The Witcher 2 Catch-All

SallyNasty wrote:

Everyone's opinion is valid - but it always surprises my at how I can react so favorably to a game, and others just bag all over it. To each his own!

You have a greater tolerance than I, sir. Evidence: Full achievements in every licensed movie game released in the last 4 years! And Brink!

Seriously, I don't mean to sh*t all over the Witcher 2. It's just not as amazing as I'd anticipated.

Blind_Evil wrote:
SallyNasty wrote:

Everyone's opinion is valid - but it always surprises my at how I can react so favorably to a game, and others just bag all over it. To each his own!

You have a greater tolerance than I, sir. Evidence: Full achievements in every licensed movie game released in the last 4 years! And Brink!

Seriously, I don't mean to sh*t all over the Witcher 2. It's just not as amazing as I'd anticipated.

That was not a targeted remark:) I meant my reaction to all games - not the witcher:)

I guess I just had no real preconceived idea about what the game would be, only that the world behind the scenes would be well developed - and so far I haven't been dissappointed.

For me the gameplay is the gravey, but the story is the biscuit.

Playing on the 360 and finally got through the Prologue after a disjointed series of play sessions. Wow what a mixed bag of impressions within a pretty dense 2-hour intro.

The Good:

  • Great presentation with minimal visual glitches
  • Writing and storytelling geared towards a more mature audience
  • Tactical combat with nods to realism
  • The Bad:

  • An intro "stealth level": I thought we all received the memo that only games focused on stealth gameplay should even bother doing stealth at all. The single worst sequence of the game so far and I hope it is never repeated
  • Poor, stiff-as-hell voice acting in the 2 lead roles (Geralt and Triss)
  • Unnecessarily convoluted storytelling structure and details added to what is essentially a simple plotline
  • Tactical combat with nods to realism: is feeling like the storytelling, in that it seems like they started out with something pure and simple and then just kept adding in small changes to make the experience 'different'
  • Getting more into the combat... I think I get what they are trying to do. Less button mashing, more tactical positioning and crowd control and preparing for battle beforehand so you're not doing the game-y thing of guzzling health potions in mid-sword swing. The reality is very lengthy attack animations, a focused but uninteresting set of magic spells and the ability to sharpen your blade or apply poisons to it mid-battle but no such ability for drinking a potion. Furthermore, blades treated with the whetstone dull in real-time as opposed to the number of times I actually use it to hit something...

    It's weird is all I'm getting at. The combat system as a whole feels unfinished but the game has its strange charm that is pushing me forward through the story. The jury is still out on if I actually like the game. It's just a bit bizarre right now!

    Maclintok wrote:

    Unnecessarily convoluted storytelling structure and details added to what is essentially a simple plotline

    Keep going...

    SallyNasty wrote:

    For me the gameplay is the gravey

    When I tried the game for a sally, "nasty" would have been my description.

    (Causing folks to misspell gravy since 2010. )

    Not being able to drink potions in combat makes less sense in the 360 version because it's instant anyway. In the PC version you need to sit down and meditate and there's a long animation for it, so they at least showed why you can't do it just whenever.

    Maclintok wrote:
  • Poor, stiff-as-hell voice acting in the 2 lead roles (Geralt and Triss)
  • Unnecessarily convoluted storytelling structure and details added to what is essentially a simple plotline
  • Tactical combat with nods to realism: is feeling like the storytelling, in that it seems like they started out with something pure and simple and then just kept adding in small changes to make the experience 'different'
  • Triss' VO is pretty lame, I have to admit.

    As for the plot line, I take it you didn't play the Witcher, right? Part of the draw for me is the complex story line with multiple subplots. Think of the Witcher's story as more Game of Thrones than Fable.

    The eastern European origins add an extra layer of cultural context that folks of western Euro decent may find find a little alien as well but again, that's part of the Witcher's charm.

    TrashiDawa wrote:

    As for the plot line, I take it you didn't play the Witcher, right? Part of the draw for me is the complex story line with multiple subplots. Think of the Witcher's story as more Game of Thrones than Fable.

    The eastern European origins add an extra layer of cultural context that folks of western Euro decent may find find a little alien as well but again, that's part of the Witcher's charm.

