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The Witcher 2 will have 16 endings

And just four load screens.

CD Projekt has boasted that The Witcher 2 will have a whopping 16 game endings, whereas the first game had only three.

Only three? The sequel's got that many game openings, according to a screenshot of a demonstration press slide on PC Games Hardware.

And the willy-waving doesn't stop there: The Witcher 2 has 256 cut-scenes (150 minutes' worth), The Witcher 1 had 130 (53 minutes' worth); The Witcher 2 has over 30 armour types, The Witcher 1 has 5; The Witcher 2 has an extra magic sign; and The Witcher 2 has 4 load screens whereas The Witcher 1 had around 700.

The reason for all these improvements is a brand new engine called TSOOD - one that runs on PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as PC. PC Games Hardware, which witnessed a CD Projekt demonstration of the game, noted that there wasn't any discernible improvement in the PC version above and beyond a higher resolution. This is apparently because the game has been optimised for consoles.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings will be released on PC in 2011. PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are coming, but so far nobody has said when.