @ghostblue - The game's difficulty can be changed by pressing Esc/START and selecting Gameplay options. The difficulty slider is the second one down from the top from memory.

  • apoc_reg #27 1 year ago

    awesome review!

    I am in total agreement witht he score..... id go ten but then im a massive witcher fan. 9 far the mass is probably right

  • Katana-Bob #28 1 year ago

    Who is this bitcher
    reviewing The Witcher?

    I realised the bitching
    about bugs and glitching

    was just an opinion
    yes, my... onion.

    For this game is bewitching
    kitchy and fetching

    it has scratched my itching
    for RPGs with fletching.

    Screeching and twitching
    I found the game matching

    the hype foretold
    by news of old.

    The Witcher
    has cast a spell on me.

  • miiiguel #29 1 year ago

    360 version, please.

  • login_name #30 1 year ago

    I'm usually obsessive about finishing games. I was halfway through DA2 when The Witcher 2 arrived. I'm pretty sure I'll never see the ending of DA2.

    It's gonna be very hard to choose my game of the year for 2011, The Witcher 2 is a contender though.

  • geeza2020 #31 1 year ago

    /PC envy

  • andywilkie35 #32 1 year ago

    This is one reason why I would like a quality typewriter.

  • Goodfella #33 1 year ago

    A truly sublime game, a few niggles (no invert mouse option being one but I found a work around) but extremely polished and there's so much attention to detail. Flotsam is so full of life it's uncanny.

    Possible GOTY for me.
    Edited by Goodfella at 20/05/11 @ 16:54

  • Apaar #34 1 year ago

    An absolutely fantastic game. Best time I've had with any game in years. Truly a game changer, and from now on a pitiful misfire like DA2 just absolutely wont do - something like that will be laughed out. Witcher 2 has set the bar incredibly high. A clear 10/10 from me.

  • Darren #35 1 year ago

    One thing I find strange about Witcher 2 given the attention to detail is how people are quite happy for you to enter their homes and take their belongings! Good for Geralt I guess, not so good for them when he walks aways with their life savings!

  • Goodfella #36 1 year ago

    @Apaar

    Indeed, it really puts Bioware's effort to shame.

  • morriss #37 1 year ago

    Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.

  • Haloboy #38 1 year ago

    Along came a Witcher, as the Trolls nested under a bridge.

    If the immersion factor of a game alone can result in a review score, Witcher 2 would get a 12. The Witcher 2 has made me once again understand just why I became a gamer all those distant years ago. I doubt I've ever smiled this much when simply discovering a new game world.

    Thank you CD Projekt. You are again the one true King of the genre.

  • CloisterBlack #39 1 year ago

    "Wercome to Shitty-Wok, would you rike to order some shitty-chicken with some shitty-fries and shitty-spring rors?"

    jokes aside, nice review, nice game, and I can't wait till it comes out for the home consoles.

  • Pac #40 1 year ago

    @Darren

    Well said that man. You have basically summed up the best points of this game that I have experienced so far. I have an 4 year old PC and that first level still looks fantastic and the game works really well with an Xbox pad. I found the combat hard as rock until I started using the "semi" pause all the time to dish out different magic and bombs and buy myself some time to decide whether to attack, doge or parry. Good job too, as I hate setting a game to easy just to get past a difficulty spike.

  • hiddenranbir #41 1 year ago

    Only two pages?

  • Laythe_AD #42 1 year ago

    First off, if the difficulty was a little even'ed out (not that i'm complaining about it being hard, I love that its a challenge. It's just uneven.), a slightly more useful tutorial added, and the game engine optomised to run a little better, I would isntantly upgrade this nine (which I agree with) to a ten. The content of the game is pure 10.

    It makes up for dissapointment of Dragon Age 2. It effortlessly outclasses Dragon Age 1, Oblivion and its lack lustre main story, and every other RPG for donkey's. Its also bloody pretty (I'm playing somewhere between high and ultra, on a GTX560 ti 1gb).

