The Witcher

[BloatedGuppy]

So...Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition is coming out shortly, and I had a mind to give it a whirl since I've heard naught but good things about it, so to kill time I picked up the EE for the original Witcher, which I've also never played. It's...alright, so far. I must admit I groaned inwardly when I saw the engine it was running on, as I tend to find it fussy and ugly, and...this game is no exception, sadly.

My major concern thus far is the quality of the voice acting and writing. Or to put a finer point on it, the lack of quality in the voice acting and writing. The occasional performance is alright, but some of them, including the lead, are terribly flat. And the quality of the writing varies wildly from sentence to sentence. I'd read that the writing/voice acting had been improved significantly for the Enhanced Edition, which leaves me wondering how awful it must've been at launch.

So my question is this...is something that improves, then, in Witcher 2? Is that game more comparable to, say, a Bioware offering in terms of the performance and writing quality? Because if it's as stilted as the original, I may pass on it until it sinks below the $10 mark.

 

[Kahunaburger]

As far as I can tell, the translation is much better in Witcher 2. Voice acting is also much, much better for the second installment.

Compared to a Bioware game, the writing is a lot more understated, but the story is much better constructed. In other words, there are fewer dialogue lines that seem like they're trying to be memeworthy (I personally much prefer it this way) but many more "wow, that thing I did had an impact on the story!" moments. The writing resembles Obsidian much more closely than it resembles Bioware.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

As far as I can tell, the translation is much
better in Witcher 2. Voice acting is also much, much better for the second installment.

Well that's a relief. There's been moments in the first game where I feel like I'm watching a high school play.

 

[80Maxwell08]

Agreed on the voice acting part about TW1. Though I still haven't beaten it yet I want to beat TW1 before playing TW2 though I may just give that up soon since so many people say you don't need to play TW1 to understand TW2. Also while I can't vouch for it myself on the witcher forums a ton of people there praise a lot of moments in the writing like apparently after sleeping with Triss. Also roughly everyone there says that Letho is the greatest antagonist in all of gaming. I probably just should play TW2 already but since it's so close to the enhanced edition anyway I might as well beat the first one. Just have to get the will to play it again.

 

[The Madman]

The Witcher 1's biggest problem I would say is absolutely horrible pacing. There's just these long gaps in the story that sort of branch off and do their own thing. Not necessarily padding but also just not all that interesting, as a result a lot of people tend to get understandably bored with the game. Shame because it genuinely is a fantastic experience. Towards the end of the game when everything begins to come together and all the decisions you've made throughout the story so far, big and small alike, collide together with explosive results; that's amazing. Satisfying ending as well which is sometimes annoyingly hard to find in games these days.

As for Witcher 2, it sacrifices a bit in terms of choice/consequence and story compared to the first but otherwise is arguably superior in every other way possible. As a game I might argue it's just better all-round really, the pacing is beyond doubt better although I was a bit disappointed by how short chapter 3 was compared to the stunning first two chapters. But that amazingly enough is apparently being addressed in the upcoming Enhanced Edition, because CD Projekt are awesome like that it seems. As for things like sound, gameplay and visuals it's not just better than the first game but one of the best in the entire industry. Admittedly I haven't played Mass Effect 3, but Witcher 2 blows every other rpg away in terms visuals. It's not even a contest, the game is damned gorgeous! Great soundtrack too.

When it was released Witcher 2 was among my favourite games of that year, with the Enhanced Edition I'm hoping it might become one of my favourite games of all time. It just seems like the developers have been doing a fantastic job listening to the community and working to remedy their ills, myself included.

Can't wait for my next playthrough.

 

[Zhukov]

The voice acting in the sequel is significantly improved. It's still kind of flat and the actors still sound like they'd rather be elsewhere, but it doesn't have that painfully amateur quality that the original did.

I'm not going to to comment on the writing because doing so always causes people to yell at me.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

There's nothing wrong with Geralt's voice acting in the first game. I always thought a cool no nonsense kind of guy like him couldn't really have a different voice. It fits his personality perfectly. You'll get used to it and you'll love it eventually.

 

[endtherapture]

So...Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition is coming out shortly, and I had a mind to give it a whirl since I've heard naught but good things about it, so to kill time I picked up the EE for the original Witcher, which I've also never played. It's...alright, so far. I must admit I groaned inwardly when I saw the engine it was running on, as I tend to find it fussy and ugly, and...this game is no exception, sadly.

