The Witcher

I learned to love 'The Witcher', but it didn't come easily. It took me three or four attempts to advance past the first level, as I found it very hard to enjoy the combat. When I eventually convinced myself to stay and at least put in a few hours' work, I found that most of my earlier criticism washed away. It isn't as exhilarating as the combat in the second and third 'Witcher' games, but it presents its own strengths in offering a more strategic approach, turning boss battles into tests of ingenuity and wit rather than button-mashing.

When the story is good, it's very good. The quest(s) relating to King Foltest are particularly interesting, and there's arguably more intrigue in the first game's plot than in those of the later instalments. I'd argue that the primary villains aren't as well-written as later ones like Letho of Gulet ('Assassins of Kings') or Dettlaff ('Blood and Wine'); they seem a little too cartoonlike to ever become truly intimidating. Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad where storytelling and writing are concerned.

I played this before reading any of Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, but fans of the author will appreciate seeing some of Geralt's most memorable book scenes represented in the game. Unlike most game adaptations, though, there's a significant amount of choice offered to the player - and sometimes you can make a choice which directly contradicts the books. The developers, in this sense, have successfully combined the freedom of role-playing with the structure and solid narrative context of the novels; I don't think I've ever seen a feat like this replicated in another game.

'The Witcher' is a great RPG, and in a genre which tends to draw its inspiration from a select few contexts, this game really stands out as a unique work. Unlike many promising titles, 'The Witcher' was given the sequels it deserved.

After reading the books, I started playing the Witcher 1 right away. I was told that it was directly after the books so why not give it a try. At first, I was hesitant because I'm not really into RPGs and PC games and thought that it will very difficult for me to navigate and control everything. I can say that The Witcher 1, is very newbie friendly. Maybe it will make you wonder what the hell you are doing at first, get lost, can't track of the quests you need to do but eventually as you play the game, it is actually very easy to understand. I played the game on normal so I could at least experience the wonders of alchemy. It was very tricky at first on how to mix potions and stuff. In the end, it was just about collecting the right ingredients needed and just click which potion you like and the potion will mix itself.

The game makes you decide on how you want your destiny to be fulfilled. And since you're choosing your own path, it made the game more interesting for me. It made you explore and play whatever you think fits best. I also like how they make cut scenes that looks like you are watching a movie. They even have a small recap of the path you've chosen after every major event. I think with those recaps, it will make you wonder if you've chosen the right one. Which is funny because the game doesn't really have a right or wrong answer.

What I don't like about the game is the fighting style. When you fight enemies, of course you wanted to do it quick fast and in a hurry. In the game you have to time it precisely with the icons that is shown in your screen. It frustrates me sometimes when they do that and I miss it or I'm too fast. I guess considering the time the game was made, should be pretty decent.

One of the funniest parts of the game is how Geralt ended up sleeping with a bunch of women even though it wasn't really what you want him to do. One minute you're offering bread and arguing about pity and the next thing you know, bang! They're sleeping together. Geralt clearly, doesn't just like sorceresses.

Background music is also amazing. You would know that CDPR has really given this a thought. I remember whenever monsters are close, the background sound will change and will give me panic attacks and I have to think fast and react fast. The music makes you aware of the surroundings you are in and I think that's great.

The ending though is not as great as I thought it would be. I think that's because the chapter before that is so interestingly good, that the last chapter loses to it. I definitely would want to play this again and would recommend it for people who wants to experience a good game be it a newbie like me or a veteran. 8/10.

PROS:

• Geralt's character development (with quite original method of talents) - potion making (includes picking of herbs, harvesting jaws of vampires etc.) - moral choices reflecting in changing attitudes of other characters - multitude of quests - some parts are really intense - deep, immersive story - nice music, beautiful landscapes, amazing architecture - seducing women is kind of fun - becoming master of dice poker and fist fighting is also kind of fun - original monsters

MEH:

• somewhere midgame you get a lot of bothersome "run here, talk, run there, talk" quests - you need to adjust to game's combat system - first 30-90 minutes of the game are kind of boring

CONS:

• you don't get to use many weapons or armors, because other weapons than swords are not usable in witcher battle styles making them ineffective especially later in the game - after you start feeling which skills are important and focus on developing them, fighting becomes quite easy

Overall: you need to bite the bullet and endure the first hour of the game. After that you get a really good, immersive RPG with damn good story and lots of locations.

Starting with the introductory cinematic - one of the best I've ever seen - the player becomes deeply involved in this grim story. That's what the game feels like. A very complicated, intriguing, and interesting tale. Few other RPGs I've experienced can so deeply pull the player in to the plot as this one does.

Such is the emphasis here, and the character choice that is so integral to other games is non-existent. Yet I enjoyed the lack of choice in characters since it kept the focus squarely on the story, where it quite refreshingly belonged. In fact, this is almost the polar opposite of one of my favorite series of games, the Elder Scrolls, in that there is no choice but to become wrapped up in the main plot line.

