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. Howmaster
    Aug 31, 2015
    9
    Love this game! A lot of changes from the first Witcher title, but there is much more depth, action, and story here.

    Story: Get ready to explore a world full of exciting political turmoil and chaos. This new Witcher installment has a lot of in-depth characters and an exciting story which involves political figures, rebels, and mages. You really feel as if your choices and actions    Love this game! A lot of changes from the first Witcher title, but there is much more depth, action, and story here.

    Story:

    Get ready to explore a world full of exciting political turmoil and chaos. This new Witcher installment has a lot of in-depth characters and an exciting story which involves political figures, rebels, and mages. You really feel as if your choices and actions shape the game quite a bit as you go along. This leads to a lot of attachment to certain characters and a great amount of replay value. The quests are interesting and engaging. It is nice to see some adult themes being thrown around in a game nowadays too rather than the usual generic boring fetch quests. I really enjoyed the story of this game, much more than the first Witcher.

    Gameplay:

    There is a learning curve for combat. Gone are the styles of the first game and, in my opinion, a much better type of combat takes its place. At first, it can be quite difficult which I thought was actually enjoyable. You start with all of your signs and get thrown right into combat with no tutorial which, if you never played the first game, I can see why some complained. For me, I welcomed the difficult combat. It’s a nice change of pace to actually have to use oils and potions to prepare for battle as compared to just running in and button mashing. That being said, there are some targeting issues that can be annoying. You may find yourself having trouble targeting the correct enemies which can become frustrating. All in all combat can be difficult, but it’s not that difficult especially once you get dodging down it then becomes much easier.

    The skill tree is expended and much more in-depth than many other mainstream RPG’s. However, my only complaint is that the alchemy tree can almost be ignored. I just didn’t find much use for it when compared to the other two.

    My main complaint with the game is the menus. They look and navigate like a poor console port. It can be a pain to search for certain items as the organization is feeble.

    Graphics/Sound:

    Voice acting is top notch here. Geralt, Triss, and all the major players are done with great writing and voice acting. In my opinion the voice acting and writing here blows games like Skyrim and Dragon Age 2 out of the water.

    The game looks amazing. The graphics here are crazy good, even without playing on max settings. I played on medium and the amount of detail and interaction is outstanding.

    Conclusion:

    In my opinion its the 2011 Game of the year, if not RPG of the year. Tons more depth, interaction, and action than most games out there. A really enjoyable experience and a must own for any RPG or adventure gamer.    … Expand
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. asfj
    Aug 5, 2015
    5
    Too long conversation, too slow path, just like torture for my patience.

    Too slow walking speed, there's neither fast travel nor speedy transport that I have to repeat walking through the same routes n times to get to check points. Feels like I was teased by the dev, but yes, dont forget to upgrade Feet work in Swordsmanship Tree ASAP, then dodging the whole map eases travel a bit only    Too long conversation, too slow path, just like torture for my patience.

    Too slow walking speed, there's neither fast travel nor speedy transport that I have to repeat walking through the same routes n times to get to check points. Feels like I was teased by the dev, but yes, dont forget to upgrade Feet work in Swordsmanship Tree ASAP, then dodging the whole map eases travel a bit only if your 'space' button is tough.

    Scattered and interweaved plots cannot engage me into the story and usually make me feel confused and directionless.

    The menu system is designed very poorly in almost every aspect. Too many to point out.
    For example, have to access alchemy, character and drinking portions via meditation. Extra layer that lows the speed of access.
    Items cannot be indexed, and are displayed only as list, making it difficult to have an overview and localization.
    When refining a specific portion, there is no way to know how many it I have had, Plus no way to skip the annoying drinking animation.
    Of course, the response of the whole menus is relatively lagging.

    To get orientation in the game is frustrating.
    The mini map is almost useless that can only give a yellow arrow. My question is if terrain is so unclear on that mini map, why use it to fold a bit view instead of just giving us an arrow? Put it simple, the only way to make me directional is to press 'm', but for every several steps I have to press it....which is fatiguing.

