The Witcher 2: Judgement Day

Dram

So I haven't seen a witcher thread recently, and since the search function still seems to be buggered I've decided to create a new thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTHnjePQHPo

According to the developers, they're really gone out of their way to give the play more control over the direction of the story and their play style:

There's been a lot of info released on the game recently. Possibly most important are the minimum system requirements released about 2 months ago in the Developer Diary engine showcase. If anyone nowadays has a PC that cannot run this, I'd be very surprised!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0KVrwqPNkU

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Dual Core 2.2GHz CPU
XP - 1GB RAM
Vista/7 - 2GB RAM
Geforce 8800 512MB or similar AMD card


The combat was one of the major complaints people had about the original Witcher game. In response to this CD Projekt RED stated they were retooling the combat for the sequel, taking direct inspiration from Batman: Arkham Asylum. From the look of the recent gameplay vid (pre-beta build) on gamespot they've kept that promise.

The Witcher 2 combat footage

Below I'll post other relevant videos as they're released

In this video we get a nice look at the scale of the environment. There's also some examples of large scale combat, which is also showcased a little in the developer diary engine showcase video (above). However, the dev commentary and gameplay footage ends at about 8 minutes. So you may wish to save yourself some time and stop watching at that point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLnxOOFudYs

This of course is an example of the non-linear gameplay & choices available to players. I'm sure everyone has seen it by now, but it's still entertaining to watch. I never noticed the bit at the end of this video, with the guard and the torch, until yesterday. A nice touch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhFFMU-k9m8

Maz-

I'm still on the fence..the first one was certainly fun, but not without its issues. But it looks like they've recognized that and are working on it.
Are women still treated as mere trophies in this one? I mean sure, I'm a guy and I love me some boobs, but The Witcher was ridiculous in that aspect. Does that guy really need to feel up every single woman he meets?

Jimmy Marku

I managed to grind my way through no.1 a little while ago so i'd have an import for 2, so i'm interested to see what's carried over. I wonder how different the three introductions will be.

I'm definitely hyped for the sequel after absorbing most of the info they've released - it looks like they'll address most of the complaints I had. Notably boring combat, poor voice acting and too few, rather bland environments.

It looks ridiculously good too; there are some awesome recent shots in this NeoGaf thread.

Edit: This might answer your question Maz:

Antithesis

Maz- wrote: »

I'm still on the fence..the first one was certainly fun, but not without its issues. But it looks like they've recognized that and are working on it.
Are women still treated as mere trophies in this one? I mean sure, I'm a guy and I love me some boobs, but The Witcher was ridiculous in that aspect. Does that guy really need to feel up every single woman he meets?

Aye, all signs point to that being accounted for.

Still due May-ish, yes?

Dram

Maz- wrote: »

I'm still on the fence..the first one was certainly fun, but not without its issues. But it looks like they've recognized that and are working on it.
Are women still treated as mere trophies in this one? I mean sure, I'm a guy and I love me some boobs, but The Witcher was ridiculous in that aspect. Does that guy really need to feel up every single woman he meets?

Well so far all I've heard is that nudity and sex is still in, but the trophy cards are gone.

Jimmy Marku wrote: »

I managed to grind my way through no.1 a little while ago so i'd have an import for 2, so i'm interested to see what's carried over. I wonder how different the three introductions will be.

I'm definitely hyped for the sequel after absorbing most of the info they've released - it looks like they'll address most of the complaints I had. Notably boring combat, poor voice acting and too few, rather bland environments.

I'd wager that the 3 different introductions are possibly the 3 different methods of escape we see in the dungeon trailer.

I believe the voice acting was improved for the most part in the Enhanced Edition. They re-recorded almost every bit of dialogue in the first game.

mere_immortal

I should get round to properly starting the first game, got up to the first village after I bought it in the Steam sale and haven't played it since.

Enjoyed the first part in the fortress but can imagine it opens up a lot more after that.

finnith

Strangely enough one of my favorite things about The Witcher was the hair. I liked that it avoided the "plastic hair" approach used by games like TES and Dragon Age. Of course the complex morality was just a great add-on.

This is a day-one purchase for me.

Dram

mere_immortal wrote: »

I should get round to properly starting the first game, got up to the first village after I bought it in the Steam sale and haven't played it since.

Enjoyed the first part in the fortress but can imagine it opens up a lot more after that.

It does. Very much so. It's often said that the tutorial/prologue and act 1 are the slowest parts of the game. Once you get into the city it really gets into its stride.

Jimmy Marku

Dram wrote: »

I'd wager that the 3 different introductions are possibly the 3 different methods of escape we see in the dungeon trailer.

I believe the voice acting was improved for the most part in the Enhanced Edition. They re-recorded almost every bit of dialogue in the first game.

I didn't realise there were three distinct ways of doing that level, I just figured it was different play styles in the same area. That's kind of disappointing if true.

