The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

The greatest thing a big time fan can hope for is a solid adaptation of their favorite things. I consider myself blessed beyond measure for living in a time where I can read LOTR, watch the amazing movies, and play in the universe online.

I have given up hope on a good Witcher TV adaptation, but my goodness did we get games that are not only good, but perfectly true to the source. Now, with that said, Witcher 2 is old. It felt a lot like playing through Red Dead 1 before getting to experience 2. There are all the makings of a great game, but they don't become fully realized until the technology catches up a bit later on.

So in terms of bad, there are plenty. First off, the combat just kinda sucks, and that's pretty important for a game like this. It just feels clunky, unfair, and unpredictable. I played on hard which was a mistake because the controls aren't tight enough to gain a sense of mastery. Also, there are annoying quirks like a terrible equip load, a TERRIBLE map, endless bugs and just a lot of old school jankiness.

But in this game, a true RPG that is a continuation of the Witcher book story, my main concern was more the writing and representation of Sapkowski's world. They nailed that. The art direction and music are actually quite nice for a game that's over a decade old, so that's a start. Then the story is truly gripping, phenomenally written, and gives lots of terrific moral dilemmas that are reflective of the novels. Do you choose the wellbeing of friends, or of the world? Do you feel that a tyrannical king is guilty, and if so do you allow him to be tortured by the peasants or save him? Just lots of great rpg stuff here that is all breathed to life with clever writing and terrific voice acting.

Speaking of voice acting, Doug Cockle's Geralt must be a top 5 most iconic video game performance. He nails it. I love that one of my most beloved fictional characters has such a distinct voice away from the books. Bless you, Doug.

A couple other quick hits: awesome map design that feels like true Medieval settings, and because there is no fast travel you get to know them well. Triss is in this game so +1. The side quests are all super long and intricate and as good as the main story itself. There is a quest where if you know some book trivia, you can avoid a fight. That felt good.

So yeah, I'm not actually sure I'd recommend this game for non-Witcher fans, but I think that despite some old-school jank, this game was a lot of fun for me.