It's an old game. They're using the Neverwinter Nights engine so it's a very old, 2002 engine, on a 2007 game, so what they got out of it was not bad at all. Chapter 4 for instance actually looks gorgeous I thought. Anyway have you got an HD texture mod? I think I played my game with one and it might have helped out a lot.

My major concern thus far is the quality of the voice acting and writing. Or to put a finer point on it, the lack of quality in the voice acting and writing. The occasional performance is alright, but some of them, including the lead, are terribly flat. And the quality of the writing varies wildly from sentence to sentence. I'd read that the writing/voice acting had been improved significantly for the Enhanced Edition, which leaves me wondering how awful it must've been at launch.

You do have to understand this is their first game so they're on a tight budget. I personally didn't have a problem with it, especially Geralt. He's kinda flat in TW2 but he's supposed to be - he's a sarcastic, no nonsense type of person so he rarely gets impassioned or emotional or anything.

The story is very long and winding, and a slow burner, but I like that in a game. The ending twist will blow your mind for example, and a lot happens in the last chapter of the game so that momentum really builds up.

I personally found the game great fun and I got fully immersed in being a Witcher so I found the game really great, but it's not a Bioware RPG so you shouldn't go in with that mindset. It still has a very strong cast of interesting character

So my question is this...is something that improves, then, in Witcher 2? Is that game more comparable to, say, a Bioware offering in terms of the performance and writing quality? Because if it's as stilted as the original, I may pass on it until it sinks below the $10 mark.

TW2 has much higher production values but less content (it's very well written though). Characters stick around longer, and are more memorable (they also have more unique character models) and more of what you do is related to the main plot of the game. I definitely recommend you pick it up because it is amazing. CDProjekt are one of the only companies treating gamers right out there (free DLC etc.) so I think everyone should pick the game up for full price (the standard edition has SO MUCH extra content in it).

 

[BreakfastMan]

The voice acting in the sequel is significantly improved. It's still kind of flat and the actors still sound like they'd rather be elsewhere, but it doesn't have that painfully amateur quality that the original did.

I'm not going to to comment on the writing because doing so always causes people to yell at me.

I know how you feel. Whenever I voice my opinion on the writing in Planescape: Torment, a bunch of people instantly jump down my throat to tell me that I am just playing the game wrong. :/

OT: Never completed the original. The game has one of the most horrid pacing problems of any game in recent memory. Really exciting one moment, insanely boring for the next 5 hours.

 

[Thoric485]

Yes, the production quality is much higher. It's been in development for 4 years after all.

 

[Sexy Devil]

The voice acting in the sequel is significantly improved. It's still kind of flat and the actors still sound like they'd rather be elsewhere, but it doesn't have that painfully amateur quality that the original did.

I'm not going to to comment on the writing because doing so always causes people to yell at me.

It's only really Geralt's voice acting that sucks. I remember this absolutely rofl part at the very end where he says "Time to fight" in the blandest way possible. It's in the video below.
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! THIS IS LITERALLY THE LAST SCENE OF THE GAME!
http://youtu.be/Wtv1qadDXxM

 

[endtherapture]

The voice acting in the sequel is significantly improved. It's still kind of flat and the actors still sound like they'd rather be elsewhere, but it doesn't have that painfully amateur quality that the original did.

I'm not going to to comment on the writing because doing so always causes people to yell at me.

It's only really Geralt's voice acting that sucks. I remember this absolutely rofl part at the very end where he says "Time to fight" in the blandest way possible. It's in the video below.
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! THIS IS LITERALLY THE LAST SCENE OF THE GAME!
http://youtu.be/Wtv1qadDXxM

That's just Geralts character though.

 

[Merkavar]

witcher 2 voice acting poos all over witcher 1.

but voice acting aside give witcher a go. its one of the better rpgs i have played. better or equal to things liek dragon age.

one tyhing i found useful was a mod that mad most things weigh 0. before it i found i was always running out of bad sapce.

 

[Sexy Devil]

That's just Geralts character though.

I know it's his character but the way it's said is still just so undeniably hilarious.

 

[Kahunaburger]

That's just Geralts character though.

I know it's his character but the way it's said is still just so undeniably hilarious.

That's why you gotta play in Polish, man. The Polish voice acting might be good, it might be bad, but if you don't speak Polish, it sounds awesome either way.