This will ease the pain waiting for Eschalon.
The Witcher
The Witcher
Im into the Witcher. Great Game. A great Story. Geralt is a damn cool character!
This will ease the pain waiting for Eschalon.
This will ease the pain waiting for Eschalon.
"FUL IR"
![Officer [Platinum Rank]](./images/ranks/officer4.png "Officer [Platinum Rank]")
The Story is relativ linear....but with 3 different endings. Depending on your decisions. You see the outcome of a decision of yours 4 - 6 hours afterwards in the game. So decisions must be well made. But the Story is great.
There are a lot of sidequests. In the beginning the area is a little restricted to a castle and a city. But later on you can explore more freely.
The combat is really cool. As a witcher you are a expert monster-slayer from the beginning. But the humans have to fear you too. You use a iron or steelswort for humans and a special silver sword for monsters. There are three different fighting styles. For strong enemies, for fast enemies and for a group of enemies. There are a lot upgrades you can make and you can use a little bit of "witcher-magic" called signs! Mainly for combat purpose. You dont just leftklick the enemy...you must have the right timing and left-klick again so Geralt makes wonderful combos and finishingmoves. Very excellent done. With time you got better combos and more finishing moves. You can always stop combat to change weapon or style, or drink a potion.
The game hase so much to offer....its hard to describe all the excellent features. Like the fistfights in the tavern, or gambling, or having some fun with the local girls...ehm. Yes its a game for matures.
I give you a link for their website: http://www.thewitcher.com/community/en/news/
I usual dont recommend games to others...but this one is different. Its a very good game.
There are a lot of sidequests. In the beginning the area is a little restricted to a castle and a city. But later on you can explore more freely.
The combat is really cool. As a witcher you are a expert monster-slayer from the beginning. But the humans have to fear you too. You use a iron or steelswort for humans and a special silver sword for monsters. There are three different fighting styles. For strong enemies, for fast enemies and for a group of enemies. There are a lot upgrades you can make and you can use a little bit of "witcher-magic" called signs! Mainly for combat purpose. You dont just leftklick the enemy...you must have the right timing and left-klick again so Geralt makes wonderful combos and finishingmoves. Very excellent done. With time you got better combos and more finishing moves. You can always stop combat to change weapon or style, or drink a potion.
The game hase so much to offer....its hard to describe all the excellent features. Like the fistfights in the tavern, or gambling, or having some fun with the local girls...ehm. Yes its a game for matures.
I give you a link for their website: http://www.thewitcher.com/community/en/news/
I usual dont recommend games to others...but this one is different. Its a very good game.
"FUL IR"
No its not so confusing. Sure....if more than one attacks you, you surly got hit. But you can use the group-fighting style. So every enemie in range got his share of youre deadly blade.
I have to say that fighting in the witcher is not so often like in action rpgs.
Theres a lot of talking with the npcs.....looking for chemical ingredients and so on.
I have to say that fighting in the witcher is not so often like in action rpgs.
Theres a lot of talking with the npcs.....looking for chemical ingredients and so on.
"FUL IR"
I'm picking this one up immediatement. Over the last few months I've glanced over around 20 reviews, both from game sites and individuals, and I literally haven't heard one bad thing about the game.
***
Cyclopean - an HP Lovecraft inspired Role-Playing Game
Cyclopean - an HP Lovecraft inspired Role-Playing Game
I bought the Witcher yesterday and got to play it for 4-5 hours. It is not enough to properly review the game (not even close), but I'll give you few of my early impressions about it.
First thing that hits you, is that the game is very beautiful to behold (as can be seen from the screenshots obviously). I especially like the fact, that the imagery isn't flashy candyland fantasy, but gritty "realistic" fantasy (yes, I know, "realistic fantasy" is an oxymoron, but bear with me). Graphics do not equal good gameplay (of course), but here they do their part well, which is to aid in the immersion and make you go "wow" every once in awhile.
As Gothmog said, there is a lot of dialogue in the Witcher and most of it is, IMHO, good. Granted, I've only heard a fraction of it, but so far so good. (Why do the dwarves all have to speak with a Scottish accent after LOTR and WOW?)
The combat system took me quite long to get used to (an hour or so) as it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be a direct, exact control of movement and attack, call it FPS-style if you wish. What it is, is a hybrid of FPS and "traditional" top-down RPG fighting. You basically order your character to do a series of combat moves with well-timed mouse-clicks on the enemy. You do not, per se, directly swing the sword with your clicks, but order Geralt (your PC) to attack and then to continue attacking with your mouse. Depending on your style, the first click could make Geralt do e.g. a double swing or a single swing. Then depending on the first maneuver, the second click timing varies and if correct makes him do a follow-up move (combo). Failing that, he does a standard swing or just nothing. The good thing about this is, that repeatedly clicking will not make you fight any faster, let alone better. Unfortunately, the bad thing about it is, that it still is a sort of "clickfest," you just have to be better at timing, IMHO. Plus it requires you to fight the way the game designers imagined the style. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad system. Once I got the hang of it, I got to kinda like it - well, I can live with it, but still it could be better (but it looks fantastic!). YMMV.
