PC; �34.99; cert 18+; CD Projekt RED/Bandai Namco
Although the first game was well received by RPG fans, The Witcher 2 is that rarest of things ? a sequel that elevates an entire genre, much the way Half Life 2 did for FPSs. With its exquisite production values and huge, single-player campaign, this is a genuine summer blockbuster. From the epic storyline, beautifully rendered in cut scenes, to its fast and skillful battles and deeply interactive questing, Witcher 2 makes better-known RPGs look and feel conspicuously dated.
One obvious example of this is the combat ? which although not achieving beat-'em-up fluidity, nevertheless feels very different to both the clinical technicality of Morrowind or the mindless hacking of Dungeon Siege. Blocks and attacks have to be timed well, particularly against enemies with shields who behave like mini-bosses but hunt in packs. All this requires a good few more keys than most RPGs, including a fiddly CTRL wheel menu to choose which of the five types of magic you want to use. When surrounded by foes, this is tricky to pull off, making it a blessing in disguise that health potions boost rather than restore points, meaning they must be taken before rather than during battles.
But if it feels challenging, the fact that Witcher 2 is fiendishly hard from the outset is half its appeal. It's a long time since I've spent half an hour trying to tackle a game's very first tutorial mission, but fighting even a handful of guards while escaping a burning castle proved impossible without repeated use of the excellent quicksave system. Nevertheless, once I began to master new and upgraded spells, and particularly once I started unlocking traps, the constant feeling of being close to death merely made the battles more exciting.
And much like the combat, other aspects feel flawed but still definitely worth persevering with. As an RPG, Witcher 2 mixes old-school and daringly new ideas at will. Initial NPC conversations and quests seem formulaic, even bland, until you realise there may be profound consequences further down the line. Quests can be shocking, intriguing or deliberately obscure, often requiring further information or items without giving you any hint as to what these are. And speaking of items, there's a whole sub-level of crafting, upgrading and brewing that can be as simple (buy them) or complicated (research and collect herbs, learn the skills, brew the potion) as you want. And as for the storyline, which packs in so many carefully crafted twists and moral dilemmas, it deserves to be fully explored for yourself. The Witcher series is undoubtedly still on a journey in terms of playability, but for scale, depth and sheer class it already feels like Europe's answer to Final Fantasy ? and that's been a long time coming.
? Game reviewed on PC
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2011/may/25/witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-review
HARRIS HCL TECHNOLOGIES HEWLETTPACKARD HIGH TECH COMPUTER HON HAI PRECISION IND
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