Một phần đưa dòng series lên đỉnh cao và làm bàn đạp quá hoàn hảo cho phần 3 ra sau đó của The Witcher. Game thay đổi khá nhiều nhất là phần combat, đã tay hơn, parry và deflect thoáng hơn, việc chia lại toàn bộ skill tree cũng tốt hơn rất nhiều (không còn mức đánh nặng, trung và nhẹ mà chỉ còn nặng và nhẹ mà thôi) Bên cạnh đó việc đưa thêm hệ thống trap và poison cũng rất hay mặc dù khá yếu về cuối game. Chỉ có sword rune + magic là khỏe để chiến hard mode.

Về cốt truyện, game đưa đến màn đỉnh cao mới với những quyết định mang tính chiến lược cho cả phần 2 này. Nhiều quyết định sẽ rất khó khăn nhưng tin mình đi, nó luôn đi theo một cái giá phải trả nhất định nào đó, không có điều gì là hoàn hảo ở các quyết định cả. Phần 2 này mình vẫn bám theo tuyến non-human, thực sự rất thích một Zoltan nghiêm túc nhưng yuri đúng thời điểm, một thanh niên Iorveth trung thành với con đường mình đã chọn và trolls - những mini-story thật sự thấm đãm nước mắt của những loài sinh vật có trí thông minh nhưng không được xếp chung với thứ mà chúng ta gọi là "giống loài thượng đẳng."

Nhạc nền và hình ảnh cũng rất đẹp, nhạc phần này được đầu tư và có chất lượng hơn hẳn phần 1. Hình ảnh thì khỏi nói rồi, ai chơi qua phần 1 sẽ thấy game lột xác hoàn toàn. Thu thập romance card được sửa lại và thay vào đó là các cảnh sex thực sự được đưa vào với tần suất rất dày đặc trong phần 2 (do chỉ có 3 chapters). Mặc dù vậy, vẫn giữ đúng phong cách cũ của game, bạn có thể sex với đủ mọi thành phần trong xã hội, gái ♥♥♥♥, triss, rau sạch hay cả với succubus....

Nhược điểm game là hơi ngắn so với phần 1, chắc do chapter 2 được làm với 2 cốt truyện riêng rẽ nên chơi lại cũng rất mất thời gian. Việc bố trí các nhiệm vụ ở chapter 2 vì thế cũng không được mạch lạc và bug ở rất nhiều chỗ, thậm chí còn kéo đến cả chapter 3. Thêm vào đó, lip sync đôi lúc hơi bị lệch và phần dẫn truyện có phần hơi bị khó hiểu, một phần do kí ức của Geralt bị chắp vá và rời rạc theo từng phần, nên rất khó theo rõi.

Với những gì mà game làm được, đây xứng đáng là kẻ kế thừa hoàn hảo cho phần 1 The Witcher và làm tiền đề cho các game ARPG với rich story chất lừ như hiện nay.

Đánh giá chung: 9/10 (hard mode + tuyến Iorveth + không giết Letho + tha cho Saskia, vua Henselt...) chắc có lẽ do quá hiền và khoan dung trong các quyết định của minh, về cuối đôi lúc thấy tiếc chính vì lòng khoan dung đó mà kẻ ác lại được ung dung tiếp tục lộng hành hơn nữa...

Here's the truth:

- CD Projekt Red announces Cyberpunk 2077.
- I never played any of the Witcher games till then.
- "Oh no gotta play Witcher 3 everyone's crazy about it"
- But I like a good story, can't skip Witcher 1 and 2.
- Play Witcher 1 - 40+ hours - dammit.
- Play Witcher 2 - 30+ hours and not really an open world but still an amazing story and totally into the characters - dammit.
- Play Witcher 3 - 50+ hours and not even finished 20% of the game - dammit.

I promise you though, when you are old and dying and look back on your life and wonder where did I waste my time, this will not be one of them. Totally worth it.

At first I was a bit hesitant to play this game because I don't typically like fantasy RPG themed games. I do like games that have deep and mature narratives. I also like games with complex combat mechanics. I heard that this game was very good at these things, so I decided to give it a try.

