The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6464 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5,355 out of 6464
  2. Mixed: 634 out of 6464
  3. Negative: 475 out of 6464
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  1. egocentryk
    May 17, 2011
    7
    Definitely one of the best games I've ever played. Amazing story, compelling characters, incredible graphics and great battle mechanics. Congratulations CD Project RED - You've done great job making most immersing RPG ever.
  2. Argoss
    May 26, 2011
    5
    Average at best - has some significant issues, mainly combat is terrible as the fights itself are too hack&slashy. Also lack of any open world disqualifies this game as an rpg. It is an action game with light rpg-like topping on it. Something like Assassin Creed. Story is good, I liked scripting and graphic, but the combat and poor inventory management spoiled a lot of fun for me. This isAverage at best - has some significant issues, mainly combat is terrible as the fights itself are too hack&slashy. Also lack of any open world disqualifies this game as an rpg. It is an action game with light rpg-like topping on it. Something like Assassin Creed. Story is good, I liked scripting and graphic, but the combat and poor inventory management spoiled a lot of fun for me. This is the same thing that Bioware tried to pull off with DA II, just better executed, but it is still light years away from great classics like Baldur Gates/Wizardy/Might and Magic/Elder Scroll series… Expand
  3. neurotopia
    May 18, 2011
    6
    the world is visually pleasing: i'd give it a 10/10
    character animation is well done: 8/10
    tech stability: 7/10 - why: over all, things have been ok. there are a couple places where the game has just hung during cut scenes. the story is compelling and engaging: 8/10 the npcs seem quite believable: 8/10 player interface: 3/10 - why: it's unwieldy. you cannot set keyboard controls    the world is visually pleasing: i'd give it a 10/10
    character animation is well done: 8/10
    tech stability: 7/10
    - why: over all, things have been ok. there are a couple places where the game has just hung during cut scenes.
    the story is compelling and engaging: 8/10
    the npcs seem quite believable: 8/10
    player interface: 3/10
    - why: it's unwieldy. you cannot set keyboard controls from within the game. many keys cannot be bound at all (e.g. arrow keys, +, -, and NO KEYPAD keys at all, etc.). i'm sorry but that's basic UI design failure on a level that truly undermines the thoughtfulness and attention to detail present elsewhere in the game. cut scenes can't be skipped, so if you die during a mission, you have to relive them... over and over.
    combat system: 7/10
    - why: it feels clunky and lacks intuitive flow, though it gets cudos for being fast paced and bloody.
    controls: 3/10
    - why: in short, it's clumsy. turning, climbing, interacting with the world... it all feels inconsistent and plays unlike anything i've experienced before. granted, historically i've been a pretty big game snob and generally only play titles that win tons of awards, but i thought with all the buzz around this game the risk of disappointment was minimal. i feel like i should be using a console control, not a keyboard. and no, i'm not bashing consoles so let's not start that. but when it comes to precision, you just can't beat a mouse and keyboard -- assuming the game was properly made. supposedly the open game world allows you to do all sorts of different things, like climb structures and whatnot. and you can, as long as devs made that object "climbable". which is the problem: there's little consistency and no way to know if you can interact with an object unless you stand in a pretty specific spot. so even if you walk past something that you could climb, unless you're standing on a just the right set of pixels, you won't know it. there's no glow, no altered shading... nothing. just a little icon that may or may not appear if you stand in exactly the right spot. it's like the devs created a beautiful game with a great story but had absolutely no concern for playability. overall playability: 6/10
    - why: it doesn't matter how good the story and graphics are, if the gameplay is too frustrating the player's experience will be diminished. for this reason i rate the game at a 6/10. which is typically below the threshold of what i am willing to buy and play. and i'm just not having that much fun with this game. at least, not yet. i will keep playing a few more days. if my opinion changes, i will update my review. but for right now, i wish i'd spent my $45 on something else.    … Expand
  4. Jimbob2k666
    May 19, 2011
    7
    I'm basing this review on the back of around 6 hours of play. I have an above average PC with a 5770 ATI card which is no slouch and should be able to play most recent releases with a good framerate so long as I don't expect to have full on graphic settings. However, even with everything set to their lowest settings and almost every nicety disabled, I can barely get a steady framerateI'm basing this review on the back of around 6 hours of play. I have an above average PC with a 5770 ATI card which is no slouch and should be able to play most recent releases with a good framerate so long as I don't expect to have full on graphic settings. However, even with everything set to their lowest settings and almost every nicety disabled, I can barely get a steady framerate above 30.....I'm not alone and plenty of ATI and some Nvidia users are experiencing the same...So, that is an initial disappointment, on to the game itself.....The first Witcher (enhanced version) was a great game, very much open world and you could explore a lot whilst working on the quests....W2 claims to offer the same but doesn't deliver as almost everything is linear, with the sidequests tagged on which themselves don't allow you to go exploring.....In fact, the only real exploring you can do is within the towns and villages you visit during your way to main objectives.....The loot drops are extremely clumsy to pick up and you find yourself running back and forth and constantly trying to get the camera into a position so that you can highlight the drops and pick them up.....The inventory screen is a nightmare to work and even with the physical premium edition I have with it's manual and game guide won't help you figure out how to properly control the game screens.....As for combat, this is a bit of a step backwards from the first game with no real combo's to talk of, just normal hit and hard hit with a kind of "special move" kill should you manage to stun an opponent to make it trigger......There are certain events like barfights and some interactive cutscenes that involve you needing to press a series of keys or buttons (for controllers) which threw me back to the days of good old Shenmue, but even these are lacklustre in design, and are far too easy to beat on the normal difficulty setting. The only pleasure in combat is that the difficulty is really quite tough and some fights will require you to redo them a couple of times, which is almost unheard of in most of todays easy-mode RPGs......In summary, for me there are too many cutscenes, too much talking and not enough action. Maybe a few patches down the line Witcher 2 can achieve a standard which the developers reached with the re-worked first edition. But it sure needs new GFX card drivers and/or work to optimize it for gamers who have components up to a couple of years old. The game looks ok, but it's still using DX9, and in today's age, it really shouldn't be difficult to get a good framrate (I consider 60fps a benchmark) for people like myself with a 3.0ghz Quad core CPU, 4gb RAM, 64bit W7 and a 5770ATI card. ----- Needs Work - - 6/10, would give 8/10 if it ran nicely.… Expand
  5. karmasleeper
    Jun 11, 2011
    7
    The Witcher 2 represents a step forward in terms of visuals mitigated by more than a couple steps backward in terms of combat, user interface, and alchemy.