    If it was'nt for Portal 2, and the best ending to a game ever, i'd be calling this a shoe-in for GOTY.

  • pauleyc #43 1 year ago

    @hiddenranbir

    But written by an RPS staffer.

  • Bobby_P #44 1 year ago

    "Flotasm sounds like hell, right?"

    I'm having a flotasm right now. In my pants.

  • Nevflinn #45 1 year ago

    I was going to play this first, before playing the first Witcher. I've no problem with the little things being sorted aside if they have the same impact as most Mass Effect stuff did in Mass Effect 2, but do you guys reckon the first game is really that important to play through?

  • coomber #46 1 year ago

    they're sterile, and therefore a hit with ye olde ladies.

    Must remember to use "I'm a Jaffa, luv - fancy a shag?" next time I'm drinking in Bexley.

  • Oli Verified Reviews Editor, Eurogamer.net #47 1 year ago

    Meh, I'm bored of 9s already. I've decided that everything's getting 6 next week. An underrated number.

    By the way, please don't read too much into the page count. In terms of word count, this review is similar in length to L.A. Noire, which was over three pages. It's just a matter of how it looks when laid out, that's all.

  • thomaspower0 #48 1 year ago

    Should I buy this?

  • thesnowman #49 1 year ago

    Gutted I dont have a decent PC to play it on, only got a laptop. Hopefully they will bring out a console version soon, as its sounds like an awesome game.

  • Matt_Edwards #50 1 year ago

    Awesome review.

    It took me about 40 hours to do most of the side quests and get the Vran Armor, etc.

    I started out on a mouse and keyboard and then switched to the 360 controller, and the combat became a lot easier. The QTE command prompts even switch to the appropriately coloured A, B, X and Y if you use the 360 pad.

    The hardest difficulty will also invalidate your game saves if you die even once... :S

  • RSene #51 1 year ago

    looks good! I'm @y@ at you....

  • ichobi #52 1 year ago

    This game really accomplish being an RPG game. You really FEEL you are the Witcher. Witcher hunt monsters, and in the process of doing so comes from your intelligence, experience, adaptation and most of all PREPARATION. I am thankful that the game is HARD even on normal difficulty. You can't run in and mash or counter-everyone to death. Run in a cave full of Nektar and thinking you will hack them to pieces ? Wrong, you will die in seconds.

    The game doesn't shout at you how to beat certain puzzle, combats, etc. These informations are masterfully placed, and you have to acquire them. You need to read, ask, prepare alchemy to suit the fight, enchance your weapons, for most big combats and boss fight like a real witcher would do. The game respect players and trust that they will be able to handle the situation themselves, in a mature way.

    Having done all that and beat the combat on hard difficulty is truly satisfying. Granted, glitches and combat could be improved but it is mighty good as is.

    Not to mention the greatness of the story. A true mature game every RPG fans worth their penny should not doubt to buy.

    The game appears short, but don't forget that by the end of act 1 you will have to decide on a major plot line, which change most of the quests in Act 2 + 3. If you want to get both side you have to play twice! Only through this could be called a complete experience and true count of game time. If you play only one play through I doubt you get to see 65% of the game. Act 3 is pretty similar though.

    Story spoiler, explaining how it accomplishes the RPG part so beautifully. Don't read if you haven't finished the game.
    In my 1st playthrough I chose to side with Ioewerth on CH2 and save Triss on Ch3.
    At the end of the game after talking to Letho I really felt that is there really a FACT in this game? Everyone is lying or hiding something they know to a certain extent. When I met Triss in the dungeon (as Geralt rightly said, I travelled half the world killed the whole Nilfguard camp just to tell you in the face that you has not been honest with me), even after all her explanation, and despite me choosing to trust her, I still really felt the story is not what she said.

    When Sile established that Letho actually fooled everyone including her, made it even more curious for me when I talked to him in the end I started to think whether is he telling me the truth? In a sense I felt he did since he has nothing against me and probably "come clean". He has his own agenda working for the emperor granted. If anything Letho is probably the most straightforward character with Geralt.