    Maybe 2/3 time is spent on menus operations, walking and conversation.    … Expand
  5. Kyech
    Aug 5, 2015
    2
    Can't believe this game got this much appraisal, it must be because the players don't have any reference to compare or something, the history must be it's strong point, but the game play suck big hard time, in an game medium its the worst aspect to suck.

    To start, the controls are realy bad, the feedback of the controller imput take almost 1 second some times, the targeting system is    Can't believe this game got this much appraisal, it must be because the players don't have any reference to compare or something, the history must be it's strong point, but the game play suck big hard time, in an game medium its the worst aspect to suck.

    To start, the controls are realy bad, the feedback of the controller imput take almost 1 second some times, the targeting system is trash, the combat could be good if these problems were corrected.

    Stealth sections, quick time events with bugged controls, a hell lot of thing preventing you from enjoying what should be a open world game, the introduction of the game is pure gameplay **** shoved down your troath, i dont get why they didn't just made a cut scene or so, its poison in game play wise.

    Most of the witcher 2 problems would be solved if they played any Souls game for half a hour, i guess it must be too humilhating to do so...    … Expand
  6. Nuker
    Jun 29, 2015
    8
    - Good: Writing, Story, Atmosphere, Setting, Characters, Flotsam, Side quests
    - Mixed: Gameplay, Soundtrack, Boss fights
    - Bad: UI

    I like more first Witcher, but this game is still very very solid.
  7. davidherrington
    Jun 28, 2015
    2
    I have signed up for metacritic just so I can review this game. Don't waste your time!

    It's crap! Horrendous combat mechanics, completely unbalanced and infuriatingly (and unnecessarily) difficult. Story seems great if you didn't have to go through the awful combat and fight scenes. You have to google how to complete half the questions and all of the bosses, can't be done on their own.
  8. Zen-Zinxe
    Jun 19, 2015
    9
    One of the best looking games I have ever played. Crysis tier graphics combined with gameplay that is far more engaging than the first witcher game make this one of the best games I've played in recent years.

    The story takes a moment to get going but once it does it never slows down. True to the first game in the series you can still bang hookers, get drunk and gamble your money away.    One of the best looking games I have ever played. Crysis tier graphics combined with gameplay that is far more engaging than the first witcher game make this one of the best games I've played in recent years.

    The story takes a moment to get going but once it does it never slows down. True to the first game in the series you can still bang hookers, get drunk and gamble your money away. But unlike the first game, the combat is far more complex.

    In combat it is similar to dark souls in the sense that you have a light attack, strong attack, and can roll to dodge attacks. There are more difficulty levels and there is actual coordination involved instead of just knowing potions/stances to use at a certain time. On top of the swordplay there are bombs and traps you can craft and purchase, traps being sort of a niche item that I ended up not using much. All in all the combat is a lot of fun and far less tedious than the first game. The only thing about this game I didn't care for was you are unable to drink potions in the midst of combat.

    A lot of old friends show up in the second game, there is a definite sense of continuity, largely because the end of the first game carries right over into the major conflict of the second. Once again Geralt carefully trying to stay on the edge of politics, yet someone is always dragging him into it.

    This game takes almost everything that the Witcher had and makes it better. While some people may be turned off by the lack of a character creator, the story this game has to tell of Geralt the Witcher is far more interesting than the nameless self-insert the RPG industry is usually prone to these days.