    Visually, TW2 impresses, even on mid level machines. On high end hardware, the game is simply breath taking. Few games boast such a robust attention to detail. The game is highly GPU dependent as any PC game should be, and even on    The Witcher 2 represents a step forward in terms of visuals mitigated by more than a couple steps backward in terms of combat, user interface, and alchemy.

    Visually, TW2 impresses, even on mid level machines. On high end hardware, the game is simply breath taking. Few games boast such a robust attention to detail. The game is highly GPU dependent as any PC game should be, and even on my outdated EVGA GTS 250, I was able to achieve a more than playable frame rate between 40 and 60 FPS on â    … Expand
  6. Sirik_Matak
    Sep 15, 2014
    5
    The game looks marvelous, the execution of visuals, storytelling and everything connected is just perfect. You can actually care about characters and their stories, and the main plot isn't just shoveled down with an uninspired ending like in the previous title. The story connections to the prequel surely will make me to replay this title few times.

    Why 5 then? Because the gameplay    The game looks marvelous, the execution of visuals, storytelling and everything connected is just perfect. You can actually care about characters and their stories, and the main plot isn't just shoveled down with an uninspired ending like in the previous title. The story connections to the prequel surely will make me to replay this title few times.

    Why 5 then? Because the gameplay absolutely sucks in every possible way. The combat system is a clusterf***, the lack of control and annoyances surrounding it (picking up items in the middle of the fight, come on) and the character development is just subpar and far below what the first game offered. The UI is tiring and navigating takes definitely too much time and clicking, drinking potions is just a chore to do, magic signs are unprecise and not really useful. They could ditch out the combat entirely, making a point'n'click adventure game and the game would only benefit from it.    … Expand
  7. lordpyrope
    Jun 8, 2014
    5
    This game is a great ACTION RPG so if you are into that kind of stuff, go for it. I hesitate to give this game beyond a mediocre score because I was unable to assume the role of our dear Witcher. For me relating to a character is of utmost importance within a role-playing game. Usually, this comes from a large amount of character customization. I have no issue taking a stock madeThis game is a great ACTION RPG so if you are into that kind of stuff, go for it. I hesitate to give this game beyond a mediocre score because I was unable to assume the role of our dear Witcher. For me relating to a character is of utmost importance within a role-playing game. Usually, this comes from a large amount of character customization. I have no issue taking a stock made character as long as I can take ownership of them, however, this was not the case in Witcher 2. While customization does exist a character cannot become more than a warrior that can occasionally throw a spell or, if luck was with you, sneak and take out an enemy.

    As a role playing game it isn't quite there but as an action adventure it delivers. However, the UI and the sometimes glitchy combat system will throw you off. I am fortunate that I am able to enjoy the graphics at ultra. It is stunning.

    Also, sometimes it feels like a hormonal teenager wrote the script with all the **** in it. Its like I am walking down the street to buy some bread and bam **** in my face. Maybe that's why people give it such great reviews.

    I love the alchemy system. I like to drink a lot of potions at once and try to off myself. heheh

    If you are a fan of pure RPGs this will leave you a little disappointed, but if you like action oriented play with some customization then go for it.    … Expand
  8. demixzz
    Jul 10, 2020
    7
    I liked the game, but there are a lot of different problems. Problems with the combat system, when I sold a thing accidentally for 50 Oren, and the seller put it up for 1000, maybe so the developers tried to balance the currency, but it can be easily farmed and therefore this is a minus. I will not list everything else. The plot is good with replayability, interesting dialogues,I liked the game, but there are a lot of different problems. Problems with the combat system, when I sold a thing accidentally for 50 Oren, and the seller put it up for 1000, maybe so the developers tried to balance the currency, but it can be easily farmed and therefore this is a minus. I will not list everything else. The plot is good with replayability, interesting dialogues, interesting characters, interesting world and graphics are very good for an RPG in 2011… Expand
  9. CD001
    Jun 12, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Graphics are great, voice acting is good, storyline's good and it's actually challenging (a definite plus) - really, this should be "the greatest RPG of 2011" ... but it's not, sorry. The game is flawed; CD Projekt Red have made some definitely strange decisions with The Witcher 2. First off, potions - a Witcher without potions is hardly a Witcher - and yet now you can't quick-slot them, you have to meditate before combat to drink your potions... definitely a bad move. Quick Time Events (QTE) - really, leave these on the consoles - tap X, now Y, now Z ... sorry, W, A or S. What? I wanted a game, not a movie with a random reaction test to occasionally hit a key. Oh, and it doesn't matter what level you are, mis-time hitting that key and you're dead. And boss fights? Really? This isn't Sonic the Hedgehog where I'd expect to bounce off the head of Doctor Robotnik at the end of every level - this is supposed to be a mature RPG. If you're going to do "boss fights" you have to do them well (like in say Metal Gear Solid 4) where you've generally got at least a couple of ways to achieve your goal - the Witcher 2 does them badly; they generally run to the effect of - drop you in an inescapable room with a badass monster/NPC and let you die repeatedly until you've worked out which particular tactics you're supposed to use to win... you must dodge 30 insta-death attacks until you tire the monster enough to whip a pink tutu over its head so that it dies of embarrassment - or something.