    The game play out so beautifully that it made me ponder hard what kind of people or story I can really rely on in this game? The thing is there is absolutely none! Every major characters have their own goals. I chose Triss because I wanted to try the romance path and see where that goes, but still she didn't come clean till the end.

    After Epilouge, I have a feeling that what it is like to be the Witcher in the world that you can barely trust anyone. You are utterly alone and will forever be. There is just no best path, there is only you and your choice and perspective. This did it for me and for this I am willing to ignore most glitches and bugs and will give the game full score anytime. It accomplishes the RPG part beautifully like no other game in recent years has did for me.

    Edit: If you leave Seska alive and when you came in the city to see Iowerth being captured and to be killed, if you pull out your sword and save him, you will receive the dagger than can lift the curse from Seska (you wouldn't have known this since the Dagger thingy only made clear to you if you choose to save the Phillipa instead of Triss and I only know this by reading the game guide). This means that Seska won't be forever curse in the next DLC or Witcher 3. I thought Siska is done for when I left her alive!

    My only grief is abrupt the ending, but i came out really satisfied the way the story unfold.

    13/10 for me. 3 more points for extra efforts developer put into that I haven't seen in any game for years. Plus free DRM through GOG, Free DLC forever (that in itself is a crime amongst most publishers these days now). You can't ask for more really, except The Witcher 3. :)
    Edited by ichobi at 20/05/11 @ 18:49

  • misho8723 #53 1 year ago

    I have a 3 years old PC and i play it on high and i have around 25 - 35 fps, so what's with all the complaints? People, just for your information, this game has graphic that's miles ahead from other RPG's and has just beatiful graphic, with almost no loading screens, with cities and villages populatad with many NPC.. so what do you aspect? That you going to play on a medium PC with Ultra settings and with everything on? Don't be ridiculous.. and that the game is hard? Maybe for all the years you have learn to play games with max. 5 restarts, but this is a game that a player must to know to play. I have played so far about 3 hours and i was 5 times death (i play on normal). A prolbem? No, if you know how to play it and not just clicking like if you are playing a Devil May Cry game.. If you don't know how to play this game, you just must pay more attention and learn

  • ichobi #54 1 year ago

    For those who complains about system requirement. I suggest READ the manual and take your time adjusting graphics option. I played on my Macbook pro i5 2.4Ghz 4Gb ram, Geforce GT330M. and guess what I can play 1440x900 with most blings turn on and shadow on medium/ texture on low downscaling. Don't use simple adjust ment (low medium high), it makes a world of difference. I ran the game first time with 20-25 fps, after some 15 minutes of customisation it runs more beautiful but a lot better FPS averaging at 45+. This game is the most beautiful game this year so I think it worths the hassle to tinker your graphic option to really appreciate it.

    Also turn of Ubersampling if you don't have £1500 rig.

    If my laptop can run that, any PC in the pass 3 years can run much better.

  • Anciegher #55 1 year ago

    This game is amazing. Haven't played a better RPG since baulder's gate! This game is everything that dragon age 2 should have been, can't believe CD Project out-biowared bioware!

  • uknortherner2000 #56 1 year ago

    I was expecting my GTS 250 to struggle with this game, and initially when I started playing, I was seeing FPS in single figures. Going back to the options, I turned everything down to around medium or high settings and saw a jump in FPS to nearly 60 (v-synched). so, I went back in again to work out which setting was screwing up the FPS and it turned out to be the "ubersampling" setting. Switching that off and cranking everything else up to max, I now get a respectable 30-50FPS in 1280x1024 (again, v-synched. I'd imagine it would be higher if it was turned off).

