Late coming. My Review.
The Witcher 2; Assassins of Kings
I finally played through the Witcher 2, which was released last year. I waited for patches due to some major game play bugs in said game. It seems a majority of the bugs had been squished and made the game playable.
First off, I’d like to say this has been one of the best story RPG’s I’ve played to date. Beating out my ever-loved, Dragon Age Origins. Interaction and dialogue alone make this game worth playing.
Now for some critique.
The Cons: The game maps are terrible. They are difficult to navigate and poorly laid out. I assume it is to look like crude drawings, but for the gamer, they are simply lacking in usability.
Which brings me to the next navigation complaint; searching for specific areas is a nightmare. It can become so frustrating that I become mentally exhausted while trying to find a quest area. I have spent an ungodly amount of time attempting to reach area A, to find that hidden paths, obscure means, and directions that make little to no sense. It seems a very annoying time-sink from the developers. When I have to constantly refer to youtube or walk-throughs, it destroys the emersion of the game-play.
My last complaint is the quest log. I also find it to be muddled and difficult to follow. How hard would it be to prioritize quest? Maybe have a (continued later, main quest, and side quest) in some sort of organized detail?
I always like to end on a positive note.
As for game-play itself; the story is always unfolding brilliantly. The events as the story progresses are well paced and dramatic. As I the played through, I always felt drawn in and waiting more as I moved forward. Nearly every character had distinct and interesting personalities; albeit a large role or a small one. Each bringing intricate details needed to progress. I found the NPC’s to bring us humor along the way, or giving us little hints that help us decide our chosen paths.
Battles: the battle system works well in some aspects and poorly in others.
What feels poorly done to me: I prepare with potions as I move onto an obviously tough battle. The cut scenes count on the potion timer and by the time I enter said battle, they are wasted away and there is no ability to drink more, as there is no ability to go into meditation. I find this to be a serious flaw. How are we to be prepared if you continue a countdown while we watch the cut scenes? This occurred often and I found it greatly annoying.
What is well done in the battle system: The battles themselves are dynamic and fun; dodging, and the rolling out of harm’s way. The animations as your talents progressed; all were fun to watch and experience.
The different enchantments for armor and weapons were also well done, as was the armor variety. Each assisting in battles as you continue on to more challenging battles.
Crafting: Honestly. I hate any sort of crafting almost to a cringing degree. The crafting system in Witcher 2 was not ‘so’ terrible. I found it to be less tedious than most. My only true complaint is having to sort out crafting and alchemy ingredients. There are so many and I often have to keep storing them as my pack becomes too heavy. Therein lies the issue, doesn’t it? The constant back and forth to my storage and back to a npc that does crafting. I know it is lame to a degree, but I believe there needs to be some way to access crafting components without all the extra trekking and weight suffered to your pack.
The same goes for making potions. If I run out while off on a quest. I have a pile of components in my storage, but no way to get to them. You can only be so prepared while out and with the ridiculous amount of time it takes me to find quest areas, it causes an issue with using up my potions to soon. You never know what you may run into while out and about. (Yes, I know this has a positive and negative in the mix)
Final Note: I really do not have much else to say on the game. If not for the very tedious navigation and lack of quest clarity; Wictcher 2 is likely one of the best RPG’s I have played. The only one that may have come close is Mass Effect 3, and it even pales in comparison for entirely different reasons.
On a side note: I really wanted to hate Vernon and Iorveth, both. *laughs* I felt they were total pricks in the beginning and found myself liking them equally.
Thank you CD Projekt RED and looking forward to more from you!
PS: I did not go into every minor detail of the game. I just highlighted major points that stood out to me.
The Witcher 2; Assassins of Kings
I finally played through the Witcher 2, which was released last year. I waited for patches due to some major game play bugs in said game. It seems a majority of the bugs had been squished and made the game playable.
First off, I’d like to say this has been one of the best story RPG’s I’ve played to date. Beating out my ever-loved, Dragon Age Origins. Interaction and dialogue alone make this game worth playing.
Now for some critique.
The Cons: The game maps are terrible. They are difficult to navigate and poorly laid out. I assume it is to look like crude drawings, but for the gamer, they are simply lacking in usability.
Which brings me to the next navigation complaint; searching for specific areas is a nightmare. It can become so frustrating that I become mentally exhausted while trying to find a quest area. I have spent an ungodly amount of time attempting to reach area A, to find that hidden paths, obscure means, and directions that make little to no sense. It seems a very annoying time-sink from the developers. When I have to constantly refer to youtube or walk-throughs, it destroys the emersion of the game-play.
My last complaint is the quest log. I also find it to be muddled and difficult to follow. How hard would it be to prioritize quest? Maybe have a (continued later, main quest, and side quest) in some sort of organized detail?
I always like to end on a positive note.
As for game-play itself; the story is always unfolding brilliantly. The events as the story progresses are well paced and dramatic. As I the played through, I always felt drawn in and waiting more as I moved forward. Nearly every character had distinct and interesting personalities; albeit a large role or a small one. Each bringing intricate details needed to progress. I found the NPC’s to bring us humor along the way, or giving us little hints that help us decide our chosen paths.
Battles: the battle system works well in some aspects and poorly in others.
What feels poorly done to me: I prepare with potions as I move onto an obviously tough battle. The cut scenes count on the potion timer and by the time I enter said battle, they are wasted away and there is no ability to drink more, as there is no ability to go into meditation. I find this to be a serious flaw. How are we to be prepared if you continue a countdown while we watch the cut scenes? This occurred often and I found it greatly annoying.
What is well done in the battle system: The battles themselves are dynamic and fun; dodging, and the rolling out of harm’s way. The animations as your talents progressed; all were fun to watch and experience.
The different enchantments for armor and weapons were also well done, as was the armor variety. Each assisting in battles as you continue on to more challenging battles.
Crafting: Honestly. I hate any sort of crafting almost to a cringing degree. The crafting system in Witcher 2 was not ‘so’ terrible. I found it to be less tedious than most. My only true complaint is having to sort out crafting and alchemy ingredients. There are so many and I often have to keep storing them as my pack becomes too heavy. Therein lies the issue, doesn’t it? The constant back and forth to my storage and back to a npc that does crafting. I know it is lame to a degree, but I believe there needs to be some way to access crafting components without all the extra trekking and weight suffered to your pack.
The same goes for making potions. If I run out while off on a quest. I have a pile of components in my storage, but no way to get to them. You can only be so prepared while out and with the ridiculous amount of time it takes me to find quest areas, it causes an issue with using up my potions to soon. You never know what you may run into while out and about. (Yes, I know this has a positive and negative in the mix)
Final Note: I really do not have much else to say on the game. If not for the very tedious navigation and lack of quest clarity; Wictcher 2 is likely one of the best RPG’s I have played. The only one that may have come close is Mass Effect 3, and it even pales in comparison for entirely different reasons.
On a side note: I really wanted to hate Vernon and Iorveth, both. *laughs* I felt they were total pricks in the beginning and found myself liking them equally.
Thank you CD Projekt RED and looking forward to more from you!
PS: I did not go into every minor detail of the game. I just highlighted major points that stood out to me.