- Joined
- Jan 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,067
I've been planning on doing this review for awhile, I got the game when the Enhanced Edition was first released, but as a policy I don't review games until I've completed at least the main storyline, and this was a pretty big game, so it's been a looong time. Despite my general aversion to RPGs, I picked this one mostly because of the license. The "Witcher" series of novels was one of my favourites, and I must have been living under a rock because I didn't hear about this game until the aforementioned "Enhanced edition" was advertised on Steam. I have another delayed review coming up, then I swear I'll review something new since I pre-ordered Wolfenstein 6 (Yes, Wolfenstein 6. I know why they try to avoid numbers that big, but just calling it "Wolfenstein" sounds like a remake.) and Brutal Legend (Tim Schafer + Jack Black + Heavy Metal = Awesome. But you already knew that.) so I'll put up reviews of those when they come out. Anyways, on to the review..
Story
This was the part of the game I was most worried about when I first picked it up. I don't know why, but it just seems hard to picture novels, let alone novels such as those found in The Witcher series being translated well in game. I was pleasantly surprised, the story was actually very well written, especially for not actually being written by the original author. You don't have to have read the novels or short stories to understand the game, though there are natural nods towards the novels and I'll gladly except it as a continuation of the series, as its clearly set after the last Witcher novel. You play as Geralt of Rivia, also known as The White Wolf. Geralt is a Witcher, a professional monster slayer that has special talents thanks to alchemical "mutagens" which mutate their bodies and allow them to take more advantage of potions, and other strange abilities. The Witchers are almost all gone, and the world doesn't look too kindly on "Non-Humans" such as the Witchers. The story itself is divided into Chapters, although each Chapter plays out more like its own unique story, but it all ties together in the end and many great characters are encountered, mostly unique to the game but for fans of the novels there are a few characters from the books still lingering. The story was truly top notch, and I was quite surprised, it was memorable and it made great use of the existing universe and world.
9.6/10
Presentation (Graphics and Audio)
The game uses the "Aurora" engine by BioWare. I can't say I haven't seen it used in any other games, but it seems to be effective. The detail is relatively good and the art design is awesome, where the graphics do tend to falter though are in animations. Characters barely emote and their motions are stiff and bizarre, especially at a distance, where they look like a stop motion animator got lazy and forgot to transition between shots. There are many great effects though and the game does look good thanks to the art design, even if the characters could use some more animated portraits.
The sound department is more impressive, the acting talent is far from perfect (In fact, I actually heavily disliked the actor playing Geralt, whose lack of enthusiasm or interest changed the character and made him a little less interesting, though he picks up the pace a little later on.) but it does the job, what really sets the audio department for greatness though is the music. It's becoming more and more common that games, especially RPGs, use orchestrated soundtracks. While many of these have sounded good, they didn't have much soul or style to them. The Witcher is a different story, this is The best orchestrated soundtrack I have ever heard. I would go out of my way to see it in concert, and I'm glad I bought the boxed copy because it came with a soundtrack, the only thing its missing is the main theme. The music is varied and always fits the mood of the scene, while at the same time having a strange cultural ambiguity that was really haunting and let it linger in my head. The sounds of combat are standard for fantasy RPGs such as this, but they are crisp and they do the job actively.
9.5/10
Design
The Witcher's design is hard to comment on because it sticks to the formula that many RPGs in its category stick to. That's not to say it's derivative, it definitely has a unique game world that pays homage to the locales found in the novels, and there are many unique and varied quests, but really that's where any RPG is supposed to set itself from others. They are almost all fairly well done, there are a few quests I felt were a little dull but for the most part they offer lots of things to do and the amount of sidequests included that actually tie into the story are impossible to number without wracking my brain for about a fortnight. I will also make note that there are a few aspects of the game I didn't care for; namely the blatant misogyny and sometimes anarchistic language. While to be fair, the books had their fair share of foul language and sexual content, the game seems to go overboard. I didn't care for the fact that they use women as objects - quite literally - by giving you a "collectible sex card," usually naked and in poor taste (And I have no problem with nudity, I'm a nudist, but it depends on how its portrayed..) whenever you have sex with a female character, which strangely seems to be a lot, sometimes its even unavoidable, though you can ignore it if you want. I can't really give examples of the aspect of swearing I didn't like due to forum rules, but my problem with it is just that it sounds... out of place. They use a lot of modern slang I'm pretty sure they didn't use back then, and it seems weird. Why not just stick to some traditional cursing
Those are mostly nitpicks though..
