The Witcher | The Witcher

The Witcher | Solid RPG with an excellent plot and some of the best character development around

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The Witcher

	The Witcher Windows \| Atari, 2007 average customer review:based on 86 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The Witcher is a pinnacle of storytelling in role-playing games. It shatters the line between good and evil, building a world where moral ambiguity reigns. You'll become your own idea of what a great hero should be, as you control Geralt of Rivia -- a a white-haired "witcher," monster-slayer-for-hire and master swordsman. While trying to regain his lost memory, Geralt unwillingly becomes involved in a world-shaking power struggle. In the process, you'll deal head-on with matters that most fantasy worlds ignore: Racism, political intrigue and genocide, to name a few. The Witcher emphasizes story and character development in a vibrant world, while incorporating tactically-deep real-time combat like no game before it. Incredible tactical depth - Six combat styles, dozens of potions, complex alchemy system, modifiable weapons and powerful magic -- all working together in a fluid real-time experience Inspired by the writings of renowned Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski

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The Witcher - Normal Ed.

This is one of the best RPGs I have ever played. I should have bought the Enhanced Edition, but the difference between the two wasn't very clear.

Pros:
-Adult content is completely avoidable
-Very nice music score. It was a different style altogether.
-Game world is believable enough to warrant a sequel (or prequel). The elven language is based on Celtic which was a nice touch (kind of how the elven language in LotR is based on Finnish).
-Flashy combat system that takes some getting used to, but is designed to cater to a more general crowd. You can choose a point and click camera angle like in the old Kings Quest games, or choose a normal 3rd person shoulder view like Oblivion/Morrowind.
-Storyline did many TYPICAL things, but was interesting and appropriately long.
-Good graphics and engine. The only place I really lagged a bit was in the Trade Quarter, but I was playing at max settings on a Geforce 8800 GT.
-The levelup system was more dependent on skills rather than stats -- definite plus. Leveling was not a grind either.
-The alchemy was well-done. It was much more interesting compared to the system from the Elder Scrolls games.

Cons:
-Normal version of the game has a major difference in voice pitch with Geralt in several conversations. I hear the enhanced edition fixed this, but it wasn't a big enough issue to matter for me.
-The glossary/character entries in the journal was a little overdone. The casual player probably doesn't care, but it adds depth to the game nonetheless.
-The game had a few boring parts that involve a lot of running around. The only thing that kept me going was the drive to finish Quest X. While the scenery was well-done, it did not give enough variety to make me explore for the sake of exploring (in Oblivion, it's enjoyable to just run around to see the sights assuming you've done some texture/environment overhauls). In fact, the player was only free to explore places that were pertinent to the various quests. There were also points of no return with the main story which made completing some quests difficult =/
-Somewhat steep learning curve. It didn't bother me, but it might give trouble to casual gamers.
-NPCs have EXCELLENT voice-overs, but their models were often fairly generic. The female NPCs all have the same generic cleavage that you could lose a dog in. It got pretty tiring. A simple face randomizer could have made things a little better.
-The player and the NPCs wear the same clothes most of the time. I think there are about....four....different armors for Geralt (yes, that includes shirt and suspenders). I was disappointed at the variety in that respect. The alternate weapons like daggers are completely useless because they "cannot be used in witcher combat styles." Why give them to a witcher in the first place? The only thing they're good for is selling in town. I've never been disarmed, so they don't even serve as a backup.
-The game menus load slowly, but the game itself is fine. The loading screen will often hang for as long as 15 seconds before bringing up the list of saved games.
-The inventory could have used more organization. I had to give separate space for potions, ingredients, weapon-related stuff, etc. The game should have done it automatically for the player.

Overall I'd give the game a 9/10. It doesn't appeal quite as much to the casual gamer. The hardware requirements are high, and the game is very detailed. It is worth playing if you don't mind all the cursing/sluts/using of women.

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Solid RPG with an excellent plot and some of the best character development around

What puts the Witcher head and shoulders above most RPGs is the story. The central character, Geralt of Rivia, who originated in a series of short stories and novels, contrasts sharply with the "Nameless heroes" of the Gothic and Oblivion series. Whereas these characters are basically bank slates who run around killing monsters and foiling dastardly plots for the hell of it (there being no real motivation for their actions), Geralt is a fully fleshed out character with a more back story than can be explored in the game. One of the pleasures of the Witcher is the opportunity to make decisions and experience a genuine story arc in terms of his development.

The fact that the character is a famous "Witcher," or professional monster hunter, also does a great deal to explain what is a common flaw in RPGs -- the suspension of disbelief required to imagine that townsfolk would trust some stranger wandering in from the forest with their problems (hey I just met you, but you've got a sword so can you please retrieve my father's priceless heirloom from [insert dungeon name]).

While the Witcher has a few such moments, for the most part the quests are believable, the character interaction excellent, and the sense of consequences to your actions realistic. Both the story and the world are dark and unusually modern in terms of themes if not setting: involving racism, terrorism, and religious fanaticism. While you can choose from multiple sides in a brewing conflict, or strive to the path of Neutrality, you'll find there are no easy answers to the questions that beset you in the game.

Stepping away from the plot for a moment, the combat system is quite good and very innovative, which is important since there is a great deal of fighting in the game. The system manages to strike a pleasant balance between click-fest systems such as most Diablo clones and the simplistic click-once-and-forget systems such as WOW. The system is at once easy to use, and still requires tactics, which is a difficult trick to pull off. The balance between martial prowess, potions and limited spell-like effects is just about perfect. The inventory and skill systems, while more standard to the genre, are similarly intuitive and well thought out. The graphics on the other hand, while good, are based on the aging Neverwinter Nights engine and are unlikely to win any awards.

If there is a complaint about the game, its that its only semi open. The game is divided into chapters, in each of which you can roam free form. However, there is at no point the freedom and wonder of say Oblivion -- where after leaving the initial dungeon you are pretty much free to do what you want and wander an enormous and vibrant world. On the other hand this allows a much more intricate plot to be woven into the Witcher than Oblivion, so its a mixed complaint.

Continuing to take Oblivion as a point of reference, there is no question that the engine for Oblivion is far better, with no annoying load times, fewer crashes, and some of the most amazing grass and forest effects seen, which make riding a horse from one side of the kingdom to the other a pure pleasure. On the other hand the story and main character were a bit of a disappointment - whereas in the Witcher they are a pure joy. Combat too in the Witcher is far better. What's more the potions and limited spell effects you have access to just feels right. In Oblivion I could be a mind boggling super mage/fighter/thief/assassin/acrobat (provided I hit the jump key every 5 seconds). In the Witcher, I am just a mutated monster hunter -- nothing more, nothing less.

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A very good game marred by minor bugs

Although it's a very fun game, it's marred by many small bugs. The game just needed to be polished more before it was shipped. The thing that annoyed me the most is the sliding of the character (as though he's on skating on ice) as he walks/runs around. If you can get over this (and other more minor flaws) this is a great RPG. The plot is extremely interesting and the game never feels repetitive.

I highly recommended it.

Played The Witcher four times

I rarely replay games (I think Oblivion was the only other) but so enjoyed The Witcher that I've played it four times and plan on playing the enhanced version, too.

Really, my only complaints relate to inventory handling, which I hear is to be improved in the enhanced version. It is terribly hard to keep inventory organized and quickly becomes a mess. The capacity is also less than in many other games. I did appreciate the fact that quest items were in a separate slot, but I wish the game would allow you to drop duplicate quest items.

Again, I look forward to the enhanced version, and of course the sequel!

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