The same applies to much of the plot, with the big sweeping second act variant getting the headlines, but so many characters recurring and little decisions paying off in small ways throughout the game. It's through accident more than fate that he ends up in the right place at the right/wrong time to swing things in various directions. Geralt is a fine soldier for any faction to have, but that's all, really. That has its issues (see next time), but it also puts you in a really interesting position as a character - knowingly working from limited knowledge, and not from a position of authority or particular strength. Rarely are your decisions in The Witcher 2 even close to black-and-white 'do you want the evil ending or not' affairs - instead, Geralt is stuck between forces as conflicted as any you'd find in real politics and rarely if ever knowing the whole story. 3) It gave you choices which felt important The changes made in the Enhanced Edition also show a willingness to learn from mistakes. The fact that CD Projekt Red has actively avoided churning something out to prove that fact is a great sign.
Even now, another game using The Witcher 2's engine, approach, and its graphical fidelity would be more than enough to be a AAA game. Looking at the early materials for the third game, Wild Hunt, it seems unlikely that we won't see an equally impressive jump with its move to open world design (hopefully a little deeper than Bioware's implementation in Dragon Age Inquisition). An opening chapter that kicked everything off with a bang, rather than the original game's two or three chapters of pure tedium before the actual game starts.
Far more attention given to the characters and the flow of the story. Making alchemy a higher-skill level thing to worry about so that the game wouldn't constantly stop to search for flowers. No longer demanding things like buying books before hunting monsters. On top of that, it's hard to think of a sequel that seemed so willing to learn lessons instead of doubling down.
#THE WITCHER 2 CHAPTERS SERIES#
It was a confident game in a way that few others without major backing can dare to be, from its high system requirements that harkened back to Origin in being based around what the game needed rather than what the majority of the players were going to have, to a powerful start that set both the mood and expectations with a very tight series of vignettes ranging from dragon attacks to non-glorified torture. Even with its problems, it was a game that marked CD Projekt Red as a company to watch, but Witcher 2 instantly made it a top tier RPG developer. The original was distinctly ropey in just about every way, from its writing to quest design to its production values, particularly before the Enhanced Edition came along to salvage the slashed up script. to look at The Witcher and its sequel and imagine them being from the same company, never mind the same series. While the number 2 in the name does rather give it away, it's hard. 2) It improved everything about the first game It's a warm aura that flares early and never really fades. Very few have felt as immediately special, or as deeply loved by their creators. There have been many, many great RPGs over the years. I do however want to just take one moment for the details that are so easily overlooked but which add so much to the experience, like the realistic way that villagers run for cover when it rains and the first village being redressed with lights for a party after a successful operation (or set on fire, elsewhere). This game would look great released right now. I'm not going to rave about the graphics and sound too much individually, because there seems little point. You don't get production values like this in a game willing to make compromises. You don't get two completely different Chapter 2s - that only hardcore fans are going to go back to see the other side of - in a game where anyone is simply going through the motions. What stands out about The Witcher 2 is that everything about it feels like an attempt to do one thing: to be the best RPG in the world, whatever it takes. With the benefit of hindsight, and a big update, where did it go right and where did it go wrong? Let's do the negatives tomorrow and start with the positives today, of which it has so many to choose from. In anticipation of the first and avoidance of the second, I've been replaying the second game to refresh my memory and see a few things that I missed the first time round. Now, if you're anything like me, you're really looking forward to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt later this year, and you need to go to the gym a lot more.
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