there are lot of people who talk about tactical combat in this game. I'm finding it very difficult to engage in any tactical combat, besides rolling around like 'rolly polly'. I don't consider running around in circles, tactical combat. The biggest problem is the aiming mechanic. It's pretty much broken if you ask me, especially in the hard setting. Basically what happens is that you get swamped by multiple opponents and it is really difficult switching opponents properly. and sometimes when you manage to maneuverer yourself into an advantageous position the auto aiming mechanic miraculously manages to switch targets to someone else. at which Geralt goes leaping into a crowd of enemies who will slaughter him mercilessly.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Review
- Thread starter Greg Tito
- Start date
Looks like the same design problems the first witcher had. Also the motion blur and bloom graphics are kind of annoying (if not over-exaggerated). Other than that, I love the setting and environment, and difficulty was never a problem for me, I like a challenge.
Look, I like the Witcher 2. But no game is perfect. Witcher 2 fans are too sensitive - you do realize that people might have legitimate greivances with the game, right? It's not perfect. No game is perfect.
The Witcher 2's tutorial and interface is awful. You might say "Oh it's just complex" - there's a difference between being complex and being unwieldly and obtuse. The Witcher 2 COULD easily explain itself, but it doesn't. Hell, the First Witcher had a better tutorial. What was the point in only explaining the spells AFTER you've used them? Could it have really been THAT hard for the developers to pause the game during the tutorial and have a pop-up box explain what is happening and what you should do? Couldn't they have put a decent map in the game?
I'm sorry - I really do like the Witcher 2. And like many others, I agree, it is better in my opinion, than Dragon Age 2 (a game I also like), but why should that matter? They are two different games! Stop trying to use the failings of DA2 to excuse away the failings of The Witcher 2! It's illogical! All games have problems. You people need to stop feeling so defensive. You are not the game, if someone doesn't like a game, IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE INSULTING YOU OR YOUR CHOICE!
The Witcher 2 has its shining moments and its flaws. For some people, like me, the shining moments very clearly outshine the flaws. For others, the flaws are more noticeable and more painful to bear. Everyone is different, everyone has different tastes and different tolerances. If they don't like a game, please don't descend into paranoiac, delusion thinking. Please, stop throwing on the cloak of victimhood to create your very own "persecution complex". It's just a game. Just.... a game.
The Witcher 2's tutorial and interface is awful. You might say "Oh it's just complex" - there's a difference between being complex and being unwieldly and obtuse. The Witcher 2 COULD easily explain itself, but it doesn't. Hell, the First Witcher had a better tutorial. What was the point in only explaining the spells AFTER you've used them? Could it have really been THAT hard for the developers to pause the game during the tutorial and have a pop-up box explain what is happening and what you should do? Couldn't they have put a decent map in the game?
I'm sorry - I really do like the Witcher 2. And like many others, I agree, it is better in my opinion, than Dragon Age 2 (a game I also like), but why should that matter? They are two different games! Stop trying to use the failings of DA2 to excuse away the failings of The Witcher 2! It's illogical! All games have problems. You people need to stop feeling so defensive. You are not the game, if someone doesn't like a game, IT DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE INSULTING YOU OR YOUR CHOICE!
The Witcher 2 has its shining moments and its flaws. For some people, like me, the shining moments very clearly outshine the flaws. For others, the flaws are more noticeable and more painful to bear. Everyone is different, everyone has different tastes and different tolerances. If they don't like a game, please don't descend into paranoiac, delusion thinking. Please, stop throwing on the cloak of victimhood to create your very own "persecution complex". It's just a game. Just.... a game.
