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This company made a huge effort to create a beautiful game and I think in a large degree they succeeded. And for the UK and the Germany markets too. These are decisions the buyer has the right to make for themselves. This will be short.but not sweet. In the German version they cut the "violence" but left the human aspect untouched. They also did not think we read in the USA so we do NOT get a printed manual. And they do not disclose this in any evident manner in the advertising.
They elected to censor their own creation. But they made a major mistake for the US market. They cut from the US version and the UK versions aspects of the game that are natural, normal and healthy but in the bizare modern US morality market, we are allowed to see unlimited blood, violence, gore and profanity but not the human form. I do not sadly recomend purchasing this until an honest and open choice is allowed the purchaser.
If you like deep rpgs, I'd definitely give this one a try. I really recommend the Witcher. There are constant updates on the witcher website, including new quests and many improvements. The support team is wonderful and the forum is very active. The story & world are amazingly deep and you can really get sucked in. One of the most impressive features is actually not part of the game: the website. There is an incredible freedom in the witcher where you really do get to influence what happens and chose between sides - the choices can be really hard to make.
The music, graphics, and voice acting are very good. I absolutely love this game. It can be a really long game if you take your time to enjoy it fully. The Witcher ran smoothly on our xp, we didn't experience any crashes or bugs.
People need more than graphics no matter how amazing they might be. I like to have a choice in where I go and what I do, and I want those decisions to effect the game world. You physically can't go anywhere else. However, I did not find the game at all captivating. Truly. The graphics are amazing, the dialogue is well done and the characters are interesting. I've read the other reviews, and if you like what they say, you'll love this game. The game visually is beautiful.
I was bored within minutes but stuck it out for hours. The graphics are amazing. Perhaps I've been spoiled by Morrowind, where you can literally go anywhere and do anything and can be anything. If you liked Final Fantasy and Fable, you should like this game.
But, I DO NOT like the go-here-do-this game play where your path is predetermined and the game leads you there. There is now contemplation over choices or paths to take. I have enjoyed playing it. It seemed to me to play like the Final Fantasy and Fable games, which also have great graphics.
It was ok, but definitely not what I'd hoped, and not worth the price to me.
The loading screen will often hang for as long as 15 seconds before bringing up the list of saved games.-The inventory could have used more organization. The hardware requirements are high, and the game is very detailed. The elven language is based on Celtic which was a nice touch (kind of how the elven language in LotR is based on Finnish).-Flashy combat system that takes some getting used to, but is designed to cater to a more general crowd. While the scenery was well-done, it did not give enough variety to make me explore for the sake of exploring (in Oblivion, it's enjoyable to just run around to see the sights assuming you've done some texture/environment overhauls). I was disappointed at the variety in that respect. The female NPCs all have the same generic cleavage that you could lose a dog in.
I had to give separate space for potions, ingredients, weapon-related stuff, etc. I've never been disarmed, so they don't even serve as a backup.-The game menus load slowly, but the game itself is fine. It was a different style altogether.-Game world is believable enough to warrant a sequel (or prequel). The game should have done it automatically for the player.Overall I'd give the game a 9/10. It got pretty tiring. The alternate weapons like daggers are completely useless because they "cannot be used in witcher combat styles." Why give them to a witcher in the first place. In fact, the player was only free to explore places that were pertinent to the various quests. It was much more interesting compared to the system from the Elder Scrolls games.Cons:-Normal version of the game has a major difference in voice pitch with Geralt in several conversations.
The only place I really lagged a bit was in the Trade Quarter, but I was playing at max settings on a Geforce 8800 GT.-The levelup system was more dependent on skills rather than stats -- definite plus. This is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. Leveling was not a grind either.-The alchemy was well-done. The only thing they're good for is selling in town.