I did play the EE but I still felt a lot of the dialogue was a little stilted, and generally not very well delivered, but at least part of that was down to the often weird sounding script. I'm guessing it was translated.

Archonex

It's amazing how butt ugly the new Dragon Age game looks in comparison to this.

Jimmy Marku

Yeah, there are lots of people who rabidly defend DA2, but TW2 is objectively several orders of magnitude better looking and is almost certainly being produced on a much lower budget (granted dev' costs are lower in Poland).

Kryntek

Dram wrote: »

Maz- wrote: »

I'm still on the fence..the first one was certainly fun, but not without its issues. But it looks like they've recognized that and are working on it.
Are women still treated as mere trophies in this one? I mean sure, I'm a guy and I love me some boobs, but The Witcher was ridiculous in that aspect. Does that guy really need to feel up every single woman he meets?

Well so far all I've heard is that nudity and sex is still in, but the trophy cards are gone.

Jimmy Marku wrote: »

I managed to grind my way through no.1 a little while ago so i'd have an import for 2, so i'm interested to see what's carried over. I wonder how different the three introductions will be.

I'm definitely hyped for the sequel after absorbing most of the info they've released - it looks like they'll address most of the complaints I had. Notably boring combat, poor voice acting and too few, rather bland environments.

I'd wager that the 3 different introductions are possibly the 3 different methods of escape we see in the dungeon trailer.

I believe the voice acting was improved for the most part in the Enhanced Edition. They re-recorded almost every bit of dialogue in the first game.

The dungeon isn't the beginning of the game. The three beginings probably correspond to the three endings in the first game.

Dram

In regards to the dungeon level and the 3 beginnings, I'm just guessing based on what we've been told and what we saw in the dungeon trailer.

In regards to the graphics, CD Projekt RED have stated that even though Witcher 2 is PC exclusive for now, they designed everything in a way so as to not completely rule out a console version later. The radial menu in one of the above videos being a good example of this. Whether the graphics of a console version will look anywhere near as good as what we've seen is really anyones guess though.

Elos

Waaaait a minute, the premium edition of this is only 31 EUR at Play.com? Preordered so hard.

Cherrn

Keep in mind that the premium edition is basically the regular edition. It does come with extra stuff, but as far as I can tell, all retail copies are premium. The actual collector's edition is QUITE a bit more expensive.

Dram

Kryntek wrote: »

The dungeon isn't the beginning of the game. The three beginings probably correspond to the three endings in the first game.

Oh! That actually makes a lot more sense. I keep forgetting you'll be able to import your save from TW1.

Lord_Mordja

Jeeeeeezuz, lookin' at those NeoGaf screenshots, The Witcher 2 is easily the best looking RPG around.'

I've had the first game for years, but I've only just begun playing it in earnest. I'm slowly making my way through Act 2.

finnith

There's save importing? Damn that means I'll have to finish The Witcher now. I ended up stopping right after going through the Act in Vizima with the rebels and Flaming Rose fighting in the streets. I just couldn't take another swamp and more of those stupid exploding leeches. It seemed like a really weird way to top off what was one of the high points in the game as well.

Also while DA2 doesn't look bad (at least in comparison to DA1), it certainly looks terrible compared to this game. What engine is the game using?

MechMantis

finnith wrote: »

There's save importing? Damn that means I'll have to finish The Witcher now. I ended up stopping right after going through the Act in Vizima with the rebels and Flaming Rose fighting in the streets. I just couldn't take another swamp and more of those stupid exploding leeches. It seemed like a really weird way to top off what was one of the high points in the game as well.

Also while DA2 doesn't look bad (at least in comparison to DA1), it certainly looks terrible compared to this game. What engine is the game using?

Certainly not NWN's Aurora engine.

good god what a kludgy mess that was.

Kryntek

finnith wrote: »

There's save importing? Damn that means I'll have to finish The Witcher now. I ended up stopping right after going through the Act in Vizima with the rebels and Flaming Rose fighting in the streets. I just couldn't take another swamp and more of those stupid exploding leeches. It seemed like a really weird way to top off what was one of the high points in the game as well.

Also while DA2 doesn't look bad (at least in comparison to DA1), it certainly looks terrible compared to this game. What engine is the game using?

They're making their own engine with parts licensed from other technologies. The video in the op under the second spoiler goes into detail.

finnith

So they're making it available to other devs. Hopefully Bioware will pick it up or create a better engine for DA3.

If anything I at least want more devs to get the hair down right. Even the character models and animation are great with RED.

MechMantis

While Geralt's hair isn't as flowy as it was due to him adopting the hairstyle from the comics, it certainly looks miles ahead of Dragon Age's.

If it's ahead of Skyrim remains to be seen, we still haven't seen Skyrim in motion.

Dram

Isn't Skyrim being made with a retooled Gamebryo engine? That doesn't fill me with confidence.