Argh, I gotta go (writing this from work). I'll get back to you...
First thing that hits you, is that the game is very beautiful to behold (as can be seen from the screenshots obviously). I especially like the fact, that the imagery isn't flashy candyland fantasy, but gritty "realistic" fantasy (yes, I know, "realistic fantasy" is an oxymoron, but bear with me). Graphics do not equal good gameplay (of course), but here they do their part well, which is to aid in the immersion and make you go "wow" every once in awhile.
As Gothmog said, there is a lot of dialogue in the Witcher and most of it is, IMHO, good. Granted, I've only heard a fraction of it, but so far so good. (Why do the dwarves all have to speak with a Scottish accent after LOTR and WOW?)
The combat system took me quite long to get used to (an hour or so) as it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be a direct, exact control of movement and attack, call it FPS-style if you wish. What it is, is a hybrid of FPS and "traditional" top-down RPG fighting. You basically order your character to do a series of combat moves with well-timed mouse-clicks on the enemy. You do not, per se, directly swing the sword with your clicks, but order Geralt (your PC) to attack and then to continue attacking with your mouse. Depending on your style, the first click could make Geralt do e.g. a double swing or a single swing. Then depending on the first maneuver, the second click timing varies and if correct makes him do a follow-up move (combo). Failing that, he does a standard swing or just nothing. The good thing about this is, that repeatedly clicking will not make you fight any faster, let alone better. Unfortunately, the bad thing about it is, that it still is a sort of "clickfest," you just have to be better at timing, IMHO. Plus it requires you to fight the way the game designers imagined the style. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad system. Once I got the hang of it, I got to kinda like it - well, I can live with it, but still it could be better (but it looks fantastic!). YMMV.
Argh, I gotta go (writing this from work). I'll get back to you...
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
I gotta tell you as good as it sounds, its still sound very "actiony" to me. How are the quests? So the NPC's are interesting to talk to? Can you make decision in conversation?Grue wrote:I bought the Witcher yesterday and got to play it for 4-5 hours. It is not enough to properly review the game (not even close), but I'll give you few of my early impressions about it.
First thing that hits you, is that the game is very beautiful to behold (as can be seen from the screenshots obviously). I especially like the fact, that the imagery isn't flashy candyland fantasy, but gritty "realistic" fantasy (yes, I know, "realistic fantasy" is an oxymoron, but bear with me). Graphics do not equal good gameplay (of course), but here they do their part well, which is to aid in the immersion and make you go "wow" every once in awhile.
As Gothmog said, there is a lot of dialogue in the Witcher and most of it is, IMHO, good. Granted, I've only heard a fraction of it, but so far so good. (Why do the dwarves all have to speak with a Scottish accent after LOTR and WOW?)
The combat system took me quite long to get used to (an hour or so) as it wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be a direct, exact control of movement and attack, call it FPS-style if you wish. What it is, is a hybrid of FPS and "traditional" top-down RPG fighting. You basically order your character to do a series of combat moves with well-timed mouse-clicks on the enemy. You do not, per se, directly swing the sword with your clicks, but order Geralt (your PC) to attack and then to continue attacking with your mouse. Depending on your style, the first click could make Geralt do e.g. a double swing or a single swing. Then depending on the first maneuver, the second click timing varies and if correct makes him do a follow-up move (combo). Failing that, he does a standard swing or just nothing. The good thing about this is, that repeatedly clicking will not make you fight any faster, let alone better. Unfortunately, the bad thing about it is, that it still is a sort of "clickfest," you just have to be better at timing, IMHO. Plus it requires you to fight the way the game designers imagined the style. Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad system. Once I got the hang of it, I got to kinda like it - well, I can live with it, but still it could be better (but it looks fantastic!). YMMV.
Argh, I gotta go (writing this from work). I'll get back to you...
Is it fun to walk around and explore things in the town or does it get pretty boring if you dont follow the main quest line?
At home now. Sorry for the interruption. Would you believe, they actually expect you to work at your workplace! Unbelieveable! 
