The Game Of The Decade Is Here!

The original Witcher was a great game, whereas the sequel was even better, bigger and more beautiful in every aspect. Following on this trend of building upon and improving their achievements, CD PROJEKT RED, the small Polish developer that has humbled gaming behemoths for years, released their best game yet. And what a game THE WITCHER III: WILD HUNT is!

THE BEST VIRTUAL WORLD I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED

Yes, the world of The Witcher III is huge, far larger than Skyrim. Far more importantly though, it feels more real and it is full of life.

The game throws you in a world of unparalleled beauty with details that keep unfolding the closer you observe it. Every spade of grass and every pebble looks real and obeys the laws of physics as set by the new REDengine. From the night and day and weather cycles to gear that gets damaged and needs to be repaired by blacksmiths and from growing facial hair to NPCs with real lives, the world of The Witcher absorbs you in and never, ever lets you go. The flames of Igni feel absolutely real as do bodies of water. Beasts and humans will do the unexpected whereas the skies sheltering your travels are absolutely mesmerizing. One can easily spend hours in the game simply observing the gorgeous world around him.

There are some concessions to absolute realism one can take advantage off (quick traveling and in-battle repairs for example); however, purists can ignore them and sink in the extra hours to go old school. 

Now, all these come at a price. A couple of weeks ago, I made sure to upgrade to a nVidia 960 (pouring with a brand new 352.86 driver) and 12GB of RAM just for this game (at some point, CD PROJEKT has to ask ASUS for dividends!) and the game runs smoothly at Ultra. 

(Also, no save-files crashes this time around. So far).

AN EPIC SCORE FOR AN EPIC STORY
Once more, the music is an essential part of both the atmosphere and the gaming experience. The composers are different than those of the previous games and this translates into a novel approach to the world of Geralt of Rivia. You will recognize a number of variations on themes from the previous games and it feels like meeting old friends, matured yet still dear to you; however, I found the music more subtle and effective and not less powerful.

CHOOSE YOUR WEAPONS OF DESTRUCTION WISELY
Remember the days form the very first Witcher when you basically finished the game with the same sword and kept saving every last oren to buy the 5,000O leather jacket? Well, Geralt not only yields an extra crossbow but he also enjoys an ever growing choice of armor and weapons. Combine this with a huge library of books and an endless supply of potion and bombs ingredients and you will soon find your hero to be overburdened. And then you realize that there is no storage chest! Not to worry, the game now employes Roach's saddlebag (buy it as soon as possible and enlarged it). This way your storage is always close by. And, take my advice, do not sell anything! From ingredients to older swords, you will need them for crafting. And even find loot is abundant, it always feel great to gather all the ingredients to finally forge a sword or a piece of armor whose schematics you had been carrying for some time.

IT'S ALL ABOUT CONTROLLING THE WORLD AROUND YOU
Some people have been complaining about the PC controls and, up to a point, I can understand why. As with all games, I remap almost everything so that I am able to use only the right end of the keyboard (arrows for movement are default here but I use the Num-keys 1-5 to select my Sign, Num-0 to use it, / for the steel sword, * for the silver one, and so on). The game is enjoyable when set at the highest difficulty one can survive at so having quickly accessible controls are essential. That is why I hope to see a key-rebinding option Menu soon and not have to dive in the input.settings file.


The Expansion Pass will cover the Expansion (as per CD PROJEKT RED's practices, all DLCs are to be free). And if they are known for anything is offering a more than fair value for the released products.

WITH MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS!

And The Outliers Shall Inherit The Earth

Outliers and oddities are the signs of any healthy group or population. And by healthy I mean fit-to-survive. Because when change comes (and it inevitably comes), there will be blood but there will also be options. What was considered strange will now prove invaluable, and what was scorned will now be coveted.

The Gaming Industry is run by a small number of people at the top. They are no better or worse than the average Joe. They too have instances of brilliance and weeks of mental slumber; they too rely on luck and intimidation and connections to jump ahead; they too get scared and frustrated and greedy. Petty competition breeds fear and fear is not the best consul for one's character. The problem is that, because of the power they yield in the industry, their flaws get amplified and their bad decisions have a far greater impact. And nothing can take ways the bad aftertaste of been treated like cattle, to be herded in and milked again and again.