    Near perfect with lots of different ways to play and level, plus a combat arena mini game if you want to just fight waves of monsters over and over.    … Expand
  9. BaronMonaco
    Jun 17, 2015
    10
    Improving over The Witcher 1, on the whole combat system and with more engaging side quest, The Witcher 2 is not perfect (if possible I would have rate it 9.5) with some minor defaults like the fact that you don't remember formulas, but I love it way to much to lower the mark to 9. Fantastic graphics at the times and above everything else the best story of modern videogames with detailedImproving over The Witcher 1, on the whole combat system and with more engaging side quest, The Witcher 2 is not perfect (if possible I would have rate it 9.5) with some minor defaults like the fact that you don't remember formulas, but I love it way to much to lower the mark to 9. Fantastic graphics at the times and above everything else the best story of modern videogames with detailed and realistic characters, and choices that have enormous consequences, in fact the 40-50 hours that the game needs to be complete could be almost doubled giving that a choice in the end of Act 1 will change the rest of the game in almost every aspect (only a few quests will be the same) .

    I've already said this on my review of the first Witcher, but those games are to videogames what Game of Thrones is to series : high production value, faithful to the original works, addicting story and characters, etc. It's a must have !    … Expand
  10. GolovA
    Jun 10, 2015
    8
    This game would have gotten a 9/10 from me, but due to its very narrow FOV i have to take one point off. I was also able to implement a MOD which fixes the FOV; unfortunately, that mod prevented me from using other good mods (such as Full Combat Rebalance MOD), which i had to forsake in order to have a normal field of view.

    That aside - i enjoyed the game thoroughly. I am a fan of the    This game would have gotten a 9/10 from me, but due to its very narrow FOV i have to take one point off. I was also able to implement a MOD which fixes the FOV; unfortunately, that mod prevented me from using other good mods (such as Full Combat Rebalance MOD), which i had to forsake in order to have a normal field of view.

    That aside - i enjoyed the game thoroughly. I am a fan of the first one, and the sequel did not disappoint. The gameplay is not a simplified hack-n-slash - i played on Hard and found combat quite a challenge, final bosses being a real pain in the ass!

    Unlike an illusion of choice (such as in Mass Effect) of the path, Witcher 2 offers choices which affect the path and the plot of the main story. Not to give away any spoilers - your choice in the beginning of the Prologue will actually effect the following Chapter. So if you replay the game and make a different choice in the beginning, you will play through a different level in the upcoming chapter - a level which you have never played before. This adds a high value to replayability and believability to the gameplay.