Saxon1974, it sounds "actiony," yes. And I would say it is "actiony." The combat system requires quite precise mouse control and while you can pause the action, you cannot give orders while paused (as such). Thus the system could be categorized as "twitch combat." Hmm, that is maybe too harsh. I don't want to bad-mouth the system, it is an okay system, but in all honesty, I must caution anyone who does not like "actiony" combat to try out the demo (if there is one) before you buy the game.
As I said above, I've only played the game for c. 5 hours, so take my comments from that point of view. However, the reason I'm cautioning people about the combat system, is because if the game continues the way it does at the start, there will be lots of combat (not every 5 meters, but often nevertheless). Therefore, how you like the combat system is critically important, IMHO. (NB: There are 3 difficulty levels in the game, I'm playing on Medium. If you choose Easy, I believe the combat system is more forgiving and thus less "twitch".)
After all this, you must think I don't like the game. Not correct. I like it! I really do. It is not the best thing since sliced bread, but it is good. The world is beautifully done and interesting. I love to walk around just seeing the sights. As I said, the world is more gritty and down-to-earth than most fantasy CRPGs and that is a big plus for me. No giant sparkling swords, no ridiculous (spiked!) armour, the buildings look realistic, there are (lo and behold) fields around the village, etc. etc.
There are lots of NPCs (even if many of them are just generic extras) and they behave intelligently (that is, not just stand in one place, day in, day out, but actually eat, sleep, seek shelter from rain and so on). It is fun to talk to people as the dialogue flows pretty smoothly. You can choose what you say (or ask/answer) and there usually is more than one line to say per NPC. There are many side quests and, for the most part, they are fun to do. Sure, they consist mostly of the standard fare of go there, kill this, get that, but I haven't gotten irritated by them yet as they are written well enough. Haven't gotten very far in the main quest, so I cannot comment about it, sorry.
I absolutely love how the journal collects places, characters, monsters etc. into journal entries with some flavor text. The maps look like they were drawn by hand on a parchment (old trick, but I love it). Many things in the game just scream of meticulous attention by the devs and it enhances my immersion in the game world. The animations are very well done and the fights are beautiful to watch (too bad you're often too busy in combat to appreciate the cruel beauty of it).
The GUI and control scheme(s) could be better, but they are okay enough. The camera can give you some problems and, IMO, the over-the-shoulder cam does not work well (especially with movement and combat). Loading times are a bit on the long side, so long that you'll start to notice it. There isn't much in the way of different equipment for your character, but there is a lot of stuff to collect (mainly ingredients for alchemy/potions). Character creation is non-existent (you are Geralt, period), but you can advance your character the way you see fit. There are 4 attributes, 5 magic skills (signs), and 6 combat skills. All of them have "subskills" or enhancements as well (1-3 per level). And so on.
Enough of my blathering. I need to play the game more to get a more in-depth look at it. So, with that said, I bid you farewell and head to the land of Temeria. You see, I have a job to do and there is much at stake. For I am Geralt of Rivia, the "White Wolf," and I am needed.
(P.S. I think Geralt looks like an albino version of Bono with longer hair...
)
Saxon1974, it sounds "actiony," yes. And I would say it is "actiony." The combat system requires quite precise mouse control and while you can pause the action, you cannot give orders while paused (as such). Thus the system could be categorized as "twitch combat." Hmm, that is maybe too harsh. I don't want to bad-mouth the system, it is an okay system, but in all honesty, I must caution anyone who does not like "actiony" combat to try out the demo (if there is one) before you buy the game.
As I said above, I've only played the game for c. 5 hours, so take my comments from that point of view. However, the reason I'm cautioning people about the combat system, is because if the game continues the way it does at the start, there will be lots of combat (not every 5 meters, but often nevertheless). Therefore, how you like the combat system is critically important, IMHO. (NB: There are 3 difficulty levels in the game, I'm playing on Medium. If you choose Easy, I believe the combat system is more forgiving and thus less "twitch".)
After all this, you must think I don't like the game. Not correct. I like it! I really do. It is not the best thing since sliced bread, but it is good. The world is beautifully done and interesting. I love to walk around just seeing the sights. As I said, the world is more gritty and down-to-earth than most fantasy CRPGs and that is a big plus for me. No giant sparkling swords, no ridiculous (spiked!) armour, the buildings look realistic, there are (lo and behold) fields around the village, etc. etc.
There are lots of NPCs (even if many of them are just generic extras) and they behave intelligently (that is, not just stand in one place, day in, day out, but actually eat, sleep, seek shelter from rain and so on). It is fun to talk to people as the dialogue flows pretty smoothly. You can choose what you say (or ask/answer) and there usually is more than one line to say per NPC. There are many side quests and, for the most part, they are fun to do. Sure, they consist mostly of the standard fare of go there, kill this, get that, but I haven't gotten irritated by them yet as they are written well enough. Haven't gotten very far in the main quest, so I cannot comment about it, sorry.