    My only real criticism with this game (besides the combat mechanics and the insane difficulty, even on easy) is with some of the sound effects. I don't have background music playing because for me it kills the immersion - I'm one of those players who likes to hear birds sing and people getting garrotted in the distance. However, with well over half of the population of Flotsam walking barefoot, why then do I hear nothing but the sounds of heavy-booted footsteps from them? Yes it's minor, but it seems virtually all RPGs I've played have this problem and it can screw up immersion in some cases. For instance, Geralt sneaking around and breaking out of the castle without any of his gear basically sounded like he was walking with a full suit of armour. Yes it's minor, but it can be an immersion-killer, especially when your character is meant to be silent.

    Oh, and the tutorial messages. It would've been nice if they stayed on screen for longer than two seconds each, or at least pause the game during the tutorial mission!

    Other than those minor gripes, I'm enjoying this game, even if I have yet to leave Flotsam.

  • davisorle #57 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 15:13:15 09-05-2012

  • Bravestinsane #58 1 year ago

    bah this game is so huge, in a good way, the forest seams so detailed and vibrant

    although i have no idea who im supposed to talk to for this troll quest, been running around the village for over a hour trying to find them
    Edited by Bravestinsane at 20/05/11 @ 19:34

  • sirtacos #59 1 year ago

    YAY! Seems this is everything I was hoping for.
    Instabuy as soon as I get my PC back in working order. Geralt you old dog

  • Seoh #60 1 year ago

    WOOOO HOOOO, Eurogamer thank you for recognizing true class in game form,

    PS very much looking forward now to getting "a Geralt" at my barber

  • Inmediasress #61 1 year ago

    Yeah it's nice to see that someone is still making quality RPGs or RPGs at all I'm looking at you Bioware.
    I almsot gave up on ever seeing a game that isn't a hand holding experience with hardcore difficulty setting thats the equivalent of the easy setting in the Witcher 2.
    I hate games that tell me what I should do and how I should do it.
    The Witcher 2 shines like a gem amidst the butchered wanabe RPGs.

  • MrTeatime #62 1 year ago

    Post deleted at 09:59:18 03-01-2012

  • Leolian #63 1 year ago

    Was wondering what game would force that graphics upgrade...

  • Talk_Show_Host #64 1 year ago

    Nice to see this game is only 1 mark better than Dragon Age 2...

    Eurogamer has become so irrelevant...

  • SvennoJ #65 1 year ago

    The only question that remains is should I get it from Steam or from the shop. Steam shows a digital premium edition with pictures of a guide book, pretty labeled cds, a map, a pamphlet, manual and papercraft dolls. Am I supposed to burn the cds myself, print the labels, map, manual and guide book? Are these items in the box at the store?
    Is this game alt-tab friendly otherwise?

  • Inmediasress #66 1 year ago

    @SvennoJ
    Those are in the boxed version at least I have paperdolls,soundtrack,a coin and a map and I believe I also have a poster.

  • BlinkeredAxis #67 1 year ago

    Just to add to the specs thing, I got

    AMD phenom x4
    4GB RAM
    ATI Radeon HD4850

    The website says this rig atches the recommended rather than minimum specs for Witcher 2.

    Really want to play this at a reasonable (not necessarily maxed out!) detail/framerate.

    Should this be OK?

    Thanks for any advice...

  • Rack #68 1 year ago

    Damn shame my 4850 2 gig, C2D 6600 isn't even close enough powerful to run this.

  • sweatyBallacks #69 1 year ago

    At last a proper RPG, all the better for not being released/developed simultaneously on console. Yet. But there's nothing like a good PC exclusive game for adult gamers you know.
    Edited by sweatyBallacks at 21/05/11 @ 00:51

  • Haloboy #70 1 year ago

    Fucking nekkers. Stand still you cunts!

  • Paul_cz #71 1 year ago

    Great review. Just a side note:

    I just reached chapter 2 few minutes ago. And I already spent like 24 hours in the game. So...I guess my playtime will be closer to those 40 like CDP said. Yes I do all quests I find and explore everything, craft, alchemy etc..

  • radioactive_bumfluff #72 1 year ago

    I so wish I had a decent PC to play this one, but alas I am screwed!! Any chance of a console launch?

