The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Although 'The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings' happens to be my least favourite game in the trilogy, I still found it very enjoyable. It begins with a very exciting introduction, and the new combat system is well-explained in the opening quests. Also rather early in the game we meet the antagonist of 'Assassins of Kings'.

My favourite of all the 'Witcher' villains is from this second instalment: Letho of Gulet. Letho is a man of colossal proportions, and matches his incredible power with a sharp, cunning mind. Some of the other characters introduced in this game are also rather memorable, but none so much as Letho. The perfectly written villain is just one element of a very good story.

These days, we're all familiar with RPGs offering players a choice. We were also very familiar with this feature five years ago when this game released. Still, none of the games I've played have offered a choice quite as significant as one of the ones presented in this game, in which your selection will change at least 6-8 hours of gameplay.

I wish this game had been as open to explore as the other 'Witcher' games, and I think more investment in side quests could have been made. Still, play 'Assassins of Kings' and you'll be signing up for a first-rate fantasy adventure, full of highly entertaining battles and well-written, well-acted characters.

A good game nearly ruined by inconsistent difficulty and frustrating or unreliable mechanics. It has sadly contracted Xbox consolitis (on top of the first game's already mediocre controls). You may have to mash a button 5 times before it registers. Many quests and scripted sequences are convoluted and confusing, leading to excessive trial and error gameplay. Often I had to trawl forums and wikis for help. Combat is more difficult & realistic but some fights seem far too difficult, as if the difficulty setting randomly changes. At least TW1 was consistently too easy. But despite its flaws, this is an atmospheric game set in a detailed believable world, that continues the great story of Geralt of Rivia. Absolutely worth getting in a steam sale, but you may want to play it on 'easy' even if you are an experienced gamer.

Right after playing Witcher 1, I played Witcher 2. I was so into the story of the game, that it made me excited to play the second one right away. In my opinion, the story of Witcher 2 is better than the first game. The game references a lot of things from the books, and explains more of the characters and their personalities. It not only makes you choose who to kill and who to spare, and with all those small decisions you make, it all adds up in the end.

Game play wise, I'm not a big fan of it. Starting with the potions, I already hate how you can't drink or make them whenever you want. Especially at times you needed them the most, such as during battle. Unlike on the first game, where you can drink potions during battle, here you have to go to a safe place, meditate, to create or drink a potion. I get that you have to do that to improve your character, but with potions, it's just a waste of time. The map doesn't really tell much, and it's hard to navigate. Aside from the fact that the map is small, the legends and markings are very difficult to navigate and understand. I find myself always getting lost, or have to constantly look at the map whenever I have to go places. Quests can be time consuming because of this. Unlike in the first game, the map always guides you where you have to go during such quests. Here, you just have to explore more. I also don't like how the game feels laggy. Like, you have to stop for a moment and do your signs for them to activate. I think the only thing I like is how you can swing your sword and kill your enemy faster compared to the first game.

Background music is eh. I feel like they recycle what they have in Witcher 1. I'm not saying that it's bad, I just think that they could have done better. Although there's a lot of things I don't like about the game, there are still things that make me want to continue playing it because of the characters. Monsters here are amazing. You get to see new kinds of monsters and different techniques on how to kill them, or if you're being nice, spare their lives. The characters I like the most are Letho and Saskia. Their beliefs and opinions matter the most throughout the game. Knowing their side of the story and understanding what they want to achieve makes you want to root for them. In the end, it matters what you choose to believe, and act on it.

The ending of the game was really good. Not only because of the last fight, and the last decision you have to make, but also what happened after that. The ending will make your heart excited for what the next game has to offer. I will still recommend to play this game because you'll miss out on the good stuff that the game has to offer.

the game is full of bugs and I don't understand how it is possible that the game has lag if it is not an online and/or multiplayer game. for example the game does not charge or gets very slow... it is not may computer as I actually can run withcer 3 properly. aslso the action start before you have the posibilty to use the comands.The camera and controls in general, are just unbelievably bad. It is clumsy and unprecisly, makes it a little difficult to loot sometimes, some fight combats looks a bit ugly because of it, and it is just enoying that you run around/running into things and people like a confused animal or something. don't waste money better just go to see the movie

Game takes place in 1271, one year after the first game. King Foltest has appointed Geralt, who saved him from an assassin, as his personal bodyguard. The king is also at war with his mistress mary louisa la valette. For those who are new to the RPG genre, I recommend you to read the tutorial section of the game carefully. The tutorial will give you clues about the mechanics and gameplay system. I don't recommend skipping it if you are new. There is also a playable part of the game called "arena" outside the main story. Here you can develop Geralt with various monsters and bandits and take on challenging fighting tournaments by taking followers with you.

Those who played the previous game may find Witcher 2 a bit complicated. Because the fighting mechanics are very detailed this time. Everything has been made much more difficult, for example, you need to be skilled to use things like melee combat, potions, signs, bombs, traps, etc. Efficiently against your opponents. Gameplay changes include strong and weak hit combinations, the elimination of potions during combat, the ability to meditate without needing a campfire, and a quick select button for spells and traps. You just need to press CTRL to access this area of the game and there is joystick support as well.

As for the graphics, the character modeling, environment and landscape designs are close to perfect for the era the game came out. I can say that they still look good even today. However, you will need a powerful system to fully enjoy this experience. For some of the experimental graphics settings, you need to have a system above the recommended system requirement. Don't forget that if you have a finished save from the previous game, you can transfer it to Witcher 2.

However, you may encounter some of the choices you made in the first game and some of your old items may appear in your inventory. Compared to the first game, Witcher 2 is a much better action role-playing game that challenges you with visual quality, new twists, new surprises, a more immersive story and gameplay mechanics. It is a must buy and must play. The game offers an average of 35 hours of gameplay.