    My best part of this whole game is the narrative. This is a game for adults - not because of graphics violence or nudity but because of the depth the story has been developed. It is full of politics, assassinations, intrigues, manipulations, and so on, told through a very witty and eloquent narrative (i just love the prose). The story is magnificent and well-shoed and, as expected from the Witcher universe, thoroughly thought through and explained in detail.    … Expand
  11. BinaryRunner
    May 29, 2015
    7
    Would be way better entertainment without annoying bugs, frequently in the stupid quick time events, and with more freedom of movement. Some dialogs are really funny but the interaction with environment, especially NPCs is poor.
  12. Fastpoose
    May 22, 2015
    3
    So far I'm about 5 hours into this game. First off graphics are great. This is not an RPG, this is a hack in slash, and is pretty much just linear game so far, and extremely boring. Gonna give The Witcher 3 a shot now, but I won't hold my breath. It seems 80% of the gaming community are at odds with what I call a good RPG but oh well.
  13. Witcher_2_Fan
    May 19, 2015
    9
    This is in my opinion one of the greatest RPGs of all time. It hasthings holding it back like the fact that it isn't open world, or that the boss battles suck cock, but it's still very good.
    Also, I highly recommend playing with a controller.
  14. styku91
    May 19, 2015
    10
    Great successor to the first game of the series. TW2 greatly improves where TW1 was lacking some polish, and still manages to tell you a great, involving story with meaningful choices and consequences. I mean - half of the game is completely different (Act 2) depending on who you choose to side with. That's huge.
    And the graphics. For me it is still one of the best looking cRPGs, even    Great successor to the first game of the series. TW2 greatly improves where TW1 was lacking some polish, and still manages to tell you a great, involving story with meaningful choices and consequences. I mean - half of the game is completely different (Act 2) depending on who you choose to side with. That's huge.
    And the graphics. For me it is still one of the best looking cRPGs, even after 4 years from the release date.
    Combat system is very good, and demanding. A lot of people bash it for not being dumbed down, but if you're up for a challenge, it'll be a big plus for you.    … Expand
  15. pnoozi
    May 12, 2015
    7
    The Witcher 2 is one of the most memorable action RPGs in recent memory. The graphics and sound are great, and the gameplay is pretty good for an RPG. It plays best with a mouse and keyboard, in my opinion. You can tell it was developed for PC. But anyone who gives this over a 7 is delusional. The story is like a LARP. The game freezes and crashes almost regularly. Automatic saveThe Witcher 2 is one of the most memorable action RPGs in recent memory. The graphics and sound are great, and the gameplay is pretty good for an RPG. It plays best with a mouse and keyboard, in my opinion. You can tell it was developed for PC. But anyone who gives this over a 7 is delusional. The story is like a LARP. The game freezes and crashes almost regularly. Automatic save points are lacking. Should you play it? Yes.… Expand
  16. frankielee
    May 7, 2015
    9
    in terms of gameplay this game might have gone a little backwards compared to witcher 1 but in other terms it is still a very fun, deep and hard-to-forget game. probably the most sophisticated and grown-up rpg game in the last couple of years.
  17. CriticoDubioso
    May 1, 2015
    8
    After playing through this game many times and viewing the game in its entirety, I realized how much
    CD Projekt Red has gone downhill as a game developer and it doesn't make me look forward to Witcher 3, AT ALL.
    I want to go on record, and say I am all for their GOG, DRM-Free business model regarding PC games, which is where I got my copy of Witcher 2 and all my PC games. 3D Vision    After playing through this game many times and viewing the game in its entirety, I realized how much
    CD Projekt Red has gone downhill as a game developer and it doesn't make me look forward to Witcher 3, AT ALL.

    I want to go on record, and say I am all for their GOG, DRM-Free business model regarding PC games, which is where I got my copy of Witcher 2 and all my PC games.

    3D Vision Review: This is for those of us like me out there locked into Nvidia's 3D Vision solution, which I prefer to the idiotic notion of playing a game in what I call "photosphere mode" others want to call it virtual reality. I prefer 3D, where things have an amazing depth and actual realness to them, versus the "photosphere mode" being hyped up, because unlike 3D, is all hype compared to 3D, I want to experience the game with extreme 3D depth and smoothness at 120hz per eye, not play the game in a "photosphere mode". In fact, I can't wait for the true 240hz 3D monitors where we get to play the game in 3D with 120hz to each eye with some upgraded 3D glasses. Okay, rant over. This title is Nvidia 3D Vision Ready. My own personal experience with it is that it is great, there's a wonderful sense of 3D Depth at all times when playing in 3D mode, especially with depth and convergence settings set how I want. This is made better by the high quality audio the game has, the environmental sounds are good, the people sound like real people and the music is okay, I'm not a big fan of it, it's just okay to me but it is very high quality.

    Gameplay/Story Review: It's a action RPG with a few major dialogue choices here and there, you can interact with everyone but only a few npcs serve a purpose, like merchants and major npcs. It's supposed to be a game world of making choices, but there's no way to go your own way, I personally didn't care for being forced to go Roche's path or Iorveth's path. You can customize Geralt's look somewhat, and there a few armor choices here and there. Not to mention you can't get rid of characters you don't like and change the story, you're forced (once again) to play by the games twisted rules of letting obviously evil characters go, in many cases. There are only a few instances in which you can get rid of the obviously evil characters. I would have preferred more freedom to change the story. It is comparable to a corridor shooter, in that there are very limited choices on where you can go and what you can do and you must go the way the game tells you to with an extremely limited degree of control, which is not what an RPG should be doing. Potions should be able to taken whenever you want, not just during meditation. To me the story is needlessly complicated. I would have preferred if it was more focused. The first glaring flaw that sticks out to me, is that somehow Geralt is being blamed for what happens to King Foltest at the beginning, because there were no witnesses, one simple question for that, is why don't I have the choice to wait for Roche, so Roche can go with me? or better yet, why not wait for Roche to bring along a few Blue Stripes? This comes up a lot, I can think of many situations in the game, where I think out loud, why can't I say no? It makes sense, but no, there is a scripted narrative I must follow, despite how little sense it makes to do so.

