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Recent reviews by WhiskeyPete

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147 people found this review helpful
14 people found this review funny
52.6 hrs on record (52.4 hrs at review time)
The Witcher was released almost nine years ago and regularly goes on sale for a couple of dollars or less. The question for today's player isn't so much if the game is worth your money but rather if it's worth your time. The answer, in true Witcher fashion, isn't entirely black and white.

The game for me was, overall, enjoyable. The combat system is unique, and regardless of it's mixed reviews, I found it to be a serviceable and even somewhat cool RPG combat system. The finishers tend to get a bit repetitive but add a nice, and gruesome, touch. Although the main story isn't incredibly epic, the decisions that you make along the way feel like they are, and have a significant impact on certain characters fates. I particularly enjoyed the economic system in the early to mid-game, when you actually feel like you need to put in work to earn those Orens, because everyone has their hand in your coin pouch, and everything you want to accomplish has a price. Unfortunately this fades towards the end of the game as there simply isn't anything left to buy and no one left to bribe. Graphically the game doesn't look bad, it’s got its hiccups sure, but nothing that interferes with playability.

Geralt, despite being one of the ugliest human beings I've ever seen in this particular game, somehow manages to slay more women than monsters--quite an accomplishment considering aptitude for his profession. The dude simply can't miss, and it's undeniably entertaining to see just how many naughty cards you can collect. It also adds an interesting layer of complexity to Geralt's ongoing romance with a certain red-haired sorceress. No matter how serious their relationship tries to become, the White Wolf simply can't stop banging other women. Relationships are hard. Players unfamiliar with the series may find Geralt's character at first take to be bland, dull, or flat out boring. However, once you begin to understand his complexities, his sarcastic and cynical nature, and his convictions, you'll surely come to appreciate this incredibly rich and interesting character as so many others have.

The world map by today's standards is pretty small but the game easily has 50 hours of content. This translates into A TON of backtracking. By the end of Chapter II I was more familiar with the streets of Vizima than my own neighborhood, which is great because the mini-map is zoomed in way too far and makes navigation a little frustrating. I often found myself needing to open the world map just to find a house that was actually ten feet away. NPCs carry on with their daily lives, which at first seems pretty cool, until you're searching for one for twenty minutes because he's not getting drunk at the inn for once and he's slipped off his magical RPG quest-tracking bracelet. Because Geralt's a Witcher, monster contracts play a role in the game, unfortunately most of them are simply kill X number of Y monster and turn in their eyes/teeth/skins/whatever. One of them even has Geralt collecting flowers...??! That's like hiring Agent 47 to assassinate a weed in your garden.

The recycling of NPC textures is somewhat distracting but doesn't ruin the experience. Expect though, to see the same fat guy, skinny guy, and half-naked hooker models reused over and over throughout your adventure. The game also suffers painfully from a gear shortage. I found myself using the same armor and two swords throughout most of my adventure. The difficulty on normal is average, as it should be, but does have some frustrating moments. Too many enemy groups have to ability to stun-lock Geralt, causing him to stagger like a drunken derelict as you helplessly pound on your peripherals for way longer than any doctor recommends.

Mini-games are present; dice poker has you playing poker by rolling dice instead of drawing cards and is ok at first but you'll quickly get tired of it. There are also fist fights which pit Geralt against an array of fighters of supposedly increasing difficulty, however, once you figure out the somewhat wonky fighting mechanics you'll be able to beat the crap out of even the strongest opponents with virtually no effort. Overall, the mini-games felt like they could have been left out and, much like me at a party, no one would have even noticed they weren’t there.

Now, we circle back to our original question; is The Witcher worth your time in 2016? As a fan of The Witcher 3 I certainly found it to be worth mine. Despite it's age and other concerns, the game is still pretty darn good. If you're completely new to the series it would seem like the obvious place to start but I would actually recommend starting with the Witcher 3 and working back to this one. Many may not agree, but the game is 50 hours long and sometimes feels like a slog. If you're not already invested in these stories and characters, and the lore of this world, playing this game first, as a contemporary player, could potentially turn you off to the entire franchise and that would be a shame. If you're a fan of the Witcher 3, like me, and want to experience more content from this world, then there's no reason not to give this game a spin.

Final score: 7/10 RECOMMENDED.

Thank you for reading and good hunting
Posted June 4, 2016.
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