    OK - general monster mashing combat has been improved since the original Witcher - there's a lot more dodging and bomb chucking required to excel - you can't just wade into a huge mob of drowners and occasionally click a button to win. The graphics, sound and all the shiny, shiny are streets ahead of anything similar - it blows Dragon Age 2 out of the water... but the gameplay; to be honest, it doesn't actually play as well as the original Witcher. The prologue for instance - playing "dodge the dragon" is just rubbish - "oh, we've arbitrarily changed the camera angle so that instead of pressing W to run forward you now need to press A to run down the screen..." - and for what purpose - to give you another pointless reaction test.

    Then there's the "what the hell am I supposed to do now factor" ... take the Kayran fight in Act 1 for instance. Right I've chopped off the tentacles and it's dropped a bridge on its head... now what? Oh, I see, I'm supposed to randomly run up some fallen masonry and throw a magical bomb that I don't actually have into its open gullet? Seriously?

    At least they've fixed the "Invert Mouse" and key bindings options now - otherwise I'd have only given it a 6. Still, I suspect if I was playing this game on the XBoX I'd have been much more impressed - on the PC I'm getting a distinct feeling of "crap, they've consolised another great game and borked it on the PC".    … Expand
  10. Sandman
    Jul 3, 2011
    7
    This could have been an amazing game but unfortunately has been released as the scourge of modern PC RPGs - a dumbed down console conversion. There are some truly outstanding qualities here, a complex adult storyline, top notch voice acting and good graphics to name but a few. However to anyone who is a fan of PC games and has been since the days before cross platform releases became theThis could have been an amazing game but unfortunately has been released as the scourge of modern PC RPGs - a dumbed down console conversion. There are some truly outstanding qualities here, a complex adult storyline, top notch voice acting and good graphics to name but a few. However to anyone who is a fan of PC games and has been since the days before cross platform releases became the norm to boost the developer's revenue, this game epitomises all that is wrong with PC gaming today. The clunky and at times poorly responsive controls, the invisible walls, the simplistic yet awful 'Quick-Time Events', the simple inventory, the context sensitive ('push 'x' to win') cursor and character progression system to name but a few. Even from the start when the box to redefine your keys is tacked on like an afterthought to the out-of-game menu and then subsequently the QTEs fail as the on screen directions cannot tell you which key to press at the critical moment you are left with no doubt that you are playing a game aimed at the distinctly less cerebral console market. None of these factors in themselves is enough to ruin the game entirely but their sum total and the overall 'feel' suffers badly to the point where I really didn't feel immersed anywhere near as much as the first Witcher. In fact by the end I was almost beyond caring which is the polar opposite of how a decent RPG should draw you in and engage you.
    It is a strange direction for CD Projekt to have taken. On the one hand the story is wonderfully complex, the characters are deep and engaging, we have to take some difficult decisions and see through their consequences and there is enough sex and violence to be certain this is aimed at a mature audience. On the other a number of the gameplay aspects have been simplified and console convert glitches left in to annoy those who thought this was going to be a 'proper' PC game. If you're a recent console convert, cannot relate at all to the things I'm talking about or just want a good-looking, deep RPG which, don't get me wrong, has an awful lot going for it, then jump right in and have a blast. If you were disappointed by Far Cry 2, loved Call of Pripyat and don't want your precious memories of The Witcher tarnished - still give it a go; just wait a while for the price to drop and enjoy it for what it is.    … Expand
  11. Skycrimson
    Apr 17, 2012
    7
    My favorite game on the PC by far. Everything is great! Best graphics, story and gameplay in a game ever created. There is nothing like it on the consoles. Shame this game will be completely overlooked.
  12. beetsaregood
    Aug 12, 2011
    7
    Compelling story and incredible visuals marred by buggy combat mechanics and tedious quests. There's no denying that the Witcher 2 is one of the best looking games to date. Trees, grass, and urban textures and objects are rendered in great detail. Depth of field and lighting effects are also put to great use. The story is also quite good, allowing you to choose a morally complicated pathCompelling story and incredible visuals marred by buggy combat mechanics and tedious quests. There's no denying that the Witcher 2 is one of the best looking games to date. Trees, grass, and urban textures and objects are rendered in great detail. Depth of field and lighting effects are also put to great use. The story is also quite good, allowing you to choose a morally complicated path that appears to have real effects down the line in true Witcher style. Unfortunately the combat mechanics are incredibly buggy, which leads to lots of frustration and reloading. After several patches (up to 1.35 currently), which improved the combat from unplayable to merely terrible, the biggest issue remains sign casting. For no apparent reason, signs will often fail to cast in the middle of combat: For example, with vigor to spare, Geralt will simply stare out into space as you repeatedly hit the hotkey for Quen. Jam it enough times, though, and Geralt snaps back into action. This makes battle outcomes feel random: get lucky and signs cast on the first or second attempt and you can win easily, but if you're unlucky it's time for another reload. Beyond this, combat is okay though very imprecise and unsatisfying.

    Quests, especially during the middle chapter, can be unbearably tedious. Quest indicators on the big map are buggy and sometimes direct you to the wrong location, and the big map is sometimes difficult to decipher, so you should be prepared to waste lots of time running (or rolling) around in circles, looking for some non-obvious path or fork. Also, the minimap is dark and utterly useless, so you'll be pulling up the big map every 30 seconds for a fair number of quests.

    A few additional notes: the looting aspect of this game is poorly developed--the mechanic itself is awkward and there's very little incentive to pick things up and sell or use them--and equipment upgrades are pretty limited. These are defensible design choices, but they have an adverse effect on replayability.

