The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition

Soooo...why aren't all games learning from the beauty and detail of this game, and the efficiency of its engine (Bethesda, I'm talking to you)? I was so disappointed by the lack of detail of Skyrim that I went back and replayed the Witcher 2. Granted, the modding community stepped up and finished Bethesda's job for them.

The story is excellent in this game, and your decisions seem more impacting than those of the first game. The best way to play this game, in my opinion, is to truly play the role of a witcher. This means reading about monsters before going into a fight and planning ahead with the right potions and oils.

The Witcher was, perhaps, my favorite game of all time. The Witcher 2, unfortunately, disappoints a bit. It's still a great game, but some of the changes made from the first installment were a bit of a let down. The storyline is fantastic. In fact, it may be a bit better than that of the first Witcher. But I found myself missing the old sword fighting system. Instead of the specific combat stances of fast, strong, and group, you merely have the choice of delivering a quick and light blow, or a slower and heavier one. Character development has took a slight hit in this version of the game in favor of more dependence upon gear. Also, the cut scenes in combat are cool about the first two or three times you see them, but after that they just become an annoyance. If you are in a fight with several opponents, and you score a quick kill move, perhaps by stunning one of your enemies, it takes you into a quick little cut scene clip. It takes away from the fluidity of the fighting for no real good reason, and can cause you to get hit as it is hard to be prepared for the transition back into live action. Also, the immense gulf between the difficulty levels is simply absurd. I'd still recommend it as a buy, but with the caveat that it will not quite live up to the first game.

I downloaded this game when it first came out on a popular bittorrent site. I did this not because I couldn't afford the game, but because I hadn't had any experience with the franchise, and didn't want to pay for a game that wasn't any good. Fast-forward two months, and I just purchased it. I will continue to pre-order all games that come out in the franchise, since I've found the game to be fantastic. Everything about it is worth playing. I even went back and bought the first title in the series and played through it--another great game. My hat's off to CD Projekt Red for understanding that software piracy can be a marketing opportunity for those who make it so--it certainly was in this case. People will pay for games they love--if only to gain the ability to play future titles. Well done. On all counts.

The Witcher 2 makes me proud that I'm from Poland! :)