In my view, the combat and the graphics are the only two things that Witcher 2 excels over Witcher 1. Combat in TW1 felt more like a nuisance, the system in this installment is IMO the best action-based combat so far devised in RPGs (turn-based combat is of course superior, but we won't get any more of that).

Otherwise TW2 is a great, gorgeous looking game, but TW1 is richer, longer, the characters are more memorable, the side quests are more plentiful and enjoyable, the world is larger and the environments are more original and awesome (the chapter in the fields with noonwraiths is something I'd hardly ever forget).

I don't want to light a flame here, actually I want to heap praise on the Poles for TW2 which I thoroughly enjoyed, but....how to put it....TW 1 is in my all time RPG TOP 10, whereas TW2 isn't.

I agree with you, but something that puts TW2 over TW1 for me is the replayability. In TW1, very little actually changed through out the game depending on your decisions, that made it with a second time through 98% of the game was the same as the first play through. But with TW2, there is heaps of content that you cannot see in one play through, not even in 2 play throughs. Chapter 2 almost completely changes depending on decisions made in chapter 1.

I'm fine with a game being shorter if the replayability is phenomenal

I haven't played the game through yet so can't really compare combat to other parts of the game yet. And I also favour oldschool isometric rpg style over this modern actiony stuff. Other than that combat system is good I think, and not that difficult than some are saying. It's just gamers these days are not used to learn the game. Hell GOG has a lot of games in catalogue that are harder for beginner than TW2, even with manual...

The combat is ruined for me thanks to the locking system. I hate it with passion. Seems to me the biggest challenge is to have it lock onto what I actually want it to.

Witcher 2's combat is really good. You really need to use the environment(dodge) and outsmart the AIs, not just blindly attacking anyone. This really separates Witcher 2 from the dumbed-down games to cater the console-only gamers. Never did I die so many times since Diablo 2. :)) That's why theres the ALT button to lock on the target. :P

I guess it depends on one's preferences. I actually prefer rich, sprawling, intense content that you can experience it all on the first playthrough (or at least most of it). But that's because my memory is so bad that even a simple LucasArts adventure game is abundantly replayable for me after a year or so :))

It's been two years I played TW1 and I would still enjoy replaying it almost as much as on the first playthrough :)

This is my exact issue too - fast target switches are downright impossible with the new system, and the whole "cannot hit more than one at a time" seems artificially limiting - to gamepads. Which a PC-game really needed, consolification.

Hm, I wasn't aware of that, shame on me :)

But does that not just permanently fix your lock onto the target? That would not address the fact that first you actually have to get the darn lock onto what you want. That's where my issue lies.

I finished the game without using Alt to lock-on even once (I must have just blanked out on that tutorial pop-up) and had no problems at all with the combat.

I kinda miss the distinct styles from the first one (and I believe they could still have been implemented with the new system) but I like it a lot. Although I don't believe it is the best thing in the game, personally story and ambient are the best aspects this game has to offer (just got into Chapter 2). I believe the sound department needs a revamp, the NPCs are in a constant "replay", they keep saying the same stuff over and over again to the point that annoys me... Like Chorab of Lobinden who is widely known by the common folk to storytell even when sleeping, or the kids from Flotsam who keep wondering why does Geralt carry two weapons at a time (I should be able to answer them with a "Silver sword for unnatural creatures, steel sword for stupid children who proclaim the death of the Squirrels. Beat it kid."). One such kid even followed me once while I wandered into the forest's depths, repeating the same line of dialog a few dozen times before I got angry and draw by sword out to scare him off.

you can hit more than 1 target at a time...go look at your talent trees again

i'm loving the new combat..makes you think , keeps you on your toes...yes im a witcher but im not superman

red haze..hmmmmmmm

I completely agree with you. Kudos to CDPR .. i haven't have such awesome combat experience yet in any PC RPG gaming for my entire life.

For once, i now know i must plan ahead, read more about monsters, it's damage it's dealing, it's resistances and it's weaknesses. For once i cannot just rush into combat 1vs20 by just button mashing without the need to do anything else.

Im going to have to go with how BAD the combat is, and a big part of that is due to the broken auto target, still if you like the crappy combat in Gothic games, you'll probaly like the crappy combat in TW2. Luckily the rest of the game is so fun and good or I'd skip witcher 2 no matter how much I enjoyed TW1

The ALT lock also only works up to a certain distance. If you happen to roll away from an attack and get just a little too far away from your locked target, the lock breaks you have to try to find him again with the... uh... "less than ideal" targeting system.