  • Bluetooth #73 1 year ago

    zavvi are selling it for £65? WTF?

  • Paul_cz #74 1 year ago

    65 is Collectors Edition, which is STUFFED with content. I just received two of those today from the hut and they are GLORIOUS!

  • Bravestinsane #75 1 year ago

    Im not too sure what edition i got, i got mine from GAME for £29.99, but i got maps, soundtrack, dev diarys etc, the box

    Think it was the premium edition, didnt realise there was one above that.

  • uninspiredcup #76 1 year ago

    I get the impression this review is rushed. It's very vague and doesn't seem to mention the games amazing presentation at any point.

  • spekkeh #77 1 year ago

    Christ people, let the 8-thing rest, it's been done to death, just get back on topic.

    So, better than Halo eh?

  • lord_fartsalot #78 1 year ago

    Oh Eurogamer reviewer,

    Did you get into the first town and rush out this review by the end of act 2? I suppose you thought the first town told you everything you needed to know. I understand, the game is that awesome. Is it?

  • lord_fartsalot #79 1 year ago

    Oh Eurogamer reviewer,

    Did you get into the first town and rush out this review by the end of act 2? I suppose you thought the first town told you everything you needed to know. I understand, the game is that awesome. Is it?

  • lord_fartsalot #80 1 year ago

    Oh Eurogamer reviewer,

    Did you get into the first town and rush out this review by the end of act 2? I suppose you thought the first town told you everything you needed to know. I understand, the game is that awesome. Is it?

  • chaseduncan #81 1 year ago

    Isn't the first city in BG2 Athkatla in the country of Amn?

  • Mr #82 1 year ago

    Enjoyed the review

    Sadly don't have the pc power

    Mine struggles with the first one

    One day it will be mine though....

  • no_moto #83 1 year ago

    It´s out already!? I´m going to get it right... Oh, wait... It´s just on PC... What about the console version!?

  • no_moto #84 1 year ago

    It seems I´m the only one, so: WHERE´S THE CONSOLE VERSION???

  • chaseduncan #85 1 year ago

    Unless I'm mistaken, Athkatla is the starting city in Baldur's Gate 2. Amn is the country in which it resides and the game takes place.

  • Xensor #86 1 year ago

    I'm barely a couple of hours in and already i'm really enjoying it. I have to agree tho the difficulty of the first fights is steep indeed, it took me a while to work out the "run around like a lunatic, poking where you can" strat :) The second fight especially, where you go up against 6 enemies consisting (for me) of 3 archers, 2 heavys and a light was just brutal - you have to pick off the archers and lightly armored ones first else you're toast! :p but the sense of achievement is great :)

    My only bugbear so far is the framerate, which is all over the place - when the dragon first attacks my fps was absolutely butchered yet the bit after it's stable. I'm getting a new gfx card monday (Nvidia 560 TI) so hopefully that'll ease things a bit :)

  • Haloboy #87 1 year ago

    Death to the Squirrels!!!!

  • oupe #88 1 year ago

    oef! :hearts: pc gamers. It's refreshing to see an actual civilized comment section for once. I'm really stoked about this game, too bad I only have this crappy laptop.

    Now release it on 360 plz :)

  • Mentat_Idaho #89 1 year ago

    Went out yesterday to try and buy this but it's not available in the country I live till next week so got LA Noire instead. Can't wait to pick this up soon though!

  • Paul_cz #90 1 year ago

    Console version if it comes out will be watered down, a lot uglier..

    people, just get PC, it is worth it.

  • neems #91 1 year ago

    @bravestinsane - "I will add though the game is shit when it comes to optimisation im getting 20-26fps max on high settings, even disabling everything and setting everything to low makes about 1-2 fps difference, hopefuly ATI 10.5b drivers will sort that out."

    That sounds like a cpu bottleneck, what spec are you running?