By buying out (and closing up) numerous gaming studios they have managed to consolidate their market share and lay the tracks towards their pay-per-play vision of the future. It all seems uniform and homogenized and inescapable. But, we only think there are no alternative options. There are plenty. And the experience they can offer far surpasses the miserly pay-for-as-long-as-our-servers-will-tolerate-you. Indie developers and independent studios are like grass and wild flowers: no matter how much ferroconcrete and weedkiller is applied, life and human creativity will find a way to break trough and thrive. 

A great example is CD PROJEKT RED, a small gaming studio from Poland. These guys came out of nowhere to bring us, so far, two of the greatest cRPG games ever produced, The Witcher and The Witcher II: Assassins of Kings. And that is not all. They proved to both stand behind their product and to show respect to their customers. Each game got a totally redesigned edition a year following its release. They gave it away to their customers for free. The did the same thing with every single DLC that was released: their customers received them for free as well.

This added value to their product, convincing more people to buy it. And when we do, we feel like valued friends. 

It is game developers and gaming studios like that we need to keep supporting. They are the hope that when it hits the fan (and it always does at the end!), there will be a robust PC gaming community to carry on.

Some days ago The Witcher III was announced. It is to be the last of the Geralt of Rivia Trilogy. I think it is the only game that can persuade me to switch from my trusted WindowsXP to Win7. And that is saying a lot. 

Taking Down An Angel

Only three years in it, and CyberPunk 2077 is the most anticipated release of the decade.

CD PROJECT RED, the gaming Studio behind the legendary Witcher Series is bringing together mature Role-Playing Gaming in a Gibsonian hard-boiled cyberpunk setting.

Based on Mike Podsmith's 1990 Cyberpunk 2020 pen-and-paper RPG, the story has been hinted to borrow and pay homage to numerous pillars of the genre, from Blade Runner to the Sprawl Trilogy.  

Fixers and Nomads, NetRunners and Techies, Razor-Girl Psychos and Max-Tacs - the mix keeps getting ever more explosive by each passing week.

Will it hold until its release in 2015?

The Great Game Of Witchers

In 2007 a small Eastern European game developer (CD PROJEKT RED)...shows BIOWARE how to use their own Aurora engine. The original Witcher was the game that Neverwinter Nights had promised (but never managed) to be. Two years later BIOWARE picks up the glove and comes back with a strong response, the masterpiece Dragon Age: Origins. Unfortunately, its sequel, Dragon Age 2, does not live up to expectations. And this is all the opening the perfect sequel needed to come in and, once more, steal the show.

THIS IS HOW TO MAKE A cRPG SEQUEL!

There was to be an Xbox version of this game (and, probably a PS3 one later on). Nevertheless, The Witcher 2 is a game designed from start to finish for the PC. In an age when 7-8 years old consoles set the standard this is very important. From the brand new engine to the very last script line, everything that could be recreated from scratch was and everything that could be improved shows improvement.  

The story is now even deeper; the graphics are several notches higher (even better than most modern First-Person Shooters); character development has been both streamlined and more balanced; equipping Geralt is now more detailed whereas loot is abundant.

It is possible (although not necessary) to import your character from the first Witcher. If, like me, you liked the original game, you will simply love the sequel.

LOOK AT THE SKY: IT IS THE WITCHING HOUR - EVERY HOUR!

The graphics are simply A-MA-ZING! I like the way the rock formations catch the moving shadows and how the wind stirs up dust. I like the subtle movement of the grass and the exploding colors of the wild flowers. I like the textures of the clothes, the shine of the armor and the glint of the swords. I like the way the sun gets in your eyes and the way rays of light play with the tree foliage.

What is also important, these graphics and dynamic lighting are achieved even on medium-built systems. Even more impressively, the game is set in a day/night cycle, and this is reflected not only on the levels of ambient light but also on the activities of the surrounding world.

THE WORLD AROUND YOU COMES TRULY ALIVE

Remember how in most RolePlaying games approaching a Non-Playing Character (NPC) usually means he or she would utter any one of a small number of preset phrases? After a while, you have heard them all and it got very predictable. Well, prepare to be surprised. Again and again.