I ironically had the opposite issue with the game, while I found the gameplay to be superb(Despite the learning curve.If you're confused, read the manual, and set the game on easy until you get a handle on things. It's annoying, but not game breaking), I felt that the story and characters were interesting, but not fully realized enough. It all seems very good, but you don't ever learn much about the characters other then what's immediately apparent, and the plot lacks flow and never ultimately drives a point home. Throughout the bulk of the game, I didn't feel like I was getting much closer to my ultimate goal, and when I finally reached it, it didn't seem to mean much. Neither I, nor the characters seemed to have learned anything of emotional or intellectual substance(With the exception of the main character, Garelt, but it still came off as too understated)
The games also a bit short for an RPG, clocking in at about 30 hours, and I suspect this is why the story was missing some much needed time to catch it's breath and explore it's subtleties more thoroughly, as the game actually has two other chapters you won't see in the same playthrough. Another sad part is that the game ends right when it starts to get really good, which I assume will be the basis for the sequel. It feels like a very good preview of what looks to be a great game.
The game is still really good, as I said, most of the minute to minute gameplay is superb(Despite the bullshit side quests(Just ignore most of them) and steep learning curve), and this is some of the best combat I've seen in an RPG. The choices you make have genuine consequences, and the story and characters aren't earth shattering in the way you'd expect from games like Mass Effect, but they're still interesting enough to keep you involved and immersed. If you like RPG's, this will still probably be on the high end of games you'll play this year, just don't expect it to blow you away.
The games also a bit short for an RPG, clocking in at about 30 hours, and I suspect this is why the story was missing some much needed time to catch it's breath and explore it's subtleties more thoroughly, as the game actually has two other chapters you won't see in the same playthrough. Another sad part is that the game ends right when it starts to get really good, which I assume will be the basis for the sequel. It feels like a very good preview of what looks to be a great game.
The game is still really good, as I said, most of the minute to minute gameplay is superb(Despite the bullshit side quests(Just ignore most of them) and steep learning curve), and this is some of the best combat I've seen in an RPG. The choices you make have genuine consequences, and the story and characters aren't earth shattering in the way you'd expect from games like Mass Effect, but they're still interesting enough to keep you involved and immersed. If you like RPG's, this will still probably be on the high end of games you'll play this year, just don't expect it to blow you away.
Are you saying that W2 gives a similar experience to a turnbased partybased openworld rpg, where combat is controlled by dice rolls, and my character is someone I make myself, because that would make it enjoyable to someone who enjoyed a traditional rpg. Are you also saying that despite Greg having been a PC rpg and tabletop player for decades, in addition to having written DnD suplements, that he must not enjoy traditional rpgs, because he had a problem with the way the witcher 2 communicates information to the player?Xzi said:
See greg tito. Veteran Rpg player. I think what you are looking for is a game reviewer who just tells you what you want to hear, instead of what he thinks himself.
I think this is the first review where I've agreed with every single word. I like the story, the settings and the characters..but the gameplay is too frustrating for me to play more than an hour at a time. (and the prologue is the hardest part of the game. Doesn't these guys beta test their games?)
Wow, the response from this video was pretty much what I was expecting. Can't talk about TW2 without mentioning DA2, I wonder if there would be this much anger if TW2 scored higher. But I'm waiting for the console port anyway so whatever.
I believe I may found my new life's motto!Xzi said:
OT: The one problem I had with the review is the amount of criticism while still giving it 3.5/5. Although I suppose that is still 30% down from full marks, so I guess it's consistent. While I'm not that much into this sort of action RPG (played one, played them all in my opinion. I know that isn't the case, but it saves me quite a bit of money), at least I know this is a decent choice if I ever finish DA:O (Not likely. I got the GotY edition and I'm 30+ hours and no nearer the end, I feel, and that only counts the full game, not Awakenings or the extra missions)
I loved this game to death...I loved it's obscure combat system.I loved everything.And then it's weird that I completely agree with the review.The game was merciless to me and in the end I thank it for that.
lol it's been a while since a game made casuals cry. The last one was DA:O where those who understood how it worked just breezed through the game and the casuals would cry on the forums till Bioware patched the difficulty of the game.
TW2 is not hard, it just punishes those who refuse to learn how it works. Although it may look like a hack&slash game it is far from it. If the first thing you do is button mashing hoping to roll over the enemies than you're doing it wrong and of course you'll die.