    Edited by neems at 21/05/11 @ 09:53

  • Bravestinsane #92 1 year ago

    @Neem

    ATi 4870X2
    8gb Ram
    Q9550 @ 2.83 (stock)
    Windows 7 64bit

    hope it isnt a bottleneck, haven't touched my computer in 3 years and im hoping not too for another 2-3

  • uknortherner2000 #93 1 year ago

    @redbarony: "Sounds good, I hope people check out Rift as well. Best (MMO)RPG I've played for a very long time."

    It may well be, but it'll be a cold day in hell before I pay full price for a game and then a monthly sub to actually play it. I'll stick with Witcher 2 and Guild Wars 2 when it's finally released.

  • B1G_D #94 1 year ago

    *Looks at graphics card. Starts sobbing inside*

  • P1GEONPOO #95 1 year ago

    This review is a bit l8 isnt it?

  • Grayvern #96 1 year ago

    Apparently there are problems with nvidia's 3D drivers that can make the game run really badly, try installing just the card drivers not the 3D ones.

    also the game will run badly even on dual gpu cards with ubersampling on.

    But yeah it is really good, the waterfall in the first town's woods is amazing, the lighting is exceptional, to put it another way it's one of the few games in which I don't object to false film effects (the purple fringing on dark extreme light transitions.)

  • Lycanthroat #97 1 year ago

    I'm a console peasant with a naff PC for gaming, but I've been following this one. If the devs are reading, if this got a console release, I'd buy it! The worlds in PC-style RPGs can be so dull and lifeless, but from all accounts, this sounds captivating.

  • obscured021 #98 1 year ago

    its a great game but you need 2 fast cards in xfire or sli to enjoy it like 580 or 570 i have 2 580 gtx and with all at max bar uberAA its dose about 50min to about 80 max and thats @ 1920*1080

    if you consider 30 - 25 fps playable at ultra settings playable then neg away on one card
    Edited by obscured021 at 22/05/11 @ 03:16

  • beatwolf #99 1 year ago

    @obscured021

    Runs fine here with everything on max on a single GTX570(slightly oc'ed) except überAA @ 1920x1080. You definetly don't need SLI or x-fire to get it running good.

  • lucky_jim #100 1 year ago

    Oli- "Meh, I'm bored of 9s already. I've decided that everything's getting 6 next week. An underrated number. "

    You can't tell us you think 6 is underrated without telling us what score you'd give it. Don't you know scores are everything? Personally I'd give the number 6 a 9/10, because without it we wouldn't be able to buy 6-can multipacks of Coca Cola.

  • anomagnus #101 1 year ago

    the combat in this game ranges from boring, to utter tear inducing frustration. Too much realism in games can be a game killer, i.e. in any real life event six men with swords iwll kill one man with swords. Something the witcher 2 likes to remind me of on a lot.

    not sure why anyone considers the story mature through. Its far from it.

  • SaberEdge #102 1 year ago

    The Witcher 2 is an absolutely amazing game. It has raised the bar for all RPGs that follow it.

  • neems #103 1 year ago

    @bravestinsane -

    sounds like a decent cpu, I wouldn't have thought it would be a bottleneck (at least not on a PC exclusive game), but normally thats what you're looking at if graphic settings don't change your fps. The only way to really know would be to measure GPU usage with something like MSI Afterburner, but I don't suppose it matters if you have no intention of upgrading anyway.

    Up until fairly recently I had a Q6600 2.4 GHz, and once I upgraded my GPU (HD6870) the processor became a definite problem.

  • sabbede #104 1 year ago

    The game is damn near perfect.
    And its really not that hard on PC requirements. Mine is a couple of years past being high end and the game runs amazingly!
    If you turn on uber (super) sampling and the fancy DoF, it will crawl. But if you're trying to use supersampling without expecting a huge performance hit, you don't know what it is.

  • Jorendo #105 1 year ago

    Witcher 2 does what Dragon Age 2 should have done to DA1 aswell. Namely, making a great RPG even greater. You don't have to bump down a RPG when you add a realtime action combat system. You don't have to recycle the same locations all the freaking time. You don't have to make the game look cartoony and much much much easyer.

