Game of Thrones looks like a cartoon for babies when compared to The Witcher series.
Glorious boobs, bloody action, eyes get poked out, people get burned alive, murders, drinking, tattoos, demon-sex, softcore porn "romance" scenes, brothels, dice playing, arm wrestling, fist fights...this game has everything!
"But does it have dragons?" Hell yes! And only a sissy would tame a dragon. You slaughter the motherhumper!

If you're looking for a dark fantasy fix then look no further!

As a major improvement from the first title(the first is still a fantastic game, don't get me wrong), The Witcher 2 marks a milestone not only for CD Projekt RED, but a landmark for which other games fall short of. Too often a game preaches where choices matter and regardless of what you choose the outcome is the same. This title puts you back in the hands of Geralt of Rivia; however, this time, the consequences of your actions merit even greater twists and deeper turns. Not only changing the NPC's outlook on you; instead, you may find yourself in a completely different area of the game had you chosen your actions otherwise. To stack on the improvements, this game features a much smoother combat system and graphical enhancements so beautiful, you will need a new F12 key (screenshot) by the time you finish this story once.

As an avid explorer of games, one play through of this game granted roughly 50 hours of play time on Hard difficulty. With bigger titles for $60 giving a mere 10 hours of game play, at $20 this instalment is steal already, let alone when it is discounted. If you enjoyed the first game, or even if you hated the first game and couldn't get over the combat, this should make its way to your library.

I didn't know what to write about in my review, so here's a recipe for pancakes instead:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Note: With The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition I entered the Witcher universe without playing the first title or knowing anything about the books let alone having read them. So here goes.

The first RPG I played where your choices actually DO matter (*cough* Mass Effect *cough*). Yes, I kid you not. Not only does the game split up after Act I depending on who you choose to side with, but the outcome of dialogues in the main quest and even the side quests offer multiple possibilites for the story to unfold. The complexity and ingenuity of the fantasy world this game is set in is comparable to the quality of GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire and can therefore be characterized as a so-called "low fantasy" story, as opposed to "high fantasy" settings such as The Elder Scrolls (just google the definitions if you don't know anything about them). Personally, I prefer low fantasy due to its focus on individual character development and their story/fate, as well as a "realistic" depiction of violence, language and society as a whole, but that's just my preference. So in a nutshell, I liked the story a lot, I think there's a lot of exciting things still to be told.

Now let's get to the technical aspects: Dialogue is great, offering many choices for convincing or intimidating and alike. Character customization is solid too (you can actually have your haircut changed to some very weird stuff throughout the game if you so desire), there's lots of item slots, but only two weapons, a fact I can however accept for story reasons. Then again, I always pick the sword in any fantasy RPG so having two different swords throughout the entire game was right down my alley.
Since we've arrived at the swords let's talk about the combat shall we. Yeah, I don't like it, why don't I like it you might say? It's basically a combo-based hack'n'slash system with a very console-y feeling (believe me or not, I liked Skyrim combat more, yes really). You just lock onto a target and smash LMB/RMB with the occasional blocking. I think this is simplistic and may be fun to watch, but it's not really immersive (on a side note: the combat is pretty hard and the boss fight require true skill and creativity and especially cunning use of magic abilities, I liked these a lot more). Speaking of immersive, the game looks gorgeous for a 2011 title, mostly good textures and effects. What struck me was the very high depth of field especially in the first act. I guess that's a way to make the lack of quality of distant objects unnoticable. Arguably, the biggest plus is the sound: ambient sound, voice acting and especially soundtrack are downright masterful, I loved it.

I can't think of anything else atm so let's jump to the conclusion. The game is great, with lots of replayability due to the many different paths you can go. The world sucks you in right from the start. If you're a fan of the combat then you've got absolutely nothing to fear, if you don't it's still worth it for the experience because mechanics are easy to get used to.

Performance notes: The game is Nvidia optimized. With my AMD card(s), it runs a solid 60fps though. Just tweak AA a bit and turn off Cinematic Depth of Field, it makes cutscene-fps drop by half, which is not cool. It supports CFX and probably also SLI. Oh yeah and the game is capped to 120fps, which is nice too.