    In sum, Witcher 2 has the story and graphics to make it an excellent interactive movie, but with respect to gameplay, it leaves much to be desired.    … Expand
  13. Aiden_Cora
    Oct 9, 2011
    7
    Overall a decent game, though I still find the first Witcher to be slightly better. Very nice graphics and the movie-like gameplay unfortunately do not cover up the fact that the game gets boring fast. Despite that, in my opinion it deserves a strong 7.0.
  14. George1998
    Jul 2, 2011
    7
    This definitely is Game of the Year 2011. The single best RPG I have played since Planescape: Torment. The characters are deep and complex, the storyline develops depending on your actions and choices. It takes what was good from every single RPG released in the last 15 years and makes it into something better. The graphics are simply the best ever seen in an RPG
  15. moseao
    May 27, 2011
    7
    This is a good game, but it could have been great. When all is said and done, it suffers from the same problem as Dragon Age 2, although not to as great an extent. Pros: Amazing graphics. Every part of this game has been lovingly crafted to be visually pleasing.
    Good story and characters. The major characters are very believable, and have very defined personalities.
    Some parts of the    This is a good game, but it could have been great. When all is said and done, it suffers from the same problem as Dragon Age 2, although not to as great an extent. Pros: Amazing graphics. Every part of this game has been lovingly crafted to be visually pleasing.
    Good story and characters. The major characters are very believable, and have very defined personalities.
    Some parts of the combat system were great, most notably the difficulty at higher settings. You can't just expect to walk into a fight and mow down everything with your massive stats.

    Cons: The game is on rails from the beginning. You can alter the storyline by your choices, but there's really no exploration to speak of.
    The menu system is very aggravating, and you will spend much more time sorting through things than you should ever have to.
    Other parts of the combat system are less than amazing. You'll need to remember the function of practically every key on the board. Forgot what one of them does? Tough. Go read the manual. Oh you can change the key mapping.....outside the game.....only to forget it later...... This wouldn't be as big a problem if there weren't so many keys you need to remember. There wasn't a single moment playing this game that I didn't yearn for the Over-The-Shoulder (OTS) system from the first game. Three separate keys for journal, character, and inventory? Really?...and I can't just switch between them in any simple way? You need to physically click exit every time you want to change one and then remember the key for the other menu that you want to go to. Seriously.

    Don't get me wrong, Witcher 2 is still a good game. It's just that this seems to be what happens to every franchise when they start to see a little success. They try to make everything bigger, louder, and flashier at the expense of key gameplay elements. Thankfully Witcher 2 still has some fight left in it, but I can't help seeing the flaming pile DA 2 turned out to be, and find a little bit of that here.    … Expand
  16. brightng
    May 22, 2011
    7
    Some aspects are quite good, some really annoying. I enjoy the characters overall. The combat overall is fun. Alchemy and signs to a lesser extent add some interesting depth, though I find some signs are definitely more useful than others.

    Here are where I find the game has it shortcomings. 1. I can't say much about the graphics, because my rig (tried on 1gb ATI and NVidia) doesn't seem    Some aspects are quite good, some really annoying. I enjoy the characters overall. The combat overall is fun. Alchemy and signs to a lesser extent add some interesting depth, though I find some signs are definitely more useful than others.

    Here are where I find the game has it shortcomings. 1. I can't say much about the graphics, because my rig (tried on 1gb ATI and NVidia) doesn't seem enough for more than low settings without serious drag. 2. I find it really hard to use the mouse. Sometimes, despite setting mouse sensitivity to low, I find myself facing 180 degrees away from where I want to be. Ironically, I have the opposite problem on the arm wrestling game, where I can't make my mouse stay on the yellow bar. Once the other guy gets going, there is no way for me to stop the descent. It makes this minigame one of the least enjoyable I've played in my 30 years of gaming and I'll avoid it as much as possible. 3. Often my keystrokes are missed, so that I push them multiple times to get something done. This increases as the game plays, which I guess means a memory leak and repeated on and off's. 4. I actually liked the character model for Geralt better in TW1. This one doesn't quite cut it for me.    … Expand
  17. Fireside
    Sep 14, 2011
    7
    Decent game. Played through it on hard and the difficulty was to my liking for the most part. However, there really isn't a whole lot of combat in this game, which is good because as everyone knows it's as finicky as a transsexual choosing which pisser to use.

    Story is confusing but whatever. It works for the most part. Pretty as a princess. More like mass effect than oblivion.
  18. HerHavuzun
    Oct 26, 2011
    7
    Nice graphics. Deep combat system. A storyline that is heavily influenced by your choices, And an interesting but sometimes confusing plot. A good effort.
  19. Haon
    Mar 5, 2013
    6
    I don't know what it is about me and the Witcher series. I'm a gamer; I should love them, right? Guess not... For the record, objectively I'd probably give this game a 8 or 9, but I have too many subjective issues with it, so its down to a 6. Here's a list of the good and the bad:

    The good - AWESOME graphics. I only have a laptop, and even on low settings this games graphics were    I don't know what it is about me and the Witcher series. I'm a gamer; I should love them, right? Guess not... For the record, objectively I'd probably give this game a 8 or 9, but I have too many subjective issues with it, so its down to a 6. Here's a list of the good and the bad:

