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. neppakyo
    May 18, 2011
    9
    Oh man there are a lot of butt hurt Bioware DA2 fans I see. Perhaps some of these zero's and one's are from bioware employees? Like those perfect 10's they gave their own game. I've played over 10 hours so far, and it is.. awe-, er, amazingly epic! (can't use awesome, as it means now DA2's awesome button, which means it sucks) Its sucked me to my chair for a solid six hours straight. VeryOh man there are a lot of butt hurt Bioware DA2 fans I see. Perhaps some of these zero's and one's are from bioware employees? Like those perfect 10's they gave their own game. I've played over 10 hours so far, and it is.. awe-, er, amazingly epic! (can't use awesome, as it means now DA2's awesome button, which means it sucks) Its sucked me to my chair for a solid six hours straight. Very good voice acting, the story is wonderful, and I love the combat. This is how to do quick reactive combat.

    Bioware should learn from the masters of CDProjekt Red with their epic game The Witcher 2. (hah user "Bioware", I can do the same, only this time its true, unlike your review) on how to make an Action RPG, with deep characters, and unique combat, magic and customization.

    The graphics and artwork are.. breathtaking.. one of the prettiest RPG games I have played to date. No game gets a perfect 10, there was a small thing with lip syncing, and the odd clipping issue. Besides that this game deserves a solid 9 / 10.    … Expand
  2. EbonKnight
    May 21, 2011
    10
    Okay, seriously, must I make an account on here to contribute to the troll fight? Honestly, guys.. come on.. judging by the sheer immaturity of all these 0-1 reviews I have to assume you are either 12, a seriously butthurt fan or, even worse, someone employed by EA/Bioware. Let me tell you.. I have played and enjoyed EVERY bioware game that ever came out, and, freakishly enough, even DA2Okay, seriously, must I make an account on here to contribute to the troll fight? Honestly, guys.. come on.. judging by the sheer immaturity of all these 0-1 reviews I have to assume you are either 12, a seriously butthurt fan or, even worse, someone employed by EA/Bioware. Let me tell you.. I have played and enjoyed EVERY bioware game that ever came out, and, freakishly enough, even DA2 had its moments.. but honestly.. let's just admit it.. from a hardcore RPG-ers point of view it's a sad, rushed and recycled game, which claws its way to a 7/10 at best through a couple of clever dialogues and one decent party member. Now why this would be so hard to accept that you have to troll the scores of a game which is clearly superior in EVERY aspect, as pretty much agreed on by every non-biased professional reviewer out there is beyond me.. but just stop, please.. you're only embarrassing yourselves.… Expand
  3. bednielo
    May 17, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. What I can tell ? This game is great for me. Dialogs, combat system, story, animations, graphics. On my old PC i can play with high details. Optimization is great. For me, game is candidate for Game of the Year. I think it can be one of the BEST PC game EVER.… Expand
  4. tripczak
    May 17, 2011
    10
    I was looking forward to this game for a long time, had doubts sometimes, but what i saw today morning, blew me away and made my jaw hit the floor. I'm writing this in a short break for a launch, going back soon and wont stop till i pass out, its THAT good. Thank you CDPR, finally a RPG game, not mindless action game with statistics. It works flawlessly on medium settings on my 3 years oldI was looking forward to this game for a long time, had doubts sometimes, but what i saw today morning, blew me away and made my jaw hit the floor. I'm writing this in a short break for a launch, going back soon and wont stop till i pass out, its THAT good. Thank you CDPR, finally a RPG game, not mindless action game with statistics. It works flawlessly on medium settings on my 3 years old pc, and it still looks better than any game i played lately (except metro 2033 and crysis 1) if DA2 got 8+ than TW2 should get at least 30, sadly only 10 is possible.… Expand
  5. haberman13
    May 17, 2011
    10
    This game is quite possibly the best game I've ever played. Depth and accessibility all in one.

    Few games achieve the perfection TW2 has reached, the world is engrossing, the combat is fun, the RPG STILL EXISTS! Conversation is believable, adult, non-patronizing and totally involving. TW1 didn't even come close to this, it only hinted at it. Thank you CDP for proving that smart people    This game is quite possibly the best game I've ever played. Depth and accessibility all in one.

    Few games achieve the perfection TW2 has reached, the world is engrossing, the combat is fun, the RPG STILL EXISTS! Conversation is believable, adult, non-patronizing and totally involving. TW1 didn't even come close to this, it only hinted at it.

