Another one I recently got around to finally conquering was The Witcher 2. This is one I've been really excited to dive into for while. Fantasy RPG's set in the mythical dark ages might be my favorite genre. After viewing how awesome The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt look at E3, I figured it's about time I see what Geralt's story is all about.
I came away from this with a lot of mixed feelings. Especially after finishing chapter 3 (the final chapter), which felt extremely short and extremely rushed. But before I keep going, I should say that I chose to try the "Enhanced Edition" on Xbox 360, and now I really wish I had gone the PC route. The graphics can be beautiful at times and at others (such as during some fight sequences) it can get really buggy. Also the camera control with the analog stick during combat can be infuriating.
SIDE NOTE: If you are thinking about trying this on the Xbox 360 like me, be prepared to quick save like a mofo. I wish I had known this early on. *This can save you hours of time throughout the game. My total playtime was somewhere between 25 - 30 hours.
The story starts off with all the elements for an epic medieval tale. With an unknown assassin sneaking around Temeria offing any of the a known powerful kings, and Geralt, a Witcher who slays monsters, gets framed for one of the assassinations. But as the game progresses the story doesn't really seem to go very far. Sure you meet a few interesting people like a dwarf, a sneaky elf, and an dogmatic bard. But the way the realm and its events and people are presented are NOT very intriguing.
If you really want to get into the story and understand the world, you have to make sure you ask the characters plenty of questions during conversations. I wish I could say something good about the voice acting but nothing really stood out. Most of it was very average
I really expected more in a narrative coming from a game franchise that is supposedly based off a book series. I found the gameplay and combat to be somewhat frustrating at first but I eventually got the hang of it. The sword and magic combat system turned out to be quite a new and refreshing combat experience even though it can get very challenging at times. If you don't learn to upgrade properly, as well as creating and drinking necessary potions you don't stand a chance during some boss fights.
The upgrading tree seemed pretty cool at first, while it brought back memories of Final Fantasy X. But the further I upgraded, the more I realized that the only branches worth focusing on are your sword and maybe you magic.
Overall, I would say it's a nice effort for an epic fantasy RPG, but there were too many noticeable flaws for my HIGHLY-COVETED seal of approval. Lol
...
Also Letho was probably my favorite characters in the game. Yes, he was kind of an A-hole, but he brought a lot of character to game and his assassinations were pretty badass.
SPOILER: After finally getting to talk to him for awhile at the end I had to let his character live, hoping that he might show up in Wild Hunt. And to be honest, I found Geralt's character to be rather boring most of the time. I hate to say it, being that he's the main character, but his monotone soft voice doesn't bring much excitement to the story.