This is a world you will truly be immersed into. A world that wakes up, goes to work, gossips, bickers and barters, and unwinds in the tavern. Walk the same streets at night and they are eerily empty. And that is without taking into account the ever changing weather!

The immersion is so total for yet two other reasons: not only is the world fully open from the very beginning (no blocked areas or closed bridges!) but there are no loading delays between areas (only between chapters).

THE LIFE OF A WITCHER IS NEVER BORING

Geralt is a real warlock, combining a mix of sword fighting with potions and spells. These are the three main character developing trees, Swordmaster, Alchemist or Mage. Sword moves, potion ingredients and spells can be combined - and all choices are meticulously balanced.

With the original Witcher it took me a while to master the timed sword-strokes - but it was really satisfying after that. In the sequel, sword-fighting has been simplified to the classic mod - and that is one of the gripes I have with this game (yes, us gamers are sure fickle!). The other is the short dialogue options. I like my cRPGs wordy.

Now, the story is far from being linear. Choices matter and choosing a path will bifurcate the story, most of the times irrevocably. And the story in The Witcher 2 is as important as the fighting.

What I also appreciated was the return of consequences. Those of you who have played Baldur's Gate Saga know that bashing or picking the lock of a chest was a punishable offense if anyone saw you. In contrast, in Dragon Age: Origins you could rob the town blind and (quite unrealistically) the NPCs could not care less. Well, in this game, your character better behave or face the ever vigilant guards.

ADJUST TO YOUR ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF BINDING. AND, THEN, THE DREAM

The first retail versions of this game came with a simple disc-check, implemented by SecuROM. If you own Fallout 3, for example, you have experienced the same thing. Compared to the customer-abusing schemes out there (UBISOFT's and 2K-GAMES' ears should be burning at this point) I find this solution not ideal but palatable. And yet it gets better: the game is now DRM-FREE!  

Even from launch, acknowledging the fact that most gamers would rather not have to deal even with this mild version of DRM, the developers made sure to also release a (digital) GOG version of the game which was DRM-free. Then, the very first patch (and all patches can be applied by simply using the game's launcher), removed all traces of the DRM. The Enhanced edition that came later was DRM-free from the very beginning.

Just for thinking like a gamer and truly respecting their customers, CD PROJEKT RED gets full marks in my books!

A FINAL SPELL

I have only praises for this magnificent sequel to a great game. It was one of the rare cases when I pre-ordered a game before I knew anything about it and was rewarded with a game that exceeded my highest expectations.  I do have some advice for the game developers though.

First, keep showing the same respect to your customers and you will see that gamers know how to repay this with equal respect and loyalty. And finally, when the mega-publishers show up at your door with their mesmerizing bags of money, try to remember what happened to so many great game developing groups in the past that did not resist to temptation.

With my Highest Recommendations!

(and not only because, as promised, all of their past and future DLCs are free!)

The World Of The Witchers

I bought The Last Wish on the strength of the first Witcher PC game but could not find time to read it before completing the second one. It matters not in what sequence one experiences them but if unfamiliar with the Witcher universe, I would suggest starting with this book.

It is more of a collection of stories about Gearalt of Rivia, a witcher also known as the White Wolf, and his world than a fantasy novel. It is part of a series that, unfortunately, is not translated and published in English in the author's intended sequence.

This is a world full of Eastern European lore, greedy kings, scheming princes, starving elves, bickering dwarfs, seducing witches, wizards on the run, mythical creatures and hideous monsters - and the rare witcher to keep them all in balance.

The stories, however, are more independent of one another than usual and even if some of them converge, in the end this reads as part of a series than a standalone novel.

Recommended to fantasy fans and RPG gamers alike.

The Other Half Of The Witcher's Sky

I am going to go against the current here but I actually enjoyed the Blood of Elves, this third collection of The Witcher stories, better than the first book, The Last Wish. In fact, I found this to be more of an actual novel than the first one which was more of a collection of loosely interconnected stories.

Scheming knights and short-tempered dwarfs; charming elves and enchanting witches; monsters and monster-slayers; greedy kings and the thickening of the fog of war; conspiring wizards and the law of Surprise.And in a world in turmoil, Geralt of Rivia, the White Wolf, is entrusted with Ciri, the girl of prophesy - and his destiny. Whichever that may be.