    The good
    - AWESOME graphics. I only have a laptop, and even on low settings this games graphics were totally realistic. The setting. The slums, the castles, the towns, they feel real. The combat. Though I prefer tactical RPGs to action games, TW2 has stellar combat controls. The journal. THIS. Right here. I spent more time reading the journal for the story than I did listening to dialogue. They hit this out of the park, and then some. The bad:
    - The amnesia/lack of back story. I am lost as to who most of the characters are. Sure a quick google search does wonders, but I hate hopping out of the game to figure out who some of the main characters are. Not a good approach to a sequel. The story. Okay, caveat here: I never finished it. Now, spoiler alert: I didn't mind the prologue and the first act, but it was obviously all setup. I was stoked when I got to Act 2 and nothing. I'm sent hunting for items to break a curse when the freaking love of my life is getting dragged along to who knows where? WTF! Screw my good name! I'm going after the woman I love! This was a horrible break in the momentum and really killed the story for me.
    - The combat. As great as it is, it is a one trick pony. There is not much room for variety in strategy, and less in tactics. I found myself bored after the first half of Act 1, pushing forward only for the story. The character development. This is a three part problem. ---First, you need to put seven points into crap intro stuff before you get anywhere close to unlocking "exciting" abilities. Seven levels. For crap. VERY irritating. ----Second, there is a problem with pacing throughout the game. I went into the boss of the first Act with 2 points into a set outside of the Training route (and I had completed all available quests up to that point). I finally beat him, all the while thinking I wish I had more levels, and viola! I have four more points to play with! Four points/three levels! From one boss! That just isn't good pacing. -----Finally, the "skills" themselves are entirely passive stats based, with the exception of the end-level skills, the riposte skill, and a few dynamic alterations to the signs. My brother, the math guy, love this design. I do not. I would like leveling to mean something more than more health or damage boosts. You know, a whirlwind ability or a skill that lets you drink a preset potion in combat. Something more active. Honestly, this wasn't a dealbreaker, just an annoyance. The alchemy. Don't get me wrong: I love the system. Prep before battle, improvise slightly in the middle, clean up. What went wrong is that most of the tough fights don't let you prep with traps or potions before throwing you into the fight. The perfect example is the Kraken fight or opening scene to Act 2. The latter is particularly frustrating: those four points I mentioned after the boss went into alchemy, I meade plenty of potions, AND I CAN'T USE ANY OF THEM BEACUSE OF A QUICK TIME EVENT! GRRRRRRR.......
    - The swearing and attitude. I've served in the Army as a medic. I grew up around loggers. I know me some blue collar life. The swearing and raunchy attitude is just off. Its gratuitous. It's NOT real, unlike the rest of the world, and it gets irritating. The tough decisions. Again, don't get me wrong, I like tough decisions in games. But the ones in TW2 are just too tough, at least for me. Who do you help, the crazy elf guy or the obviously racist bigot? Ummmm, neither? Time and again in both Witcher games I found myself just wanting to walk away. This isn't slightly corrupt cops trying to keep order vs. Robin Hood and chaos. The choices you are presented with are blatantly problematic and if it was me in real life, I'd make my own path, death or injury be damned. At the end of the day, I am just not interested in playing a game when the moral choices I must make go completely against my code. The enjoyment factor. This one is obviously entirely subjective, but with all the realism of the game, I wasn't enjoying it. It wasn't the game I wanted to play at the end of a long day; it wasn't fantasy, it was a step back into reality. So, bravo on the one hand, but... An odd paradox, to be certain. Too much success? And there you have it. I guess it just goes to show you that every awesome game isn't for everyone. The mechanics are there, and I see why people enjoyed the game. I didn't. Good luck to the developers in the future.    … Expand
  20. PrincessRose
    Aug 17, 2015
    5
    The combat is a lot better than the first Witcher, but still can feel rather clunky and awkward.

    The Tiny Inventory that was annoyingly small in The first game is improved in the 2nd by being more spacious and has a weight system instead, I can explore and loot for quite a while before I have to go sell or store. Despite being more spacious the inventory still feels flawed, it's a    The combat is a lot better than the first Witcher, but still can feel rather clunky and awkward.

    The Tiny Inventory that was annoyingly small in The first game is improved in the 2nd by being more spacious and has a weight system instead, I can explore and loot for quite a while before I have to go sell or store. Despite being more spacious the inventory still feels flawed, it's a higgledy piggledy ugly mess of a list. The perfect inventory system would be a much larger grid system, sort of like what the first Witcher had but 4 times as spacious.

    While the inventory has improved, alchemy has gone backwards. Only being able to drink potions during meditation is annoying. You can't drink potions during battle, so you have to guess what you may need before a fight which can be wasteful or go in blind see what happens and figure what you need and reload a previous save. Rather time consuming. The first witcher's alchemy system was better it let you drink potions in battle and I prefer being able to drink potions in battle. A really stupid decision to change it.

    Moving around the world feels restrictive, with only certain spots you can climb or descend with no ability to jump over obstacles, movement is rather linear and so is exploration.

    Map is flawed, especially bad for me since I have a bad sense of direction. The map seems to expect you to memorise where everything is, nothing is labelled, I had to find Phillipa's house and it did not mark or label it on the map, so I spent ages entering each house trying to find hers which is rather frustrating and time wasting

    The game has way too many long cutscenes making it feel more like a interactive movie than a game. I want to play a game, not watch a movie.

    Boss battles feel like a movie script as well, you have to pay attention to when to rapidly click your mouse at certain points.You fight a boss only to have the battle interrupted by cut scenes such Geralt moving around on a tentacle or to be distracted by a falling bridge cutscene after each time you chop off a tentacle.

    I find it annoying, I want to fight a boss and not continually have the battle be interupted by a cutscene. I really dislike the Quick Time Events, it ruins any immersion for me.

    The world of Witcher 2 is dark in an over done way, it's not even all that terribly original - it's your generic "Dark and Gritty Fantasy" setting, set in wretched, crappy world where all the people are ignorant, filthy and full of extreme hatred.

    Sure the 2nd Witcher has better graphics and inventory but overall I just feel the first Witcher was much better, in every way, quests, mini games were done better, alchemy and so was the story. Witcher 2 the story is too political and I find a heavy emphasis on political stuff rather boring.

    Though I reccomend playing both paths as it gives you slightly different access to each area, different quests, information, characters and choices.

    I played Iorveth's path first and then Roche's and I enjoyed playing through Roche's path much more, I found it more interesting.

    But overall I'd class this as a shallow action game that wants to be a movie as well, that pretends to be deep, but fails and falls short. This is a overhyped game that does not deserve the praise it gets.

