The Witcher Enhanced
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Video Game Reviews of The Witcher Enhanced
Customer Review: Fabulous game
Summary: 5 Stars
I played the original Witcher and loved it. The few bugs it had didn't bother me although I did get tired of seeing the same character faces over and over again and the long load times were a bit much. Now that the enhanced version is out I am going to buy the new version. Yes, I can get it free but I want the additional storylines plus map and Music CD. I'll pass the original on to a friend and have that person download the new material. This game is meant to be shared. I have played many games from Morrowind (loved the original of that) and Neverwinter Nights through Knights of the Old Republic and Dungeon Siege and this game tops them all. It actually comes closest to a game called Syberia where beautiful backgrounds and intriguing storylines are concerned but has the action of Morrowind and NWN. I am lucky enough to have a computer that can run this game and handle the size of it but if there was ever a time to upgrade or buy a new computer then now is that time. If you can't play it then drive to Best buy and get a computer which can. It is as good an excuse as any...Customer Review: The RPG of the year if not the decade
Summary: 5 Stars
You are Geralt, the wife wolf, biologically enhanced with super reflexes and healing powers, magic, alchemy and the sword are at your disposal, and there are monsters everywhere, which is good for you, it's your to kill them.
The first "Witcher" released last year turned a lot of heads and turned a lot of gamers off as well. Sure the graphics are hyper-realistic, the fighting system dynamic blending RPG and Action together in a way similar but superior to "Diablo" or "Neverwinter Knights" and the story is epic, complex and ripe with side-quest, complex characters and decisions that really make a difference in how the game unfolds, but the glitches. The first Witcher was a mess of ultra long loading times, cloned NPG's, annoyingly repetitive and stifled dialogue that cloaked the brilliant game and sent some gamers back to the store for refunds.
The new "Witcher" is free to customers with the original disk, I opted however to buy it again. Why? Because the "Enhanced Edition" comes with a 112 pg guide (which is unfortunately small enough to fit in a DVD box) as well as a nice fold-out map. A game editor, new quest and two CD's of music from or inspired by plus a print book of a short story from which the game and characters arose. Again, all this is available in digital form for free to those who purchased the old version, but I wanted the print copies.
So, the pros? Well, the loading times are vastly cut, but the game takes up to a WHOPPING 13 GIGS of HD space and a minimum of 9. Most of the dialogue has been re-written and re-recorded to great effect, this is all good. The cut scenes are still boring to watch, though a little more movement has been added. Overall, the presentation and loading issues are all solved and extra quest are always good and welcome. If you're in the middle of the game you can update now and keep playing your old saved games, you don't have to start over. They also added and auto-sort system for you items and alchemy ingredients.
The Cons? The game takes up 13 gigs of space on a full install and still requires the disk to run. The game claims to be optimized for x64 and dual processors, but I have to make sure everything on my notebook is shut down to run the game with decent frame rates, version 1.3 ran at a better frame rate for me. This version seems to take more resources, I don't know why.
Now, what systems am I running on? I have two. The first is my notebook. I run a Turion x64 dual-core @1.8 X 2 ghz, 4 Gig 4-4-4-12 ram, 7200rpm sata 100gig hd, on a 1680 X 1050 hi-def monitor but I have the Witcher settings @ 1280 X 800. Runs 25 - 45 FPS as long as all other programs are shut down, including the side-bar and back-ground programs.
My other system is a custom desk-top I built myself. I have an ASUS MOBO with a Phenom Black x64 2.6ghz true quad-core, 4gig 5-5-5-15 ram and a Radeon HD3890 pci-e card with 512 DDR4 ram. Running at full graphics at 1440 X 900 resolution the game is smooth and frame rates are 60fps steady. Still, the video cut-scenes look jagged.
As for the gameplay? This looks a lot like a "Diablo" style game, but it's not. "The Witcher" is a game about story and characters, an old school RPG. The Witcher is what gamers who are tired of MMOG and FPS games are looking for. This is definitely a game for fans of "Final Fantasy" or even "Zelda". This game is an addiction, it sucks you right in and keeps you hooked. The game has three levels of difficulty and I highly suggest starting with "easy" so you can focus on the story and exploration and save the harder levels for you second time around. Why? Because the harder levels require more alchemy and fighting skills, it's longer and more frustrating and if you want to experience the narrative without being hindered by trying to become stronger and better stocked constantly, then easy is the way to go. I also prefer the OTS mode, I use an optical track-ball mouse that gives me great 360 degree movement.
Overall, excellent game, just exceptional, but a huge resource hog that needs a powerful PC to look really good and will translate well to a PS3 if they ever go that way. If you like RPG's then this is the must own this year, if not this decade.
