The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

Story is great and deep. Remember to complete side quests.

This is one of those games that makes you want to see more of its world. Really interesting characters, story and setting. In some ways it reminded me of Gothic series, and I very much enjoyed my time with this title. Definately got me interested in the world of Witcher. There are only two things that I've found annoying: 1) The equipment - there's way too many usless items flooding and very limited access to the stash during the last chapters. 2) Respawning enemies - too many of those, they provide no challenge and very little experience.

It may seem like a boring game in the beginning because of repetitive combat mechanics and outdated graphics and movement system but when you get pass the first hour or two and get accustomed to it then fun really begins. Surely it is not a game for everyone because it's not action game but an RPG or has a lot rpg elements. It is a game for people with patience and people that will appreciate good story and story in this game is the best element of it. I remember playing it for hours just because I wanted to see what will happen next and before you know it day turned into night. It is that good. There are moments where you need to make a decision and that decision will have consequences down the road. Pacing is good and fluid. I didn't feel that there were moments where story felt rushed. If you like to read then you will be satisfied because there are a lot of books and scrolls to read and it will be really useful down the road. For every monster there is a book and you will learn about its strengths and weaknesses which will be really useful in combat. Fighting becomes better as you level up and unlock new moves and there are 3 styles. It is enough. Sound design is good, graphics are outdated but there are some mods that will help to make it look sharper and it will look better. It's a 2007. game so dont have unrealistic expectations. It needs to be looked at from that period of time and there is no point to compare it with today's standards.

The Witcher Enhanced Edition Director's Cut (TWEED) shows some age, but is brilliant once you get over that hurdle. The story is pristine. I never read the books, but I could tell the developers really did. The worldbuilding is perfect. It's fun to read the bestiary. The plot is interesting, and takes some turns and dives. The characters stand out. Choices in the story are interesting. Geralt hates politics, so what does the game do? Makes you to decide between the oppressed (but terrorist) elves, the knightly (but insensitive) religion, or take the Witcher's Way and be forced to fight them both. Side quests also have choices. Do you kill an elderly, small-time cannibal who will be dead in a few years, or do you turn a blind eye in return for a rare recipe? The combat is simple, riculously so. It's just click, click, click in a pattern you learn in the tutorial, and it never gets more complicated than that. However, the game complements this with a focus on preparation. Just swinging your sword won't always cut it (pardon the pun). You should craft potions, venoms, bombs. You should try a different weapon. Heck, even getting drunk before going into battle is a viable early-game strategy. In conclusion, it is a true RPG with fantastic inspiration, but the combat is not really skill-based.

I enjoyed this game very much. But I would only recommend it to players who mostly enjoy quests, atmosphere and dialog, not interesting combat or up-to-date visuals. Some tolerance for backtracking is needed. The BAD * visuals. The game is from 2007. Even though it aged more gracefully than it's direct competition (KotOR2, Oblivion, Jade Empire), it is fifteen y/o. Take it or leave it. * backtracking. The game doesn't have fast travel, and some quests require back and forth. UNDECIDED * the combat is RPG combat, not ARPG. It offers choices: apply oil/potion, choose steel or silver sword, choose strong or fast style. If you choose well, you win, that easy. It doesn't require reflexes or much player input like W2 or W3. Tolerable. * intimacy cards. (you can say no to the women tho) GOOD * Vizima and surroundings is a nice city. Probably top 3 still. Packed with content, lively, cool NPC schedules, atmospheric filters/color palettes. Still holds up today, and compared to the direct competions (ie. New Vegas or Denerim from 2010) it is on a different level. * the plot is very good, and well paced. I especially liked that the big reveal is not spelled out by an NPC, and that it is not save the world. * quest design is brilliant. This is true in general, but I would like to highlight that the Vizima confidential quest is probably the biggest quest in the trilogy, and is truly masterful. * I really liked the shades of grey NPCs in the game. I consider them even better than Witcher 3! Foltest, Jacques, Sigfried or Abigail are interesting and not cartoon villains. * the game rewards talking with NPCs. Old women add bestiary entries (so you can extract body parts from monsters), herb lore (so you can harvest). Bringing presents to NPCs or having a drink with them gets you other rewards. * the alchemy system used is my personal favorite from the trilogy. Potions last long, but your available inventory slots act as a nice cap for most of the game.