TWitcher 2, the general Codex rating

[PrzeSzkoda]

Voting "won't play" because I do not like what I've read about the game and what it seems to have turned out to be - especially after seeing that it seems to have taken some of the worst (as in - not to my tastes, you goshdarnged hyped-up fanboys) design decisions from The Twitcher 1 and developed them further.

Same reason I won't be playing Mass Effect 2 after some fooling around with fem-Shep in Mass Effect 1.

You heard me. It's still decline as far as I am concerned.

EDIT: Crap, misclicked in the poll. Deduct one from the skyway option and add one to the kingcomrade option.

 

[AlaCarcuss]

Like what most review sites do (or supposed to if they're not on the graft), my score is based relative to what else is available on the platform in this genre (PC/RPG in this case) at around the time of release. I even extended the time-frame to about 5 years.

In which case it's a definite 5/5. Easily the best thing we've seen in half a decade (perhaps longer - haven't finished it yet).

EDIT: As a point of reference, I would give Risen and Div2: DKS both about a 4. TW2 is at least a point better. (would've given it a 4.5 if there were half points, because it's definitely not perfect).

On the other end of the scale - DA2 is a 1.5 and Arcania a -1 on my scale.

 

[sea]

Are you serious? I could have sworn they were like 50 people and around $7-10 million for budget, which is actually pretty low by today's standards for a relatively mainstream title. Are we talking CD Projekt as a whole, or just the RED division?

Either way, compared to the bloated size of many dev teams, 100ish people still isn't that big to be honest. Titles like Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto have teams in the 500-1000 range, with additional outsourcing.

I'm going by what I saw in that one image, but over 100 worked on The Witcher (check the credits) so it's reasonable to expect a similar sized-team for the second one. Roughly the same team-size as DA2. Also

The average development budget for a multiplatform next-gen game is $18-$28 million, according to new data.

A study by entertainment analyst group M2 Research also puts development costs for single-platform projects at an averge of $10 million.

That would make it average. Not small.

Edit: For comparison, Risen had a team of about 30, Divinity 2 had about 60. Those would be the small-budget, small team games. Witcher 2's thoroughly middle-of-the-road.

Well, then that's a mistake on my part regarding the numbers. Thanks for the clarification, appreciate it.

 

[MicoSelva]

Not voting until I actually finish the game, but so far I'm leaning towards a score between 3 and 4. There are improvements over the first game, but there is also some decline present.
On the poll's scale I would give the first Twitcher a '3'.

 

[tindrli]

is it true that is very very short ????

 

[Grunker]

Does it have heart? What about soul?

 

[sea]

is it true that is very very short ????

Depends on what you consider short. It's a 40 hour game without much in the way of filler - sidequests are pretty substantial for the most part, even the most basic ones, and it doesn't feel like it's been heavily bloated or stuffed full of pointless content. No reuse of environments like the first Witcher too, where 50% of the playtime was spent wandering around the same swamps and the Vizima Temple Quarter.

One thing of note is that the entire questline diverges drastically based on who you side with at the end of the first act. While the areas you go to have some similarities, if you factor in that acts 2 and 3 are almost completely different, it isn't really a smaller game - you just see less of it in a single play-through.

 

[ironyuri]

Does it have heart? What about soul?

Does it sing the blues with a whisky soaked voice?

 

[made]

6 - game of the millennium; wipes the floor with the holy trinity :face:

Nah, too early to tell; I'm just starting act 1. It does a lot right, but some things are really annoying. Though looking back at what the genre (ie. action RPGs) has to offer, there's no way this can be anything less than 4/5.

 

[commie]

A study by entertainment analyst group M2 Research also puts development costs for single-platform projects at an averge of $10 million. That would make it average. Not small.

Edit: For comparison, Risen had a team of about 30, Divinity 2 had about 60. Those would be the small-budget, small team games. Witcher 2's thoroughly middle-of-the-road.

I disagree because it doesn't take into account the level they are aiming at: Risen, Divinity 2 are NOT aiming for the AAA tag, TW2 definitively is. As a AAA title, TW2 is definitely small.

 

[Data4]

Does it have heart? What about soul?

Does it sing the blues with a whisky soaked voice?

TW stands for The Witcher, not Tom Waits.

 

[CrimsonAngel]

I wish this game could fuck me. It would be glorious.

 

[Grunker]

Does it have heart? What about soul?

Does it sing the blues with a whisky soaked voice?

TW stands for The Witcher, not Tom Waits.

For shame, Data4

 

[Data4]

Okay, it has to be said, regarding Geralt and Triss in the pool. Tagging just in case:

Spoiler

Compared to Bioware's crap, this was a very well done scene. It had charm, romance, and just a slight touch of comedy to keep it from taking itself too seriously. The part where Geralt gives this "Aw fuck yeah!" look, rips off his belt, and then trips around, trying to yank off his boots like "GET OFF, GOD DAMN IT! THERE'S PUSSY IN THE WATER!" cracked me up in a good way. Then the cut away to the Scoia'tel above ground and that dwarf hearing Triss moaning was a great touch. It was well produced, tasteful, and like many other aspects of the game, completely wiped the floor with what Bioware produces.

