The Witcher Reviews
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In conclusion then, with solid marks in terms of combat, characterisation and plot, coupled with a first rate graphics engine (a version of Bioware's Aurora engine that's completely unrecognisable from its original incarnation in Neverwinter Nights), a fine orchestral score, high production values and a willingness to tackle adult themes, The Witcher's strengths outweigh its few flaws (long loading times and the aforementioned translation issues) by a considerable margin. Technically, the game is far sounder than the recently released Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion, Eye of the Betrayer - once I installed the 1.1a patch, I had no performance problems at all - and the original campaign setting makes a pleasant change from traditional Dungeons and Dragons fare. If I had to sum up the game in one line, I'd say that The Witcher is probably my favourite single-player RPG since Oblivion - and it's hard to think of a better recommendation than that.
And the other is at PixelRage with an overall score of 89/100:
To get to a conclusion, The Witcher is at this point the most surprising RPG game of the year. But it falls into the take it or leave it category. As a very flexible gamer, I found it more than a breath of fresh air to a very successful genre. But those who still long after a true Diablo or Baldur Gate's successor might want to wait for Hellgate London, instead of getting contaminated with the lush stories of an outcast character.
I might have let the Oblivion mention slide, but the recommendation that someone waiting for a Baldur's Gate successor should play Hellgate: London instead of The Witcher is one of the most ridiculous things I've read in a long time. Sometimes I think that other people are playing different games than I am.