    Yes, the thing with The Witcher is that the world isn't revolving around Geralt, he just gets caught up in events. He's probably got much in common with Dante from Clerks, he wasn't even supposed to be there today.

    Scratched wrote:
    TrashiDawa wrote:

    As for the plot line, I take it you didn't play the Witcher, right? Part of the draw for me is the complex story line with multiple subplots. Think of the Witcher's story as more Game of Thrones than Fable.

    The eastern European origins add an extra layer of cultural context that folks of western Euro decent may find find a little alien as well but again, that's part of the Witcher's charm.

    Yes, the thing with The Witcher is that the world isn't revolving around Geralt, he just gets caught up in events. He's probably got much in common with Dante from Clerks, he wasn't even supposed to be there today.

    And instead of his girlfriend blowing all those guys, he has sex with all the ladies.

    Never mind, figured it out, in spite of the designers.

    This game has a real proclivity for two things I can't stand. First, scripted events that don't trigger, resulting in my standing around for five minutes before looking up what was supposed to happen. Second, boss fights that I'm winning that get turned into cutscenes of me getting my ass kicked.

    I can forgive it, somewhat, because the last part of chapter 2 has been the game at its strongest.

    Edit: Okay, beat the game. It scores two middle fingers out of two. Props for Iorveth, he was pretty cool. And the end of chapters 2 and 3, those were pretty good also, though I wish they'd not used Letho at the end to tie up loose ends in such a flatly expository manner. The narrative was solid, but not spectacular, however the game it was draped over stumbled all over itself to make me dislike it. This video (my first youtube upload!) pretty much sums up my experience.

    Blind_Evil wrote:
    SallyNasty wrote:

    Everyone's opinion is valid - but it always surprises my at how I can react so favorably to a game, and others just bag all over it. To each his own!

    You have a greater tolerance than I, sir. Evidence: Full achievements in every licensed movie game released in the last 4 years! And Brink!

    Seriously, I don't mean to sh*t all over the Witcher 2. It's just not as amazing as I'd anticipated.

    Bam, this is the heart of many game arguments. If I was expecting the game to be a 9 and I think it's a 5, then I have 4 levels of griping, 3 levels more than the guy who was expecting a 6 and thought it was a 5 as well. Plus people are usually more vocal more quickly about their complaints than their praises (see ME3).

    Anyway, that game over thing looks "fun".

    How much of that is hype? It seems for every game there will be those that push it through the stratosphere claiming it rights all the genre's wrongs, and then it ends up being 'just' a pretty good game from that genre.

    For a good few games now, I'm very cautious of reading about them on GWJ, because I find the forum has a habit of potentially setting them up to be a disappointment, both before and after release with the dissection, microscopic examination and write-up, that there's nothing worthwhile to discover or experience for myself.

    Squee9 wrote:

    Anyway, that game over thing looks "fun".

    I was being a little dramatic, it only cost me about 7 minutes of lost time, but it's the principle! You shouldn't have an autosave and die before your character pops back up on the screen.

    Blind_Evil wrote:
    Squee9 wrote:

    Anyway, that game over thing looks "fun".

    I was being a little dramatic, it only cost me about 7 minutes of lost time, but it's the principle! You shouldn't have an autosave and die before your character pops back up on the screen.

    Speaking of which, I'm fighting the karyan at the moment (well not literally, I mean last night), and after the first batch of tentacle-hewing and bridge-smashing, I ran up to it to poke it in the eye (I think it was an eye—seemed like a good idea). Except the area was electrified, which electrified Geralt, and no matter how far away I went or what I did, Geralt continued to be electrified until he died.

    Is that correct and I shouldn't have gotten close? Or should the zapping have stopped when I left the zapping area? The controller was still rumbling during the Game Over screen.

    Scratched wrote:

    For a good few games now, I'm very cautious of reading about them on GWJ, because I find the forum has a habit of potentially setting them up to be a disappointment, both before and after release with the dissection, microscopic examination and write-up, that there's nothing worthwhile to discover or experience for myself.

    After I played and loved the Witcher 1 I knew I was 100% going to buy The Witcher 2, so I avoided most of the chatter about it until I had played it.

    While actively playing a game, I also try to avoid the chatter about it, unless I lose motivation/time/energy to play it. In that case I'll see what other people are saying. This helped immensely with Reckoning, because I learned that the sidequests are mostly unnessecary, so I was able to power through the main quest, keeping the combat fresh the whole time.

