Well, I just finished the game and am very overwhelmed. I'll try to write short comment, and it will contain spoilers.

First, I would like to write that I played "the same" Geralt as in the first game - one that is cold under pressure and dedicated to his work, protective of his friends, and trying to get his memories and persona back, but who also likes to relax and have fun. That means that I was dedicated to removing curses, hunting monsters, looking after friends, having fun with girls and playing dice, and so on... That also means that I always tried to remain a witcher and not a killer or your usual noble knight from books or games, which means I killed people only to protect someone, or if attacked first.

That said - I have no idea how someone can said the ending is not written well.

I mean, you get to see how deep the world of Witcher really is, how many unknown mysteries there are (conjunction of spheres and elves from another world, the operator). You get epic fight (that's one dangerous dragon!) and you get to hear about Yennifer, remember more about yourself and your past...

In my ending, Temeria is to be divided, Roche took the girl to look after her until such a time comes for her to regain what is rightfully hers, and Letho and Geralt had a nice little chat about past times. And it's great and well written ending for a great game. The only way someone can say it is not, is if they did not see 90% of the game, or are robots with no emotive connection to any of the characters at all.

FFS, just the operator alone, and what he represents for the deep and intricate narrative of the game, should be enough to make us bow to CDPR and ask for more well written games. I've seen how's that same option implemented in some other AAA games, and it's not even close to this level of details.

See, I was too focused on the main quest. I have no idea who this operator is. I totally agree with like everything in your post btw.

Since there's spoiler mark in the title - operator is someone you meet in the end of the "little sisters" quest chain, if you did not sell the necromancy scroll to Deathmold, but kept it and showed it to magician/weaponsmith in the last chapter. I think you have to go with Roche, or else you don't get that one at all, but i may be wrong.

Quest is called "From a bygone era".

Interesting. I did all the side quests in act 1, but as soon as Trish got kidnapped I started ignoring most side quests because I wanted to save her.

Yes, but who is he? I went with the elf instead of Roche, so I have no idea who this Operator person is. Care to explain? Thanks!

Unfortunately I didn't leave a save right before deciding who to go with in chapter 1, and I don't feel like replaying the whole game. Was there any other cool stuff from your story?

Well, he's actually just a skill re-spec vendor :)

But the point is that CDPR did not include NPC in the plaza which will sell you a re-spec, but there is an entire quest-chain which leads trough 2 chapters, and teleports you to the distant past, just so you could meet mysterious figure which will offer you to *remove the mistakes of your past*... or expel you back to today / kill you, if you select the wrong answer.

That makes you think of the world - the past, the future, the possibilities - mixed with all the other myths and lore, you get fantastic story. Who was he? What organisation does he belong? Are there some descendants of that organisation even now? Where and when is he really? And so on...

Picture here :)

Nice~ I picked Iorveth so didn't see ANY of the things you mentioned, seems like quite a bit of replayability in this one. Certainly worth its price.

I recall the devs said that it is not possible to re-spec!! Them sneaky bastards! (in a good way, of course) *grin*.

I'm also quite happy with the ending. Sure, it leaves some parts hanging, but how else are we supposed to get a new game? I do think it resolved (or at least gave much greater insight to) many of the main issues that came up over the course of the game, such as Foltest's murder and your amnesia and past life.

I bought the original Witcher only after it went on sale on Steam, and partly because it was built on an improved NWM engine that promised moddability. It opened the morally-grey world of the Witcher to me, yet it left many things untouched. At the end of the game I felt as if I had only met the characters for the first time, and didn't know them in depth. Geralt remained a mysterious stranger to me, and I actually felt that I knew more about Alvin and the Grandmaster, or even Sigfried than Geralt, Triss, Shani, Zoltan or Dandelion. But it left me hungry for more and I pre-ordered Witcher 2 on GOG once it came about.

Witcher 2 for me really brought Andrzej Sapkowsk's work to life; it not only gave me a much greater understanding of who Geralt of Rivia is, but also his frailties and struggles as an individual. Triss for me also became a lot more human than the standard cold sorceress henceman/party member I saw her as in the original Witcher. The world of the Witcher also became more multi-faceted; rivalries between the kingdom extended beyond the wars they waged; they became a living representation and manifestation of the desires of man (non-human included), their insecurities and mistrust. The struggles of the Scoia'tael, the similarities and difference between the elves Iorveth and Cedric painted a realistic picture of the duality of a culture's value system.

An amazing game befitting a incredible (though in this case, also extremely credible) story.

I agree completely. Best ~33 euros I ever spent for games (price may be different in other countries, lol).

I agree too.
I'm really hoping for a proper expansion pack though :D!

Maybe an entire short "chapter" that will show Roches adventures in Kedwania, while Geralt was unconscious.

I realize there's no motivation in narrative for an intermezzo like chapter 4 in Witcher 1, where you had to lay low for a time, since here you are in a hurry to find Triss... but if Geralt is already resting for 3 days, why not get to find out more about Roche, his secret dealings and unsuccessful mutiny in Henselt's country.

Of course, that would have to be presented to player outside the main plot, as not to spoil the story of the main game.