    Thank you CDP for proving that smart people exist still, not everyone is a DA2 tardo-box.    … Expand
  6. Arthur030393
    May 17, 2011
    9
    Good game. But unfortunately, only good. Why? The combat system spoiled, and it's hard. Camera where the camera with the shoulder? without it hard to empathize with, and does not interfere with the tree once, during the fight, for example. For just a camera. Not to mention the system of drinking potions. Only in meditation? And where am I, for example, to know what is in front of me andGood game. But unfortunately, only good. Why? The combat system spoiled, and it's hard. Camera where the camera with the shoulder? without it hard to empathize with, and does not interfere with the tree once, during the fight, for example. For just a camera. Not to mention the system of drinking potions. Only in meditation? And where am I, for example, to know what is in front of me and whether I should drink a potion? even on normal difficulty. That fight, kill me and end. Wasted time, and I repeat, does not make sense. And what this sign, shield? For what? I took the first part of the shield and I drank the potion, I fought on, there is simply spoiled senseless. I really do not like it, very disturbing is the fluidity of the game. Too bad. I thought it would be better. 9 gives only because they do not want to specifically penalized, and the game good anyway. Thus, although nine more I write here 8th… Expand
  7. ReDDoTNeckbeard
    May 17, 2011
    10
    I would give this game a GOTY not just in the RPG, but generally across all genres. The game has amazing graphics that push the hardware (you can also play it on crappy PCs too, so props to devs for optimizing the engine). The game has glorious story and awesome combat mechanics, go watch YouTube if you don't believe me.

    More important, this game has an awesome developer behind it that    I would give this game a GOTY not just in the RPG, but generally across all genres. The game has amazing graphics that push the hardware (you can also play it on crappy PCs too, so props to devs for optimizing the engine). The game has glorious story and awesome combat mechanics, go watch YouTube if you don't believe me.

    More important, this game has an awesome developer behind it that does everything RIGHT. No DRM, free DLC, modding tools, PC-only. Thank you CD Project.    … Expand
  8. aha62
    May 17, 2011
    10
    Love this game. Much better than the first on so many level. Mr Stannard, say hello to your Bioware co-workers for me, next time spend more time making a good game and less time trying to bash the competition. No game is worth 0/10, not even shovelware. Like DA2.
  9. Mattmcdonald
    May 19, 2011
    10
    Okay first off i love this game. It is fantastic in almost every level, despite i few problems under the hood (freezing and what not). That is not why i am posting though. This whole riot between DA and witcher fans needs to stop. Both are fantastic franchices. I would consider myself more of a witcher fan. Witcher fans: We owe a lot to Bioware, if it werent for them and there fantasticOkay first off i love this game. It is fantastic in almost every level, despite i few problems under the hood (freezing and what not). That is not why i am posting though. This whole riot between DA and witcher fans needs to stop. Both are fantastic franchices. I would consider myself more of a witcher fan. Witcher fans: We owe a lot to Bioware, if it werent for them and there fantastic Auora engine the witcher might not have even seen the light of day. And dragon age fans: Just face the facts and accept that Bioware did not follow up with the sequel all you hardcore fans deserved. I'm not trying to hate but it felt like they took out a lot of things that made the first one so great. So let's just end this. We are all gamers and need to stick together on stuff like this. How about we just love both franchices.… Expand
  10. csesium
    May 20, 2011
    10
    I am very much a fan of the first Witcher, and I am glad to say the second game in the series is nothing short of astonishing in nearly every aspect. It's clear from the beginning that the developers took special care in analyzing the problems with the first game and made effort into either eliminating or reducing those problems. The story is very intricate and complex. There is a plethoraI am very much a fan of the first Witcher, and I am glad to say the second game in the series is nothing short of astonishing in nearly every aspect. It's clear from the beginning that the developers took special care in analyzing the problems with the first game and made effort into either eliminating or reducing those problems. The story is very intricate and complex. There is a plethora of pivotal choices that you must make in the game that feel very important and changes the direction of the game drastically, unlike other RPGs that provide black and white choices that ultimately means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Side stories tie in very well with the main plot, and give extra incentive to complete them as even they can change the outcome of some of the main quests by providing important information. One problem however is because the story is so complex it throws a lot of characters and major players at you very quickly, making it hard at times to keep everything together and trying to make sense of what's going on as you unravel several mysteries at once. But it also provides replay value most other single player games simply can't match. The graphics engine can bring even some of the best PCs to their knees. Even if you have to put it on the lowest settings, thanks to the beautiful art style it's hardly a problem. While a lot of modern games being released have simple color schemes and bland, dead environments, this is not so in The Witcher 2. The game is rich with colors, foliage is in abundance, environments are busy and aren't repeated to the point you want to gouge your eyes out, NPCs are going about their daily lives, and with weather patters and full day/night cycles the world feels alive and approaches Crysis level beauty. One of the biggest problems I think the game suffers from when it comes to graphics is even if you have a pretty medium level PC even on the lowest settings it can get a little bogged down. Maybe the engine could be optimized a little better, but this is a minor complaint as, again, even on lowest settings the world is beautiful.