    Once I'm finished however, I love the dissection and the discussion of the details. I love deconstructing literature, and attacking games in a similar way is also fulfilling. Definitely after the first playthrough though.

    Gravey wrote:
    Blind_Evil wrote:
    Squee9 wrote:

    Anyway, that game over thing looks "fun".

    I was being a little dramatic, it only cost me about 7 minutes of lost time, but it's the principle! You shouldn't have an autosave and die before your character pops back up on the screen.

    Speaking of which, I'm fighting the karyan at the moment (well not literally, I mean last night), and after the first batch of tentacle-hewing and bridge-smashing, I ran up to it to poke it in the eye (I think it was an eye—seemed like a good idea). Except the area was electrified, which electrified Geralt, and no matter how far away I went or what I did, Geralt continued to be electrified until he died.

    Is that correct and I shouldn't have gotten close? Or should the zapping have stopped when I left the zapping area? The controller was still rumbling during the Game Over screen.

    I think it would stop if you had enough health, think of it like a poison spell that does 100 damage over 10 seconds and you had less than 100 health left.

    But winning that fight doesn't require any traversal of that area.

    Ah okay, good to know, thanks.

    I am working my way slowly through chapter 1 - am probably 60% through, but maybe less. I haven't done too much of the main quest, have been doing all the side-quests that I can, and trying to make the badass armor that you get for playing on Dark. Was getting my ass handed to me repeatedly by some wraiths, and then tried putting some anti-specter oil(look out, Shepard!) on my sword and power owned them. This game really rewards preparation.

    SallyNasty wrote:

    This game really rewards preparation.

    Since you're playing on Dark difficulty it will likely stay that way, but once I was in chapter 2 that became the exception rather than the norm. I could craft/buy the strongest gear at the start of each chapter and play it like any other brawler on normal.

    I'm probably around halfway through chapter 2 on my third run (modded dark difficulty), and one of the things I like about how they approach each chapter is that after a bit of introduction, they let you run free in each area. They give you a good few reasons to get out and look for things without immediate pressure to complete the main quests, although you'll still be taking steps forward on that path. It gives you room to get your bearings before it gets serious.

    Something else along with that is that I'm appreciating how restrained the game is, and doesn't feel that it needs to push things to 11. There's big moments, such as the end of chapter 2 (however you play it), but you're not the most important person there, and it's certainly in contrast to the rest of the game that keeps it interesting.

    Scratched wrote:

    There's big moments, such as the end of chapter 2 (however you play it), but you're not the most important person there, and it's certainly in contrast to the rest of the game that keeps it interesting.

    Bam, this is one of the greatest things about the Witcher series. You are just a guy, albeit a superpowered guy, who is making his way through a well realized world. Most RPGs are some variation on the, "only you can save the world theme." The Witcher does a great job of making you feel important, while acknowledging the strongest forces in the world are political and magical.

    Hmm. I don't quite buy Geralt as an everyman of any sort, and I don't think the game does a good job of portraying him as such if that's their intent. At every turn he is given special treatment, and when the chips are down nobody else ever steps up. Kings are running this way and that, sorceresses are bailing, Geralt stays to do the dirty work. I could agree that he's not the most important figure in the world, but he's a critical cog and everything would go very differently without him around. I don't think that's terribly unique in RPGs nowadays, or even back a few generations if you really take the time to look at things.

    Blind_Evil wrote:

    Hmm. I don't quite buy Geralt as an everyman of any sort, and I don't think the game does a good job of portraying him as such if that's their intent. At every turn he is given special treatment, and when the chips are down nobody else ever steps up. Kings are running this way and that, sorceresses are bailing, Geralt stays to do the dirty work. I could agree that he's not the most important figure in the world, but he's a critical cog and everything would go very differently without him around. I don't think that's terribly unique in RPGs nowadays, or even back a few generations if you really take the time to look at things.

    No, he's not an everyman. He's a f*cking Witcher. But he's not the center of the story either, it revolves around him. Of course he makes a huge difference, otherwise there would be no game. But I can't think of a similar RPG story off the top of my head.

