(My review is for the newly released xbox 360 version. Please excuse any differences I reference here. The content in the game is the identical and my overall view of the game is the same.) I am one of the lucky ones. Even though I had pre-ordered and paid off the Dark Edition, I applied and was chosen as a reviewer. I received my review copy from CD Projekt Red on Mon. the 16th. I ripped open the packaging with all the excitement of a kid on Christmas day. I received the full game, a thank you letter and access to a special ftp site to use in my review. I even took the time to install the game to my hard drive. So by the time I was ready to play, my excitement level was through the roof. Of course I was promptly disappointed. After an amazing new intro scene I was thrust into a tutorial mission. This mission would have been fun if not for the constant, irritating and poorly timed tutorial pop ups. Often times describing the play and controls in a less than optimal fashion. This ended in an ever more typical arena fight that decided the recommended difficulty for the game. Of course I did poorly and it was recommended that I play on easy. Of course I chose to play on normal and went forth to delve into the actual story of the game. Within five minutes I had a better grasp on the controls than the tutorial gave me. Within another 5 minutes I was hooked. While the movement and camera work is a little on the sloppy side, the game as a whole is incredible. The graphics are better than most and honestly at times downright beautiful. The story is deep and immersive. Though at times you might feel a little lost if you didn't play the first game. Especially when you run into characters from the first game who reference things from it. It also doesn't do a great job explaining your memory loss issues that persist from the beginning of the first game. All of these things are minor gripes. There are control issues and glitches as with many other modern games, but nothing game breaking. Nothing even close to the issues from Skyrim. Every issue I have with the game can easily be patched out. Can we get an adjustable camera speed please? Even as it is I love this game. As I'm writing this I can't stop thinking about when I can get back into it. I want to learn more about the characters and story. I want to flesh out the world. I want to milk all the juicy goodness from this game. MMMmmm delicious. One of the more odd things I've found is that I can't stop walking. For those of you that may not understand. In games like this you walk faster and then begin to run the more you tilt the analogue stick. I just can't get myself to run. As I walk I feel like a traveler in this world. I want to walk at a normal human pace for multiple reasons. I want to enjoy the beauty of the scenery. I want to hunt for herbs and ingredients. I don't want to run into a group of bandits I didn't see coming. I'd rather get the jump on them. The Witcher 2 just makes me feel like I'm Geralt of Rivia and I love it. All the decisions I make feel real with legitimate repercussions. Not just pointless filler that pretends to have an affect. I am shaping my world and my story as I play. All of these things add up to one wonderful game. Oh and to prove my point, I went in this morning and picked up my pre-ordered Dark Edition. If you have any interest in this game and have managed to get to this point in my wall of text, just get it. You won't regret it. Thanks for reading.