9.0/10
Gameplay
Ahh, the all important part of any game, and the Witcher shines even brighter in this category, especially in the combat. The combat is a unique and brilliant system, at first I thought it was just a hack'n'slash like Diablo, but this turned out to be my death. No, rather, it's a rhythmic and strategic system. You have to time your sword clashes, dodges, parries, and you have to analyze your enemy and adjust your style or sword type for them. There are 3 "Witcher" styles, Strong, Fast, and Group. Strong attacks are for slow but bulky enemies and monsters, Fast are for animals and swifter enemies, and group is best when you are cornered by 3 or more baddies. There are various weapon types, though the two main swords are the Witchers silver and iron sword. The iron sword is for humans and animals, whereas the Silver sword is for monsters and spooks. Of course there are other weapons that can be found if you like, but you'll use the Witchers swords for the most part. The rest of the gameplay is just as unique and involving, as you have to really focus on survival and at the same time, you have to rely on alchemy, potions, and their side effects. You have to get the proper ingredients or you can screw up, but at the same time, you have to be careful not to over toxify yourself which can be your undoing. There are of course magic spells, but you have to find them in rare "Circles of elements" and of course by quest elements. The game plays great, and if you like RPGs such as this, The Witcher should be right up your alley, while offering something a little different and new. 9.5/10
Conclusion
I'm mixed on RPGs. Either I love them, or I despise them. Obviously, I love The Witcher, and I dare say it's the best RPG since Fallout 2 (Fallout 1/2 are my favourite RPGs of all time). It actually managed to suck me in and impress me, and the sheer scale and amount to do is staggering, but it adds a lot of replay and even when you are done with the main game, there are tons of fan made adventures and if you have the know how and the patience, you can make your own adventure from the ground up using the Djinni "Adventure Editor" that comes packed in. The game is absolutely sensational, and while I know a long time has passed, there is still no excuse to not play it if you like this kind of game.
9.7/10
Story
This was the part of the game I was most worried about when I first picked it up. I don't know why, but it just seems hard to picture novels, let alone novels such as those found in The Witcher series being translated well in game. I was pleasantly surprised, the story was actually very well written, especially for not actually being written by the original author. You don't have to have read the novels or short stories to understand the game, though there are natural nods towards the novels and I'll gladly except it as a continuation of the series, as its clearly set after the last Witcher novel. You play as Geralt of Rivia, also known as The White Wolf. Geralt is a Witcher, a professional monster slayer that has special talents thanks to alchemical "mutagens" which mutate their bodies and allow them to take more advantage of potions, and other strange abilities. The Witchers are almost all gone, and the world doesn't look too kindly on "Non-Humans" such as the Witchers. The story itself is divided into Chapters, although each Chapter plays out more like its own unique story, but it all ties together in the end and many great characters are encountered, mostly unique to the game but for fans of the novels there are a few characters from the books still lingering. The story was truly top notch, and I was quite surprised, it was memorable and it made great use of the existing universe and world.
9.6/10
Presentation (Graphics and Audio)
The game uses the "Aurora" engine by BioWare. I can't say I haven't seen it used in any other games, but it seems to be effective. The detail is relatively good and the art design is awesome, where the graphics do tend to falter though are in animations. Characters barely emote and their motions are stiff and bizarre, especially at a distance, where they look like a stop motion animator got lazy and forgot to transition between shots. There are many great effects though and the game does look good thanks to the art design, even if the characters could use some more animated portraits.
