The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Previews
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Aeropause:
Story is another focus with The Witcher 2. While the first game did have a great story, CD Projekt again kicked things up a few notches, making the story a lot larger in scope. Instead of just dealing with one kingdom, there are several kingdoms that are under fire from assassins. It is almost as if Geralt, our main character is a smaller fish in a much larger pond of events in the world. With this new story, come new dialog features that will spice up the way you react to the world, and how the world responds to those decisions. If you are thinking like Mass Effect dialog choices, you are on the exact track as to what CD Projekt is going for in conversations. You decisions will affect how future relationships will come together, or possibly even fall apart due to your actions in these conversations, and with your actions as well. Also expanding the story is the fact that Geralt's memory is starting to come back, leading into new story elements that will affect how he will react to people that he knows from his past. And it is not just The Witcher 2 decisions that will affect you, as you can import all of your choices and decisions from the first Witcher title into your Witcher 2 experience, adding more to your game experience. If you have not played the first Witcher title, this is a great reason to go back and do so.
GamingExcellence:
Other things have been improved, though not really finalized so we weren't able to get a look at them: character customization is still a large priority in the game, allowing you to build a Geralt the way you want to. Other game elements such have alchemy have also made a return, but have been streamlined without being simplified. And for those interested in the more...mature aspects of the game, the developer assured me that there is still a strong mature thread running through the title, though more than just the nudity is present, such as contemporary issues of racism and slavery.
RPGFan:
Also improved are the game's graphics: Geralt and company have very high-quality models that are copuled with fantastic animations. I was blown away by just how much the game has improved. The original title looked great for running on an engine that was used for an original Xbox title, and it ran smoothly. The second title looks absolutely gorgeous and there were no frame rate dips that I could see. Of course, I don't know the kind of hardware our demo unit was running on, but the original title ran well enough on mid-range systems, so I don't expect this title to be any different. Also quality is the voice acting - there was some English VA for our E3 demo and it was simply great. If the rest of the game follows suit, gamers will have a top-notch game to look forward to.
And Go! Gaming Giant:
The greatest feature change comes in terms of the combat veterans of the first game will remember the somewhat clumsy system that involved clicking on enemies multiple times in succession to form combos, and needing to switch between fast, strong and group styles to deal with particular enemies. The Witcher 2 is intended to be a much more fluid, action-packed experience, with strong and fast attacks now mixing within combos. To give an idea of the new pace of the combat, the E3 demo was controlled by using a wired 360 controller plugged in to the PC in place of mouse & keyboard though whether or not this will be required to really enjoy the combat is as yet unknown. Those RPG fans who may not be as skilled when it comes to action games can apparently turn down the complexity of the combat in order to be able to advance the story without too much difficulty.