The story is very good. It is also very complex so it is important to pay attention to the dialog. Player choices definitely have an impact on the game world and many choices are morally ambiguous which tie-in well to the mature theme of the story. What impressed me the most was how much impact player choice dynamically altered the game world and the direction of the story. The game has 8 different endings based on the player's decisions. This is also the only game that I have ever played that completely alters the main quest line depending on these choices. This means that you will not see every main story quest, characters and locations unless you play the game through multiple times. Many games that change the world based on choices usually do so using trickery that gives you the "illusion" of choice. The developers of this game actually took the time to create all of the extra story content instead of using tricks and this gives the Witcher 2 a ton of replayability.

The combat system in this game is also very deep and challenging. You will carry a steel sword to take care of humanoid opponents and you will carry a silver sword to deal with monsters. Knowing when to switch is important to dealing proper damage to your target. Combat also requires proper preparation so the player will need to know how and when to use magical signs, place traps, drink potions, oil swords and use bombs and other Witcher tricks to get the job done. Simply wading into the combat only slashing away with a sword will often times get you killed. Combat can take some time to get used to and is definitely a refreshing departure from simply auto targeting and mashing a single button.

Visuals are very impressive and it is very apparent that the developers took a lot of time in creating the environments for the game. Music is outstanding and the score sets the tone appropriately.

One of the few downsides that I can think of is the disparity of the difficulty levels. Normal difficulty can be daunting with the complex combat mechanics and is a bit harder than the normal difficulty level of similar games. Easy is a nod to RPG beginners, but is so easy that you can ignore most of the combat mechanics and simply survive every encounter by using only the swords. The only other downside that I had with the game was related to map design. I found navigation on some of the maps to be overly complicated and I spent a lot of time simply wandering about trying to find a way to get to certain points on the map. Other than these two small quibbles I found the game design to be very solid and entertaining.

Lots of content in this game. My playthrough took about 40 hours doing most of the side activities, and I mostly took my time without rushing things. Additional playthroughs would be required to see the other 7 endings and to play the other story paths leading up to those endings. You can easily get hundreds of hours out of this game if you wanted to explore all of these options so lots of replay value as I mentioned earlier.

I highly recommend this game. I understand that the Witcher 3 is supposed to expand to a much more open world environment and have even more non-linear story options. After playing Witcher 2 I am looking forward to playing the upcoming sequel when it comes out.

Warning before buying this game TOO MUCH PLOT.
Do you like games with main stories with perfect, detailed, explanation?
Do you wanna rush main quests like maniac, to learn what's next?
Do you like multiple characters in main quest with their own stories and desires?
Do you wanna know who's behind everything?
Do you like to get the ability of choosing your character's fate?
Are you a hardcore gamer? (Play this on the Insane Difficulty)
Do you have bad pc?
Then this game is for you!
It's really unmissable when on sale it only costs 3$..

Having played all three Witcher games, you should buy all of them except for one. Then buy the books. Then be depressed because you've exhausted all of the content in the Witcher universe. Then go back to Witcher one and play it anyway because you love Geralt but hate yourself.

First off, know that The Witcher 2 is not a game that will hold your hand. If you're thinking about purchasing this, know that to get the most out of this game you need to be prepared to fully immerse yourself in the experience and pay attention to what is going on. This a game which deals with many adult themes such as politics, racism and sex to deliver a mature and complex game supported by rich lore and stunning visuals.

The writing and storytelling is exceptional throughout and the moral ambiguity and choices are second to none. The gameplay, in particular the combat, is an acquired taste but offers a refreshing level of depth and potential for improvisation when compared to games in a similar genre. Sound design and voice acting is also of high quality, with the environments coming to life through impressive visual and audio support and characters each sporting distinct personalities and prejudices.

It is also worth mentioning that if you have played the first Witcher game, your choices and gear will be reflected via an imported save in The Witcher 2, however the choices have limited effect and it is not necessary to play the first game to enjoy the second (however you will be at a slight disadvantage in some situations).

In my honest opinion the experience as a whole is unparalleled, and The Witcher 2 is easily the most enjoyable and immersive RPG I have played in recent memory. I would also advise reading the books by Andrzej Sapkowski as these offer an interesting insight into the protagonist's past. But back to the game, overall I would highly recommend The Witcher 2 to anyone with at least a passing interest in the RPG genre, it is the definition of a complete gaming package with spectacular production values and a lasting impression.

