The Witcher

IN SHORT
This is a Fantastic game to put it simply. Wonderful and Beautiful Graphics, Great and Immersive Storyline, Simple yet Engaging Gameplay and Combat System.

IN FULL
Firstly the Graphics of The Witcher are awesome and it takes a pretty good machine to get the best out of the witcher however saying that even on medium settings the game still looks beautiful, with the level designs having great realism and thought put into them.

The main storyline is well thought out with good cutscenes and good voice overs, the only slight problem there is, is that the dialogue doesnt always sync with the characters mouth movements due to the game originating in polish, however this is a minor minor gripe and doesnt matter a great deal (games such as the Final Fantasy series suffer from this as well). There are lots of optional side quests which are cleverly thought out and in some cases helps you to find out more about the world and charcters around you, and not just for experience.

Unlike the other reviewer (ciaus01) i found the gameplay and combat system very very easy to use. To move around the environment simply use the mouse to click to where you want to move and your character runs there and you hover you mouse over things you want to interace with and again click. Now from my point of view the combat system couldnt be easier if they tried, you see an enemy and move your mouse over him and click and your character attacks him, the only difficultly is choosing which combat style to use, which isnt too hard either. The styles are; Strong, Fast, and Group, now depending on the type of enemy you face (heavily armoured, agile, or lots of weak enemies) depends on what style you should use. The in game tutorial for the combat system guides you easily through the different options and styles of combat making it very easy to pick up in no time at all.

Im a big fan of games like Baldurs Gate (1+2), Neverwinter Nights, Knights of the Old Republic, Diablo 2 etc, all of which have a 3rd person camera which i personally think is much better for RPG's (obviously my opinion), so i liked the choice of 3rd person camera for The Witcher, as i believe it allows you to better see the world around you.

Problems with the gameplay are very minor from my point of view, the amount of time the game takes load from area to area is a little annoying sometimes but bearable and this goes for the auto saving aswell (and the next patch is due to resolve this), and as i said above the bad sync-ing of the dialogue with charcters.

All in All this is one of the best RPG games that I have played and I rank it up there with the best RPGs and I cant wait for the second one!

This has been a relatively "off the radar" game that has come out of nowhere-but I feel its gonna be a hit. The Story line is very origional, even for a genre that has been done to death over the last few years. The characters are beautifully drawn, and the graphics on the whole are top drawer, with some well drawn Movie sequences that set the scene extremely well.
In the game you assume the role of Geralt- a Witcher- or monster killer for hire, who, at the begining of the game is found near death, and suffering from memory loss. This sets the scene for your tutorial and prologue.
The game appears to be huge, boasting over 80 hours of play time.
The Controls are relatively easy, but the camera can get stuck in some situations, sending it off automatically to adjust. This can prove irritating, but it is only a minor glitch. There are 3 different modes of camera view to try and give the player a choice of playing style best suited to them, from an over the top RTS style view to an over the shoulder 3rd person view.
The combat is at first confusing, as you have to switch between different styles dependant on the type of foe and numbers, but can soon be mastered. There is a certain amount of timing required to execute certain moves in correspondance to your mouse cursor, so wildy clicking the mouse button will more often than not get you killed!
The main story is driven to a certain degree, although there are several side quests that can be attempted too, from taking contracts from the local notice boards, to playing dice in the local tavern, and trying to seduce the waitresses! There is a fairly adult theme to the game, including sexuality and racsism, that has been approached in a sensible manner, and not over the top. Your character can build up a relationship with NPC`s and make choices that will eventually effect the outcome of the game, from choosing whether to have a "sexual" relationship with a character, to helping out another that is a victim of a racsist attack.
The game is similar in concept to titles such as Oblivion, in that your character gains experience and must "meditate" in order to acquire new skills and effects. This gives the player a certain amount of freedom to choose the type of character Geralt will develop into.
In summary this game Is an extrememly well presented title, Well drawn Graphics, Good gameplay and a well driven story line.
On the downside, character development, combat and camera control can be a bit confusing for a start, but once you get used to it, makes for an intriguing game.
This was a title that I had not heard of until a few weeks ago, and so had reservations about, however, I would strongly reccomend this to anyone who enjoys the role play genre, and are looking for something with a little bit more to offer.
Well worth the money, and definately one to add to your collection

I bought this game knowing it had a few technical faults at release, but they released a major patch to combat most of the issues, and I can gladly say most issues have been resolved.
As someone said, I still encountered a random crash on a loading screen but only after two hours straight of playing. But this didnt prove to be a problem as your game will autosave quite often. But still.. an issue that shouldnt be there.
The translation can be a bit funny sometimes, but very rarely and the voice acting is very good. Its the type of game where you will lose all track of time because this is one of those games you will definatly get immersed in.