    I guess I've been spoiled by the massive epic exploration Skyrim offers and The Witcher 2 isn't even half that, just 3 towns to explore. *yawn

    At least I know now that Witcher isn't very good for what I want in an RPG. Sure some may love it, but it's not my cup of tea. And from watching gameplay of Witcher 3 I can see it's more of the same or worse. With lengthy cutscenes and Geralt's character model now looks very ugly.

    I prefer RPG's like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, which has a lot of depth, choice, exploration and you can be whoever you can imagine.

    This game is more for those who like a light action oriented RPG with a limited set character, than those who like a deep, open RPG with more freedom, seemingly endless choices and character builds that can vary a lot.    … Expand
  21. ATG141
    Jul 3, 2011
    7
    As much as I hate saying it the witcher 2 is good in the way of being a work of art than a game. The game almost seems to hate being a game. The gameplay almost feels like padding imbetween the witcher's set pieces and political intrigue. It's extremely difficult even on the normal settings. Some people say that it's difficult in a good way. It makes you use everything at your disposal andAs much as I hate saying it the witcher 2 is good in the way of being a work of art than a game. The game almost seems to hate being a game. The gameplay almost feels like padding imbetween the witcher's set pieces and political intrigue. It's extremely difficult even on the normal settings. Some people say that it's difficult in a good way. It makes you use everything at your disposal and to think on the fly in order to succeed. To a point this may be true but this is best in a game that doesn't focus so much on it's story. So getting stuck in this game is like watching an awesome movie and it keeps freezing in the same places so you have to restard the dvd player and hope that you can get past that part in order to get back into the story. The big reason why the game is so difficult is because the game plays like assassin's creed but if the camera didn't pan out to give you a better sense of the battlefield, and if enemies all ganged up on you at once. Again some people like this since it makes more sense for gangs of enemies to actually gang up on you. But again this would be fine if enemies didn't juggle you hulk--style uncontrollably. Allot of these issues are relieved in easy mode (predictably) but the problem still remains. The game looks beutifull. At least that's what I got from trailers and screen shots. If I try to play the game on high settings I'm afraid my pc will suffer a heart attack. To go along with the story the game has a really good atmosphere with peopel acually doing things unlike obvivion where it's like watching a dog doing house hold chores. The game appeals to my liking of game boxes having extra "stuff" in theme. The standard game might as well be a special edition. Along with a sleeve cover to hold it all the box contains the basic game, a neat letter with a short story in it, a walkthrough ( nearly useless with game faqs) the soundtrack , a paper craft figure, and a bonus features disk . If you can get past these big problems then you'll get a game that you will have a good time with but as it stands if you prefer a game that is more pure in how it fits into int's genre you might want to look elsewhere.… Expand
  22. Nightrist
    Jun 23, 2011
    7
    How should I say it? The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has an excellent story line. The graphics are good, and the character development is phenomenal. However the game seems a bit incomplete. After about 2 hours of playing the game, the one thing that bothered me most was the combat system. The Witcher 2 went for an Assassin's Creed style of Combat. The only problem is that instead ofHow should I say it? The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has an excellent story line. The graphics are good, and the character development is phenomenal. However the game seems a bit incomplete. After about 2 hours of playing the game, the one thing that bothered me most was the combat system. The Witcher 2 went for an Assassin's Creed style of Combat. The only problem is that instead of dancing with beautiful combat movements finishing enemy after enemy in awesome combos, you are 70% of the time dodging, waiting, and running around until your energy to replenises for your next spell. This totally kills the flow of combat. After playing Batman: Arkham Asylum, the Witcher 2 seems like a major step down in terms of combat. Another thing that bothers me is the Tutorial. Sure it might be fine for veterans of the game, but I can help but mourn for any newcomers who start off utterly confused with the mechanics and interface from the very start. The Witcher 2 has simply a very steep learning curve. 10/10 Storyline, Graphics. 5/10 for Combat.… Expand
  23. Amstaad
    May 19, 2011
    7
    This is a great game. The only problems I've had are with the controls/camera during combat which are unresponsive at times and the lack of a decent tutorial. Art work is excellent. Story is decent for a video game. All in all the game is worth picking up if you have a upper end PC.
  24. RogerWilco2099
    May 17, 2011
    7
    New to the series. Still early on but im really am quite happy with it so far. I dont own the first game so some parts are confusing. I clearly missed a lot of stuff and delving straight into the second game wasnt as easy as I thought it would be. To be expected I know, but I didnt expect it to this level. Anyway guess I should have spent my free time over the past few months gettingNew to the series. Still early on but im really am quite happy with it so far. I dont own the first game so some parts are confusing. I clearly missed a lot of stuff and delving straight into the second game wasnt as easy as I thought it would be. To be expected I know, but I didnt expect it to this level. Anyway guess I should have spent my free time over the past few months getting into this series rather then hyping myself up to being bitterly disappointed with DA2... oh how I got that so wrong =P Anyway I digress. Graphics are great and the environments rich. Interacting are awesome and I find myself smiling a lot at some parts. The game has froze up on me several times though, but nothing that hasn't sorted itself out several seconds later. Combat was a little awkward at first and I was sure there was a better way to do it. But its all in the learning curve. Fun experience so far, not sure its Game of the Year as some people are already saying, but I can easily understand why they are saying it. =)… Expand
  25. wooopeee
    May 21, 2011
    7
    Good:
    - graphics is amazing
    - superb story - this is not your regular hack and slash rpg ~~ Bad: - inventory mechanics is a bit disorganized and sometimes confusing. - item looting is lame; picking up items is too fast that i don't even see what i'm picking up because it just grabs everything. - bugs are present but should be fixed with future patches. - fighting animation should be    Good:
    - graphics is amazing
    - superb story
    - this is not your regular hack and slash rpg



    ~~ Bad:
    - inventory mechanics is a bit disorganized and sometimes confusing.
    - item looting is lame; picking up items is too fast that i don't even see what i'm picking up because it just grabs everything.
    - bugs are present but should be fixed with future patches.
    - fighting animation should be enhanced more; it's like slashing through paper every time i hit a monster.