As a major improvement from the first title(the first is still a fantastic game, don't get me wrong), The Witcher 2 marks a milestone not only for CD Projekt RED, but a landmark for which other games fall short of. Too often a game preaches where choices matter and regardless of what you choose the outcome is the same. This title puts you back in the hands of Geralt of Rivia; however, this time, the consequences of your actions merit even greater twists and deeper turns. Not only changing the NPC's outlook on you; instead, you may find yourself in a completely different area of the game had you chosen your actions otherwise. To stack on the improvements, this game features a much smoother combat system and graphical enhancements so beautiful, you will need a new F12 key (screenshot) by the time you finish this story once.

As an avid explorer of games, one play through of this game granted roughly 50 hours of play time on Hard difficulty. With bigger titles for $60 giving a mere 10 hours of game play, at $20 this instalment is a steal already, let alone when it is discounted. If you enjoyed the first game, or even if you hated the first game and couldn't get over the combat, this should make its way to your library.

Witcher 2 is my favorite game. It is a solid RPG with a lot of action and a brilliant story. It is very mature in a lot of its themes and situations. This game is based on novels written by a Polish authornamed Andrzej Sapkowski. You play as Geralt, a Witcher, or a genetically enhanced monster hunter. They have been described as a kind of warrior monk. Geralt drinks special potions that let him far exceed the abilities of normal humans. These potions are needed to battle the various beasts of the realms. Witchers also have a very limited understanding of magical energy called Witcher's Signs. Basically the Signs are spells, like a fireball and a paralysis trap spell and a few others. Geralt is an interesting character because he is not quite human but hes not a monster either. Due to their methods and abilities, however, many in the world see Witchers as freaks and monsters. Which is really what the game's ideology is all about; the greyness in everyone, not the clear cut black and white. Which to me, is a welcome change from the usual: 1) "hey I'm a good guy I will help you" 2) "Not my problem Kachinsky" 3) F*** YOU F*** FACE," that many other game are notorious for. Geralt is often put in positions of just making a choice, not good or evil, just difficult decisions that have a lot of positives and negatives to them. The story is top notch, and eerily real in many of the stuggles of the world.

Geralt has a set of skill trees (sword, magic, alchemy) that the player can advance in any way. All into one or spliced between the three. Sword fighting is a core mechanic though, so no matter how you play, Geralt will always have two swords. A silver sword for monsters, and a normal sword for humans. There are a few other weapons too but mostly its swords. Depending on the player preference combat can be a bit like the Batman games, or the Assassins Creed games. In some ways it can be like Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. Weapons and armor play a big part as well and can effect all of the skill trees. Making the game very balanced between gear and character tree choices. Not to the crazy levels of a Diablo game but enough to make for a very quality rpg.

Mostly though, Witcher 2 is a lot like skyrim. I do not want to bash on skyrim here, it is also a great game that a lot of people absolutely love. I feel, however, that Witcher is far better than skyrim and think the people that love skyrim should try the Witcher. Both games have the northern lore and feel. Witcher 2 is no where near as large or open as skyrim. Witcher is much more linear but the story and combat and the world just feel so much better in every way to me. The enemies and the different races were better portrayed during the game. When I came to a new town in skyrim I did not get that feeling of truly new. Just another town and another barbarian guy leading it. Witcher was totally different, you get the feeling of racial tensions and social tensions in every part. The powers that be are very different and each very developed and very human. As it plays out you really see how the choices alter the world, instead of it coming down to "OK I'm a good guy so I will save good guy town." A lot of games try to get that feeling across of the characters true M.O. and demeanor but fail. Witcher acomplishes this very well. Triple AAA quality. Superb graphics, superb voice acting. I enjoyed every character. There were a few times, of course, where some tones were a bit off but that happens in every game. Overall amazing game. When I learned that this game was made by a small studio in Poland I was shocked.

As someone who never read any of the books and did not play the first game, I found that after a second playthrough the story and everyhting started to click and I realised how well done everything really was. The way the game is, one would want to play it at least twice to see both sides of what is going on.
It seems as though more than a few people found the game to be really difficult. It can be, but now there are plenty of guides and discussions about it. The game has a kind of reverse curve for the difficulty. It is much harder in the beginning due to a lack of points in the skill tree and low grade weapons and armor. By the end though, Geralt is pretty much on par with jezuz. I like games of this nature, because being really stong at the end makes it feel like you really acomplished something.