    I think Saskia is really the focal point of the story, or the rule of Aedirn, or the royal assassinations, and Geralt is intimately tied up in all of them. He's not the only player, but I don't see why that's so unique. I saw very little that Dragon Age hadn't covered back in '09. Specifically, the Dwarven and Kingsmoot sections of the game did a lot of the same political work, the Brecilian Forest and Redcliffe sections featured the same gray-area decision making that this game is lauded for, etc. The Ashes of Andraste questline is straight better than anything TW2 has to offer. I think DA:O offered choices as layered and situations as interesting, but offered more of them, and with a more versatile gameplay experience to fill in the gaps. I read and play a LOT of fantasy and The Witcher 2 seemed very... par for the course.

    I'm usually bothered when people who don't like a game hang around the thread like a wet blanket so I'm going to take my leave (from posting in it, anyway, I'll still read). I doubt I'll buy a sequel unless it's at a serious-ass discount, and only if they make it for consoles again. I'd rather the other Witcher books get translated.

    Just killed

    Spoiler:

    the Kayran, got my artful dodger achievement, natch

    and am still loving the game. Note that I have been grinding a lot and doing all the sidequests, so i have been able to complete all of the bonus armor set for playing on dark. I just need to complete the steel sword and then I will have 6/6 peices. This has me looking pretty badass, and has really made me feel much more like a boss.

    I think what I like about the game/character is that you are not trying to save the world(at least not yet), you are just trying to make your way through it, and ploughing along the way. You are definitely an important thread in the tapestry - but not the only one.

    I didn't mean to imply that Geralt wasn't important, he is certainly the hero, but he's not "the chosen one", and the world wouldn't end without him the way it would in DA:O. (tangent: this is a little unfair, because Geralt is only one person, while in DA:O you have a whole party. I guess if only your main guy disappeared in DA:O you could still technically complete the quest.)

    SallyNasty wrote:

    I think what I like about the game/character is that you are not trying to save the world(at least not yet), you are just trying to make your way through it, and ploughing along the way. You are definitely an important thread in the tapestry - but not the only one.

    This was more what I was getting at.

    So I completed the Blasphemer's set (swords and armor that are available if you play on Dark), and am now officially a boss. If you can make it through the prologue on dark, and get the sets together - dark becomes waaaay more managable. I am still totes digging the game, in case you were wondering:)

    Spoiler:

    I chose to go with Roche on the first playthrough, and will go with Iorveth on a subsequent one (i have a save right before the choice so i won't have to do a full play). Does he totally remind you of Clive Owen or what?

    I just finished my third playthrough with the EE stuff. It's a nice little addition to the third chapter, but not a reason to play through again especially for it.

    Even though I was essentially cheating with my modded dark difficulty, the dark sets felt a bit of a net negative to the game, as they overpower pretty much everything at the time you get them, and you need to wear them as a set so you can't mix-and-match, which seems to me to just cut out a lot of the other gear you find.

    Ok I finally stopped procrastinating and am finally setting my goal to beating this game, although I preordered it agesssss ago. I started a darkmode game and actually got past the intro parts.

    I'm running into the usual inventory problem

    What can I dump other than spare weapons and Junk? Also I notice that non swords aren't linked to quick strong style like Witcher 1 anymore, if I find something like a Dwarven ax that does better damage than sword, do you guys keep it?

    Also, if I vaguely recall mutagen upgrades are permanent so I should never upgrade unless I have something awesome. When will I know when I have an awesome upgrade.

    mooosicle wrote:

    Ok I finally stopped procrastinating and am finally setting my goal to beating this game, although I preordered it agesssss ago. I started a darkmode game and actually got past the intro parts.

    I'm running into the usual inventory problem

    What can I dump other than spare weapons and Junk? Also I notice that non swords aren't linked to quick strong style like Witcher 1 anymore, if I find something like a Dwarven ax that does better damage than sword, do you guys keep it?

    Also, if I vaguely recall mutagen upgrades are permanent so I should never upgrade unless I have something awesome. When will I know when I have an awesome upgrade.

    I got to a point where I never found anything stronger than the swords I could craft.

    Any Mutagen marked Greater, those are the ones you want to use. Or the ones without modifiers, like Critical Effects.

    I'd leave all heavy craft items in the bank until you need them. Heavy stuff includes all ores, leather, and timber. You get +50 capacity if you spare La Valette in the prologue.