Too bad the publisher did not consider it necessary to translate and publish the second book of the series, The Sword of Destiny. It would had tied the story of the Witcher much better together.

Sure, it may not be canonical literature but it is a great fantasy book to bring to the beach or take to your comfortable armchair during a rainy weekend. For its genre, it is a great book.

Recommended to fantasy fans and RPG gamers alike.

Gaming As It Should Be!

Were I a member of the gaming Industry right now (especially one of the 500-lbs gorillas the likes of EA and Activision/Blizzard) I would hang my head in shame. Because where conglomerates with literally thousands of employees have failed, a small Eastern European company of less than 30 people taught them all what gaming should look and feel like and how it should be marketed.

Who of the multi-billion gaming "giants" ever went back to rework and improve a game already released? And then offer the new enhanced version to their customers for Free?  Yet, there you have it: thanks to CD PROJEKT RED gaming as an art-form is still alive and kicking!

The Witcher was the most awaited fantasy cRPG in the past 3 years. Not only did the original deliver, but even more work has gone into truly improving it.When first released this was one of the most beautiful Role-Playing Games I ever played - and now, now it is gorgeous.

The environments are detailed, realistic, and can be experienced from up close. Grass, flowers and tree branches moved in both Fable and Titan Quest as well; these, however, seem so true I caught myself reaching for my...antihistamines! Weather affects and day-night alterations (you have to see the elongating shadows to believe them!) are just gorgeous! More importantly, these are not just eye-candy: certain NPCs and monsters appear only when the correct combination of time-of-day and weather coincide...The horizon is far and the clouds move in endless variations. It reminded me of the sky of the original Unreal, another visually ground-breaking game at its time. Pure. Visual. Magic.

The character (Geralt) can master both sword-fighting and magic spells (what is known in Western Europe as a Warlock). To some die-hard RPG fans this may seem like heresy, nevertheless, keep in mind that multi-classing is not unheard off. The movement repertoire for both practices are impressively designed. Especially the sword-fighting, it is at par to any console action game. And the spells (both offensive and defensive ones) are not less impressive.

Free roaming? Yes and no. One can decide which parts of the map he will visit but loading is still needed to travel even annoyingly short distances. And since quests and side-quest still have to be completed, yes, eventually a subtle, yet ever present, directionality is present.

Looting and bartering? Aaah...yes, sort of. You practically never change the swords you start off with (you do but much later in the game and the selection is not...vast), whereas good armor is only a little easier to come by compared to Planescape: Torment. Keep in mind that is is a true cRPG - not an item conveyor-belt the likes of Diablo3.

On the upside, you get to gamble (real men do NOT quicksave before betting on dice-poker!), have romantic relationships and bribe for information, so trinkets have other uses as well.

Detailed character modifiers? Nothing like the AD&D rules but you do gain talents (gold, silver & bronze) which you can spend to improve your fighting or magical abilities. You will only get a number of those (especially gold ones) so you have to choose wisely. At the same time this increases the re-playability of the game.

After replaying the game over and over these past years, I can find no fault with it. The camera placement, which sometimes got on my nerves (it is that Aurora Engine...), I got used to rather quickly. And the timed sword strokes that I had to learn how to land in order to get the sequence bonuses and maximum effect (and was bitching about in my initial review of the game), well, I got to love them so much that I even missed them in The Witcher II! Yes, us gamers, we are a fickle bunch.

This game brought a breath of fresh air to the scene when released. This Enhanced edition not only is a truly reworked game but it also comes full with detailed Manuals, beautiful Maps and all the extras that games used to come with in the good old days. Now, not only does this game include the best MODs and DLCs, but, in the respect-the-gamer-first spirit of CD PROJEKT RED, it is absolutely DRM-FREE!

Whereas the Baldur's Gate Saga was story-heavy but (by today standards) visually wanting and the NeverWinter Nignts Series was found, well, wanting in all aspects, The Witcher is the dream cRPG that BIOWARE was supposed to be capable of releasing all along but never did - and its current EA bedfellows surely put a stop to such aspirations now. That game, however, is finally here - and not from whom you would expect.

A tip of my hat to CD PROJEKT RED for keeping the art-form of Gaming alive. Well done indeed!

WITH MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATIONS!