Graphically, this is a major glow-up from game 1. Everything looks beautiful. The different clothing, environments, combat, character movement, all the effects... Everything just looks really great. It also kept up the tradition of having a mostly strong English VA cast. Alexander Morton, who plays Zoltan, was my favorite. The gameplay is pretty easy to get a handle on, much moreso than game 1. I could play almost entirely without using potions or even Aards, and Geralt always hits something when you swing, even if you don't hit it like you should. And the sword-fighting is pretty satisfying to do and watch. The inventory system is a nightmare, though, and the crafting system is silly. That being said, the story is largely nonsense, and almost every character sucks. There are some lovely character moments. When Geralt speaks to Zoltan and Dandelion, or when Iorveth warms up to Geralt as a friend, the game has some touching characterization. And I know I laughed at least once at an intentional joke. The world-building is intense, but not in an interesting way. Although the overarching theme seems to be "even if you make the choice of the lesser evil, you are still doing evil", I have to question if someone thought "is that an enjoyable game to play? At least when your protagonist is a centrist who spends most of the game spouting nonsense about how Both Sides Are Bad and the Best Way to Win is Not to Play?" The game also spends half of its time prepping for game 3, which... I mean could they make sure game 2 is fun first? Please? I think I'll just go back to "Dragon Age".
