Although the fighting sounds complex, the action-oriented feel of combat works with some practice. Motion-captured moves performed by a professional swordsman behind Geralt's blade treat you to a visual show that is part Schwarzenegger's Conan and part Errol Flynn. It isn't a clickfest as you might find with Diablo or Oblivion, but your reflexes will be tested when you start chaining together attacks....Signs are also part of the witcher's bag of tricks; they act as quick and dirty magical abilities that aren't exactly considered magic, but they're useful enough to witchers. Signs range from a gust of wind that can stun foes, allowing Geralt to kill them quickly without the swordplay, to setting foes on fire, making signs a potent complement to his weapons prowess...
...Geralt can drink NPCs under the table for information; there's even a combat skill to improve his chances in combat while sloshed. As long as you can see through the blur and guide Geralt's staggering self to an inn, or imbibe a potion that clears his head in a sip, drinking friends and foes under the table can become second nature. You can also play poker dice, rolling for cash and become a professional. Thanks to the physics system, it really becomes more of a game of chance than the unseen, artificial edge that can often create your typical "ace" opponent in other titles. ...
...As fun as The Witcher can be, it does have issues. With as many interior and outdoor areas as there are, it's not unusual to wade through several dozen loading screens in only a few minutes, with each load often averaging about a minute or so. I had a book next to me to leaf through just for these instances...Saves also don't overwrite older ones, and given how many automatic saves there are including your own, the 20MB files can easily begin to add up and bog down the Load Game function...
Despite its faults, The Witcher is a diamond in the rough as a mature, gritty and atmospheric RPG that heads into territory not often explored. The modern, tongue-in-cheek additions to the fantasy tale of Geralt's journey and the choices that shape it build a unique experience that might keep you awake into the wee hours simply to find out what happens next. Games have grown up along with their players, and The Witcher is the kind of title that the genre deserves to have.
