Graphics - Amazing, one of the best looking open world games I've ever played and still holds up great, especially loved the character models and environments, really made the dialogues and cut senses feel cinematic and engaging no oblivion style gaping magickarp staring at you here, the world looks and feels alive and the visuals and characters combine with the excellent writing to really make you feel immersed. Story - The Real highlight for me this one, . Taking in huge variety of locations, characters and side quests all excellently written and stylised . When I say one of the best told stories in gaming I mean the presentation here is top notch, excellent voice acting, quality dialogue a complicated and immersive world full of subtlety even the cinematography and camera angles combines with music in cutscenes and dialogue is great. The ultimate big bag does prove a tad disappointing but with multiple endings based on past actions and choices I really enjoyed the conclusion all in all. Gameplay - I'd describe it as a refinement of the witcher 2s gameplay. Combat still involves a mix of light and heavy attacks, dodges, rolls, bombs , potions oils and witcher signs and flows a better than in the witcher 2 with a better skil tree and progression, ultimately it did end up becoming a bit repetitive though and even on highest difficulty I found most fights becoming very formulaic maybe I'm just a cheese lord but quen doge, roll and light attack were enough for 90 percent of fights then again we're taking over 200 hours of gameplay here so anything's bound to get stale. Conclusion: Easily my favourite game in the Series and a triumph of storytelling and open world game design. Sets a bar for the art of storytelling in video games I spent 15 yoyos on the GOTY edition and got 200 hours out of it and although I did tire of the gameplay by the end, was well worth the time. Recommended to all who love a well told story and immersive world.
Graphics - Huge jump up from TW1 in particular with vastly improved character models and animations, something a bit strange about the lighting or colour palette can't quite put my figure on I didn't particularly like though. Ran fine for me no major bugs or crashes to report. Story - Focused on politics and intrigue departing a bit from the Witcher's path narrative, again avoids clear villains and consequence free decisions with few right or wrong decisions just actions and consequences. Didn't quite enjoy the central story thread and antagonist as much as the first game. One major branching story I was happy with my choice, found the main companion and their growth along with your actions brilliantly done and really enjoyed the location and themes explored in chapter 2. Gameplay - Departing from the rhythm based combat of the TW1 for a more generic third person action combat system. Found the combat fairly bland and unengaging . Was quite difficult at the start but became quite easy by the end, this was playing on hard difficulty. I basically just kept up the shield spell and spammed roll constantly and enemies couldn't damage me. Feel like the talent system is a bit of a waste or at least in my play-through didn't feel like there were many really viable options. I though the potion system was a major step back from the first game I loved the alchemy in The Witcher 1 but here you cant consume potions in battle which right of the bat drastically reduces their usefulness and the potions themselves are much more limited, don't have the same sense of exploration you had with mixing them in TW1. Conclusion: Only 3 chapters with 3 locations although there is plenty to do. I again played over 50 hours and enjoyed myself although this time did feel it starting to drag near the end. A good game and would recommend for fans of TW1,its certainly more modern and probably more familiar to most although personally I didn't quite enjoy it as much as TW1.
Graphics - Hold up surprisingly well in my opinion. Character models and some animations very dated but overall I thought the world looked great. Ran excellent on my machine no major bugs or glitches. Story - Brilliant and the real highlight here. I'd never played any of the other games or read the books and I really enjoyed the world, the backstory and the characters. I love how sceptical and even cynical Geralt as the main character can be and which is a novelty for a fantasy RPG. The story is full of choices the consequences of which are often delayed or not immediately obvious which along with the fact there's very little black and white moralizing and many of the decisions are genuinely tough really gives the story a sense of weight and keeps you engaged. I loved how intervention the side quests are with the main plot and very few feel like filler Gameplay - The weakest aspect of the game in my opinion. First of there's absolutely tons of walking and backtracing around the various maps that make up the different chapters. The combat system is an interesting idea with and do be fair does mesh well with the feeling of actually being a Witcher with you meditating before fights to brew your own potions and oils to be taken before fights then having two swords to switch between each with 3 stances and various magic spells in the mix too. In reality I ended up defeating probs 80 percent of enemies in the game by stunning them with the very first spell you get and then one shottng them and this was playing on hard. When it wasn't tediously easy it was often frustratingly unfair with enemies swarming or stun locking you as soon as you enter a room before you can even draw your sword. Conclusion: Defo recommend if you like story driven RPGS. It's a slow burner though and the gameplay isisnt the most engaging. I estimate I spent about 50 hours on it and had a blast which is class considering I got it for free.
