The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
Post Reply
User avatar
JaySevenZero
Admin
Posts: 2643
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:28 pm
Location: Liverpool, Europe, Earth
Contact:

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here is where you can leave your thoughts regarding The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
User avatar
MauricioMM
Member
Posts: 53
Joined: April 8th, 2016, 7:37 pm
Location: Costa Rica

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by MauricioMM »

The first Witcher game became for me a promising foundation for a great franchise, so much in fact that I had to drop any other pending games in my backlog and try The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings right after the first game (I rarely do something like this) in order to witness as soon as possible how far CD Projekt RED managed to take the IP in terms of quality. As I previously said in my comments about the first game, what first hooked me to this game series were a couple of screenshots from this sequel, screenshots that showed me a promising, intriguing, adult-oriented and even folkloric experience unlike any other games back then.

When I started playing it, the first obvious thing that I noticed was how damn good it looked. In a time where the Crysis game series were pushing the envelope for computer graphics, I wasn’t really expecting to see something kinda similar happen with a not-quite-mainstream RPG. The improved graphics engine enhanced the whole game atmosphere and art direction through the use of vivid colors, a right amount of visual contrast, a very detailed texture quality, richly made locations and a finely tuned camera work on most of the cutscenes, all of which turned The Witcher 2 in an outstanding cinematic experience.

One thing that surprised me a lot was how its gameplay systems changed mostly for the better. Even though I initially missed some of the tactical advantages from the first game, this was compensated with a more exciting system that demanded quick reflexes and rewarded preparation. At the highest difficulties, in order to be truly victorious you needed good reaction times (despite the annoying animation response times :? ), to know when to use which potions, bombs and oils and to have a good handle on signs, the witcher’s magic abilities. Definitely a great improvement but not the highlight of the game if I’m honest, in part because of the not-so-friendly controls, in part because these systems weren’t as deep as they could’ve been (at least not until The Witcher 3) but mostly because something else took the spotlight.

And that something else was its narrative aspect: the plot, the branching options, the characters, the dialogue and in general the way the story was told. The bases for this game’s narrative material were the style, characters and lore of Andrzej Sapkowski’s books but CDPR took said material to an interesting place: a sort of alternate, unofficial sequel to the books’ storyline where it could be possible to expand the lore in a respectful-but-creative manner.

Even after all these years, I still think they managed to make one of the most engaging and well constructed stories ever told in a videogame. Despite how modest their first Witcher game was, you could tell from it that with more experience and resources they could’ve had the possibility to build an even more interesting, living world filled with more intriguing stories and even more complex characters, a potential that they fortunately lived up to for the most part. Storylines like the kingslayer’s deeds and motives, the cursed battlefield and the mages’ summit, and characters like Bernard Loredo, Ves, Dethmold, Sheala de Tancarville, Philippa Eilhart, Letho and especially Vernon Roche and Iorveth —the game’s two narrative heavyweights and my favorites characters in the game— are testaments of both CDPR’s talent as game creators and the value of their experience with the previous game.

Oh, and did I mention that this game is pretty funny as well? It has great comical delivery and timing, unlike some of the jokes of the first game :lol: And it’s also a very quotable game.

Overall, even coming from the humble first game and despite some flaws of its own, I enjoyed The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings way more that I thought I would. And, like its predecessor, it was a sign of a possibly amazing future for the franchise. A future that, to my greatest joy, became a reality 4 year later with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt :)

---

My three word review:
Prologue to greatness

---

P.S.: Your Witcher 1 podcast was hilarious! One of your best episodes so far. I’m glad you guys enjoyed the game’s good bits and had a good laugh at its tackiness.
User avatar
ashman86
Member
Posts: 55
Joined: March 6th, 2017, 10:49 pm
Contact:

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by ashman86 »

As I mentioned in my brief review of the first Witcher game, seeing The Witcher 2 for the first time was my catalyst for finally sitting down to play the series. Presumably riding on the surprising success of the first game, CD Projekt RED ditched BioWare's long-since antiquated aurora engine in favor of their own proprietary one. The result were visuals that were virtually unparalleled in the industry at the time. And it wasn't just a matter of the lifelike character models or the high-resolution textures. I remember stepping out of the gates of Flotsam for the first time and just allowing my eyes to soak up the aesthetics of the woods. Compared to the largely dreary and drab colors of the original game, as well as so many of the brownish palettes that dominated the games of last generation, the bright greens of the forest were a welcome sight.

