The Witcher 2, My Thoughts

I finally caved in and downloaded the Witcher 2 this weekend and started playing. I had struggled with the idea of purchasing it ever since it came out, due to its content. After hearing so much about how good the story is (from Olivia Hill and others), I thought I should give the game a try, and the Steam sale provided an opportunity.

I’ve been playing a lot of Skyrim, and the controls on the Witcher 2 (hereafter I refer to it as W2) are still taking me a bit to get used to, even though I’ve played several hours of it at this post’s time of writing. I’m hoping I’ll settle into a groove with it. I’m focusing mainly on swordmanship until I become more comfortable, at which point I’d like to take the magic system for a spin.

Problems (for Me)

The language still makes me cringe. I’m not a big fan of using profanity, regardless of motivation. I can tolerate its seasoning the words, but I don’t like its liberal use. To be sure, W2 uses it liberally. The nudity is something I can skip, and so I do. I don’t feel like it adds to the realism, and I certainly don’t think it is virtuous to include it to make the game more “adult.”

The Good

To be fair, it’s not all problems, or else I wouldn’t continue to play it. The plot so far has been interesting, and I like that there are hard choices (with time limits given at crucial dialogue points). I like that the game allows me to play him more as a hero than anti-hero (a rant for another time). Each major character feels real, and the world and its moral choices are interesting and complex.

All in all, I’m enjoying the game, even as I struggle with parts of its content. It’s not a game I can recommend without a lot of caveats, and I can understand choosing not to buy or play it. For those willing/able, it’s a fun game.