Finally, A Good RPG for the PC

Things have been somewhat thin on the Computer RPG front lately. I haven't played anything RPG related that I really got into since Baldur's Gate I&II.

Even the little of time I spent with Neverwinter Nights I&II were a let down.

But, an eastern European studio has built a great story driven game on the NWN I Aurora engine. I loaded it up last night at 11pm and finally had to push myself away at 2:30am. I only wanted to check out the intro, but it grabbed me and kept me sucked in.

The name of this game is The Witcher. It received scores roughly in the low 90's from almost all of it's reviews. The story is great and the fighting is great. There are some shortcomings, like the funny english translation. Who knew dungeon was spelled donjon. And a lot of the character models are reused, but the story is the really meat of this game. From the beginning, it's epic and makes you feel a part of the story.

Even more amazing is the announcement that they are going to release The Witcher Enhanced with 50 new character models, 100 new animations, several UI enhancements and the release of a mod set, two small add on adventures and several other bonuses.

http://www.thewitcher.com/community/en/news/444.html

While you can buy the new version, current owners will get the updates in a patch. How cool is that?

If you like Single Player RPG's and long for a great story driven game, check out the Witcher. If you can get past a few "engrish" issues and a few CTD's (quick save often), I promise the gameplay intertwined with ton's of incredible looking cut scenes will satisfy your urges.....

This is a cut up version of the intro, which was one of the best game intro's I've seen in a long, long time.



This has some of the other intro scenes, mixed with scenes I haven't seen yet.

there is also a new one coming out set in the world of Conan the Barbarian MMORPG
http://www.ageofconan.com

I get press releases from them. It really looks like they've done a great job, but I'm just MMO'd out..... I'm happy to return to a story driven RPG that will actually end at some point.

BTW, how did you turn the Youtube player red?

And there you are again.. staying up to all hours of the night in a decent RPG.

Yea, Wife and Kiddo went to bed early and I was sucked back in again.

I have some new info. The story is still great as ever, but I actually got frustrated last night. I'm at the final fight of Chapter 1 and I simply can't beat it. The problem is the only point I can save is before a whole interactive dialogue and cut scene. So, it takes me nearly 5 minutes to get to the fight. That's really frustrating. Another issue is I start the fight with my weapons put up. I have to drink a potion, then pull out my weapons because I can't predrink the potion and I gotta have it in this fight. By the time I actually start fighting, I'm already down 1/4 health.

So, I decided to take another route and I jumped back several saves and tried a different approach. The problem with this is two really hard fights leading up to the final fight. Add to this that I have no way of resupplying after a certain point because everyone was told to stay in their house, the Inn Keeper was killed and the other place I can buy supplies is tied to the final fight, so she's not at her house. I need to resupply because I'm set up wrong for the fight.

Needless to say, it didn't work. After starting back a ways, I'm still unable to beat the final fight. I've come really close, but that isn't good enough. Now, I've gotta go back and reload in the past and try to respec a bit to make the fight slightly easier in the chance I can win.

I tell you, this is tough and I don't like having to play the same stuff over and over. It almost makes me wish I was on easy instead of normal. And this is just the first "Boss" fight of the game. I may be in trouble.

But, the story is still awesome! There are elements to this game that would never be in a US made game. I'm digging it.

Ahh.. I have it. I know Why you like this game.



Its about the music isn't it.

If we manage to bug your system with a nosound virus then you wont like it anymore and may fix that v-rpg module.

On an unrelated.. well its related ..side note.

The US version of the game has censoring and removed content. ie. End combat finishing moves that were too gruesome and other parts that were resultant in a US MA rating that should have taken it down to an R rating. The uncensored version can be had either from amazon.uk.com that won't ship to the states or from GoGamer for about $52.50 shipped snailmail.

And for a like style game check out Two Worlds.. there is a free demo out there. Seems to have some MP, don't know other that PvP but still.

In the Witcher is there any MP?

That video was awesome! I love some European Metal and that fits the bill perfectly. I may have to add that to the station and see how it goes over.

Apparently there were a lot of sex scenes in it that were covered up. And some of the finishing moves are awesome. Especially if you stun someone. He jumps on them and does this move out of a movie. It's awesomely gruesome. Another cool aspect is the blood splatter. If you are fighting in group mode and they have you circled, it starts splattering their blood all over the place. After the battle looks like a scene from Kill Bill.

So Silent, where are you at in the game? I'm fighting "The Beast" and not so well I might add.

Atomm wrote:That video was awesome! I love some European Metal and that fits the bill perfectly. I may have to add that to the station and see how it goes over.

Apparently there were a lot of sex scenes in it that were covered up. And some of the finishing moves are awesome. Especially if you stun someone. He jumps on them and does this move out of a movie. It's awesomely gruesome. Another cool aspect is the blood splatter. If you are fighting in group mode and they have you circled, it starts splattering their blood all over the place. After the battle looks like a scene from Kill Bill.

So Silent, where are you at in the game? I'm fighting "The Beast" and not so well I might add.

I am not in the game as of yet, you just made me take a second look at it.. or third I am unsure. Either way its on a wishlist so may be on it in the not so distant future.

Still need to answer the multiplayer question though.

No multiplayer as far as I know.

The extended version should be out soon. It is suppose to fix a lot of the little annoying things.

Ok, I'm going to take a third stab at starting earlier and respecing for the final fight....

Atomm wrote:No multiplayer as far as I know.

The extended version should be out soon. It is suppose to fix a lot of the little annoying things.

Ok, I'm going to take a third stab at starting earlier and respecing for the final fight....

Well September is Set for the Enhanced Version. All content will be free for current owners of the game, just gives them more reason to rejack up the price to initial release prices. 🙂

I actually installed the demo and it has me hooked on the story, gogamers uncensored version is looking ohh so tempting.