    Bioware look at the real pro's cause CD Projekt whooped your butt there.

    Yes Witcher 2 is hard on medium difficulty. But its so satisfying when you defeat that boss or group of thugs. You really have to find a patern and adjust to it. Potions are a must. Making sure you got the right gear is a must. But unlike other games i haven't found it frustrating yet. Although i had to peek how to defeat the swamp monster cause the entire game you can't just jump on obstacles just like that and suddenly you have to without me knowing you could...died there allot of time dodging what he trew at me before i knew how to progress, then it was easy xD

  • Hexcaliber #106 1 year ago

    The game is far too short, ten hours play was enough to finish it, while I know there is another path to be taken through the game, I simply cba going through the start again so soon after first play through. Wish I had spent the money on dirt 3, which I am sure will provide far more than 10 hours gameplay.

  • geeza2020 #107 1 year ago

    fuck off troll

  • Hexcaliber #108 1 year ago

    call me a troll when you have played through to the ladybird, or perhaps you would like some spoilers to show I have completed, asshat; while the content that is there is good, ten hours and done is short by any standard
    Edited by Hexcaliber at 23/05/11 @ 21:57

  • NegativeZero #109 1 year ago

    @Jorendo: "Bioware look at the real pro's cause CD Projekt whooped your butt there."

    IMO they already proved this with the first Witcher. I've been finally getting around to finishing that in preparation for this (and it's taking me a lot longer than I budgeted :( ) and I'm constantly amazed by how good relatively the original game looks when you can max everything out, especially given its pedigree - it's running off a tweaked version of Bioware's own Neverwinter Nights / Knights of the Old Republic engine. Not to mention the fact that the game has a far more interesting plot and more immersive world than Bioware have ever managed. Simple attention to detail, like having the NPCs shelter from rain and follow a proper day/night cycle where they eat at the right time, go to work, come home and sleep etc.

  • Laserbrain #110 1 year ago

    Ok my specs are

    Windows 7 64 bit
    CPU: Intel core 2 - Q8400 quad - 2.66GHz
    8 gig ram
    Nvidia GTX 295

    My question is will i be able to run this game on this rig? at least on medium settings

  • rikibitta #111 1 year ago

    @Hexcaliber...short...etc
    sorry mate but Witcher 2 is about pc gaming
    ( ex: TotalWar series-modded better!-\ Arma series \ GTR series \ Half Life series )
    Dirt3...ridicolous,you have no idea.

  • rikibitta #112 1 year ago

    ...well said riki, about 48h and no reply ahahaha...

  • lliam #113 1 year ago

    I have game running 1920 1080 max everything nvidia 570 latest beta drivers no frame rate probs ever and finished game 2 times no bugs. Game is way better than anything out there including the very poor Fable 3 for P.C. Story takes 40 - 80 hours with a good play through not rush through. Game treats you like an adult unlike every game with the exception of GTA 4 with coffee patch. I would say it is flawless and think it was worth every penny. Story 10/10 gameplay 10/10 graphics 10/10. I never liked The Witcher 1 but loved this version. Buying it from G.O.G was a real bonus as it does not have DRM a personal hate as it will never be on my P.C. Free future D.L.C puts Microsoft and Bioware to shame as does the game. I bought Dragon Age 1 and 2 and Mass Effect 1 and 2 Witcher 2 a better game than all of these in every way. If you play this game on anything except easy you are a great player as it is mega hard I finished it first run on normal not easy and it was load save a lot. Superbe game thank you CD Projekt.

  • bf #114 12 months ago

    Having just finished it I'm not as impressed as everyone else seems to be, its good but not great. The weakest link, combat, is far too prominent, the "adult situations" feels like they where made only with sensationalism in mind and likewise much of the dialogue.
    I did however very much enjoy that it doesn't always provide you with a map marker, you simply have to find stuff by looking around, and that choices are always ambiguous.

    As a reference I had a lot more fun with Drakensang: The Dark Eye and Fallout: New Vegas.