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Just picked the game up at Fry's for 35 USD, so far its fantastic. Many reviewers have noted that the combat is difficult, and they are correct. The game forces you to fight like a lightly armored "warrior" who relies on skill and speed, meaning that you can't go toe to toe with more than one opponent and expect to survive. Instead you have to poke in and out of combat, and make heavy use of signs and potions. It is good, then, that CD Projekt did a fantastic job cleaning up the alchemy system which no longer requires the player to tab between the alchemy menu itself, and a recipe list. One thing that is particularly unusual is that potions can only be consumed out of combat, no using health potions as life bar extensions. This naturally places a greater emphasis on careful pre-fight planning, which is in keeping with the lore of the game, and also a refreshing change from the average hack-and-slash.

Speaking of the combat, the timing system is gone. In its place is something more akin to something like Dynasty Warriors where timing determines the type of attack performed, and not whether or not you can attack at all. Personally, I think this was a good change as it removes a level of abstraction which previously separated the player from the PC. It feels as though you actually have control over Geralt, as opposed to being bound to a clicking mini-game.

The game is still very much an M title, though it seems much more tasteful thus far (about 4 hours of play). The sex cards are gone, and it is no longer possible to bone everything you see. That said, sex is very plainly displayed early on via Triss, which anyone familiar with the first game likely expected. I would compare the portrayal here to Mass Effect 1 without the fortuitous screen cuts, which to my mind makes the sexuality seem more natural, and less like fan service.

Anyway, if anyone is interested I'll post some reactions to content as I progress through the game.

What are your pc specs and how's performance?

Athlon 64 X2 Dual 4200+

3 GB RAM

GeForce 8800 GT


My machine is about 3 years old, I need a new one. That said, performance is acceptable on low settings, though miss out of Geralt's scarred physique. It does slow down in combat though, which is a blessing in the sense that it is much easier to plan your attacks, and a curse in the sense that the controls aren't as responsive as you might like.

dogma wrote:Just picked the game up at Fry's for 35 USD

You got it that cheap?! I need to visit my local Fry's then.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/thewitcher2/review.html

dogma's review makes more sense. The gamespot one is florid
and almost unreadable.