I absolutely love how the journal collects places, characters, monsters etc. into journal entries with some flavor text. The maps look like they were drawn by hand on a parchment (old trick, but I love it). Many things in the game just scream of meticulous attention by the devs and it enhances my immersion in the game world. The animations are very well done and the fights are beautiful to watch (too bad you're often too busy in combat to appreciate the cruel beauty of it).
The GUI and control scheme(s) could be better, but they are okay enough. The camera can give you some problems and, IMO, the over-the-shoulder cam does not work well (especially with movement and combat). Loading times are a bit on the long side, so long that you'll start to notice it. There isn't much in the way of different equipment for your character, but there is a lot of stuff to collect (mainly ingredients for alchemy/potions). Character creation is non-existent (you are Geralt, period), but you can advance your character the way you see fit. There are 4 attributes, 5 magic skills (signs), and 6 combat skills. All of them have "subskills" or enhancements as well (1-3 per level). And so on.
Enough of my blathering. I need to play the game more to get a more in-depth look at it. So, with that said, I bid you farewell and head to the land of Temeria. You see, I have a job to do and there is much at stake. For I am Geralt of Rivia, the "White Wolf," and I am needed.
(P.S. I think Geralt looks like an albino version of Bono with longer hair...
)It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
Cool thanks Grue....Let us know any more thoughts you have during the game.Grue wrote:At home now. Sorry for the interruption. Would you believe, they actually expect you to work at your workplace! Unbelieveable!
Saxon1974, it sounds "actiony," yes. And I would say it is "actiony." The combat system requires quite precise mouse control and while you can pause the action, you cannot give orders while paused (as such). Thus the system could be categorized as "twitch combat." Hmm, that is maybe too harsh. I don't want to bad-mouth the system, it is an okay system, but in all honesty, I must caution anyone who does not like "actiony" combat to try out the demo (if there is one) before you buy the game.
As I said above, I've only played the game for c. 5 hours, so take my comments from that point of view. However, the reason I'm cautioning people about the combat system, is because if the game continues the way it does at the start, there will be lots of combat (not every 5 meters, but often nevertheless). Therefore, how you like the combat system is critically important, IMHO. (NB: There are 3 difficulty levels in the game, I'm playing on Medium. If you choose Easy, I believe the combat system is more forgiving and thus less "twitch".)
After all this, you must think I don't like the game. Not correct. I like it! I really do. It is not the best thing since sliced bread, but it is good. The world is beautifully done and interesting. I love to walk around just seeing the sights. As I said, the world is more gritty and down-to-earth than most fantasy CRPGs and that is a big plus for me. No giant sparkling swords, no ridiculous (spiked!) armour, the buildings look realistic, there are (lo and behold) fields around the village, etc. etc.
There are lots of NPCs (even if many of them are just generic extras) and they behave intelligently (that is, not just stand in one place, day in, day out, but actually eat, sleep, seek shelter from rain and so on). It is fun to talk to people as the dialogue flows pretty smoothly. You can choose what you say (or ask/answer) and there usually is more than one line to say per NPC. There are many side quests and, for the most part, they are fun to do. Sure, they consist mostly of the standard fare of go there, kill this, get that, but I haven't gotten irritated by them yet as they are written well enough. Haven't gotten very far in the main quest, so I cannot comment about it, sorry.
I absolutely love how the journal collects places, characters, monsters etc. into journal entries with some flavor text. The maps look like they were drawn by hand on a parchment (old trick, but I love it). Many things in the game just scream of meticulous attention by the devs and it enhances my immersion in the game world. The animations are very well done and the fights are beautiful to watch (too bad you're often too busy in combat to appreciate the cruel beauty of it).
The GUI and control scheme(s) could be better, but they are okay enough. The camera can give you some problems and, IMO, the over-the-shoulder cam does not work well (especially with movement and combat). Loading times are a bit on the long side, so long that you'll start to notice it. There isn't much in the way of different equipment for your character, but there is a lot of stuff to collect (mainly ingredients for alchemy/potions). Character creation is non-existent (you are Geralt, period), but you can advance your character the way you see fit. There are 4 attributes, 5 magic skills (signs), and 6 combat skills. All of them have "subskills" or enhancements as well (1-3 per level). And so on.
Enough of my blathering. I need to play the game more to get a more in-depth look at it. So, with that said, I bid you farewell and head to the land of Temeria. You see, I have a job to do and there is much at stake. For I am Geralt of Rivia, the "White Wolf," and I am needed.
(P.S. I think Geralt looks like an albino version of Bono with longer hair...