The combat have rhythm, maybe is not as obvious as in the first game but is still there. Abusing your left click is not the way to go, you have to time the attacks. You target the one that is in front of you so you can quickly change targets to keep the combat flow and combined with the rhythm and fast/heavy attacks you end up doing some pretty crazy combos.
Of course one with a short attention span will never figure it out
As for alchemy, in this game is a must not an afterthough. In case you missed it the game gives you a crapton of ingredients and that's because it expects from you to make use of it with traps, bombs and potions.
Yeah I know some casuals may quote me saying that I just want to play the game and don't care about all that complicated mumbo jumbo. Well the game was not made for you. Devs never said that they will "streamline" the game for the masses so even my granma could play it. Love it or hate it, I'm glad these guys didn't make a game that you can finish with just one awesome button.
TW2 is not hard, it just punishes those who refuse to learn how it works. Although it may look like a hack&slash game it is far from it. If the first thing you do is button mashing hoping to roll over the enemies than you're doing it wrong and of course you'll die.
The combat have rhythm, maybe is not as obvious as in the first game but is still there. Abusing your left click is not the way to go, you have to time the attacks. You target the one that is in front of you so you can quickly change targets to keep the combat flow and combined with the rhythm and fast/heavy attacks you end up doing some pretty crazy combos.
Of course one with a short attention span will never figure it out
As for alchemy, in this game is a must not an afterthough. In case you missed it the game gives you a crapton of ingredients and that's because it expects from you to make use of it with traps, bombs and potions.
Yeah I know some casuals may quote me saying that I just want to play the game and don't care about all that complicated mumbo jumbo. Well the game was not made for you. Devs never said that they will "streamline" the game for the masses so even my granma could play it. Love it or hate it, I'm glad these guys didn't make a game that you can finish with just one awesome button.
I'd look up the definition of "indignation" and perhaps "irony" as well, since maybe you meant I was being hypocritical? Pot calling the kettle black or some such. Anyway, I'm not indignant because I sense no injustice, just a lot of people complaining about one. If anything, I'm just annoyed by people who think all reviews should conform to their personal tastes.Delusibeta said:
The problem with RTFM these days is that almost no games require it anymore. Either they include in-game tutorials or they ease you into the action by keeping the difficulty lower in the earlier encounters. The Witcher 2 does neither of these. That's not to say it's a bad game, far from it, but it could definitely stand to make the prologue a little easier. No one's asking to have their hands held, we just want a difficulty curve that makes a little more sense.
People need to stop treating this like a zero sum game. Our gaming isn't binary. One can play both DA2 and TW2 and like both. Or hate both. Or kinda like one and love the other, or only kinda like both. Whatever.Xzi said:
As for your point that reviewers should be fans of the genre, clearly Mr. Funk has reiterated Mr. Tito's RPG experience. This is not an issue of how much of a fan he is. This is an issue of one guy who didn't like it quite as much as every other reviewer (by just a little), then getting shit for it from people like you or skippy up there. If you only want to read reviews that you agree with and you want every professional that plays your favorite games to be some kind of yes-man, that's your deal. But realize that the world doesn't work that way. All of this is a case of fans getting mad, then coming up with justification for why their anger is more than just fan-rage. You can try to justify it, but you know you've read reviews your whole life and that this is how it works. Difference is that now it's a game you love so it's somehow personal.
Another thing is that I just got into a battle not 30 minutes ago that was kicking my ass on Normal. I switched down to Easy and it became an utter cakewalk. No blocks or anything. I just laid into him by clicking LMB over an over and there was literally no challenge. I still really like this game, but stuff like that tells me it could definitely be balanced a little better. I mean every game has that kind of thing from time to time, I'm not singling TW2 out, but you get why it could be frustrating, right?
so can you explain to me how targeting is done in this game. For me it's pretty broken. all this timing stuff is nothing new it's been there in gaming for quite some time and quite a number of us are familiar with that. But using timing in this game becomes utterly useless when you get swamped by enemies and you trap spell is taking way too long to trigger.Edli1 said:
Tactical combat starts with the targeting mechanic if that doesn't work properly tacitcs often go out of the window.