    Basically, the entire game is scripted in advance, its like playing a modern take on the PC games of old, the point and click interactive movies with digitized or real scenes which also didn't give you much choices either. This game has multiple endings but so do some of those really old point and click games. The areas you get to explore are little more than just pretty scenery, sometimes there's some enemies or a new quest, but you are locked down to a grid. I expect I will feel the same way when I play Witcher 3, which won't happen until I can buy the fully patched game with all DLCs.

    2 out of 5, for the great 3D Vision, sound, graphics and the Red Kit SDK. Everything else is just bad and brings the score down a lot.

    I do appreciate them providing us with the Red Kit SDK along with this game.
    I hope they provide us with the updated SDK with the release of Witcher 3 and I hope Witcher 3 is a much better game, but like I said, I'm not buying it until I can buy it fully patched and with all of its DLC added in.    … Expand
  18. PhoneyFree
    Apr 27, 2015
    10
    Near perfect RPG. Great characters, story, plot. The choices you make as a character do have consequences in the game. Depth and rich character/npc interaction. Great game if you like your games to be story rich. The game treats you as an intelligent adult. Some games you play are enjoyable right up to the end until you get hit with a completely ill thought out conclusion that can leaveNear perfect RPG. Great characters, story, plot. The choices you make as a character do have consequences in the game. Depth and rich character/npc interaction. Great game if you like your games to be story rich. The game treats you as an intelligent adult. Some games you play are enjoyable right up to the end until you get hit with a completely ill thought out conclusion that can leave you deflated and frustrated as you are left with a feeling that all the hours put into the game were completely pointless. This game does not do that. It is an enjoyable adventure with great characters which leaves you feeling that you got your moneys worth. Money well spent.… Expand
  19. vistachiri
    Apr 26, 2015
    9
    This entire series was somewhat of a hidden gem for me. It's got great writing, good characters, and pretty fantastic gameplay.

    I will caution anyone getting into it though, it took me about an hour to really start getting invested in it. Might just be me, but if it seems slow going with this or the first one, give it a chance.
  20. RP421969
    Apr 6, 2015
    5
    Meh.... I tired to finish Witcher 1 couldn't do it. So in an attempt to get psych'd for witcher 3 i bought witcher 2. I think i finished it in under 24 hours. the voice acting is underwhelming as well as the general story arc, and most of NPCs are boring and don't really add to much. The graphic and combat were good, but the map was god awful. i'm not sure what the redeeming qualities areMeh.... I tired to finish Witcher 1 couldn't do it. So in an attempt to get psych'd for witcher 3 i bought witcher 2. I think i finished it in under 24 hours. the voice acting is underwhelming as well as the general story arc, and most of NPCs are boring and don't really add to much. The graphic and combat were good, but the map was god awful. i'm not sure what the redeeming qualities are for this game, I'm glad it didn't buy it new, and Im going to have to wait for review on W3. in the mean time I guess it's back to the DA series for me.… Expand
  21. Smilingcookie
    Apr 1, 2015
    8
    It's a good game, but a bit overrated in my opinion. I wanted to give a 7.5/10. I think from a CRPG point of view the first The Witcher was slightly better. Frankly I am not all that impressed with the combat system in The Witcher 2. The animations feel slow and I don't always feel in control of the character. I wonder if this has to do with console compatibility. Somehow this feels likeIt's a good game, but a bit overrated in my opinion. I wanted to give a 7.5/10. I think from a CRPG point of view the first The Witcher was slightly better. Frankly I am not all that impressed with the combat system in The Witcher 2. The animations feel slow and I don't always feel in control of the character. I wonder if this has to do with console compatibility. Somehow this feels like it was made with controllers in mind.