Meaningless score: 9/10

Its like masturbating but with a glove on
its rough for the first couple times but you get use to it after a while.
Totally worth the rash.

Epic game. When i first played this game, I was totally mindblown at how mature the storyline and how beautiful the graphics are.

I was and still baffled how almost nobody in Malaysia knows about this game when it first came out. A problem that still persists up till now.

This is not a game for the kiddies but I am sure this kind of game is recommended for people to understand gray moral choices that will somewhat help in real life decisions.

The drawback:

- controls are sometimes clunky (sometimes not being able to hit monsters when the target reticule is not on it, or Geralt performs a heavy attack when in actual you're pressing the light attack button)

- crashes frequently when I load a save game (happens when there is a bloat of save games)

- Tiring grind to get loads of gold to get and craft the Dark Armour Diagrams and materials. (you can only get Dark Armour in Dark Mode)

The Pros:

- Great Mature Storyline
- Great Graphics for a 2011 game
- Decent Moral Choices
- Difficult Combat for newcomers but it will grow on you once you get the hang of it! (Pro Tips: DODGE! DODGE! DODGE!)
- A developer who has managed to stay independent and still able to developed this great game
- No DRM if you register the steam version on GOG.com for a backup copy for free! (the developer's subsidiary company that manages DRM-less games)

Buy this game to encourage more independent developers to churn out great games like this.

Plus, the sequel The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is coming out in February 2015. You will certainly have a better insight on the story if you played this first. Hey, even better if you buy both the Witcher 1 and Witcher 2!

This game is an AAA title (in terms of quality) in my list and one of few many games that i have replayed more than twice.

P.S. - Best played with a controller. Contains nudity and simulated sex

Breathtaking graphics, spectacular combat and a well written and mature scenario. What else could someone ask for? It is a great game.

The Witcher 2 is by far one of best RPG games i've ever played. Open world game play, great enviroment and amazing story and More than 2-3 endings. I would reccomend this game to any fans of the witcher games or any RPG fans.

The Witcher 2 is a narrative driven action RPG by Polish developers CD Projekt Red. To be reductive, it contains a lot of action-like RPG combat and deep mechanics common to Bethesda games, but is also extremely narrative driven to the tune of something Bioware might put out. Over the course of the game, much of the Witcher's many turning gears become an immensely enjoyable machine, though it jumps to a rough start and could use a more enjoyable combat system. I did play with the Combat Rebalance mod, which allegedly makes the combat better; truly I think it just made it more trivial, but those may be two sides of the same coin in this case.

I started Witcher 2 having never played the Witcher 1, and generally not knowing what the game was about or how it worked. Let me be blunt -- that is the absolute worst way to start the Witcher 2. The game does offer an overall useless tutorial (if you have the Enhanced Edition), but otherwise it throws you right into a pretty hot mess. Very little is explained in the way of combat mechanics, the many systems at your control (things like potions, crafting, magic abilities), and the context of the warring monarchs and their mysterious assassin which are central to its plotline. Overall, it’s a little daunting to start. That said, I highly recommend you persevere; lying on the other side is a huge payoff.

What makes Witcher 2 shine is the well crafted, incredibly epic story of politicking and sorcery. What’s even more impressive is the dynamic way in which it is presented to you; very few games give you the sense of control over the story the way Witcher does. The game is divided into 3 acts, and the second act can be completely different based on decisions you make in the first act. You will start in a different location, have different characters to interact with, and different quests. Even more impressive is that Witcher 2 does a good job of staying away from the typical good/bad archetypes; characters usually feel complex and your decisions almost always fall into a gray area. It never feels like the game is pushing you one direction or the other; sometimes being the bad guy pays off...other times, not so much.

The plot itself is very interesting, though you won’t find anything revolutionary about it. Voice acting is typically well done, which is good because there is a LOT of it. At least half the game can easily be spent talking to characters and fleshing out the world in which Witcher 2 takes place. Cutscenes are serviceable, but nothing extraordinary. Like many games of this scope, much of the Witcher 2 lacks a certain polish -- the game certainly looks beautiful, but animations are often clunky and transitions are not done well.