The camera angles are generally okay, you may need to switch between them at times, but thats simple as they are set into your F1,F2 and F3 keys.
One camera view is very much like Titan Quest, you point and click to do everything.
But they also added an Over-the-shoulder camera view, which may take getting used to, but for veterans of this genre, you'll find it a breeze. I found this camera angle to be my favourite. Due to I prefer to have control over my characters moves.. rather than point and click. But it gives you the option to do either or both which is awesome.

The graphics are awe-inspiring. The sound when walking around is completely flawless. I have pretty good speakers, and when playing at 10pm at night.. with the light off and your in-game in the dark with demons flying out at you... it is quite a remarkable experience. The game switches between scary/spooky to adventure and RPG. Its like night time and daytime are two totally different experiences.

They've thought out the combat really well. Its a bit different to your average point and click on an enemy... then just sit there till the enemy dies. You do have to point and click on enemies.. example: you point and click on an enemy to attack.. then wait.. and when your cursor turns into a flaming sword.. click again, and you'll do more damage and more combo's untill the enemy is dead. It all comes down to timing. You also 3 different types of attack modes, Strong attack, fast attack and group attack. You can change between these different modes for different enemies, so the combat always keeps you on your toes, as each enemy has their own weakness to a certain mode.

You also get signs, and no not the mel gibson kind. Signs are basically your equivelant to magic. They're a bit different to your average firebolt etc in most games with magic, but thats what makes the game different. You have to actually use your signs to do certain things in-game, not just to kill enemies.

The story folds out early on, and the game gets better with each hour you play. You obviously level up and get new skills etc, the talent tree could of been thought out a little better.

Also with missions you get to save fair maidens from certain things, and get small side quests to bed them basically. Once you've bedded them, you get a card, which shocked me as it does actually contain nudity on the cards. You dont actually see them going at it or not that I know of, but you do get a card after that you can view anytime of the female that you've bedded, they look like a painting of the females in very... little to nothing, sometimes nothing at all.
This is a very adult orientated game. You can have pub fights, drinking sessions and even dice poker!
So there are small mini-games as such to try and steer you away from playing the main storyline.

All in all for 17.99 this game is a damned BARGAIN if I ever saw one. Brilliant story, brilliant gameplay, extreme graphics and brilliant new combat.

Buy this game now, remember to download the latest patch, and enjoy.

There we go, I've said it in the title.

There's no reason to track down the 'Enhanced' version unless you want the added extra of the short story book.

The Manual is also included in the 1GB update.

Yes, I think that's quite large too! but this also includes added character animations, textures and improved graphics.

Possibly the best free update in the history of video gaming, all thanks to its previous critical acclaim & awards; of which helped to extend the budget of the games developers pockets.

This is the true, definitive... Witcher experience!

Firstly I want to reply to a review posted by ciaus01. This guy/girl has a point with the voice acting but the rest is total rubbish. Almost all RPGS on the market use one of the three cameras used in The Witcher so take no notice of this fools comments.

My review. Playing the game now and i love how deep the story telling gets and how open ended everything is, with everyone in the game having something to hide and the good/evil line very faded.

Gameplay: Solid as a rock and so far this game has offered everything i was hoping for and much more. Fighting system is easy to use and yet hard to master, needing the player to time their clicks. Adult themes used in The Witcher make it feel like a RPG with grit to it, there are no real heroes and the only real guide to good/evil is the player's morals

Graphics: Looks great and I'm only running it on med settings, so even though the in game graphics are a bit lower than high it does not seem to affect the videos.

Sounds: The voice acting is good but because of dubbing issues the lip sink is off at time. Upside is the music is solid and sound effects are done very well.

Overall this game does The Witcher books justice and for anyone who is tired of whiter than white heroes fighting the evil and saving the world, then this game is one not to miss.