I should have bought the Enhanced Edition, but the difference between the two wasn't very clear.Pros:-Adult content is completely avoidable-Very nice music score. It is worth playing if you don't mind all the cursing/sluts/using of women. A simple face randomizer could have made things a little better.-The player and the NPCs wear the same clothes most of the time. You can choose a point and click camera angle like in the old Kings Quest games, or choose a normal 3rd person shoulder view like Oblivion/Morrowind.-Storyline did many TYPICAL things, but was interesting and appropriately long.-Good graphics and engine. The only thing that kept me going was the drive to finish Quest X. The casual player probably doesn't care, but it adds depth to the game nonetheless.-The game had a few boring parts that involve a lot of running around.
I think there are about.four.different armors for Geralt (yes, that includes shirt and suspenders). There were also points of no return with the main story which made completing some quests difficult =/-Somewhat steep learning curve. I hear the enhanced edition fixed this, but it wasn't a big enough issue to matter for me.-The glossary/character entries in the journal was a little overdone. It didn't bother me, but it might give trouble to casual gamers.-NPCs have EXCELLENT voice-overs, but their models were often fairly generic. It doesn't appeal quite as much to the casual gamer.
On the other hand the story and main character were a bit of a disappointment - whereas in the Witcher they are a pure joy. On the other hand this allows a much more intricate plot to be woven into the Witcher than Oblivion, so its a mixed complaint. If there is a complaint about the game, its that its only semi open. Combat too in the Witcher is far better.
While the Witcher has a few such moments, for the most part the quests are believable, the character interaction excellent, and the sense of consequences to your actions realistic. The system manages to strike a pleasant balance between click-fest systems such as most Diablo clones and the simplistic click-once-and-forget systems such as WOW. Whereas these characters are basically bank slates who run around killing monsters and foiling dastardly plots for the hell of it (there being no real motivation for their actions), Geralt is a fully fleshed out character with a more back story than can be explored in the game. Continuing to take Oblivion as a point of reference, there is no question that the engine for Oblivion is far better, with no annoying load times, fewer crashes, and some of the most amazing grass and forest effects seen, which make riding a horse from one side of the kingdom to the other a pure pleasure. The balance between martial prowess, potions and limited spell-like effects is just about perfect. In the Witcher, I am just a mutated monster hunter -- nothing more, nothing less.
What puts the Witcher head and shoulders above most RPGs is the story. The fact that the character is a famous "Witcher," or professional monster hunter, also does a great deal to explain what is a common flaw in RPGs -- the suspension of disbelief required to imagine that townsfolk would trust some stranger wandering in from the forest with their problems (hey I just met you, but you've got a sword so can you please retrieve my father's priceless heirloom from [insert dungeon name]). However, there is at no point the freedom and wonder of say Oblivion -- where after leaving the initial dungeon you are pretty much free to do what you want and wander an enormous and vibrant world. The central character, Geralt of Rivia, who originated in a series of short stories and novels, contrasts sharply with the "Nameless heroes" of the Gothic and Oblivion series. What's more the potions and limited spell effects you have access to just feels right. The graphics on the other hand, while good, are based on the aging Neverwinter Nights engine and are unlikely to win any awards. One of the pleasures of the Witcher is the opportunity to make decisions and experience a genuine story arc in terms of his development.
Stepping away from the plot for a moment, the combat system is quite good and very innovative, which is important since there is a great deal of fighting in the game. While you can choose from multiple sides in a brewing conflict, or strive to the path of Neutrality, you'll find there are no easy answers to the questions that beset you in the game. The game is divided into chapters, in each of which you can roam free form. The system is at once easy to use, and still requires tactics, which is a difficult trick to pull off. Both the story and the world are dark and unusually modern in terms of themes if not setting: involving racism, terrorism, and religious fanaticism. The inventory and skill systems, while more standard to the genre, are similarly intuitive and well thought out. In Oblivion I could be a mind boggling super mage/fighter/thief/assassin/acrobat (provided I hit the jump key every 5 seconds).
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