Lacking the most polish, certainly, is the combat. Combat in Witcher 2 feels mostly like a buffer between unlocking more of the story. With the Combat Rebalance mod, parrying is automatic and after some initial struggle, I quickly learned to spam the same ability over and over again, accented by mashing attack and rolling around. I easily beat 95% of encounters this way. While you have a lot of options in terms of equipment etc., the majority is useless or unnecessary and I would have liked a little more variety in loot and spells. I wouldn’t say the combat is outright bad, but it is certainly mediocre and not the highlight here.

Overall, while there is a lot to nitpick about Witcher 2, I highly enjoyed it. It’s a beautiful game which offers up one of the most interesting stories you can find in the medium. Decisions are impactful and rewarding, even if combat is not. If you like Skyrim, or Mass Effect, and wish there was a game which blended the two together into a great PC game, look no further than Witcher 2.

War. Deceit. Terrorism. Murder. Sex. Treason. Prostitution. Violence. Loyalty. Espionage. Racism. If somebody tells you that Witcher 2 is for mature audiences, this isn’t because it’s exceptionally bloody or gory for a title of its genre – it’s because of the world and stories that it presents.

It’s true: the graphics are mostly really good, even stunning in places. Battle is tactical and you have to learn how to use both your weaponry and your magic abilities in order to succeed. Music and sound are pretty good - the nice use of different dialects is a good reason that you should consider playing it in English even if that’s not your native language. The flaws that actually bothered me were few - like the fact that Geralt (your character) puts up the same facial expression for 80% of his dialogue.

Yet it’s the storytelling and the way you shape WHAT story unfolds that I enjoyed most.
Geralt has a real talent to end up as the “right guy in the wrong place”. And even though he progresses through the quests for pretty personal reasons, he constantly finds himself forced to make decisions that have a much larger impact than his personal fate. Who will you trust? Who will you help? By the time you finish the first chapter you will have made decisions that will not only control the way you experience the rest of the story, but also will shape the lifes of many of the characters you met and – in the end – maybe even the rise and the fall of the nations that you cross. As usual in the Witcher games, you will find that not all of your decisions have the effect that you hoped, and often you only can try to choose the lesser evil.

When I finished the game I felt the urge to play the Witcher 3 (which isn’t released at the time of this writing). Not because of the (hopefully) good gameplay and graphics that I expect – but because I wonder where Geralt's personal story and the big events that happen around him will finally lead.

So do yourself a favor, get past the crappy tutorial and average prologue and then – starting with the first chapter - play one of the finest RPGs that are out there.

Long story short:
- excellent graphics
- even better story
- vivid characters
- hours of gameplay

loads of fun

+Epic Story, every side quest matters!
+Complex and Interesting Characters
+Amazing Graphics
-Combat is out done by the rest of the game.

Pros:
~Convincing, realistic storyline and events (realistic as in BS doesn't happen)
~Epic storyline
~Choices matter, and make an impact
~Combat is difficult enough to provide a challenge
~Solid graphics, voice acting, and music

Cons:
~The inventory screen, meditation screen, and in general character interfaces are horribly set-up and unintuitive

Overall: Play it now. A game I feel is underrated, it has an immense immersive quality to it.

Saw next-gen Triss's boobies at 4k.

10/10, will see again.

Witcher 2 deservers the title “The Best RPG of the Year” in my opinion. Graphically the most impressive RPG to date is truly a PC game, not some mediocre port from consoles. It was developed for PC and will squeeze every bit of your PC power for its full beauty. Gameplay wise, Witcher 2 deserves high praise for its rich story and dialogue. Multiple possible endings will increase its replayability, as well as possibility to permanently fail certain quests. Rich crafting, character development, large beautiful world, interesting characters make this game a must have for all RPG fans. Witcher 3 can’t come soon enough!

Gameplay 8/10
Story 9/10
Graphics 10/10
Polish 10/10

Overall Score 9/10 (outstanding game)

Simply the best adult, fantasy, rpg, i've ever played. I cannot wait for Witcher 3. This game has so much story, rich characters, awesome gameplay and visuals. I couldn't get enough. An epic 10/10.

Don't buy Witcher. Buy Witcher 2. Need explanation? Read on.