    ~~ Conclusion:
    a well made game but not a perfect one.    … Expand
  26. fandango89
    Jun 25, 2011
    7
    This game has a lot of positives but also negatives that go with each one. It handles the story and nudity very maturely and has a great world filled with interesting lore and creatures. The fact you really get no new spells or anything is pretty boring and can be a major put-off. The spells you do get are limited and only some of them are useful. I found myself using the shield abilityThis game has a lot of positives but also negatives that go with each one. It handles the story and nudity very maturely and has a great world filled with interesting lore and creatures. The fact you really get no new spells or anything is pretty boring and can be a major put-off. The spells you do get are limited and only some of them are useful. I found myself using the shield ability 70% of the time. This has nothing to do with play-style, but since fights put 3 guys against you who all attack at the same time and who can infinitely block and chain attack you, it is a must. The fire was useless and the mind control didn't even work when I used it. The combat seems great but has many flaws. They make blocking use the same bar as spells, which starts off with only 2 uses and doesn't regenerate fast enough. This means when your opponents can keep attacking and blocking, you really can't play defensive or offensive. They can block and counter or if u try to block you can only do it 2 times before starting to get hit. They should have made block separate. Some would say that is why the "roll" is there but usually it is too slow and doesn't really put you in a good position to counter. It is almost like they don't want you to be able to defend yourself. What RPG makes all your spells take 1/2 or 1/3 of your mana bar? None, because it is stupid and makes the game not as much fun, as there is too much time running around waiting for it to recharge. Then there is the graphics. They are beautiful but require too much to run them. With my top-of-the-line comp I was only able to run most things, and even those on medium settings and still with texture problems. This could be a major put-off for most. The biggest problem is the difficulty. I started out with "hard" and having been a gamer my whole life and playing most games on hard, I was appalled by how this setting was. Everything 2-3 hit you, which made the lack of defense even harder. That mixed with the crowds who could juggle you and it was too much. I would spend 1 hour replaying boss fights as well as random mobs. "Hard" shouldn't mean making the computer overpowered or making you every 30 min have to replay a part over and over for an hour. That;s not difficult, its just aggravating and time consuming. It doesn't challenge you, it just asks you to be flawless or get really lucky. Especially because you can't take potions in combat (why did they think this was a good idea) which means there is no healing yourself. If they would have included a sign that would be ok, but they didn't. This all comes to a head with the save system. I applaud the use of the quicksave, but then you cannot use it in battle, the time when it makes most sense. Since this is already too hard in combat, you should be able to save your progress, but you can't. This means you have to go the entire fight perfectly or after 5 min of a boss fight where you almost kill him but make one error you are forced to replay the entire thing again. I would like the ability to save after I kill each member of a party in battle, due to how unfair it already is that you are facing a party. This makes it seem like a glorified checkpoint system. But other than these glaring weakness and botched ideas, there is a good game at heart. I think it has to due with a wonky way of thinking in Europe how an RPG should be.… Expand
  27. markeras
    Jul 8, 2011
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of the best RPG's i've ever played, in my opinion it's only beaten by some of the Bioware's games (Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights, Dragon age: Origins,...) and maybe The Elder Scrolls. I only wish its length was a little bit longer...… Expand
  28. knave84
    Jun 3, 2011
    7
    I think this game is extremely overrated and required at least 6 months of added development time in order to polish (pun not intended) some issues and bugs which deter the whole experience...sure the world is beautiful and the story interesting but the game has control and AI issues hindering gameplay...I mean...design choices such as: only one person can go through a door at a time...orI think this game is extremely overrated and required at least 6 months of added development time in order to polish (pun not intended) some issues and bugs which deter the whole experience...sure the world is beautiful and the story interesting but the game has control and AI issues hindering gameplay...I mean...design choices such as: only one person can go through a door at a time...or you can only drink potions while meditating (having to go through menus and choices) and not during fights...I just don't understand these...also some people call this game an RPG...I don't see this..this is an action adventure...you can't design your character, abilities are limited and given from the start, quests are small, dungeons are tiny...I don't think you can even begin to compare this game to epics such as DA:O...finally there are no tactics during combat...you can beat every opponent with the same move..dodge and attack...the boss fights are well done but personally I just don't like quick time events...just pressing one button to complete an elaborate action sequence?! kills the atmosphere...mini games suck and are pretty pointless you'll have seen them all within 3 hours of gameplay...also some quests are just confusing...where you are left clueless wondering what to do or where to go next...this game is just mediocre...but if they ever get a Witcher 3 out..I this that one is going to be pretty good!… Expand
  29. JadedPuppy
    Jul 18, 2011
    7
    Contrary to popular belief, this game isn't actually the best thing since sliced bread. Though, yes, it is a good game. Its visuals are, especially compared to its competitors, stunning. The story is gripping, and will make you want continue playing - if only the gameplay will allow it.

    It is the gameplay that's the real problem of this game, and which will at times leave you frustrated.    Contrary to popular belief, this game isn't actually the best thing since sliced bread. Though, yes, it is a good game. Its visuals are, especially compared to its competitors, stunning. The story is gripping, and will make you want continue playing - if only the gameplay will allow it.

    It is the gameplay that's the real problem of this game, and which will at times leave you frustrated. Some people say that the Witcher 2 is too hard, too difficult. It's really not; it's not so much difficult as it is tedious. Combat situations have to be resolved exactly in a certain way - or you'll die a horrible death.