    The soundtrack is amazing. Music is always appropriate for the situation and area where it plays, complimenting the gorgeous environments well. There's really nothing wrong at all with the soundtrack; everything is great.

    Character customization is off the chart. I finished the game at about level 35 and I had barely touched most of the talent points available. There are a lot of combinations that can be done for specific play styles without compromising your character to the point you have trouble with fights. However, starting out you won't necessarily know this, so it can be a little intimidating because of the shear amount you can pick from, worrying you could be picking the "wrong" one or mutegen which could harm you down the road. The combat is significantly improved from the first game. It takes on an Arkham Asylum style combat system and it works great. Fighting multiple opponents can be quite challenging though until you get a few specific talents to help you with that, and even then tougher opponents make it difficult. Enemy variation is above average, with a lot of them requiring vastly different tactics to take down than others. Effective use of traps is required for some fights even on normal difficulty. Some of the mini bosses/main bosses suffer from being either extremely difficult bordering on impossible (or maybe I just sucked at that point) to nearly trivial (or I was just particularly effective at that point). Either way, boss difficulty can vary greatly. Also, the game doesn't do much hand holding, so some of those boss fights require a lot of trial and error to figure out what you need to do to finish the fight.

    I've heard easy is too easy and normal is too hard. I haven't tried easy, but I found normal to be just challenging enough for my taste. Next play through I'm going to go for hard mode and I'm expecting it to be very, very challenging. I'll probably never try insane mode just because I know I'd die at some very stupid point long into the game and it wouldn't do anything but irritate me. Anyway, there are difficulty settings for everyone, so find what works for you and enjoy.

    One last note. Installation was the most PAINFUL EXPERIENCE I HAVE EVER GONE THROUGH IN MY GAMING CAREER. CRC error on my gaming PC. Tried copying disc 1 on 2 other computers and used an external DVD drive and they all had the same problem. Finally borrowed my friends laptop and it was able to read the disk. There's no excuse for the disc being unreadable by 4 out of 5 drives!!! Only reason I got it on a DVD and not digital download was because I wanted the CE version and all the swag, but this has taught me to never, ever buy a PC game that isn't digital download ever again, no matter what.    … Expand
  11. DevilhornsMag
    May 22, 2011
    10
    Immersion, quality writing, mature choices that DO matter and the very best graphics seen on any video game to date. I could go on but I don't really think there's any need for me to. If you feel for quality RPG's even in the slightest, you will get this and spend a million happy hours lost in Temeria.
  12. Asher
    Jul 14, 2012
    10
    As good as RPG games get PERIOD. Anyone who says otherwise either has a sub-par rig or is a severely butt-hurt Biodrone.

    Also, it actually pushes tech. REAL gamers who invest in their hobby can look to TW2 to fully utilize their superior hardware.
  13. GalisCooper
    May 27, 2011
    10
    If you're willing to invest in a game, if you are willing to get sucked in and truly engage with an RPG, this is the game for you. People who have scored this game low, either critics or users, have as main negative points:
    -bugs (very few that are now fixed with the patch)
    -difficulty in battles (that's one of the games biggest strengths for people who want a challenging strategic battle    If you're willing to invest in a game, if you are willing to get sucked in and truly engage with an RPG, this is the game for you. People who have scored this game low, either critics or users, have as main negative points:
    -bugs (very few that are now fixed with the patch)
    -difficulty in battles (that's one of the games biggest strengths for people who want a challenging strategic battle instead of a button-mash)
    -Bad UI (I'll give them a little point there - it's not bad, but could be better)

