I am going to start with saying that I am playing the game now for the first time and I am playing on Dark mode. I am disappointed in many parts of Witcher 2 when comparing it to Witcher 1. Mostly because the only thing "Witcher" about the Witcher 2 is the story. Potion system, combat system, loot system, movement system have all been revamped.
Potion/alchemy system: Most of the points are a matter of opinion. Such as not being able to drink potions during combat or being limited on how many potions you can drink at a time. There are also some flaws(I consider flaws not a matter of opinion. Though that is my opinion >_>) such as not being able to get a quick overview of your ingredients. That is, to quickly see how much vitriol, aether etc you have. The best way in witcher 2 currently is to hit ctrl, click meditate, click alchemy then click on vitriol, aether symbols etc respectively. I'll stop here.
Combat System: I cannot think of any flaws at the moment. Though the targeting system could use some work. But I do not like the combat system at all. Witcher 1 has a casual combat system which I liked a lot. Witcher 2 is more action/button mash oriented where quick real life reflexes are very valuable. What I can say is that I think the combat system is poorly balanced. Maybe because of the npc AI? Bombs and traps make fights really easy. Even without upgrades for them. While a fully upgraded swordsman is still a pansy in melee(I know quen exists). In witcher 1 Geralt(going to refer to him as w1 Geralt) could wade into a group of monsters and if he could land some hits with group style he would make short work of the opponents. W1 Geralt could take enough of a beating for him to have a chance to trade blows with several opponents. Geralt in Witcher 2(W2 Geralt) is a real pansy. Being killed with one or two hits is common and he has to jump around all over to avoid getting hit. In many fights it feels like I am spending more time hitting dodge button than attack button.
Upgraded igni and/or bombs and traps (+footwork) seems to be by far the superior way to beat your enemy except when circumstances forces you otherwise, such as Kayran.
NPCs talks about W2 Geralt being awesome and describes how W2 Geralt takes on 20 opponents in the blink of an eye(with his sword). *cough*BS*coughcough*.
So basically, my biggest complaint is that W2 Geralt is not a badass any longer and that he is a horrible melee person. He is a pansy. It is a sequel for crying out loud, he is supposed to be BETTER than in the prequel. I would rather have seen them upping the difficulty by adding more enemies and let W2 Geralt be able to take a much larger beating before going down.
Also, grinding gives a lot less satiesfaction in Witcher 2 than in Witcher 1.
Loot system: Way too many unlootable objects close to walls or behind other placeables. And too many "invisible" loot drops. For instance when you kill rotfiends outside the Kaedweni camp the loot drops will not be seen even with the wolf medallion highlight when they are in the underbrush. Loot button is the same button as manipulate button and attack button, that is horrible. For instance an attack combo is interrupted by the loot menu popping up. The examine/manipulate triggers when you want to loot, for instance when you try to loot near the corpses corpses outside the kaedweni camp and you REALLY do NOT want to burn the corpses.
rchristie said:
You cannot plan your battle because every attack is randomized - Geralt is inconsistent. Sometimes he does X when fast attack button is pressed, at another time he does a completely different move
Not quite true. There is some measure of control to the attacks. What kind of first strike you initiate with is based on angle and distance to the opponent. For instance fast style, an enemy target directly to Geralt's right side at a medium/long distance will trigger a combo where is spins in the air and lands 4-5 hits(if the enemy is close enough).When I was at the quarry the small harpies would die with one such attack so I would often use it. If you on the other hand do the same but to his left Geralt will do a slower large spin with a swing and landing 1 or maybe 2 hits(I am uncertain).
rchristie said:
I disagree on your complaint about hitting multiple foes, you can do so from the start but it's in a small radius and only for a little damage.
Technicality. Even if true, the result is still that it is useless for group combat. I am pretty sure almost all melee players think when facing for instance three opponents "How can I cut one guy down before the other two attack me?" and not "I better keep those three together so I can attack them at the same time with my small splash radius and little damage!"