This game also has subtitles in many languages so I found it made a great gift for steam friends who are not natural to the english language.

I would reccommend this game to anyone. Especially anyone who likes Skyrim, Assassin's Creed, Batman, Chivalry, Darksouls, Lord of the Rings or any games like them.

Originally released in 2011, The Witcher 2 flew under the radar for a lot of people and was overshadowed by the ever-popular Skyrim. While not as well known, The Witcher 2 offers a much stronger narrative along with solid gameplay, beautiful graphics, and varied areas.

You once again play as the Witcher; Geralt, who finds himself protecting King Foltest of Temaria after an assassination attempt. Ultimately, the second attempt succeeds and Geralt is framed for the murder. After escaping from a Temarian dungeon, Geralt decides to track down the real kingslayer in order to clear his name while trying to piece together his fragmented memory.

The game is separated into three chapters each with their own main area along with a handful of side-quests. These areas are structured and paced well, allowing room for exploration without straying too far from the main storyline. The decisions you make along the way directly influence the narrative and can have a dramatic effect on the rest of the game. For example; decisions made in the first chapter can completely change the second, allowing plenty of room for re-playability. The game also features multiple endings, which vary based on your choices.

The choices are morally ambiguous; there is no clear right or wrong answer in most cases. It’s more about choosing a side and watching the events unfold. While the first Witcher game focused more on slaying monsters, Geralt is trapped in the middle of political turmoil in this installment. These elements of the story add an additional level of complexity and immersion as the game feels almost similar to a season of Game of Thrones. Playing the first game is by no means necessary to enjoying The Witcher 2 as it provides plenty of backstory as well as a solid and cohesive narrative.

The combat is solid as the game will have you balance between swordplay, magic, as well as parrying and dodging. The use of traps can also add an additional level of strategy and planning to most encounters. There is also the inclusion of alchemy, allowing Geralt to drink various potions each with different passive bonuses as well as negative side effects. The potions are generally used on a trial and error basis though, since Geralt isn’t able to use them during combat. The game does provide a reasonable challenge, especially on the harder difficulties, which is refreshing compared to a lot of other titles released these days.

Orens, the main currency in the game is rather scarce, placing a large emphasis on crafting. The crafting system is solid and will have you hoarding as many resources as possible in order to create various armor, traps, weapons, and upgrades.

CD Projekt Red is a company that really loves their fans. While other developers release paid DLC, CDPR released an Enhanced Edition at no additional cost which added multiple cut-scenes, quests, and additional polish.

The soundtrack is fantastic, as it really adds an epic feel to the game. The voice acting for the main characters is top-notch while some of the acting for the additional characters is re-used but that is to be expected considering the overall length of the game.

The graphics are absolutely stunning, as the environments are extremely detailed and varied. The character models and armor look great, although the facial animations can be a bit stiff and lifeless at times. You really have to look hard for low-res textures as even the smallest objects are carefully rendered.

Overall, The Witcher 2 is a game that should be played by anyone that is a fan of the genre. It features benchmark graphics, a top-shelf narrative, and offers plenty of content along with elements of re-playability.

For a much more detailed and thorough review, here’s a video I edited together for my friend Trent:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEPbEpWHMeo

The Witcher 2 also made our list for the greatest games released over the past 8 years. If you’re curious to see how it stacks up, check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWIHmom_lP4

Pros:
+ Choices actually shape the game adding elements of re-playability
+ Excellent graphics
+ Engaging main quest and side quests
+ Combat massively improved from the first title
+ Solid Voice Acting

Cons
- No potions in combat can lead to trial and error
- Stiff Facial Animations
- I experienced a few bugs and random crashes. (This wasn’t a huge deal though since the game has frequent auto-saves.)


If you enjoyed this review, feel free to follow me as a Steam Curator: http://store.steampowered.com/curator/4886473/

Before I start this review, I want to everyone to know that I played this game in January 2022 more than a decade after its release & mind you I have done 2 full playthroughs of the its Sequel the Witcher 3. I shall try my best to be unbiased and avoid any kind of fanboyism. Also, will NOT compare it to the latest gen games released in the previous 8 to 10 years.