I had been a diehard and lifelong fan of BioWare when I started playing the Witcher series (BioWare had been, as I explained in The Witcher 1's thread, the very reason I became aware of the original Witcher title in the first place), and I think that's important context to describe my experience with The Witcher 2. It launched just two months after the second Dragon Age game, and it was impossible for me not to compare the two. I remember putting down DA 2 after a dozen or so hours without much desire to return to it. It was the singlemost disappointing showing I had ever seen from a studio that I had known, trusted, and loved for so long. While I did eventually pick up and finish that game (I even learned to like it for its excellent cast of characters), I never did shake the feeling that The Witcher 2 had been the true successor to the BioWare legacy I had been craving.

I'll make a quick note here that the game, like the other two in the series, received substantial post-launch support in the way of patches and free DLC that expanded and improved the game fairly dramatically. The introduction of the Dark difficulty mode, for example, was particularly exciting and included several sets of top-tier gear you could get only when playing in that mode. CD Projekt RED also responded to complaints of the game's steep learning curve with an optional Tutorial section, which, although I was quite familiar with its mechanics by the time I played it, was enjoyable to run through at least once if for nothing more than a healthy dose of the studio's now signature humor. In one of the ultimate updates, they re-released and re-branded the game as The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition, coinciding with the Xbox 360 version's launch. This was less of a sudden and significant overhaul of the original and more the culmination of months' worth of updates by a developer who has always seemed keen on listening to and responding to feedback from their audience.

The enhanced version of the game features an opening cinematic in which the game's antagonist, Letho, storms the yacht of King Demavend III and assassinates him. It's a pretty yet gruesome bit of pre-rendered CGI eyecandy that appropriately sets the backdrop for the game's rather political plot, but it's also an unnecessary one. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of CDPR's CGI shorts--and they've released a number of them at this point--but the game's true opening scene was an excellent introduction to the story as it stood.

In it, we find Geralt imprisoned in a Temerian dungeon, and we quickly learn that he's been accused of murdering King Foltest. This comes as a shock to those who completed the first game since when we last saw Geralt he was *saving* the late king from an assassination attempt by another, unknown witcher.

From the get-go, The Witcher 2's story is one of intrigue and in which the stakes are more personal and human than you'd typically find in an "epic" RPG. Geralt isn't driven by some prophecy to save the world, even if the threat of the Nilfgaard invasion looms in the background. He's first motivated to clear his name, and, later, to protect the people closest to him. It's a more intimate story and one that opens (assuming players engage with Geralt's flashback sequences in chronological order) with a scene of thwarted intimacy that establishes a relationship between two of its leading characters immediately and without overly heavy exposition.

What follows is an experience that feels much less grand in scale than I had expected but far more compelling. It doesn't quite stick the landing in the third and final chapter of the game, which drags a bit and ditches the diverse and immersive environments of the first two in favor of maze-like ruins that you're forced far too often to tread and re-tread (although the lead-up to Loc Muine is positively beautiful, if memory serves), but the conclusion still hits with ambiguous poignancy that all too many storytellers veer away from.

I remember preparing myself for the final showdown with Letho, steeling myself for the game's ultimate fight only to find myself letting the rival Witcher walk free without so much as drawing a sword. This was, I might add, after *not* having slain the quintessential dragon. It's in this way that, for me at least, the Witcher series rises above its peer. Its often subtle subversion of genre tropes seems to be a core principle of the series and extends to everything from its narratives, its creature design, and its almost universally shades-of-gray sense of morality.

And it's on the game's morality that I wish to end my review because no other game has presented me with such delight or such anguish over the choices I was forced to make in-game. Was anyone else as surprised as I was to discover in the conclusion of Chapter 2 that there was a whole other environment that I hadn't gotten the chance to explore? I initially sided with Roche over Iorveth, despite finding that I rather liked the elven terrorist/revolutionary, only to find that I had completely missed out on the bulk of Vergen. It was enough for me to immediately re-start the game after finishing it the first time (I'd later go on to play it through to completion nearly four times).

But, on either end of the branching narrative, it was the penultimate choice between saving Triss and Saskia/Anaïs that haunted me most. I never was able to grapple fully with the decision, particularly in the case of the latter. The idea of leaving a young girl to the care of a psychotic autocrat was simply too much to bear even after I had resolved myself to the notion that my Geralt valued his friends and loved ones above all else. I saved a game right before making the decision in both cases and satisfied my conscience by completing the game all four ways, deceiving myself into believing that it somehow enabled the narrative to progress as though I had successfully saved everyone, even if I knew the truth in my heart.