Well, what do you think so far? I saw you playing the other night on XFire..... 😛


Fess Up!

Xfire and steam reveal all bad habits... like RPGs or <cough> peggle</cough>

Bubbaspanky wrote:Xfire and steam reveal all bad habits... like RPGs or <cough> peggle</cough>

Heh I have seen Mr. Peggle appear on your screen quite often. Normally when TF2 was going on as I have been largely absent from the PC for some time.

As for the Witcher. - Loving it - Lets just say I have been building a fortune with the dice and fist fighting, and enjoying the storylines and 'uncutness' of the dialogue. Not every game where a random NPC[Thug/Brawler] states with complete derision I f***ed a she-elf once. Or where bands of thugs are running around actually bearding dwarves.

In all honesty, the only problem is inventory management, little images hard to id what is what and space is premium. But all is well for so early in the game.

BTW reading The Last Wish prior to playing the full and after playing the demo really makes the storyline even sweeter. If you don't mind turning a few pages in your idle time it is a worthy pickup. One of the Sapkowski's few books that have been translated over from Polish.

-In all honesty this may be one of the few OTS/TopDown RPGs that I plan on playing through to fruition/end. Most others I get through the first act and am through, to many mods/console commands get in the way of the lack of information that is spread around.

Glad you are enjoying it.

I don't know when I'll have time to read, but if that ever makes it to Audiobook, I'll be all over it. The whole Witcher concept is really cool.

My favorite NPC comment was, Your Mother Sucks Dwarf C***! I almost died when I read that. Gotta love the european spin on things. :-)

Bubba, I know you like RPG's. This is single player, so you can play at your own pace. I haven't enjoyed a CRPG this much since the first Baldur's Gate. You should check out the demo at the least.

Atomm, the thing is right now I don't have time to do the things I am doing, I know better than to add anything to that mix. Mayeb in Dec once school is done.

Atomm wrote:Glad you are enjoying it.

I don't know when I'll have time to read, but if that ever makes it to Audiobook, I'll be all over it. The whole Witcher concept is really cool.

My favorite NPC comment was, Your Mother Sucks Dwarf C***! I almost died when I read that. Gotta love the european spin on things. :-)

Bubba, I know you like RPG's. This is single player, so you can play at your own pace. I haven't enjoyed a CRPG this much since the first Baldur's Gate. You should check out the demo at the least.

Atomm have you tried "Oblivion the Elder Scrolls?" It is single player only but is really really good. I admit I only played a few hours but I really liked what i saw and heard only good things. It is VAST but really done well. It is 1st and 3rd person so that is cool.
It has lots of stuff you can DL for it, like plug in-s that allow you access to new parts of the world, new items etc...

I am not usually a fan of this type of game patience wise but it was recommended by a friend so I got a copy.

I would have played more but I have a hard time sitting and playing single player games any more for some reason. I still have not played HL2 E2 yet. 🙁

Doc also told me about a few free levels for HL2 that I wanted to play but forgot the names.

I don't do well with the Oblivion engine. I messed with the demo a while back.

Not to mention time is an issue. I can barely fit this in and I really, really want to finish it.

Atomm wrote:I don't do well with the Oblivion engine. I messed with the demo a while back.

Not to mention time is an issue. I can barely fit this in and I really, really want to finish it.

Thats cool. I just wanted to mention it. As I said I have not played it much myself but it was one of the first games of that type that peaked my interest! 🙂

I may check your out at some point when I get my "mind" in a better place 🙂

I liked the 1 Elder Scrolls, haven't played it since then, I would imagine it's quite different now a days? Anyone play the early ones that could tell me?

Comparing Oblivion to the Witcher is not quite right. The Witcher plays along the CRPG linetype and does have a slightly open world, but it is limited as to what you can experience according to story progression. Whereas Oblivion is such an open expanse world that there is no hint as to where should you go next, what to do next.. IMO its like playing a good ole fashioned D&D game without a DM.

Oblivion took the open world genre from Morrowind and blew it up with better graphics and whatnot, but just didn't have enough direction in the storyline for me. I don't want a game where I have to work at making maps and keeping a RL journal as to who/what I need to do and see. Though I admit I have a copy of it lying around and did start it up, just the whole you escape from a prison and are the heir to the kingdom if you fix its problems. Go. Storyline is a little lacking of background to me.

A few more structured quests a little bit more backstory and it would have been sweet to me, Gothic 3 was better in the startout to me, as was Two Worlds [which I only have a demo]. Funny thing is the downfall of Oblivion to me were the mods, to many to chose from and get lost in the tangle. Gothic 3 just fell in the wayside, no real reason probably will pick that up again when I start having more sitdown time with the PC. Hell TwoWorlds would probably be the first OpenWorld game like that that I would willingly play to the finish -dedicated effort- just because the storyline got me and turned into a book with a captivating story instead of the Oblivionesque 'who dunit have to go on a GPS hunt to find the next page book.'

A better comparison would be take NWN or Baldur's Gate and add a lot better graphics, change the top down to an OTS perspective and use Polish fantasy instead of Forgotten Realms fantasy as a setting. Include in that dash of Polish a crapload of grown up conversation and a few 'alternate things to do' but not a crapload, just enough to provide backstory and 'bonus' to those who look for more information but maintain the progression of the storyline. And then change the battle to a timing test and add a bunch of variations in a 3 part rock paper scissors style. Then you have the Witcher.

All in all, I like the Witcher.

FYI, The enhanced version has been released. I've downloaded it for free and will give an update once I have some time to check it out.

Silent's description is really good. If you liked BG or NWN, then you should like this.