    There seem to be less options in character development than in the first one.

    The story is good and choices are meaningfull. Graphics are very detailed but somehow they annoy me. If this game had the art design and crisp combat of Dark Souls II it would have been perfect.    … Expand
  22. Pchela
    Mar 5, 2015
    10
    Simply it was a masterpiece of its own time. Deep and entertaining story, very realistic characters, real oral choices and dilemmas. Great graphics. I have really enjoyed that one. All my hopes now go for the so-long awaited sequel.
  23. xXDrowXx
    Feb 14, 2015
    9
    9/10
    .............................................................................................................................................................
  24. Tyreneous
    Feb 3, 2015
    5
    Don't know if this will update my previous rating however I finally got the game to run using a third party no dot net patch. Sad yet simple. I still can't recommend this game due to these circumstances as it should be fixed as soon as you update the thing
  25. jimbobslimbob
    Jan 8, 2015
    7
    Is the game good? Yes. It's a flawed gem of a game and one that could well have been one of the best RPG's ever made, if it wasn't for one thing: the combat. The combat is either shallow and dreadfully easy on "Easy", or absolutely impossible on "Normal". "Normal" is really hard mode and they need another difficulty in-between.

    Putting that aside, pretty much everything else in the game    Is the game good? Yes. It's a flawed gem of a game and one that could well have been one of the best RPG's ever made, if it wasn't for one thing: the combat. The combat is either shallow and dreadfully easy on "Easy", or absolutely impossible on "Normal". "Normal" is really hard mode and they need another difficulty in-between.

    Putting that aside, pretty much everything else in the game is good. Graphically it looks very pretty when maxed out for a game this old.

    Having never played Witcher 1, I found it's not very beginner friendly with regards to the story - but then I kind of expected that anyway. Nevertheless, if you have not played the previous game, expect to be confused... a lot. When you finally get your head round it you will find it has significant depth and is highly engaging.

    Your companions all have back stories of their own and they are well fleshed out. Not many games have had me caring for characters I have only spent a minimal amount of time with in game, but this one got me!

    The RPG elements are solid and allow for quite a bit of customisation. It has an interesting potion mechanic, based on your "toxicity level", so you can't just swig every potion you have before a fight.

    So, all in all, it's a good game. It could have been brilliant if a few issues were resolved. Regardless of which, it has made me want to get Witcher 3 this February, so consider me hooked!

    Jimbo Rating: 7/10    … Expand
  26. Xxsonicfan69xX
    Dec 27, 2014
    10
    Probably the best game I've ever played

    Pros
    **** ****
    +Fight Monsters
    +Get Money
    +Drink Beer

    Cons
    -Too pretty
    -Too good

    10/10 would reccomend
  27. Athansor
    Nov 30, 2014
    9
    Awesome game. I was able to really get in and feel like the witcher, which was great. I had my own motivations that were very separate from the motivations of those around me, but the game never forced me to go along and really commit to a faction. Yes, I had to pick a side, but even after I picked that side they didn't much like me and I didn't much like them, we just needed each otherAwesome game. I was able to really get in and feel like the witcher, which was great. I had my own motivations that were very separate from the motivations of those around me, but the game never forced me to go along and really commit to a faction. Yes, I had to pick a side, but even after I picked that side they didn't much like me and I didn't much like them, we just needed each other for a brief time. The fact that a video game could carry that type of tension this well was incredible.
    The story unfolds gradually and each reveal feels important, interesting, and distinct. I never felt hurried by the plot, and the side quests all felt like something my Geralt would do. Combat is difficult without feeling like the game is cheating, which is important to me for game play. Some games you lose a fight and you say "oh comon, there's nothing I could have done about that" but in this game, every time I died I swore a few times and tried again because I knew it was my fault, not the game's, that I had died.
    I could hardly ask for a better game experience. The only reason I don't think it was perfect is because the combat, while difficult in all the right ways, did eventually feel repetitive. I kept taking the same potions every time, doing the same dodges, and firing off the same spell, or sign. Even though there are a lot of different possibilities, I played on the hardest difficulty and it felt like there was only ever one combination of things that gave me the best chance. It was still exciting and difficult to pull off, and the game didn't drag on so long that I felt completely bored by that combat, but it was repetitive nonetheless.