It was disappointing to learn in the Witcher 3 that the decision had no bearing on the continuing events of the series, but I don't believe that fact diminishes the truth or the significance of my experience in Assassins of Kings, which remains to this day one of the highest of highs in my gaming career.
User avatar
Flabyo
Member
Posts: 3576
Joined: August 8th, 2013, 8:46 am
Location: Guildford

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by Flabyo »

One of the short stories in 'The Sword of Destiny' goes into why Geralt isn't keen on dragon slaying.
Spoiler: show
Short version: Geralt is really only interested in hunting the creatures that crossed into their world during the conjunction, things that don't belong. Dragons are a natural part of his world so he feels they're not part of his remit. Especially as dragons are sentient creatures.
User avatar
ashman86
Member
Posts: 55
Joined: March 6th, 2017, 10:49 pm
Contact:

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by ashman86 »

Flabyo wrote:One of the short stories in 'The Sword of Destiny' goes into why Geralt isn't keen on dragon slaying.
You're right! And the dragon in that story has a really rewarding connection to Saskia in The Witcher 2, also. I think you get enough of an explanation in-game as for why Geralt doesn't normally kill dragons (they're not monsters), too, although I didn't really delve into that so much in my review.

If nothing else, I think the games do a really good job of staying true to the spirit of the books, and that theme of subverting traditional fantasy tropes is present in both.
User avatar
TheEmailer
Member
Posts: 93
Joined: October 5th, 2015, 10:46 am

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by TheEmailer »

The Witcher 2 emphasises how good the opening to Witcher 3 is

I love with Witcher 3 and have now read the books, but I couldn't get invested in Witcher 2 despite feeling it could be great. The start of the game didn't draw me into the lore and I couldn't grasp the systems. Maybe I'm inexperienced with these rpgs, but I found myself on wikia loads trying to understand the mechanics, world and characters, which wasn't especially fun. Eventually after getting stuck on a boss 8 hours in and having very limited time for games (damn thesis) I never went back.

The Witcher 3 is a much easier game to get into from scratch. The prologue explains the systems well but not at a glacial pace and there's a clear motivation with two well explained NPCs . The shaving scene cleverly references previous plot points to hook you in too. Now that I'm invested, I will probably go back to 2 and I imagine I'll like it alot.
User avatar
TheEmailer
Member
Posts: 93
Joined: October 5th, 2015, 10:46 am

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by TheEmailer »

ps feel free to call me a newb!
nickturner13

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by nickturner13 »

I loved The Witcher 2. It was the first game in a long long time that I felt really involved with the story-line, to the point where it was taking over my every day thoughts.

I remember remarking to a friend at the time of playing it - it's the first game that I've played for nearly 20 years that has had me up early before going to work, and desperate to get home, just to continue playing it and continue the immersion in the story.

The story-line and characters are incredible, the graphics, for the time, were second-to-none, and the voice-acting was supreme.

I wrote a full review of the game on a short-lived gaming blog which can be found here - https://nocturnalgames.wordpress.com/20 ... witcher-2/ This summarizes my thoughts on the game in a slightly longer format than I can possibly write here.

For several years I looked forward to The Witcher 3, and although I did get my money's worth from that game with around 70 hours gameplay, I am yet to visit the Isles Of Skellige and am probably only about 50% through the game.

The Witcher 2 showed to me what a proper RPG should be like on more modern systems, showing the advancement in graphics and sound.... and so for me, this is one of the most important games ever made.
TeePee

Re: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by TeePee »

Hi guys and girls, first post, so apologies if it's a little rambling! :)

I've never really been one for RPGs - as a younger gamer, they never had the 'sizzle' of a shooter or racer in order to capture my attention, and with my formative years as a gamer spent firmly entrenched in the Sega Mega Drive side of the battlefield, I wasn't exactly exposed to masses of options anyway.

It wasn't until a few years later and firmly into the PSX era that I had a chance dalliance with Final Fantasy VII via an older cousin - like many others, the game hooked me, and I played it to death. A year or so after that, and with a new family PC expanding my potential horizons, I took a gamble on an RPG I'd heard plenty about by the name of Baldur's Gate II. Very much the opposite end of the RPG scale, but again, I was grabbed, and I clocked close to a hundred hours in the game.