The sound department is more impressive, the acting talent is far from perfect (In fact, I actually heavily disliked the actor playing Geralt, whose lack of enthusiasm or interest changed the character and made him a little less interesting, though he picks up the pace a little later on.) but it does the job, what really sets the audio department for greatness though is the music. It's becoming more and more common that games, especially RPGs, use orchestrated soundtracks. While many of these have sounded good, they didn't have much soul or style to them. The Witcher is a different story, this is The best orchestrated soundtrack I have ever heard. I would go out of my way to see it in concert, and I'm glad I bought the boxed copy because it came with a soundtrack, the only thing its missing is the main theme. The music is varied and always fits the mood of the scene, while at the same time having a strange cultural ambiguity that was really haunting and let it linger in my head. The sounds of combat are standard for fantasy RPGs such as this, but they are crisp and they do the job actively.
9.5/10
Design
The Witcher's design is hard to comment on because it sticks to the formula that many RPGs in its category stick to. That's not to say it's derivative, it definitely has a unique game world that pays homage to the locales found in the novels, and there are many unique and varied quests, but really that's where any RPG is supposed to set itself from others. They are almost all fairly well done, there are a few quests I felt were a little dull but for the most part they offer lots of things to do and the amount of sidequests included that actually tie into the story are impossible to number without wracking my brain for about a fortnight. I will also make note that there are a few aspects of the game I didn't care for; namely the blatant misogyny and sometimes anarchistic language. While to be fair, the books had their fair share of foul language and sexual content, the game seems to go overboard. I didn't care for the fact that they use women as objects - quite literally - by giving you a "collectible sex card," usually naked and in poor taste (And I have no problem with nudity, I'm a nudist, but it depends on how its portrayed..) whenever you have sex with a female character, which strangely seems to be a lot, sometimes its even unavoidable, though you can ignore it if you want. I can't really give examples of the aspect of swearing I didn't like due to forum rules, but my problem with it is just that it sounds... out of place. They use a lot of modern slang I'm pretty sure they didn't use back then, and it seems weird. Why not just stick to some traditional cursing
Those are mostly nitpicks though..9.0/10
Gameplay
Ahh, the all important part of any game, and the Witcher shines even brighter in this category, especially in the combat. The combat is a unique and brilliant system, at first I thought it was just a hack'n'slash like Diablo, but this turned out to be my death. No, rather, it's a rhythmic and strategic system. You have to time your sword clashes, dodges, parries, and you have to analyze your enemy and adjust your style or sword type for them. There are 3 "Witcher" styles, Strong, Fast, and Group. Strong attacks are for slow but bulky enemies and monsters, Fast are for animals and swifter enemies, and group is best when you are cornered by 3 or more baddies. There are various weapon types, though the two main swords are the Witchers silver and iron sword. The iron sword is for humans and animals, whereas the Silver sword is for monsters and spooks. Of course there are other weapons that can be found if you like, but you'll use the Witchers swords for the most part. The rest of the gameplay is just as unique and involving, as you have to really focus on survival and at the same time, you have to rely on alchemy, potions, and their side effects. You have to get the proper ingredients or you can screw up, but at the same time, you have to be careful not to over toxify yourself which can be your undoing. There are of course magic spells, but you have to find them in rare "Circles of elements" and of course by quest elements. The game plays great, and if you like RPGs such as this, The Witcher should be right up your alley, while offering something a little different and new. 9.5/10
Conclusion
I'm mixed on RPGs. Either I love them, or I despise them. Obviously, I love The Witcher, and I dare say it's the best RPG since Fallout 2 (Fallout 1/2 are my favourite RPGs of all time). It actually managed to suck me in and impress me, and the sheer scale and amount to do is staggering, but it adds a lot of replay and even when you are done with the main game, there are tons of fan made adventures and if you have the know how and the patience, you can make your own adventure from the ground up using the Djinni "Adventure Editor" that comes packed in. The game is absolutely sensational, and while I know a long time has passed, there is still no excuse to not play it if you like this kind of game.
9.7/10