    Overall an excellent game, and I will likely play through again to make some decisions differently than I did the first time. I may turn down the difficulty to save time though!    … Expand
  28. cylian3
    Nov 29, 2014
    0
    Any role-playing game that's heavily relying on action and fighting mythical creatures should be ashamed of itself when the design decisions were made that you could only take potions BEFORE entering fights, thereby effectively integrating the save function as a core of people's gameplay.

    SHAME ON YOU, Witcher 2.
  29. Gamed2long
    Nov 25, 2014
    10
    I loved TW1. So I got this game as soon as it came out. I beat it and enjoyed every minute of the process. Its beautiful. As soon as I learned The Witcher 3 is in the works I picked it up and beat it again. This time I made all the opposite choices. Thats right! Silly me. My first game ended with me saving Triss over the king's kids with the help of Roach. I never explored all the otherI loved TW1. So I got this game as soon as it came out. I beat it and enjoyed every minute of the process. Its beautiful. As soon as I learned The Witcher 3 is in the works I picked it up and beat it again. This time I made all the opposite choices. Thats right! Silly me. My first game ended with me saving Triss over the king's kids with the help of Roach. I never explored all the other choices. My second play-through I was a freedom fighter with Iorveth who helped the non-humans carve out a kingdom. Its amazing how I could start in the same place. Make completely reasonable choices and end with such a different experience. The whole second act of the game was completely different.
    This game is mature. The characters are complex. The plot is mature. Unlike so many games where there is the clearly good option and the clearly evil option, in this game you try to do good but the choices are hard. Do you let innocent people burn to death, or do you let a bad guy get away without punishment? Choices like that.
    I do have 2 criticisms. Combat is a little hit or miss. Like the real world when the bad guys gang up on you, you are going to take a beating. Also the game is too short. Both these things were partially resolved by the FREE RELEASE of the Enhanced Edition.
    I can't wait for The Witcher 3 to come out.    … Expand
  30. Gothic90
    Nov 21, 2014
    8
    The world of witcher is incredibly intriguing and rich. Monarchs being **** people are out to get others, violence, corruption, etc. I am amazed that such a short game can give me all of that, and I am eager to learn more. Its multiple paths tell the story from different perspectives, and your actions actually have consequences that you would care about during the game, and that is a rareThe world of witcher is incredibly intriguing and rich. Monarchs being **** people are out to get others, violence, corruption, etc. I am amazed that such a short game can give me all of that, and I am eager to learn more. Its multiple paths tell the story from different perspectives, and your actions actually have consequences that you would care about during the game, and that is a rare find in recent games, or any games. There are characters that I actually grow to love and care about, which is great.

    Releasing the Enhanced Edition for free is just CDPR being awesome towards players. The side quests are fun things, unlike some of the "MMO quests" adopted by a certain company. They might be similar but you do feel the difference as each type of monsters need a different means to exterminate.

    Downsides: combat wise it feels like the PC gains more powerful too quickly and scales out of control, and the actiony combat can be repetitive. Also the game's system requirements are ridiculous and I still sometimes get lags on a PC I bought 3 years after its release. The more save files you have, the longer loading screens you experience - definitely an issue (I have to manually delete saves outside of the game as deleting inside is a chore). Also the game is too short, which gives me a sad face.    … 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

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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