    So please ignore them, and support a game developer that is truly passionate about creating quality games.    … Expand
  14. VeteranD13
    May 24, 2011
    10
    Oh boy...Console fanboys have come out in droves to champion their flagship RPG. It's just a shame it's as good as they want you to believe. Just head over to the official forums and read the praise. It's astounding a game hyped this much could ship in such terrific shape. Pretty good when developers start talking patches the day the game ships. Technicals issues are minimal, this gameOh boy...Console fanboys have come out in droves to champion their flagship RPG. It's just a shame it's as good as they want you to believe. Just head over to the official forums and read the praise. It's astounding a game hyped this much could ship in such terrific shape. Pretty good when developers start talking patches the day the game ships. Technicals issues are minimal, this game beyond belief. The UI is Cumbersome. The combat feels more like brutally . It's a game the developers must have felt the need to make it PC like and in doing so they made it superior to consoles. It also mature for all the right reasons. If you want a great example of maturity look no further than The Witcher 2. I really like The Witcher 2...I really did.. Its clear the developers put in a ton of work creating this game. It is ashamed the the game is currently the number one download on just about every torrent website. The developers know consoles fanboys are ingrates with no life, no job, and no romance(NERD), consoles. Then they can actually generate some revenue seeing as how consoles fanboys merely ask thier mommy for everything :)… Expand
  15. majonez
    May 17, 2011
    10
    ok first what i have to say- DO NOT read M_Stannard's review. and others negative reviews. they are bioware workers. they scared, because the Witcher 2 have very good reviews. and what about Dragon Age 2? well... you see.
    ok now about The Witcher 2- The best sequel ever. I'm mad fan of The Witcher (in original- The Witcher is fantasy book. and game is based on that story) I can feel this    ok first what i have to say- DO NOT read M_Stannard's review. and others negative reviews. they are bioware workers. they scared, because the Witcher 2 have very good reviews. and what about Dragon Age 2? well... you see.
    ok now about The Witcher 2- The best sequel ever. I'm mad fan of The Witcher (in original- The Witcher is fantasy book. and game is based on that story) I can feel this wonderful climate... this wonderful music. this wonderful storyline. I can't stop play it! The most non-linear game.    … Expand
  16. sparrow667
    May 17, 2011
    10
    You wonâ
  17. cmoyano
    May 17, 2011
    10
    best rpg of the year by far....bioware, learn from this...witcher 2 is amazing gin every single way. Yes, the ending may not be as good, and combat may not be the best, but in terms of story line, choices and gameplay, bioware doesnt hold a candle to cd project! all the way with the witcher 2~!!
  18. 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
  19. roboticsun
    Dec 31, 2011
    8
    The Witcher 2 has some key design failures. The inventory system is as bad as Oblivion. the fighting style is still limited to a steel sword(or whatever else) and a silver sword, and the game plays more like a hack & slash type combat plus rolling around .I do like they add traps and throwing-weapons, which will make the game significant easier when facing large crowd of monsters orThe Witcher 2 has some key design failures. The inventory system is as bad as Oblivion. the fighting style is still limited to a steel sword(or whatever else) and a silver sword, and the game plays more like a hack & slash type combat plus rolling around .I do like they add traps and throwing-weapons, which will make the game significant easier when facing large crowd of monsters or long-range enemies, but I think they should bring group sword style back or add more fight styles, because for a RPG combat, you should provide the gamer as many different approaches as possible, not limiting the combat styles. some of stupid boss fights QTEs makes the game's combat even frustrating. The witcher 2's narrative resembles most good RPGs but not very innovate, at beginning it utilize a frame narrative similar to Alpha protocol to help you to get into the story. the dialogs and interactive scenes are also presented in a similar way like mass effect, they also add some time based dialog choices, but those are nothing new. On the good side though, this game has a very strong story line with significant branching. you can expect to face a couple of hard decisions. Since I do not really have a high-end graphic card, so can not experience the extraordinary graphics of the witcher 2. I am running the game on 8800GTX , the game still looks fine on low-setting. I had about 30 frame rate, but saying this game has been perfectly crafted is overrated. you will experience a lot of lag for loading when you are running around, and the game does freeze or suddenly shut down at times.… Expand
  20. Scritty
    May 25, 2011
    2
    It seems I'm in a minority. But the lack of gameplay depth in this is so sad.
    Game plays fine, graphics are great, but it's not in any way an RPG, it's an action adventure.
    Fine I suppose, lovely I suppose for some. But with Bioware and Bethesda taking all the customization and tactical cobat elements out of their games, it seems this frnachise is going the same way. Luckily, if RPG's are    It seems I'm in a minority. But the lack of gameplay depth in this is so sad.
    Game plays fine, graphics are great, but it's not in any way an RPG, it's an action adventure.
    Fine I suppose, lovely I suppose for some. But with Bioware and Bethesda taking all the customization and tactical cobat elements out of their games, it seems this frnachise is going the same way.
    Luckily, if RPG's are what you are after there are some EXCELLENT indie ones that are as good as Baldur's gate or the original Witcher. It seems the gameplay masses just want arcade style kiddie games. Fair enough, I'll move on to indie developers and let these games gradually melt down till they are as about as involving as pong.    … Expand
  21. 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
  22. desik
    Jul 28, 2011
    1
    This game features the most spectacular graphics, but the most random, counter-intuitive and meaningless gameplay I ever encountered. Let's put things in categories:
    1. Gerald attach strategy. Sometimes, when fighting 3 opponents at once, gameplay stops and Gerald performs a super-duper move which kill all of them at once. If I load the same save and do the same actions, no super moves    This game features the most spectacular graphics, but the most random, counter-intuitive and meaningless gameplay I ever encountered. Let's put things in categories:
    1. Gerald attach strategy. Sometimes, when fighting 3 opponents at once, gameplay stops and Gerald performs a super-duper move which kill all of them at once. If I load the same save and do the same actions, no super moves will happen and I likely will be killed.
    2. Monster strategy. When fighting endera queens, the queen may use 20 times some simple attacks which Gerald can bloc, and once - another attack with exactly the same animation which blows through block and kills Gerald instantly. I tried the fight around 20 times and failed to figure out how to distinguish of prevent shield-breaking attack.
    3. Random quest givers. You may walk around the whole city and most NPC's won't have anything new to say to you. Instead, while wandering through the forest, an absolutely unexpected NPC will pop up and give you a quest. In most RPG's I expect to approach NPC's myself in most of the time in order to receive quests.
    4. Random quest order. Even if I received quests to fight two different kind of monsters, I have no clue where I should find them. I have no way to plan the order how to complete the quests. The solution is to simply walk the whole forest and to kill any monster you encounter.