Besides the story, many other things are relatively unique or at the least uncommon for an RPG in The Witcher. This is, first and foremost, a very adult game, unlike most RPGs I've played. There is foul language, sexual situations, and many morally ambiguous decisions to be made. The world is dark and seedy, with many unsavory characters, prostitution, organized crime, drugs, bribery, fencing, gambling, widespread corruption, and much more. The setting is rife with crime, disease, and political intrigue. The combat system involves not endless, quick clicking, but slow clicking to time and string together a series of attacks. Several of the monsters are not clearly "evil" and do not attack the player on sight but attempt to reason and convince him to spare them or help them lift their curse.

Speaking of the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, he has striking similarities to other fictional characters that are favorites of mine. In particular his look and combat prowess borrow heavily from Michael Moorcock's creation - Elric of Melnibone. His voice, guile, and the fact that he is a complete man-whore remind me especially of Clint Eastwood and his western "man with no name" characters from the Sergio Leone "Dollars Trilogy," or High Plains Drifter.

I do have some criticisms. Some of the dialog is corny and doesn't seem to fit the character of Geralt - such is one of the problems with using a premade character. Naturally the often long load times are cumbersome. I didn't like how dramatically the XP award for monsters dropped as Geralt rose in levels, since many creatures went down in about the same amount of time at LVL 2 as they did at level 25. A couple of the monsters were very difficult to overcome - but worse than this was the fact that such encounters often occurred at the end of a long cut-scene with no chance for saving (can't save mid-fight), so I would die and then have to go through the whole scene all over again.

Despite such flaws, this is on my top ten list of RPGs, and I've been playing them since Bard's Tale on the Apple IIe. Most certainly give it a chance. And don't forget to try the over-the-shoulder (OTS) camera viewpoint - makes it an almost entirely different game.

First, the good: Graphics are excellent, the game runs well even on a low-end computer, and the story is one of the best in gaming history.

EDIT: The 1.2 Patch has corrected long loading times.

There are a few low points, most notably long loading times, but these are easily forgotten as you get caught up in an incredible universe. Rather than some cliché Utopian Star Trek world like Oblivion had, The Witcher is about the worst of human nature. Racism against non-humans, prostitution, gambling, sex, and violence are rampant here. It's a terrific take on a Lovecrafitan kind of world, and I throughly enjoyed every aspect of it. Mythology and history from our world are combined flawlessly with creative new monsters and an expansive back story. (Be sure to check out the in-game journal for more insight on the world. It's the best I've ever seen).

The philosophical aspects of the story are all there, and I really enjoyed them. Free will vs fate, the meaning of life, what it means to be human, science vs religion, you name it, it's there. And the best part is, you are actively involved in creating these themes through your decisions. Fantastic.

Combat is good as well, the system is original, and while it took some learning to master, I never got sick of it even after around 200 hours of game play (I beat the game 3 times, once for each ending).

Now, the bad: (These are all really just nitpicking, except for the long load times)

-Loading, loading, loading. I swear, this game takes longer to load than any other game I've ever played. 2+ minutes just to load a house? You've got to be kidding me. EDIT: Ignore this, as of 1.2, loading times are now 5 seconds to load a house.

-Mob balance. This game starts off pretty well, but it becomes ridiculously easy in act 4. Act 3, (especially the swamp) was really, really hard, and then, all of a sudden, it's like someone turned down the difficulty. I've never faced such an easy final boss. I defeated him without losing more than 25% of my health (hard mode). Kind of anti-climactic, if you ask me. -Ingi sign is amazingly overpowered.

-Inventory and quest management system needs help. Badly. Icons are tiny and impossible to distinguish from one another.

-Act 3 performance issues. This game runs poorly on single core And processors in act 3 (outdoor areas only). Settings don't matter, the game gets a constant 5-10 FPS in this region while the rest of the game gets 25-60. I've tested on 3 computers, all had the same problem.

-Poor replay value. With most RPG's, you can play whatever class you want. Here, you can play a battlemage, an alchemist, or a swordsman, but that's it. No ranged offerings, no stealth.

-Without going into spoilers, I felt that the story (the game's strongest point), was kind-of a letdown on my second and third time through. The choices you made throughout the game didn't really impact the ending as much as I thought they did the first time I played the game.

-Redundant people. Everyone has clones of themselves running around everywhere. Yep, it's annoying, but it's hardly a make-or-break feature.

The bottom line: It may seem like I'm being hard on the game here, but I really, really loved it. The 1.2 patch should fix most of my grievances. If load times weren't so long, this would be a 10/10 game for sure.

EDIT: If you patch your game to 1.2, you will get much, much better load times. My final rating: 9.3/10; one of the best games ever.

This game is very, very similar to Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines, however the story here is stronger and the replay value is a little weaker. If you like RPGs like Oblivion, Vampire Bloodlines, Gothic, or NWN, or dark fantasy in general (I especially recommend this game to Wheel of Time fans), this is a must play.

EDIT: The below tips are still useful, but are less so as of patch 1.2.

I feel compelled to point out that loading times can be improved upon, if you do the following: RAM upgrades: I upgraded from 1GB 166mhz ram to 2GB 200mhz ram, and loading times decreased 45% Defrag: Get a real defrag utility and defragment your hard drive. I recommend Perfect Disk (free demo available). This one helps in game performance, too. RAID: I can't personally afford it, but if you have the technically savvy and the cash to blow, a friend of mine RAIDed two 15,000 RPM SCSI drives and decreased loading times to around 5 seconds.