The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on May 31st, 2011

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Geralt, who is often greeted with the same uneasy gratitude reserved for burly exterminators, succeeds because of his mental and physical preparation. To share in that deadly serious mindset is what makes his affairs so involving. Thanks to his aptitude for on-the-go alchemy, you can use collected herbs and icky monster parts to concoct all sorts of potions, oils and absolutely crucial grenades, provided you own the recipes. Potions can temporarily augment vision, resistances or health regeneration (you can't use healing items during battle at all!), and oils enhance your swords, usually to the extreme detriment of certain species of monsters (all of which are more vulnerable to laceration from your silver sword).

The way in which all these options congeal in combat is impressive alchemy in itself. The Witcher 2 becomes enthralling when you venture into the dense woods, draw your sword in the moonlight and start the hunt for the fleshy components you need to craft a new set of armor. If the numbers aren't in your favor, you start picking opponents off by planting snares, tossing mind-altering gas bombs and cutting down stragglers. The swordplay never finds a good rhythm on its own, but it's an elegant complement to the witcher's satchel of tricks. It's just a shame that his profession won't be necessary a hundred years later. The monsters are all so eager to rush into obvious magical traps, they'll probably do a good job of exterminating themselves in the long run.

One of the most impressive feats of The Witcher 2 is that your choices actually affect the progression of the game. This isn't just the illusion of choice that has been offered by other titles in the genre. Even early on, Geralt's confrontation with the son of Baroness La Valette during the castle siege has repercussions that immediately affect the story moving forward. Consequently, there is a lot of replayability here. Without completing all of the side quests, the game will certainly take most players up to 30 hours to reach one of its sixteen possible conclusions.

The multi-branching narrative, full of twists and memorable moments, is the clear strength of The Witcher 2. Unfortunately, the ending of the game is somewhat undercooked when compared to the previous chapters and one wonders if CD Projekt Red has succumbed to the recent practice of forcing players to buy an expansion pack for the true conclusion to the story. Still, the journey is worth the trip.

The Witcher 2 is one of those games you must buy to fully experience the amount dedication that went into it. The story is deep and cinematic with an expansive amount of dialogue that can easily change the story without notice. The story will have the players wanting more to understand the lore of The Witcher. Gameplay wise much hasn't change The Witcher 2. Combat is basically the same at the first Witcher with much of the same controls, but this time around The Witcher 2 will not hold your hand. The game will be brutal and it will take focus and skill to survive. The player has also have bunch quest and attractions to do, along with a highly customizable Geralt for any of the character advancements. Presentation wise, The Witcher 2 is gorgeous and detailed and will leave players breathless with the stunning visuals on both environment and characters. Overall, The Witcher 2 sets the bar for the next-generation RPGs, even today's RPGs do not stand against the might of The Witcher.

The main characters in The Witcher 2 are some of the deepest and most complex I have ever encountered in a video game, and watching how they progress and interact with Geralt is one of the most impressive aspects of The Witcher 2. You will find yourself really caring about your favorite characters, and some of the decisions surrounding them are extremely difficult to make. Characters are rarely single dimensional; each person usually has their own motivations and reasoning behind their actions, many of which you will be able to influence the outcome of. The depth of choice pertaining to the story and characters is what makes this game such a fantastic RPG and what makes the world the game takes place in so lively and full of character. Issues surrounding racism, classism, drug abuse and sexism remain from the first game, and they are dealt with in an impressively mature tone, something that is largely absent from video games in general.

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