However, for nearly ten years, those two games remained the only RPGs I'd ever played to completion. I'd tried many others, from further entries in the Final Fantasy series to lesser-hyped but well-regarded games like Lost Odyssey, to the KoToR games and more recently Wasteland 2 from the West.
For all my efforts, nothing ever quite grabbed me the way those two RPG titans did, and I had started to come to the conclusion that as a whole, the RPG genre wasn't really for me. While Baldur's Gate II and FFVII had captured my imagination, it's not unreasonable to say that both games would be in many people's discussions when picking an all-time top ten for the genre, so perhaps they were outliers - games of such rare quality that they transcended genre preferences.

Then, one day on a whim, I picked up the Witcher 2 on Xbox 360. The girlfriend was out of town for a week, and I was off work, so I knew I'd be able to invest some considerable time into a game that was earning a reputation as not only being a reviewer's darling, but of being quite the time consumer.
Sadly, I bounced off it, the first chapter's flashbacks explaining too little and assuming too much, and the game went back to gather dust on an ever-filling shelf. Several years later, again on a whim, and with a much better PC to try the game out fully on, I tried again. This time something was different. I still hated the first couple of hours, finding it to be a mess of characters I didn't know getting me to do things I didn't really like for reasons I didn't fully understand, but I powered through and eventually found myself in Flotsam. This time something stuck - whilst I wanted to murder Dandelion with every fibre of my being, and found Triss to be little more than a damsel in valkyrie's clothing, I started to get more of a feel for the characters in Geralt's world. I fought through to the Kayran, the first major boss battle in the game, and really enjoyed the nuances of the combat - the game had the deftness and control of an action game, but the depth and feeling of an RPG.

I pressed on, taking Iorveth's path, and found myself in a world that felt very much more 'alive' than many previous games I'd played, with almost every character seemingly having their own relationships and agendas, and attempting to manipulate Geralt and the player to best satisfy them as opposed to simply being the talking mission markers of so many other games.

As I got deeper into the story, the time I spent with other games dwindled, and the hours logged at my desk increased - whilst I probably never experienced the combat to its fullest, generally managing to get by with a couple of signs and the appropriate sword, it never became too much of a chore, and the plot managed to keep stringing me along without ever feeling like it was being artificially lengthened.

When things eventually reached their conclusion, and I was left with the final decision of whether to let Letho walk away or not, I remember feeling... satisfied. I wanted neither any more or any less of the game - the arc felt perfect, and for all of the intrigue, plots, sub-plots and agendas, nothing stood out to me as having been left hanging or hastily wrapped up just to package things neatly.

I don't know if the Witcher 2 belongs in the exalted company of Baldur's Gate 2 and Final Fantasy VII - I feel the first couple of hours could be more or less cut out of the game with no significant impact on proceedings, and unfortunately there are times when it felt like the developers threw a pair of tits on screen just to see if I was still paying attention, but it's definitely got something that many RPGs haven't, and whilst I can't put my finger on what that is exactly, it's clearly a very fine game both mechanically and in the way the world has been crafted.

I'm yet to play the Witcher III, and I'm in no great rush to do so, but I've got no doubts that when that time comes, I'll be adding a fourth game to my list.
arry_g

Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (20.8.17): The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by arry_g »

I picked up the original Witcher at release as an impulse buy at a local supermarket (back when they stocked PC games). Technical issues and cringe-worthy sexual depictations aside, this random buy kickstarted a love of the franchise which extends beyond just the videogames. For me (despite the brilliance of The Witcher 3), Witcher 2 is the peak of my love for the IP.

Part of the reason for The Witcher 2 being my favourite is that it took the original game (which in turn took the source material) and significantly built on it. Graphics, sound design and story especially were improved notably. This is something that The Witcher 3 does not do as well in my opinion, it is an improvement in most ways, yes but it largely ignores foundations built by earlier games (but more on that in the future) including some fantastic plot threads.
kintaris

Re: Our next-but-one podcast recording (20.8.17): The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by kintaris »

arry_g wrote: August 15th, 2017, 11:22 am For me (despite the brilliance of The Witcher 3), Witcher 2 is the peak of my love for the IP.
Exactly this for me too arry_g, and a similar history with the games and books.

The Witcher 2 had a fascinating plot and an entire ensemble of interesting characters (well, except Dandelion). What I appreciated at the time was the fact that The Witcher 2 kept itself relatively tightly structured compared to the open-world direction of a lot of Western RPGs, including Wild Hunt, seem compelled to take.

