The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition Preview

The Witcher was a 2007 RPG and PC exclusive from small Polish Studio CD Projekt. Based on a series of books by the same name, this dark and complex story saw players take on the role of titular Witcher Geralt of Rivia. Set in a medieval world of political strife, moral ambiguity and supernatural overtones, this grim opus focused on spinning a swirling, uncertain narrative that reacted to player choice. The Witcher did so well it spawned a sequel, the again PC exclusive The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings that was released in 2011 to critical acclaim once more. So what is The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition? What is a witcher anyway and why has one cropped up now for Xbox 360? Well if you€™re asking these questions then it€™s safe to assume you€™ve not played the PC versions of either game, and if so, good news. The enhanced edition is not a port but a revamp of the sequel, bought to the 360 and rebuilt especially for us newbies looking for an entry point.

You see one of the main complaints of the PC version last year was it€™s stubbornness regarding new players. Despite Geralt conveniently losing his memory between the first two games, thus allowing a retread of the universe for new players, the dense mythology was still too difficult for some to grasp and the demanding gameplay was often too overwhelming for those without the expertise honed in the original. The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings - Enhanced Edition, ironically then, is not as complicated as it sounds. The developers have heard the feedback from fans and added new content such as tutorials, cutscenes, a refined camera system and some quests to help ease in console Witcher virgins. Of course that€™s all well and good, but still the question remains of what exactly is a Witcher and why should you care about this game? Well, without getting overexcited, The Witcher 2 is probably the linear Western RPG many console owners will have been waiting for this entire generation. Here is a game so deep and complex that completing the sprawling tutorial and prologue will take up to, if not in excess of, three hours. This is a hardcore, story driven RPG. One with choices, crafting, skill trees, dialogue options, sex, violence and loot.

But whoa there, don€™t get the The Witcher 2 confused with a Bioware game. There are no cut and dry Paragon or Renegade choices here, you won€™t ever have a love me or hate me reputation goal in sigh,t and often you actions will have completely unforeseeable morally grey consequences somewhere way down the line. If anything, The Witcher 2 might even be the answer to your Mass Effect 3 woes. Here there€™s never any concern for a reputation meter, getting the €œbest€ ending or anxiety about visiting crew members between missions. No this is a story about an extraordinary man caught in circumstances he cannot control, trying to make his way. Perhaps then now is the best time to explain what a Witcher really is. Taken as children from an early age and experimented on, the rare few Witchers are mutants with supernatural abilities, a handle over magic and resistances that allow them to succeed in battle against monsters where any other man would perish. Outcast by society, feared and misunderstood, these sterile, disfigured bad asses are essentially monster killers for hire. As Geralt of Rivia you quickly become embroiled in a political scandal, the fall out of which threatens war and bloody retribution for an entire kingdom. -And yes, if this sounds a bit like A Game of Thrones to you then you€™re on the right track. This living, breathing world is engaging and compelling because it€™s fiction is grounded, meaning it€™s more Martin than Tolkien.

As for the game itself, it€™s a real looker with realistic characters enjoying both depth in the writing and solid performances from the off. Having dived into the universe blind from the very start of the game and having never before touched a Witcher (pun intended), I am happy to report that universe is completely impenetrable in the best possible way. I mean I don€™t know about you, but I€™m so bored of so called 'core' games holding my hand and making sure I understand who everyone is, who it is I€™m meant to like and what I€™m meant to be doing. The Witcher 2 is challenging and very rewarding precisely because you will have to remember and make these decisions for yourself. That€™s not to say the game won€™t bookmark quests, point you in the right direction or tell you which button to push in order to block, more that simply as the player, you will take an active role. And that€™s because The Witcher 2 is mechanically complex, the gameplay is hard and the plot is thicker than your average reality TV star.

At it€™s core then this is a third person RPG in which you play a predefined character on set path toward a distant goal. Along the way you€™ll be swinging a sword at humans, a different sword at monsters, playing mini games, placing traps and talking to people. But what makes The Witcher 2 special is how engrossing it is in spite of all that. Here€™s a game that, even in the prologue, manages to transcend the clinical €˜gameyness€™ of it€™s components and contemporaries in order tell a story that€™s as mysterious and fascinating as any you care to mention. I can€™t say how things hold up over the course of this epic, as I only played this introductory chunk, merely that in terms of first impressions The Witcher 2 certainly makes a jaded old cynic very hopeful indeed. We€™ll have more on The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition as it comes and check back to What Culture for a review in the coming weeks.