The Witcher 2 - Review @ Crispy Gamer

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SasqWatch
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Crispy Gamer has a review up for The Witcher 2. The reviewer likes it and recommends it.
Here's the reviewer's take on the combat system
The Witcher 2 comes across as slow and sticky most of the time. Geralt is controlled through a combination of the mouse and WASD keys. While the mouse buttons control Geralt’s attacks with whatever weapon he has equipped, his magical attacks and combat maneuvers are bound to the keyboard. Given the importance that The Witcher 2 places on dodging and parrying in combat, it’s a surprise that neither mechanic functions very well. I found that most of the time in order to get Geralt to actually raise his sword up into a defensive position I had to repeatedly spam the block key, and even then he did so with a slowness that often allowed an enemy’s attack to slip through.
He likes the magic system
In contrast, the magic system is interesting and can be included in the flow of battle with ease. Geralt’s five spells (with a sixth added later on) include the ability to stun opponents with a telekinetic wave, burn them with a burst of flame, set traps on the ground that freeze them in place, charm them to his side for short periods of time, and create a protective shield around himself.
The strong point is the dialogue system
Depending on what players choose, The Witcher 2’s story will twist and turn leading players to any of the game’s 16 different endings. For instance, in the beginning of the game when faced with a rebellious nobleman on the battle field, Geralt has the opportunity to convince him to either surrender or face him in honorable combat. The option players choose will decide the fate of the nobleman’s family and which NPCs Geralt will be able to interact with later on in the game.
And a snip from the conclusion
The Witcher 2 is an interesting and refreshing RPG and despite my frustration with the combat system, it was actually a rather fun and engaging game. Balancing somewhere between Baldur’s Gate and Dragon Age, The Witcher 2 does risk pushing away fans of easier, more approachable games who may find the combat system and the ease with which Geralt dies to be too frustrating.
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Well i don't what to say about this....moronic comes to mind but I might use my indoor voice when i say that...wait to late I typed it..
I had no problems with the combat system....and I play the game on hard for all but 5% of it or less..
Maybe if he put down his x-box controller for a second...he mighten of had such a hard time with it..
 
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Well i don't what to say about this….moronic comes to mind but I might use my indoor voice when i say that…wait to late I typed it..
I had no problems with the combat system….and I play the game on hard for all but 5% of it or less..
Maybe if he put down his x-box controller for a second…he mighten of had such a hard time with it..

I also found the controls awkward (I used mouse and keyboard) - for me easily the worst aspect of the game. I eventually became OK, but it was never 'natural'. By comparison games like Gothic (1,2) and Risen, which required decent timing, I did master and eventually had no problems. But the worst part were 'scripted' combats (boss fights) where you had to fight in tight quarters - outside of this combat was fine (even 'easy' for the most part).

For example,

Letho - even on 'normal' I never managed to take him out, and I consider things like pinning him to a wall so he can't attack a cheat, I didn't try that either. I used bombs, signs etc - he took hardly any damage from anything. I didn't have some other things handy (traps, daggers) so couldn't use those.

Dragon on tower - I tried attacking when it breathed fire, which even seemed to be suggested as I found later, but somehow I couldn't hit it even though I was right next to it. That makes no sense. I would get one blow in when it stopped breathing, but it would instantly strike back, collapsing Quen and sending me flat on my back. To be mauled again. Since there was no chance to drink a potion before that, and health regenerates slowly in combat, I eventually just gave up and dropped to easy. Which was pathetically simple since nothing really damages you.

Those two fights really hacked me off, simply because the control system seemed to get in the way of what I was trying to do. I still loved the game, but this aspect was, imho, not well executed.
 
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