I also love the colour palette of the second instalment. CD Projekt Red had an opportunity to show off how far they'd taken the series visually and they really went for it. I love how the lurid costumes and pennants of the Northern armies contrasts with the obsidian ornamentation of the Nilfgaardians, and how it all clashes with the blood, mud and guts of the battlefield. The ancient majesty of Loc Muinne juxtaposed against these horrid, soiled and screaming harpies that greet your arrival was also an arresting moment. I felt this unique style was something lost in the third game - Wild Hunt is beautiful in it's own way, but it's the murky brown and grey palette of so many fantasy sequels set in the aftermath of war, and it lost a lot of its charm. It's probably why I enjoyed Blood & Wine so much... but that's for another podcast.

Assassins of Kings also has a place in my heart for being the first game since Metal Gear Solid 3 in which I enjoyed the gameplay and the world so much, that I was compelled to restart on the hardest difficulty mode. I'm not normally a fan of torturing myself with harder difficulties in games unless they are built as an arcade-like experience, but I really enjoyed the swordplay and strategy involved in playing Geralt and wanted to test my limits. The combat was such an improvement over the first instalment, and it was in this Dark mode that the strategic use of Geralt's limited magical abilities came to the fore. I also enjoyed the risk and reward involved in hunting down each Act's unique Dark armour, only available in Dark mode and difficult to track down. Making the effort to put it all together gave you an edge in the game's tougher battles.

The game isn't perfect. Gratuitous boobs, a wooden lead voice actor and a fair handful of irritating bugs still make an appearance, and Letho's Southern drawl was like nails on a chalkboard throughout. The prologue goes on a bit too long without giving much context to what the hell is actually happening, which was slightly problematic given that a lot of people were coming into this on console as their first experience of the series. Despite this, I think The Witcher 2 still stands up as a brilliant example of a modern RPG and a significant evolutionary step towards the intelligent and mature world building we're starting to expect from the genre today.
Todinho

Re: Our next podcast recording (20.8.17): The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by Todinho »

I'll add my voice to the choir in saying that Witcher 2 is also my favorite game in the series, the only one I played multiple times and never got tired of, the jump in quality from 1 to 2 cannot be understated, just on a graphics level while witcher 1 barelly ran and looked horrible even by 2007 standarts witcher 2 was pushing computers to their breaking points by being one of the most graphically impressive games of the last generation and still looking pretty good today, while a few features from witcher 1 didnt come back the sequel overall improved on everything the original did and then some more.

Starting with the gameplay the game became a full blown action RPG and not only that but several mechanics where streamlined and changed in order to accomodate the new combat system, the combat retained it's focus on preparation of the first game but now it was much more understandable and enjoyable to play while losing nothing of it's difficullty which was as punishing as ever, the first boss fight with Letho especially serves as a wake up call to whoever walks into combat without thinking especially since now you can no longer drink potions during combat, this makes you use all tools at your disposal during combat be it bombs, oils or signs to get through a fight and mastering those are key to succeding in Witcher 2.

Along with the combat what really elevated the Witcher 2 for me above most western RPGs was it's story and characters, the game takes full advantage of the mature setting and centers the plot around the political intrigue and the moral dilemmas that arise from that, one can say that this is not much different from other RPGs but thanks to it's setting and execution Witcher 2 stands out above the competition, there are no good guys or bad guys in this game, sure some are better then others but all are driven by their own interests and things almost never get a happy or neatlly tied resolution, there are always unintended consequences and mistakes that you have to live with. The story of Witcher 2 isnt about saving the world or revenge, it's about how the complex politics of a region and the interests of the powerfull affect people , perfectly shown in how your main character doesnt even want to be there but is forced to navigate this political turmoil due to circunstance, this isnt a game where feel like a triumphant hero after defeating a big bad final boss you'll just likelly keep asking if there was anyway things could've turned out better.

