The Witcher - Preview @ Eurogamer

The Witcher site is promoting a recent press event where they invited 40 journalists from NA and Europe to get some hands-on time playing three locations from the game. CD Projekt has some photos of the event and obviously a flood of previews will come along in due course, with Eurogamer the first cab off the rank:

Combat is also a key focus for the development team, who have created a system they believe is a natural successor to mouse clicking frenzies and turn-based attacks. It's a fairly simple system, requiring timed attacks initiated by observing the change in the cursor when hovered over an opponent. Time it right and Geralt strings combos together, showing off some of the extensive motion capture work done by CD Projekt, as enemies are despatched in spurts of blood or stunned for a further beating. Time it wrong and expect a pasting from your enemy. With the player able to switch between fast, strong and group attacks, and different swords more suitable against certain opponents, there's a tactical element for players to get to grips with. Right-click magic attacks also come into play, with standard fireball, protection, telekinetic push, enchantment and a ground-based trap on hand to compliment the melee blows, all of which can be upgraded as the game progresses.

More information.

Here is preview from IGN :
http://pc.ign.com/articles/769/769171p1.html

The article writer for IGN seems a bit leery of the adult content in Witcher.

"NPC conversations about fornication (eg. "I f**ked a she-elf once."), and the tattoos of naked women sported by several NPCs will also have to go"



I, for one, am glad that there is a proper MATURE action-RPG

And here is another preview:
http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/768/768819p1.html

You can always check for previews and reviews:
http://wiki.thewitcher.com/index.php/The_Witcher

Originally Posted by Dr. A
The article writer for IGN seems a bit leery of the adult content in Witcher.

"NPC conversations about fornication (eg. "I f**ked a she-elf once."), and the tattoos of naked women sported by several NPCs will also have to go"



I, for one, am glad that there is a proper MATURE action-RPG

Perhaps they were talking about the possibility of the rating in the US for such content getting them an AO rather than M - that would mean no big retailers would carry it. Personally I don't see the issue … so long as it is talk and not action … (and not that I care about the presence of the action, but it would get an AO rating in a heartbeat)

Whoa, I did not know that … AO games are not sold by major retailers?! Man, that sucks!

If that's the case, then I can understand how the rating has a major impact on sales and why the game's mature content will have to be toned down.

I still hate it though. It's like how movies which are automatically R Rated are similarly lobotomized in order to pander to a younger but wider audience.

Originally Posted by Dr. A
I still hate it though. It's like how movies which are automatically R Rated are similarly lobotomized in order to pander to a younger but wider audience.

Theoretically it is supposed to be analogous to NC-17 vs. R … but I think that the sex side of things gets really over-sensitive in games.

If the publisher wimps out and neuters this one for NA, I'm definitely importing the UK version…

Originally Posted by chamr
If the publisher wimps out and neuters this one for NA, I'm definitely importing the UK version…

To me it all depends - if it is like Indigo Prophecy and there is a small sex mini-game that is removed and nothing else, I don't care. If it is significant changes that actually matter … different story.