    And don't let me start about the menu.    … Expand
  23. micmich
    May 22, 2011
    3
    The Witcher 2's world is interesting. Yet as it is playing this game is a chore. Technical issues kill the immersion while an awkward UI make the most mundane things painful. You may grind through it for the story's sake. But this won't be pleasant.

    The story's guiding word is 'disillusionment'. The Witcher 2's world is a hard, complicated place to live in. Death is commonplace, little    The Witcher 2's world is interesting. Yet as it is playing this game is a chore. Technical issues kill the immersion while an awkward UI make the most mundane things painful. You may grind through it for the story's sake. But this won't be pleasant.

    The story's guiding word is 'disillusionment'. The Witcher 2's world is a hard, complicated place to live in. Death is commonplace, little exists in the way of values and survival is key. Few people want to do good, and even when they do seldom are there clear cut alternatives. There are meaningful choices to be made, with interesting (if grim) consequences. But the game makes enjoying the story very, very hard.

    The interface is awkward. Picking objects up or speaking to characters forces you to painstakingly position your character, point at things with a sluggish cursor. This is how you'll spend 90% of the time in the game. Think "washing the dishes" level of fun.

    Combat has potential, totally squandered. The system is both action oriented and tactical. Hard. But the character is stiff and awkward. You press a button and find yourself checking whether it's actually executed (I'm pressing the parry button but is this the parry stance or not?), or press one to be completely surprised by the result (accidental target switch, jumping into the middle of a group of enemies... or no action at all). You constantly die due to some random action you didn't want. Seldom do you actually make a mistake in any other sense. Makes you feel clumsy and irritated.

    The game's performance is uneven, and generally bad. Lowering the settings to a level where 90% of the game gets you 30 fps won't prevent random stuttering. This kills all immersion, especially since this often happens during cutscenes.

