The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

The Witcher isn't quite a masterpiece but it gets close. The Enhanced Edition was a big improvement on the game that was originally released, but there are still a few irritations. Thankfully, these are few and far between, and the positives vastly outweigh the negatives. First off, the story is strong and gets better as it progresses. There is political intrigue, mystery and the choice is up to you which side you pick. Each chapter has a mostly self-contained storyline, but the decisions you make all culminate at the end of the game. Also, you don't often see the results of what you did until later on. The visuals are amazing, prepare to be blown away when you see Kaer Morhen or the Lakeside. The bad things about the game would be conversations which didn't translate too well. This makes the dialogue a bit awkward and forced. You could be speaking to someone, and then suddenly Geralt or the other person says 'Bye' and it ends. There isn't always a natural flow in conversations, which is a shame because it tears you out of the narrative. Also, some of the voice acting is bad, but this is to be expected since CDProjekt can't really afford to hire tons of professional voice actors. It would be unfair of me to penalise the rating of this game for these two points, because the rest of the game is so good. CDProjekt are proudly flying the flag of the true role-playing game, where choices have consequences and you shape the path of the character.

Bad voice acting, a very slow start for the first 5 hours or so, and a weak translation. Even so The Witcher is one of the finest RPGs ever made in which the choices you make have a real noticeable impact. These choices however, are never a clear choice between good and evil as there are only shades of grey in the world of the Witcher. Everything has its downside and every character its own self-serving agenda. The consequences of these choices are handled amazingly well, as they're never clear until much further along and they always have a very real impact on the story and how you are perceived in the game. Add to all this a great story that comes together brilliantly at the end, a great alchemy system, and a distinct lack of handholding in a game that trusts the player to be able to think for themselves, and the end-result is a brilliant RPG that does justice to the way they used to make RPGs.

From the bloated cutscenes, lacklustre dialogue, and uninteresting characters to the tedious control system, this is a dull, dull, dull grindfest from beginning to the point where I finally gave up out of boredom. Sword play takes up a large proportion of the game and is basically a matter of mouse-click, mouse-click [pause], mouse-click and so on ad infinitum in battles against various humans, beasties and boggarts that always follow a set routine of moves relating to their character or species type. You basically have one option when fighting which is click your mouse at the right time to watch your character (who by the way is a blank space that its hard to have any interest in whatsoever) deliver a blow. Fighting becomes very boring, very, very quickly. Outside of fighting you'll spend a lot of time endlessly running around the same bit of game world performing pointless side quests, and (I assume this was the game designers intention) taking part in the two god-awful side games of boxing and poker dice to raise cash. Just think of the endless hours of fun you can have playing a truly rubbish boxing game to earn enough oren's (the in game currency) to buy a book, in which the information contained will then allow you to run around killing monster after monster to harvest a brain, for example. The logic being that you cannot recognise, and therefore, are unable to see the brain of something you've killed, until you have read the right book. Fortunately, now you know about brains you can sell them to earn oren's, which ironically you don't really need many of to actually complete the game: To do that you have to basically whale on everything with a sword, and you get one of these for free at the start of the game. By your hundredth mouse clicking bashfest you won't really care about the cliched plot. Avoid: Like the plague in the game.

This game provides the background story of Geralt and serving as an entry point to the beloved franchise. Despite its age, the game's graphics possess a unique charm, and its immersive atmosphere, complemented by exceptional music, sound effects, and intricate details, transports you into a captivating world. One of the game's strengths lies in its extensive gameplay and how the development of the story can vary depending on the decisions you make, offering over 50 hours of content through an array of side quests, contracts, and additional stories. The meticulously designed interface adds to the experience, showcasing detailed aesthetics that stand out amidst the minimalist trends of modern games. This game has some camera modes, whether it be the isometric view, which allows seamless map navigation, or the third-person perspective with traditional controls. These camera modes enhances the gameplay experience, accommodating different play styles. But not all is perfect... The controls, including the combat mechanics, can be uncomfortable, lacking the desired level of action. However, the variety introduced by Geralt's abilities mitigates the monotony to some extent. Another drawback is the occasional instability of the game, with unexpected crashes occurring despite efforts to mitigate the issue. The translations of the game are not perfect, at least in Spanish. In conclusion: This game provides an immersive and nostalgic experience, serving as the foundation of the beloved franchise. Its charming graphics, setting and extensive gameplay offer hours of fun. Despite minor flaws, such as clunky controls, occasional glitches and imperfect localisation, the game remains a must-have for fans of the series and those looking for a deep and engaging RPG experience where decision making influences how the story will unfold.

This game is sublime, let me explain: PRO: 1) Its plot is very solid with multiple choises that changes the future events and the developement of the protagonist and other secondary characters, furthermore not all of the events and plotwists are openly explained and this makes you think and theory about it. The end of the game isn't obvious and has a very cool plotwist 2) For a game of 2007 the so criticated mechanichs of fighting are pretty good, alternating weapons and spells for each enemy. The alchemy system, wich was described by some useless and overcomlicated, is fantastic and essential in more difficult modes. 3) The athmosphere is very cool with the locations, the music and the "potraied scenes" when you make important choises. 4) For all the fans of fantasy the bestiary is breathtaking, you can know description, popular beliefs, strong and weak points and all the story behind every single monster. CON: 1) As a pretty old game the graphic isn't his strong point. 2) It has some crush problem ( I resolved those by just deleting some old game saves directly by the game, it basically took me 5 mins). 3) The dialogues in my language ( Italian ) sometimes are very bad, with lack of empathy from some characters and overemphasis from others. 4) The repetitions of character designs can make you break the immersion in the game.