The Witcher 2 - Review @ 1Up

The story opens with the action underway, skipping the usual exposition. On one hand, this will be confusing. But on the other hand, figuring out what's going on gives everything a sense of forward motion -- urgency, even. Want to know what's going on? Then snap to it and do some quests! Call it pace-based storytelling. The plot weaves a canny combination of mysterious personal backstory and unfolding political intrigue, neither of which is dumbed down for a videogame. And even if they never quite come together, or even resolve, they don't have to. That's not the point. The lack of resolution by the time the credits roll isn't a cheap hook for a sequel. It's a minor key that fades out precisely where it should.
As a story-driven game about choice-and-consequences, The Witcher 2 beats Bethesda's and Bioware's best handily for how it progresses without obvious either/or forks in the road or gamey dialogue systems. In fact, the occasional dramatic choices in The Witcher 2 might not even be apparent as a dramatic choice. These aren't your usual tropes about either/or faction choices, world-ending plots, or even dastardly villains. In fact, it's debatable whether it even has a villain. Where you expect a boss fight, you might just get a conversation. Where you expect an enemy, you might get a begrudging ally. By the time it's all over, you probably won't even realize the opportunities you've missed, because it comes together better than the usual multiple-choice storyline. Be sure to debrief with other players who've finished the game -- you'll probably be in for a few surprises.

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Who knew a sophisticated RPG could double as an intricate timing-based action game?

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