The sequel to the original Witcher game released in May, but I just got around to buying it today. To be honest, I had my doubts about the game but decided to take a chance in buying it. So, how did it turn out?

OVERVIEW
The Witcher 2 places you in the role of a man named Geralt. Geralt is a Witcher, a monster hunter. Although at the start of the game you don’t feel like a monster hunter, until it gets going. Be warned, I’m going to talk about the first 30 minutes of the game for a bit. You wake up in a prison cell, shackled to the ceiling and helpless while two guards take their turns beating you. You end up in a interrogation room and speak to a man named Roche, who questions you about certain events that transpired in the past few days. You have amnesia and can’t remember every detail, but manage to share what you know. Instead of Geralt simply just telling the story, you’re put in his place during the events. Personally, I thought that was cool and even though many games do that it fit the story very well. I won’t spoil it for you, but The Witcher 2 definitely doesn’t seem like other RPGs from the very start. It doesn’t start off with the traditional “build your way up”, instead opting to use power from the get-go. Although I will tell you that you do end up in a prison and you lose your items for a bit.

GAMEPLAY
Be prepared to fight tough groups of enemies often. This game is not easy. Well, for me at least. I started off playing on normal and eventually had to switch to easy. Call me a wimp if you want. I guarantee you’ll be switching the difficulty too. I can only imagine what the game is like on the harder levels. With that said though, the combat is very fun. It gives you a “battlemage” feel with allowing you to use magic (called signs) and conventional weapons at the same time. One press of a button and you can use each. You can’t spam the crap out of the spells though, because a recharging use meter drains quickly. You’re strong, but not overpowered. The combat is entertaining, albeit frustrating at some points. The enemy AI often switches between being way too smart and being way too dumb. I won one fight by having the foe chase me around a pole until I healed and blasted him with spells. Although considering the difficulty of some points that’s more of a blessing. Regardless of those flaws, the game is centered around combat and it’s good at it. Animations are crisp and look lifelike. You won’t tire of the combat in this game.

ENVIRONMENT
The Witcher 2 environment is excellent. It changes constantly and I haven’t even played through a massive chunk of the game yet. One moment you’re fighting on castle walls, then in a small and confined prison. The world is nicely laid out and obvious time went into it. I’ve got no complaints about the environments being dull or clones of each other. Everything looks unique.

GRAPHICS
The Witcher 2 is a beautiful game. I’d go so far as to say the graphics rival Crysis and Crysis 2. The settings are breathtaking, from lush forests to incredibly detailed buildings and interiors. The characters look more real than any game I’ve ever seen. No joke. Each and every detail is worth looking at. From the streets to the buildings. It truly is a beautiful game. The few problems I have with it aren’t major but bug me a little. The lip sync on the characters seem more like their lips moving up and down and side to side. While that isn’t that noticeable and doesn’t take away from the beauty it does bother me a bit. Also, the game seems to stutter very slightly at points. When Geralt is walking and turning it isn’t a gradual turn, more like an instant turn to the left or right. Again, not that bad but kind of bothered me.

Sadly, the graphics come at a price. A big price. If your computer isn’t powerful, you might want to think about buying this game on the Xbox 360, although it’s never as pretty on consoles. Still, it’s well worth the price.

WHAT’S GOOD
The Witcher 2 is an RPG worthy of good players who will appreciate it. The story is complex and intriguing, and the combat is excellent, as are the graphics. To be honest, it’ll keep me busy for a while. Should you buy or rent it, be prepared to invest hours into it. You control many parts of the story, similar to Mass Effect but not as complex. A good character upgrade system will keep you from needlessly spending your talent points and makes you think about how you should move on.

WHAT’S CRAP
While it’s an amazing game, it has problems. The main ones being some characters trying too hard to be funny and forgettable. The lip syncing isn’t the greatest and some animations seem neglected. Combat is very difficult and infuriating at times. If you don’t save often be prepared to be thrown back a good fifteen minutes to the last autosave. There isn’t much of a stealth system and the user interface can be overwhelming if you don’t understand it quickly.