    Without spoiling too much; the first large boss you'll encounter will require you to do do the same combat maneuver three times, after which you are forced to slam whatever button appears on your screen, after which you're left to find the one spot where you won't be killed [without there being a clue where this spot is, though I believe they are planning to fix this].

    More generally, the combat never gets really challenging; it's the same duck, roll, attack from behind throughout the game in order to defeat your foes. There are spells, but more often than not you'll be wearing your shield spell, which in turn prevents you from using your other spells too much.

    All in all this is a good game, but it's not as great as some people make it out to be. While you may want to keep playing in order to see how the story will unfold, the gameplay will more often than not make you search the web frantically for game guides, so that you'll know what maneuver to use on the next boss, or worse it might make you feel like you just need a break from it. And this is the problem for me; no good game should ever make you feel that you need a break from it.    … Expand
  30. captainkane
    Aug 25, 2015
    7
    The original Witcher was a fantastic game. It took all the fairies and unicorns out of fantasy rpg’s and brought us a gritty world filled with sex, war, hypocrisy, and racism. The game is based on the novels of a Polish author. So the Witcher doesn’t lack for story. In fact, it excels at storytelling and immersion. But it is incredibly broken. Janky mechanics and numerous bugs held it backThe original Witcher was a fantastic game. It took all the fairies and unicorns out of fantasy rpg’s and brought us a gritty world filled with sex, war, hypocrisy, and racism. The game is based on the novels of a Polish author. So the Witcher doesn’t lack for story. In fact, it excels at storytelling and immersion. But it is incredibly broken. Janky mechanics and numerous bugs held it back from mainstream success. When the Witcher 2 was announced, fans eagerly expected developers to address these bugs while bringing a gigantic, epic world filled with intrigue and monster slaying. By its tepid reception, we know fans felt the developers fell short on those expectations. The W2 is not bad. However, is suffers from an identity crisis.

    Most gamers agree that the W2 is a remarkably gorgeous game. It uses the DX9 api, which also powered the original Crysis. And it’s extremely demanding on higher settings. But the game is best enjoyed maxed out so players can fully enjoy the lush environs and meticulously detailed mountains on the horizon. But it isn’t well optimized. Fps drops are normal and it stutters every few minutes (or seconds) as new textures are loaded in. W2 has odd visual quirks too. Shadows and facial features are pixelated. It’s downright distracting at times. A graphic’s option called ubersampling will eliminate that, but it’s too demanding. Players are better leaving ubersampling off and maxing out everything else.

    Although graphics are a huge improvement over the original, the story is a step back. The campaign is better than haters claim. The problems lie in the side quests. There are only a handful, and they are easy to complete. There are few monsters to slay. Few caves to explore. And no water nymphs to romance. The story’s focus on politics is well-done, but it’s too heavy-handed. CD Projekt created a gorgeous world with nothing to do except slog thru a campaign. Sure, there are choices to be made. But only a few have noticeable impact. Players can import their saves from the first Witcher. However, the bonuses from this are slight.

    Combat sucks namely since the targeting system that is broken. Enemies will be directly in front of Geralt, but no target appears. The tutorial says to adjust the camera to target new enemies. That doesn’t work. So players will have to swing their swords or cast spells blindly. Although spells have the same names and characteristics as those in the original Witcher, developers dumped their AOE’s. This would make sense, if the targeting system worked. As a result, Geralt casts puny looking spells that don’t hit their intended targets.

    But combat sucks for other reasons too. W2 also wedges in QTE’s. Why this annoying convention keeps poking its ugly head into games is beyond me. Do developers even listen? Boxing and some boss fights rely on QTE’s to succeed. Even certain dialogue options require on split second timing. W2 also forces gamers to play as other characters who are completely stripped of all Geralt’s abilities they’ve worked so hard to obtain. These conventions are ever more common, and players absolutely hate them. I bought the Witcher to play as the Witcher! I don’t want to play as a weak ass spy, a dead soldier, or fat king.

    Other problems with combat result from the restrictive leveling and limited move sets. Instead of the appreciated complexity of the original, W2 “simplifies” upgrade paths. Again, another convention of mass market games. As a result, combat in W2 is downgraded into a button mashing fest. It’s not as fun, and wholly repetitive. One problem carried over from the original is close quarters fights—a bunch of enemies crammed into a tiny room. W2’s broken combat mechanics means these battles are frustrating—just like for first game. And if there is a fight immediately after a video scene, Geralt will have already taken damage before players get to control him. On harder difficulties he endures massive damage before the fights even start.

    Other issues with W2 include illegible maps (and mini maps) making objectives hard to find. Inventory management is a bit confusing. Lots of loot is inaccessible. There are few rewards for exploration and limited dialogue outside the main quest.

    Lastly, the Witcher’s soundtrack was highly regarded. Unfortunately, the Witcher 2 failed to live up to that legacy as well. Instead, players are given a generic, forgettable score.

    Despite 11gb of updates, W2 lacks polish. Combat and exploration, which should be 2 of its biggest focuses, are actually the biggest drawbacks. The developers took steps backwards in areas where they shouldn’t, such as story. And they failed to effectively push forward in areas that needed the most work, like combat. So the best elements of the Witcher devolved while the broken parts remained broken. If W2 didn’t look so damn good, I’m certain its scores would’ve been much lower. For Witcher fans, this game is worth playing. But other rpg fans look elsewhere.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PC Game of 2011
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 76
  3. Negative: 0 out of 76
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 21, 2011
    93
    Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. A true, polished diamond. Watch and learn Bioware. [May 2011]
  2. GamingTrend
    Sep 14, 2011
    92
    The Witcher 2 easily stands amongst the big boys in the CRPG crowd and is also the best Action RPG to come out since Mass Effect 2.
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  3. GamingXP
    Sep 7, 2011
    90
    The Witcher 2 offers awesome sword fights, cool graphics, charming characters, a compelling story, lots of bare skin and a decent shot of vulgar conversations. Damn good.
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