MechMantis

They've specifically stated it's a completely new engine

however whether or not we believe Bethesda's pre-release hype machine after Oblivion is another matter.

curly haired boy

holy geez those screens O_O

hullo geralt

where have i seen you before?

oh right, you dyed your hair!

Zxerol

As far as I'm concerned, there are no RPGs that exist this year except this one. Maybe DX:HR depending on how good that one cooks up.

For CDP RED's first game, The Witcher had some growing pains, but the support they poured into it post-release was virtually unmatched and has endeared me as a day one customer for W2. It's also fortunate that the game looks to improve everything I liked about the first game and fix up the stuff that I was less pleased about, which is something I can't say about, say, DA2.

Oh, and it's not $60 either. Suck it, EA.

(Also, I've learned to not listen to a damn thing Bethesda says about their games before they actually release. Especially when they start using the term "Radiant" again. ffff)

Dashui

I want to import my decisions into The Witcher 2, but I really don't have a save anymore and don't want to play the first again. When it first came out, I played a good portion but eventually got bored. I later went back to it and tried again, before stopping when they announced the Enhanced Edition. I then bought the Enhanced Edition and finally beat it. It was a great game, but if I have to do it again I may snap.

I hope I can either find a similar save or that the second game will let me re-choose my decisions at the beginning.

curly haired boy

Zxerol wrote: »

(Also, I've learned to not listen to a damn thing Bethesda says about their games before they actually release. Especially when they start using the term "Radiant" again. ffff)

yeah, that Radiant AI turned out to be quite dim :P

Lalabox

I really hope that someone creates a save editor for the first one, just so that I can try out some different things. I've finished the game by being allied with both sides, and then being neutral. (Incidently, that's a great part of the game, where in the final battle through the streets you can

just tell the leaders of both sides that they are hopeless, and everything they are doing is pointless, and they agree and go mope in their corners.

cj iwakura

Yeah, OP needs some of those hot screenshots. Witcher 1 was no slouch, it's easily my second favorite WRPG ever.
(First being Bloodlines.)

I have high expectations.

Xtarath

cj iwakura wrote: »

Yeah, OP needs some of those hot screenshots. Witcher 1 was no slouch, it's easily my second favorite WRPG ever.
(First being Bloodlines.)

I have high expectations.

Isn't the Witcher technically an ERPG?

I guess not, if you just have two catecories of RPG. WRPG, and JRPG(or true ERPG I suppose).

Edit: None the less, if this game is as impressive as the first, but without a huge swamp, it will be so much better.

Lalabox

I dunno, E has more asian connotations. Maybe EERPG.

cj iwakura

Xtarath wrote: »

cj iwakura wrote: »

Yeah, OP needs some of those hot screenshots. Witcher 1 was no slouch, it's easily my second favorite WRPG ever.
(First being Bloodlines.)

I have high expectations.

Isn't the Witcher technically an ERPG?

Technically, but you know what I mean. :P

Also, let's make DA2 look bad.

Here's some rad music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i7g7xeLGi0

And some other awesome music I found by association:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp6HjzIYfm4

Lalabox

I reckon that CD projekt have the right idea saying 'People shouldn't bash on either of them. Fantasy rpgs are so rare, that people should be happy to be getting two good ones at around the same time.'

Also, witcher 1 was rather pretty. It had some amazing moments. Especially in the 4th act. That was quite possibly my favourite part of any videogame ever.

PolloDiablo

I don't think the terms "fantasy rpg" and "rare" belong in the same sentence, ever. If I had to pick the two biggest setting/genres, it's easily fantasy rpg and sci-fi shooter.

And god damn do those screenshots look good. And the "inspired by" songs are mostly great, they need to use Beltaine and Rimead for the whole thing.

Gaslight

Well, I suppose I need to buckle down and get through the first one. Got it for $5 during the Steam holiday sale and it's a bargain at that price but something else has always gotten my attention after a few hours.

Lord_Mordja

I gotta say, I'm really digging the armour design for those soldiers. I don't know, I guess I've finally just grown weary of PAULDRONS&SPIKES.

Except in Warhammer of course.

cj iwakura

I'm not sure, but I think that second song is a traditional Polish(?) song. I've found a LOT of versions of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G64FQ1FywU&feature=related

Dyvion

This is gonna get so bought. I can wait though. I have another fantasy RPG I'm playing through right now that will tide me over. Curiously enough, it's abbreviated similarly. 2W2, instead of TW2. It's a good game! Amazingly enough.

2 Worlds 2. Yes the first one was horrible. But the second is pretty good.

I picked up the TW:EE during the Christmas sale and I'm going back through it again. As usual my memory is poor and I remember it being prettier with better combat... but I'm getting back into the flow.

finnith

The combat is hands down the worst thing in the game.

Lorahalo

Man, I loved the loading screens in The Witcher. There were so damn awesome looking.