Also, for the record, and contrary to what a preview said a few weeks ago, Triss' vulva is -not- shaven.

 

[Konjad]

The first Wiedzmin was great and was along with Fallout New Vegas, Risen and Mask of the Betrayer my favourite cRPG since Bloodlines. It had many flaws but was very enjoyable overall, although the last part of the game sucked with all the useless combat, especially because combat in that game was terrible.

Wiedzmin 2 is, along with MotB, definitely the best cRPG made since Bloodlines, but also surpasses both the first Wiedzmin and Risen. Wiedzmin 2 is just awesome like Wiedzmin and Risen, but without their flaws and much better made. It is not one of the best in the genre - there were many better cRPGs, for example Fallouts, Planescape Torment or VtM: Bloodlines. However since 2004, after Bloodlines was released, there was nothing excellent as Wiedzmin 2 with the exception of expansion to NWN2 - MotB. All the flaws of the first game were fixed and there is actually nothing to complain about this game except some very minor issues and that it's pretty short game (although many modern cRPGs are that short as well, for example DA2). Great C&C, dialogues, characters, quests (no fed ex or simple 'go to x and kill y'), graphic... nearly everything is great, there are even three different classes - while one of them is standard warrior and the other standard combat-sorcerer, the alchemy path is something new and there's much fun playing with it. Combat is finally decent, unlike in the first The Witcher, where it was shit, all you had to do was click&wait, click&wait... now it's more like in hack'n slashes, although the difficulty is well put - it is challenging while not impossibly frustrating. Does this game has any flaws? As I said - yes, although not many. The music is pretty bad this time, which kinda surprises me, because in the first Wiedzmin it was well made. The combat seems sometimes a bit unresponsive or Geralt aims not at the enemies you try to hit. Also there are two boss fights in the game that feels like stolen from Sonic or another arcade games and are pretty boring and unnecessary. Some little graphical glitches from time to time and the game crashed for me three or four times during my playthrough... and that is all! The Witcher 2 beats it's competitor - DA2 - miles ahead, and there is just nothing that's better made in DA2. I could say only the music in both titles is on the same low level. The only cRPG game after Bloodlines that had better atmosphere than TW2 was Mask of the Betrayer, at least if you love gloomy and unsettling settings as I do. And some NPCs from MotB were better than any in TW2 as well, especially One of Many and Khaelyn the Dove.

After Mask of the Betrayer there was nothing as great as The Witcher 2. However if you haven't played the prequel you should do it before playing this title.


I give it fully deserved 4/5.

 

[MicoSelva]

Does it have heart? What about soul?

I'd say yes. It's a very good game in terms of mood, much better than the first one. It's not flawless in that regard though, as the background dialogue is too frequent and too repetitive. NPCs talk all the time and very rarely have something else to say than the last time.

At the same time it's less of a storyfag-type RPG than the first The Witcher in which You could talk to a lot of people, hear their stories, get hints about some monsters, etc. In TW2 You can only talk to selected NPCs and often the only options are [Barter] and [Farewell], which kind of sucks. And the dialogue that actually is dialogue works more like a cutscene enhancer. You pick one option at the start and watch a 5-minute exchange of words between Geralt and someone else. Not really the best system out there.

Quest design is great - quests are multi-layered and really play out differently, based on how You approach them and what decisions You make.

On a side note, the game is so beautiful that I'd play it only to see more pretty locations.

EDIT: wow, someone give Konjad a tissue.

 

[Lesifoere]

4/5. It beats Div 2 blue, purple, and then wipes the floor with Larian's face. And yeah, I'd put it quite close to Bloodlines: action RPG, with many flaws but overall still great and much more polished on top of that. I also suspect TW2 doesn't have sections comparable to the ENDLESS CROSSBOWMEN shit in Bloodlines.

I'm also casting my vote in with people who consider this the best thing to come out since MotB and the first Witcher. I haven't played Alpha Protocol and New Vegas, admittedly, but I can't stand the FO3 engine. Not for an hour. Not for one minute. Not ever. Fuck that shit. DA:O and DA2? Not even remotely on the same league as TW2.

 

[J_C]

Voted "Awesome game, one of the best in the genre". It is no way a hardcore, oldschool RPG, but as an action RPG, it is great IMO.

 

[Excidium]

Man just finished the game and the ending is weak indeed. I hate "to be continued..." shit.

Also the save import function is useless. ME2 did it better.