    All this makes The Witcher 2 a hard game to enjoy. I feel as if it was a prototype of something really nice. If you're the person who loves a new gadget and doesn't care that it doesn't work half the time, and is a pain to use anyhow - go ahead.    … Expand
  24. 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
  25. SpSatz
    May 18, 2011
    3
    This game is presents itself with some really difficult approaches for the gamer. But as there seems an overwhelming positive feedback from the gamerbase it seems it's console style gameplay und depth is the new standard to RPGs. One can not really describe this game anymore as a real RPG like in the old ways. There are comparisons to Baldur's Gate out there, but unlike this game BG hadThis game is presents itself with some really difficult approaches for the gamer. But as there seems an overwhelming positive feedback from the gamerbase it seems it's console style gameplay und depth is the new standard to RPGs. One can not really describe this game anymore as a real RPG like in the old ways. There are comparisons to Baldur's Gate out there, but unlike this game BG had character customization. If you don't like the silver haired, cat eyed witcher antihero then you can not change that in any way. The customization of his "class" is also not that wide. Some "spells" (runes) and combat moves to put your points into, that's it. No cleric, no rogue.
    The animations, as some reviews pointed out, are for once beautifully animated but absolutely unrealistic and awkward designed. Geralt must be hulk to swing and turn with his sword like this. This does not fit with the "adult", "grim" and "realistic" approach to fantasy the game otherwise tries to deliver.
    The game itself is not that much linear but you do not get much freedom too. The areas are very tiny and there is no open world, almost no ground to explore. But why would you go out and explore if you can not customize your character in any way either?
    The graphics on the other hand are really, really beautiful, but only to those who could a high end machine. On low details you are bound to graphics like 2005 and you still get fps issues here and there. Feels like a really sloppy programmed engine.
    The combat gameplay feels like some bad console hack and slay. You got issues with targetting, blocking and overall movement. As you can see the dumbed down menues everywhere it's obvious this title was made for use on consoles too. While I do not think RPGs can deliver aciton, like the Elder Scrolls series for example, this really is not it. Repetetive button mashing fights are not what makes RPGs shine. At least the combat feels more refined than in Witcher 1.
    The story is at best predictable and at worst just plain boring and uninvolving. But it may only be, that you can not really follow the emotions because Geralt is really a stranger and you do not really like him at any times. The adult scenes can not make up for this as it is always this silver haired guy who you are watching at. Really dissappointing.
    I can not give this game more points and even if you like Geralt and simplistic gameplay, between the sloppy engine and flat story no 10 points rating here is justified.    … Expand
  26. phoenix35
    May 20, 2011
    1
    Bad performance bad dialogues tried it for 5 minutes and uninstalled it.
    Had finished the first witcher which was just an okay game.To be honest i didnt expect to be thrilled or excited with this sequel..My curiosity ended I am only suprised to see many to like this game and same people mentioning DA2 as there is a competition or it matters..Maybe the soft porn in witcher series is exciting
  27. 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
  28. BoatX
    Jan 13, 2012
    10
    One of the greatest rpg game of all time. Dark fantasy world, very good plot (not telling about saving world but rather about politics). A lot of hard decision to make and each decision impact the world of game. Almost every character is unique and memorable (Iorweth, Roch, Ves, Yarpen etc). Demanding but giving a lot of satisfaction combat system. And last but not least the awesomeOne of the greatest rpg game of all time. Dark fantasy world, very good plot (not telling about saving world but rather about politics). A lot of hard decision to make and each decision impact the world of game. Almost every character is unique and memorable (Iorweth, Roch, Ves, Yarpen etc). Demanding but giving a lot of satisfaction combat system. And last but not least the awesome protagonist - Geralt of Rivia - witcher, lover, killer. A lot of people arguing that "the witcher" is not a really rpg because it doesn't allow to create own hero. I think that with such a deep described character like Getalt it is not necessary, I think that it was be a really hard to create a character that would be fit to witcher game world . Really you create Geralt and the world of game with your every decision.… Expand
  29. Voyou
    Jan 28, 2018
    4
    The Witcher 1 felt like a labour of love from talented amateurs. A good game that I finished eagerly despite the hassles, such as reincessantly rehacking respawns. Witcher 2 feels like the complete opposite. It is indeed gorgeous, lively and atmospheric, but everything else is ridiculously bad.

    QTE. Quick Time Events. Do I need to say more ? Oh, yes I do. That’s only the cherry on top    The Witcher 1 felt like a labour of love from talented amateurs. A good game that I finished eagerly despite the hassles, such as reincessantly rehacking respawns. Witcher 2 feels like the complete opposite. It is indeed gorgeous, lively and atmospheric, but everything else is ridiculously bad.

