Witcher 2 - Assassins Of Kings...Impressions...

Last week the new Witcher game was released entitled "Assassins of Kings". The first one is considered a cult hit but most people that appreciate RPGs appreciate the first Witcher, I know I did....The developers CD projekt has been advertising this new game for some time now and created quite a hype around its release stemming also from the quality of the first. So I finally got it into my hands myself.....

The original Witcher became one of my favorites from day one. I had, of course, major problems with the battle system that was repetitive and irrational at times but I was blown away by its other aspects. The game gave life to an extraordinary world based on the book series of the same name by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.  It is mature, violent, realistic and hard to live in. The story and its main character were great, the graphics beautiful , the art unique. How cool can a character be that in an RPG you don't really mind that you cannot change him at all.The  great customization system, the alchemy system and the threaded narrative that not only gave you choices on how to finish your quest but also gave genuine character development for your PC, something that Bioware failed to achieve in dragon age and the second installment of Mass Effect ,of course helped. Naturally I eagerly waited for the sequel  and now it is here. Mind you that as I write this I have not finished the game.I'm just finishing the second act. I thought that if I waited to finish it would just be to much time since it is pretty big and i don't see myself changing my opinion on the game by the end of it...

So in the sequel you again play as the Witcher Geralt of Rivia. You continue to serve King Foltest, after what happened in the end of the first game, as his bodyguard escorting him in his campaign against a former lover of his that has rebelled. Not giving up what happens, you immediately find yourself in the wrong place in the wrong time and find yourself accused for murder.A murder committed by a man having the characteristics of a Witcher. Then you begin your quest to clear your name with the help of Triss Merigold and Roche the leader of Foltest's special forces. 

The story until now, and hopefully until the end, unfolds as one would expect in the Witcher. Complex plot full of intrigue and politics and interesting character and factions. The game as before challenges your ethics as most sides are not entirely evil or good  and often you find yourself choosing the lesser evil to follow as the last choice. The world of the Witcher is harsh, unforgiving and truly imaginative and realistic. A huge plus for this game, as it was for the first. The quests and goals during your play have great variety, make sense and the game never lets you get bored. The great advantage of the first was the actual roleplaying in the game, where not all solutions came by the sword. In assassins of kings this characteristic returns and gives great depth. Most quests have many different ways to solve and it is always possible each solution's consequences will catch up with Geralt in the progression of the game. The great thing of the Witcher franchise is that it can not only give you choices in the plot progression but also provides good character development for Gerald. Each important choice he takes defines his character and changes his relations with the world around him. You do feel in the end that you are playing a role that does not fall in the the blunt separation of black and white. And that is a recipe for a memorable game.

The world of the Witcher is also impressively made and beautifully constructed. Using its new game engine cd projekt presents a unique universe that every single part is memorable. The graphic quality helps to this a great deal. The game is a delight to look at with impressive locations, beautiful lighting and  imaginative structures, cities and forests. The concept art, the weapons , the armor, the faces and character details all give a excellent look in the game, although pretty heavy for many systems.

The character customization is also revamped into an huge extent. Now the Witcher has 4 skill trees. One for his main skills and 3 other large ones with skills concerning swordsmanship , Signs, and alchemy. Moreover you can pump up some skills using mutagens just like one would enchant weapons. This gives a great depth in how your character is developed. To this the game also adds the many choices and selections of swords and armor and their enchantments, unlike its predecessor. Finally the alchemy system is also updated without simplifying it and moreover an equally large crafting system for resources , equipment and enchantments was made.This is a game that requires you to think on how your character will be played and it is made to have your mind work a little bit. This is how an adult RPG should be done. 

Lastly The combat system is completely remade from scratch. This time there are no styles and the game uses a traditional action combat style with just a fast and strong attack, dodges and blocks. Yet the game is also made to be hard. We are talking about hard. So that it forces you to use any trick the Witcher has in his arsenal. In the normal difficulty button mashing is out of the question. You have to use blocks, dodges , probably all sings ,bombs and ranged weapons to survive and even then you will wipe your sweat from the tension a couple of times. A huge improvement from the first. Unfortunately here lies only real problem with the game. It is not balanced correctly in many occasions. If one wants to make a game that difficult the control system must be more robust than usual. Unfortunately this is not the case here. In many occasions the animations get in the way of your commands and the commands are not streamlined and  sometimes unresponsive. And normally this would not be a problem if is was not for the nature of the many difficult battles in the game. If a command is not detected Geralt does practically nothing and this second he is not moving in many cases equals death. Frustrating as hell. And some of the boss battles are inexplicably hard even in the normal difficulty. The best example, although they are others, is the first duel with Lothar. He is practically invincible. I used everything I had and I could not even touch him half of the time. After 20 attempts I did not even managed to get him under 95 % of his heath. At that point I decided , although it is very irritating, to change the difficulty in this battle and I beat him in 3 minutes in easy mode just by spamming the fast attack. I mean really???!!! How did nobody noticed that this boss was so difficult on normal mode and  so easy on easy mode and nobody corrected that?Well they actually did with some delay...A patch is coming up already and it is supposed to solve the difficulty balance issues. 

Another thing I really hate and you find in the game is quick time events.Not that they are difficult or illogical. It is just that I HATE quick time events. Why would a game have quick time events if it is not an interactive movie.Do really people find it fun...?They come up in a time you never anticipated after you have beaten a boss or done something important and if you miss it you will have to do it all over again...Why do games have quick time events... Show the goddamn cinematic already and cut the "push the button" crap like I 'm playing a fisher price baby toy...  

Anyway all in all this is a marvelous RPG saving the genre this year after the Dragon Age 2 disappointment. Great, involving story , good characters, beautiful world, a marvel to look at and exciting combat and character development. Everything one should ask for from the sequel. And as I see it I don't expect to change my mind by the time I finish the game. If they also correct the balancing issues, that sometimes can make you want to throw the game out of the window this can be a classic!