The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings REVIEW

A decade ago back in 2010 & 2011
the AAA games of the RPG category were

2010:
i) Red Dead Redemption
ii) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
iii) God of War 3
2011:
i) Batman Arkham City
ii) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
iii) Darks Souls
iv) Uncharted 3
v) Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Introduction:

Now let’s come to the actual review it leaves me utterly shocked that The Witcher 2 had to compete with such a list of legendary games of their time back in 2010-2011, each one of the games mentioned above were major hits, minus one or two.

Being a crazy Witcher 3 fan in the back of my mind I kept on comparing it with its sequel obviously which is unfair, I kept on telling myself NO just NO, but the more I played the more I wanted to play it further.

Story:

The story of Witcher world is without any doubt one the best fantasy stories written from its lore to its smallest character. The same is the case of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. It seems as if you are actually living the journey and believe me playing its sequel beforehand numerous times, it makes so much sense. It's mind blowing, almost like huge blanks of the Witcher 3 story are getting filled in your brain, From the origins of The Wild Hunt to the rarity and dying professions of Witchers. Then something which boggles your mind in TW2, is the two extreme sides of Witchers, one being Geralt a chivalrous Witcher who is all for good deeds and as he claims choosing the lesser evil, then we have Letho, Auckes & Serrit ex Witchers from the School of Viper who have become assassins & puppets of the power players of the Continent i.e. Kings & Mages etc.

I would give the story a solid 10 of 10.

Gameplay:

When it comes to gameplay mechanics in the beginning repeatedly I would keep on telling myself again and again, stop comparing it with The Witcher 3 and the newer RPG games which came after it. The gameplay to my surprise was quite good actually, you get used to Geralt kind of playing dance with his sword and whirling. The way Geralt ran / Walked it seemed a tad bit unrealistic, the Witcher signs and how they worked seemed even better than TW3. The monster attacks were almost at par to that of the TW3 I would say way less annoying. I like the random TW2 monsters they're way less aggressive and deadly, especially the Drowners. It's kind of a let-down how Geralt doesn't jump, which RPG games of 2010 & 2011 RPG characters did jump, also I missed not having roach and no fast travelling, which meant a lot time was spent just walking but at the same time it is not a full open world game like the countless games which came after it. A flaw which used to frustrate me was that Geralt would use the wrong sword and you had to switch to your other sword mid fight / combat.

I would give the gameplay 7.5 out of 10

Interface:

The interface of TW2 is probably the worst things about this game, don't even get me started how badly the map sucked. You literally had to zoom in and then it would be of no use would leave the player further confused and the legends / markers on the map made no sense what so ever. When it came to Alchemy, brewing & drinking potions it was not as easy as it should have been. Now let’s talk of the loot and crafting items. There was loot with you which made no sense what so ever as they were quests items which you needlessly held on even though that quest line was over ages ago. Thankfully crafting your gear was quite easy and not that complicated. The journal was quite simple and easy to navigate, to figure out your Quests and other important stuff.

I would give the interface a 4 out of 10

Optimization:

When it comes Optimization it's not just the stability it’s the entire graphical as well the technical aspect which I could understand or think off. My opinion is games and their stability / optimization should only be given a judgment upon on their initial release like a month or two Max, which is pointless after a decade. I have an i9 9900k, RTX 3070Ti & 32GB Ram, I play all my games at native 4K with G - Sync on. The game worked perfectly but in certain situations it felt as if it had a clash going on with my multiple monitor setup, then it has a bug in which after the end of chapter 1 the game gets stuck on the loading screen, it only gets resolved when you play that same quest on the windowed mode, then it never occurs again. Talking about the graphics they're really good for 2011. I am not going to dwell on the fact what I didn't like about the graphics as it's irrelevant my assumptions are totally based on my minds comparison with latest games. I would end by talking about the sound a bit, the Background music was truly artistic and never went out of synchronization with the visuals. A job well done by the creative and sound team.

I would give the Optimization 7 out of 10

Conclusion:

I would recommend this game to every RPG player especially if they looking for both a storyline and gameplay. Mind you, if you play this then you have to play TW3 which is something else entirely. The TW3 players who haven't played TW2 you have to try it out but mind you, tune your mind and please think you live in 2011 otherwise you will compare it with newer games and would fail to enjoy. I am definitely going to go for another TW3 playthrough.

I am going to give the The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings a total of 7 / 10. I wish I could give it more but there are certain things which can't be ignored.