The Witcher - International Review Roundup

CD Projekt's official Witcher site has a list of international reviews, which we'll rip for simplicity:

Imperium Gier (Poland)  – 9.3/10

Meristation (Spain) – 8.5/10

Rewired Mind(UK) – 4/5

Gamona.de(Germany) – 85%

Gamepark.cz (Czech Republic) – 92%

Gamereactor.se (Sweden) – 8/10

Yougamers.com(UK) – 87/100

Insidegamer.nl(Benelux) – 8/10

In addition, Giiizmo sent in a link to French site JeuxVideo, with a score of 16/20.  Here's part of the translated summary on storytelling:

The world of the Witcher, despite being full of fantasy clichés (dwarves, elves, etc) manages to set itself apart the usual fare by plunging the player in a much darker version of traditional fantasy worlds; the world is ravaged by the plague, racism towards non-humans runs rampant and bigotry towards Witchers is very well felt. The non-linear story is also well written which is a relief considering the source material.

...And here's a snip from the above UK review at Rewired Mind:

The game does have a lot to offer a player, and I’m still enjoying it. Although I’ve slated various elements, the visuals do look very nice. Day and night transitions are smooth and very subtle, and all in all the game is quite rich. Later in the game you find that your decisions impact upon your gaming experience quite critically, and you will often stumble upon repercussions of earlier choices. I like this element because it separates the game further from a simple hack ‘n’ slash title, and actually makes you think. I’m rather tired of mindlessly wandering across land, grinding monsters for some idiot who can’t be bothered to do it himself. So the fact that The Witcher takes decision-making one step deeper is all-in-all quite refreshing.