Customer Review: GAMING AS IT SHOULD BE!
Summary: 5 Stars
Were I a member of the gaming Industry right now, I would be shamed to be taught what gaming should look and feel like and how it should be marketed by a small Eastern European company. Who of the multi-billion gaming "giants" ever went back to improve a released game? Yet, there you have it: thanks to CDPROJECT gaming as an art-form is still alive and kicking!
This was the most awaited fantasy cRPG in the past 3 years. Not only did the original deliver, but even more work has gone into truly improving it.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL cRPG GAMES I HAD EVER PLAYED - AND NOW IT IS GORGEOUS!
The environments are detailed, realistic, and can be experienced from up close. Grass, flowers and tree branches moved in both FABLE and TITAN QUEST as well; these, however, seem so true I caught myself reaching for my...antihistamines! Weather affects and day-night alterations (you have to see the elongating shadows to believe them!) are just gorgeous! More importantly, these are not just eye-candy: certain NPCs and monsters appear only when the correct combination of time-of-day and weather coincide...The horizon is far and the clouds move in endless variations. It reminded me of the sky of the original UNREAL, another visually ground-breaking game at its time. PURE VISUAL MAGIC!
The character (Geralt) can master both sword-fighting and magic spells (what is known as a Warlock). To some die-hard RPG fans this may seem like heresy, nevertheless, keep in mind that multi-classing is not unheard off. The movement repertoire for both practices are impressively designed. Especially the sword-fighting, it is at par to any console action game. And the spells (both offensive and defensive ones) are not less impressive.
Free roaming? Yes and no. One can decide which parts of the map he will visit but loading is still needed to travel even annoyingly short distances. And since quests and side-quest still have to be completed, yes, eventually a subtle, yet ever present, directionality is present.
Looting and bartering? Aaah...yes, sort of. You practically never change the sword you start off with (although you do get to improve its abilities), whereas good armor is only a little easier to come by compared to PLANESCAPE. On the upside, you get to gamble, have romantic relationships (FABLE was full of great ideas after all!) and bribe for information, so trinkets have other uses as well.
Detailed character modifiers? Nothing like the AD&D rules. You gain talents (gold, silver & bronze) which you can spend to improve your fighting or magical abilities. Pretty much like the DIABLO or the TITAN QUEST abilities systems.
So, apart for the slight action-cRPG handicap, I have only two other objections. First, the...camera placement. Once more the atrocious Aurora Engine (remember NWN2...?) will keep auto-placing it where it is bound to get on your nerves - as it targets your character even if that is not the most logical option. Yes, this has indeed improved compared to the original but one cannot teach an old dog new tricks.
Second, the controls. They need getting used to as the fighting combos are still easily ruined by clicking out of sync. You do eventually get the hold of it, however it keeps glitching.
Nevertheless, its shortcomings are not enough to diminish the breath of fresh air this release brings to the scene. The Enhanced edition not only is a truly reworked game but it also comes full with detailed Manuals, beautiful Maps and all the extras that games used to come with in the good old days...
Whereas the BALDUR's GATES saga was story-heavy but (by today standards) visually wanting and the NEVERWINTER NIGHTS series was found, well, wanting in all aspects, THE WITCHER is the dream cRPG that BIOWARE was supposed to be capable of releasing all along but never did - and its current EA bedfellows surely put a stop to such aspirations now. That game, however, is finally here - and not from whom you would expect.
A tip of my hat to CDPROJECT for keeping the ART-FORM of Gaming alive. Well done indeed!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Customer Review: Very Impressive 'Definitive Edition' of the flawed masterpiece
Summary: 4 Stars
I hated, hated, hated 'Aurora Engine', the very culprit that caused all the pain and disappointment I suffered for getting this game on the day of its inargural release last year. After having played through couple of chapters while mastering the art of profanity, I finally lost the will to play and gave up.
CD Projekt, to my pleasant surprise, eradicated as much mistakes they've made as possibly can without creating the game from ground up by this rare impressive CRPG collector's set exclusively for PC gamers in reminiscent of old school CRPG box sets like 'The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall', 'Ultima IX: The Dragon Edition', and 'Neverwinter Nights: The Limited Collector's Edition'.
Contents of the game are indeed outstanding, not seen in the present days. It contains the enhanced edition of the game that includes new translation and voice-over, better graphic and more animation, better in-game menu and inventory management, and extra missions and quests. It also comes with D'jinni Adventure Editor, the very construction set used to create the game by the development team. It also comes with 'Making-of' documentary, soundtrack, and music. They are spreaded over 5 discs. It goes even further by including full-fledged game guide, stand-alone story book, and maps along with manual. All of these for price of $40. Amongst all the overpriced ripoffs labeled as so-called collector's edition to make up for the higher-than-ever development cost released these days, this one actually is really worth it, even if you already purchased the original. Best of all, if you already purchased the previous version of the game, the new contents can be downloaded from the official website for absolutely free. If you are a fan though, this one is really worth re-purchasing.