    QTE. Quick Time Events. Do I need to say more ? Oh, yes I do. That’s only the cherry on top of the iceberg. I literally laughed at some of the implementation issues.

    Let’s start with the tutorial, which confuses instead of teaching. I got stuck in it. I thought it was bugged. I Googled for a fix, and learned that there is no bug. There is just a big empty space in its designer’s brain. A guy actually wrote a tutorial that needs a walkthrough to complete. With a clue, it still took me 20 minutes of pressing various buttons everywhere in the UI, giggling at the ridicule of the situation.

    The UI, aah, the UI. The vast majority of software engineers are incapable of designing a proper UI, a smart and comfortable one.Intuitiveness, minimal clicks, font sizes, visibility, accessibility, clarity and so on, all foreign concepts to most. I don’t expect the quality of, say, Dishonored, in every game/player interface… well, in fact I do, but here we reach new lows. Good luck if you want to talk to a NPC standing between a door and a torch. Have fun checking your inventory. Switching directly to your character sheet. Reading the latter. Pruning your thousands of saves…

    The gameplay isn't fun either. Combat is 2-buttons smashing while Geralt wastes calories, dancing around and rolling like a buffoon in lieu of dodging. Looting is aka junk collecting; I suddenly became encumbered, had to finally browse the dreaded inventory, and realised I was carrying 40 kilos of timber and 40 kilos of cloth, among other crap. I stopped looting altogether. I don't even craft, nor do I use alchemy. If I want to cook, I go to the kitchen, I don't launch a video game. I came for the RPG and the exploration, and found very little of each.

    Sceneries look huge, yet the maps are tiny and practically linear. Since Geralt is blocked by any step higher than 33.33 centimetres, your job is to find the only interactive spot where he can climb up or down. Once in a while, there is a short dead-end you can visit, branching from your railroad. There, you can find a pointless encounter with a 2-lines dialogue, or a couple of plants to harvest. But only if you are lucky on a toss coin, because if you take the other path first, you can never go back.

    The RPG part is mostly through dialogue options. The very first time, when I choose a line, Geralt says something completely different. That alone sets the tone. It shows the value of your input. You know who is boss, and you certainly know you are not in an RPG. Later on, there were 3 or 4 options. I was reading the 2nd line when Geralt started mumbling out line 1. I thought it was bugged. I Googled for a fix, and learned that there is no bug. It's a reading race mini-game. They call it a feature. I call them morons.

    The sound effects are brilliant. However, dozens of people chattering at once when you speak to someone makes hearing your interlocutor impossible. And the subtitles are gone before you reach the end of the line.

    I've been talking about gameplay, except that most of Witcher 2 consists of cutscenes. Nice ones, some awesome ones, some funny ones, but cutscenes nonetheless. Millions upon millions of them. I was lucky I cared for the story, otherwise I would have fallen asleep. Still, way too much passive time for something that is supposed to be a game, and another big reason to give up after a few hours.

    In Witcher 1, I really loved the town. In W2, by the time I finally reached one, I was already put off by the game. I expected Flotsam to reinvigorate my immersion and my motivation. It didn't happen. I quit about there, but not before a last surprise and a good laugh at the expense of the devs : I stepped out of town. The monsters were waiting for me right behind the gates ! Just like the poster on the door said. I Kid you not, they camp there waiting to attack anyone who walks out. At the foot of the fortified wall. The one with nobody on the rampart to shoo or shoot them away. Such a wonderful, wonderful, and credible town.

    The list of flaws seems infinite and I must stop somewhere, but there is one I can't resist mentioning : In this fantasy, there are women. Middle-Age women, those with no rights and no value except the value of their beauty. So far so good. And since they undress easily, you can see that all these women have shaved armpits. Ah ah ah ! Must be because of all these Middle-Age commercials for cosmetic brands.

    TLDR: An interactive cartoon with rare moments of playing on a railroad with bad mechanics.    … Expand
  30. Myzteria
    Oct 29, 2011
    10
    This game is **** AMAZING.

    I can't be bothered to type out a testament to the brilliance that is The Witcher 2, but after 3 playthroughs, I'm really disappointed that other games (that aren't as good as TW2) get a higher Metascore than TW2 (Deus Ex: HR, not that it's a bad game or anything, just nowhere near as good as TW2).

    One of the greatest cRPG's to ever come of existence.
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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

All reviews »
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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