4/5. It beats Div 2 blue, purple, and then wipes the floor with Larian's face. And yeah, I'd put it quite close to Bloodlines: action RPG, with many flaws but overall still great and much more polished on top of that. I also suspect TW2 doesn't have sections comparable to the ENDLESS CROSSBOWMEN shit in Bloodlines.

I'd say it's much better than VTMB.

Combat is a lot more challenging, despite Quen being pretty close to Celerity in OPness..

Story and C&C was much better on The Witcher 2. Well it doesn't even fucking compare in this regard, there was so much that could have been done with the VTM setting, sect politics alone...instead they went with the cliché antediluvian paranoia.

Witcher 2 also had many memorable characters while on bloodlines every character was just a bland stereotype of their clan (except for Jack and Beckett).

Twitcher 2 > Bloodlines imo.

 

[Allanon]

Best RPG since bloodlines. People that whine about combat or their crap 2003 machine not handling the game are missing out on some spectacular game.

 

[asper]

Voted 4, it's an excellent action rpg.

What really bothers me though is the abysmal inventory screen. Goddamn, there isn't even a nice description screen for items, you just have to wait until a miniscule area scrolls on the bottom of the screen. The font is too small, there are too few items you can see at once in the inventory, you cannot see the full name of a lot of items, it's just terrible.. Makes it a hassle every time I try to use it. I really hope they patch that consolized shit, or at least make the font a bit bigger...

 

[J_C]

Voted 4, it's an excellent action rpg.

What really bothers me though is the abysmal inventory screen. Goddamn, there isn't even a nice description screen for items, you just have to wait until a miniscule area scrolls on the bottom of the screen. The font is too small, there are too few items you can see at once in the inventory, you cannot see the full name of a lot of items, it's just terrible.. Makes it a hassle every time I try to use it. I really hope they patch that consolized shit, or at least make the font a bit bigger...

There is already a mod that fixes the scrolling description problem.

 

[Mrowak]

Does it have heart? What about soul?

I'd say yes. It's a very good game in terms of mood, much better than the first one. It's not flawless in that regard though, as the background dialogue is too frequent and too repetitive. NPCs talk all the time and very rarely have something else to say than the last time.

At the same time it's less of a storyfag-type RPG than the first The Witcher in which You could talk to a lot of people, hear their stories, get hints about some monsters, etc. In TW2 You can only talk to selected NPCs and often the only options are [Barter] and [Farewell], which kind of sucks. And the dialogue that actually is dialogue works more like a cutscene enhancer. You pick one option at the start and watch a 5-minute exchange of words between Geralt and someone else. Not really the best system out there.

Quest design is great - quests are multi-layered and really play out differently, based on how You approach them and what decisions You make.

On a side note, the game is so beautiful that I'd play it only to see more pretty locations.

EDIT: wow, someone give Konjad a tissue.

Wholeheartedly agree with that.

I will only add that the diminishment of lore and the lack of the sense of mystery regarding your past are especially painful. The latter is simply a wasted opportunity. Instead of you actively discovering Geralt's past, BAM!, you have a flashback and everything is clear. You learn about Geralt's adventures before the amnesia almost by chance instead of actively pursuing the truth through subquests and choices.

Other than that, even with those several disappointing boss-fights TW2 is one of the most enjoyable action RPGs in recent years. I would even dare say it is the best of them all.

4/5

 

[IronicNeurotic]

it really shows what a small but focused team is able to do on a relatively low budget if they're simply driven to do something they believe in, and I think it serves as a lesson to the game industry at large.

Over 100 people worked on it, that's not a small team. It's not exactly low budget either, given CD Projekt's financial difficulties.

Are you serious? I could have sworn they were like 50 people and around $7-10 million for budget, which is actually pretty low by today's standards for a relatively mainstream title. Are we talking CD Projekt as a whole, or just the RED division?

Either way, compared to the bloated size of many dev teams, 100ish people still isn't that big to be honest. Titles like Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto have teams in the 500-1000 range, with additional outsourcing.

No they don't. Witcher 2 and Assassins Creed have around the same number of people that worked on them. There is NO game that had 500-1000 people working on it. Thats waaaaay too much and waaaaay too costly. New Vegas had like 50 working on it in comparison.

For proof

GTA IV

http://www.mobygames.com/game/ps3/grand ... iv/credits

Assassins Creed 2

http://www.mobygames.com/game/ps3/assas ... ii/credits

Which also brings us to the lower budget. The #1 cost factor in games are employees. These costs go dramtically down when you produce that game in a country like poland. This isn't America and has to be viewed accordingly. So yeah, its a high budget game.

 

[Grunker]

Stop with the numerical scores, faggots. We're the 'dex, we're supposed to be better than that kindda bullshit.

 

[catfood]

I hate this fucking piece of shit game it won't even run on my computer. From what I can tell I'm not missing much, QTE, console interface, rolling, popamole combat etc. Glad I haven't sullied my PC by installing it.