OK, let's make something perfectly clear. I've spent at least 17 hours in Witcher and although I've recommended it in my Steam review, I don't think too fondly of that game. I've never got through it. Although the story is OK (but not great), I consider Witcher to be ''buy it on sale'' title. Game mechanics are so broken I've lost all of my will to play it. I just couldn't stand it.

Although a friend of mine (Witcher fanatic and a gaming journalist), a guy that says Skyrim can suck his balls, recommended Witcher 2 to me on more than a few occasions and although he pointed out the game is different than the first one, somehow I've managed not to get it until this last summer sale. And I didn't buy it this summer, either - this friend bought it for me as an act of protest because I've neglected an awesome game.

Did I say awesome? Yes, I DID. Witcher 2 is AWESOME. It goes straight into a Chamber of greatness which includes titles such as Doom II, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake II and Morrowind.

Witcher 2 brings an awesome and oh-so-needed upgrade to every single system of Witcher universe. The story gets really suspenful and interesting now, so great it leaves the first one in the dust. It makes it funny. Combat? ♥♥♥♥ing finally. No more mini-games click-on-time attacking that made me so nervous. This is a proper sword-wielding and cast-spelling game. Fighting numerous opponents is a joy now. You can dash and stab almost in perfect harmony; fights in Witcher 2 are soul-soothing experiences. Quest finding and resolving is easier and more logical, menus are no longer a cluttered mess, girls are more naked and dwarves curse and drink like late GG Allin.

Witcher 2 is a great, great game that shall be rewarded with a CLASSIC title as the time goes bye. Its living and breathing world will suck you in and you will choose a side. And you'll ENJOY IT.

Once again, DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY AND TIME ON WITCHER. Get Witcher 2 and don't let the first game keep you away from this masterpiece.

P.S. Dwarves. I love MOTHER♥♥♥♥ING DWARVES!!!

Very very fun! Better then the first one if you ask me. The controls are better, being in conbat is actualy pleasing now, and the quests are very fun too. Altho, if you spent a long time doing all the side quests, you might want to just rush to last chapter part because you just start losing interest in the game by time point.

9/10

ENjoy ^-^

This is my first time finishing the game, and I have also played through the first game.

Although it kept the same quality of epic storyline, a lot was noticeably different to the first game, is more complicated in a lot of its mechanics and I found the combat more difficult, although I got used to it in the end. I liked the way you had to think about things a lot more, use more strategy in battle, use all the signs, traps and bombs, not just Aard/coup-de-grace everything in sight. The quests are also more complicated, they are no longer WoW-style kill 20 things/collect 20 things quests, they almost all have multiple ways to resolve them and some of the possible ways require you to find out things the game doesn't automatically tell you about. Even shopping is more complicated, there is a crafting system with templates to buy, and money is often scarce. A lot of potions have drawbacks and levelling up involves a more detailed skill tree. I enjoyed the return of the poker dice quest, as well as Geralt's adventures in arm-wrestling and prize-fighting.


I would recommend playing it, as it has a good story, good music and satisfying gameplay, the most important things in an RPG for me, I have a few complaints:

The game sometimes hangs for no discernable reason (I am using a fairly high-end Windows 8.1 laptop), which the first game also did.

The 'mature' aspects of the game are getting more tacky. I quite liked the erotic artwork and occasionally bizarre implied sexual tastes of the first game, but they've been replaced by the same incredibly repetitive cut scene that leaves virtually nothing to the imagination. Even when Geralt meets the succubus, there's nothing particularly remarkable about his amorous adventures. Also, ALL the NPCs make ribald jokes and swear for no particular reason ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE GAME. And, inevitably, there are lesbians for humorous effect. It feels kind of immature, not mature. The level of explicit violence is also getting more needlessly extreme and gratuitous. and the cut scenes in the strange animated style faintly annoy me.

The story still feels unresolved, as the problems you solve mostly come back as soon your back is turned, which gets my mood a little low. Geralt doesn't seem to really have much effect on the wider story of the world, he just solves his own personal storyline, mostly getting his memory back. Everyone is still at war, everything is still a damn mess. It's like a tabletop game where the GM won't let you actually change his beloved world. The growing Wild Hunt theme is the most interesting part of the story that seems to actually concern you, and the third Witcher game is called Wild Hunt, so maybe the plot will actually get somewhere next game?

It's a great game, with awesome storyline