To add to the plot Witcher 2 has a great memorable cast of characters from the most appaling like Demavend and Loretto to the most amusing like well... everything single troll :D , but a especial mention has to be made to Iorverth because he's not only my favorite character in this game but out of the entire series, to simply put Iorverth is an unapologetic terrorist with a deep hatred for humans and that might seem like a weird character to like especially since he essentially starts as an antagonist but the game does a wonderfull job in showing his mindset in both his actions and some really well written dialogue, he's what you'd call a true believer but at the same time a pragmatist he wants his people to take back everthing they've lost but at the same time he knows that isnt possible so he's trying a compromise to achive what's best for them and if you remove morality from the equation all his actions are entirelly justifiable. The best part however is that he's not just the revolutionary in the same way that Geralt isnt just the stoic protagonist, both have layers and with Iorverth in particular it's quite telling that in his dreams he only wants a quiet life. I focused alot on Iorverth because he is my favorite but other characters are similarlly well written such as his foil Roche, the main antagonist Letho, Philipa, Radovid and the list goes on.

Gameplay and story aside I have to say I really like the color palette used in the game, all the colors really pop and I really like the armor,weapons and monster designs that all manage to look really cool and unique. Also while the soundtrack of the first game didnt caught my attention the soundtrack of the second is definetly a highlight already from the main menu.

It's not all good of course they decided to add quick time events and forced stealth sections that really add nothing but frustration to the game and for some unknown reason the timer of potions continues to count down even during cutscenes which can be a problem in tough fights that have a cutscene preceding it, there are a few to many fetch quests for my liking and despite the writing overall being pretty great there are still some odd out of place line here and there(lesbomancy comes to mind). These are tiny annoyances however in an otherwise fantastic game that I cant recommend enough.
User avatar
Hunter30
Member
Posts: 60
Joined: January 25th, 2015, 4:43 pm

Re: Our next podcast recording (20.8.17): The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

Post by Hunter30 »

To give some context, I have played the first Witcher game (the enhanced edition), which I thoroughly enjoyed. For me, Assassins of Kings improved upon that in almost every way. I'm a big fan of the sword and sorcery setting, both in RPGs and fantasy literature, so there was an obvious hook anyway, but what I found really refreshing was the series' unapologetically adult and gritty take on the genre.

The initial learning curve was even more steep than in the first game, and for the first few hours I had real reservations about my ability to get on with the combat system. I probably died more times during the first ten percent of the game than I did throughout its entire remainder. Once I'd levelled up a couple of times however, and gotten used to the controls,. things became much easier and more enjoyable. In fact, during its second half, and thanks to liberal use of the igni sign, fights with non-boss enemies were something of a cakewalk; this was something I'd also experienced with the original game. This heightened that sense of Geralt's growing prowess as a warrior, and didn't prevent me from enjoying the combat, but I wonder if this could have been slightly better balanced.

Other posts have paid tribute to the story more eloquently than I can, but suffice it to say I thought this was fantastic - nuanced and rich, but not overly complex. I'm aware of the Witcher's literary origins, although I haven't yet read any of the novels. If this is the kind of quality of story that results from games drawing on fantasy-novel source material, with a deep well of pre-existing lore, let's have even more of them I say (Joe Abercrombie anyone? I can dream . . .).

I'm going to end my post on what might be a slightly contentious note, and defend the game against some of the criticism which has been levelled against it for its use of nudity. Just to be clear, it's the Witcher 2 specifically which I am defending - I can't argue that the 'cards' awarded in the first game for sexual conquests were anything but gratuitous, with a capital 'G'. I'm also not claiming that the Witcher 2 gets it right every time - the spanking scene between Phillipa and Cynthia in Vergen was an odd one to say the least. To me, nudity and sex within a narrative medium, whether that's a video game, novel, or film, is only gratuitous if it adds nothing to the story, and is merely there to titillate or deliberately create controversy (and therefore draw in an increased audience). In terms of character development, and particularly the relationship between Geralt and Triss, I found one of the most effective and powerful moments of the game to be when those two got it on in the pool in the elven ruins. Yes, it featured a lot of boob, but for me it absolutely worked as a believable and tender scene which demonstrated the affection they had for one another. I think it's shortly after that when Triss is kidnapped by Letho, and I remember rushing to find her because I didn't want her and Geralt's shared story to end there - I'd completely bought into that relationship.

I'm not suggesting that we should stop asking questions about whether sex or nudity is gratuitous, and challenging when that's the case, but I do think that in an age where the story-telling power of the best games is on a par with the more traditional media, we should apply similar standards when making those judgements. Nudity in popular programmes like Game of Thrones or Orange Is the New Black is commonplace, and yet in my experience doesn't attract the same level of controversy or feature so prominently when it comes to review time.

Apologies, when I started out I hadn't intended for this post to talk so much about sex! :-/
Post Reply