Gone are the painfully long loading time, frame issue, and ugly bugs that marred the gameplay. I can't believe it's the same game. They really really cleaned up the game that wasn't really terrible to begin with. However the few flaws of the 'Aurora Engine' still come intact.
I hate Bioware Software for selling out to EA, but I hate them even more for 'Aurora Engine' and their similar counterparts used in such game as 'Neverwinter Nights', 'KOTOR', 'Jade Empire', and 'Mass Effect'. Back in the old days, Bioware's own classic 'Infinity Engine' used to create many CRPG classic such as 'Baldur's Gate' series and 'Planescape: Torment' was quite impressive and charming considering the technological limitation in the days when the art of video game was in its infancy. But to use isometric camera angle these days outside TBS / RTS / RTT games and Diablo-esque clickfast action RPG is just beyond obtuse. Although you get two more camera angles beside the isometric one, none of them are quite right in context of its combat mechanics. Refined and more responsive free-camera would have been much better than the one we have in the game.
Speaking of combat mechanics, if you click it once it, not only it doesn't do any damage but you are left vulnerable to the counter attack. You have to constantly chain combo. And the combo system is timing-based so instead of you putting the input directly at will to execute the combo, you solely have to rely on the signal on the screen to click the mouse. Very fresh idea to innovate CRPG combat, bad execution in my opinion.
But the biggest of all, as in all 'Bioware' games, you just don't feel like you are in the huge open world due to the modular nature of the engine. Well, the game world is actually quite huge but it is made up by all these small areas that are connected by the loading screens. The confined area that only have couple of exit points all connected by the loading screens, even if the loading time is very fast, isn't just immersive. Granted, even free-formed CRPG like 'Oblivion', 'Two Worlds', and 'Gothic' series all have hidden loading time but in those games you are not environmentally restricted except unclimbable high cliffs, and you don't see any loading screen. You can go anywhere anytime. Well, beside the fact that 'The Witcher' is structured in linearity plotwise, in this game, despite its beautiful graphic, if not overtly impressive, you can't even jump over the shallow fence to go to the area just around the corner. So you have to go all the way around and go through loading time to go to the same area right around the corner. Geralt is a master swordsman but he has to go around the stone right in front of him to continue his journey. You are not even allowed to set a pinky toe in the river, so what does he have to do? Go through a few loading screens to go right across the river of the same area. Every move you make feels so restrictive and confined. Tons of branching dialogue options that directly affect the outcome of your action and complicate plotline are constantly marred by the this shortcoming of the engine. Hopefully CD Projekt will create their own engine to put their impressive ideas into reality instead of using any Bioware leftovers.
But despite these several fatal flaws, this is a very strong and solid CRPG that presents great RPG experience set in morally ambiguous world rarely seen in video game these days with dynamic interaction and quest system within the confinement of linearity of the game. The game gives you more focused character-driven story than other free-formed CRPG. Music is excellent, and combat, when it works, is very fast-paced and exciting. This is very well-polished game and overall production values are very high. It's been a long long time since CRPG offers intelligent dialogues and this many choices that all have consequences.
If you are a long-time CRPG fans who long for the glory days of old-school classic CRPG, this is definitely a must-have game. After all there are not many good RPG comes to PC any longer.
'The Witcher: Enhanced Edition' is an impressive CRPG and an outstanding package.
Customer Review: Well worth the wait
Summary: 5 Stars
I was about 10 days into casual playing through the original Witcher and as soon as I heard there was an Enhanced version to be released I stopped playing (somewhere in the swamp level). As soon as pre-order was available I placed an order.
UPS dropped off the package right before lunch time today and I quickly (as quickly as one can install 13GB worth of game) installed it. I've been glued to it since then. The game is MUCH improved: better voice acting, a more polished feel to the interface, and best of all: FASTER LOAD TIMES!!
The Enhanced version actually comes with a LOT more than I was expecting. I would have been happy with a DVD and manual - There are two manuals, a sheet on how to install it, and 5 discs. One manual is a excerpt from Witcher book, the other is a full on game guide detailing levels and missions - just a quick thumb through it and it seems fairly detailed. There is also a map of the world - Just playing the first couple chapters of the original I had no idea that the world was that large.
The 5 discs are: game DVD, bonus DVD, making-of DVD, and two audio CDs.
I bought the original version of the game, and I'm more than thrilled to have also purchased the Enhanced version - this is a very nice upgrade to my newest favorite RP game.