Who here is a huge fan of The Witcher 2?

[destrekor]

What's the difference between the cheap-o "standard" edition and the enhanced edition?

In short, all the DLC they've released, and some bonus materials.
I think the physical media has that content bundled as physical content, like the soundtrack, guide, comic (iirc), and some other stuff.

Some of that stuff seems to be the same as what was bundled with my copy of the "standard" edition.

But all that extra stuff is bundled as digital content with the EE download - which is a free patch or the free download of the full EE copy.

At gog.com, you enter the CD key, and you get access to download everything associated with the EE version of the game; the full installer, the soundtrack, guide, etc, is all up for download.

So... buy the cheapest copy of the game you stumble across.
Or, if you feel like supporting the developer (publisher probably benefits the most ), pay for the "EE" version.

Unless you want a digital version through Steam itself, you can also get the EE digital version at gog.com for $42 or so (DRM free, as stated previously). Doesn't require a software storefront or anything, like Steam, Origin, or Impulse. However, the best download method for gog.com (whether it be the DRM-free "backup copy" or the game directly purchased through them) is a small-footprint "Downloader" - essentially a Download Manager and nothing else. Game installs as if it were disc-based and requires no programs to run.

 

[Steelbom]

Cheers buddy i'll bare that in mind.

No worries, enjoy! =)

I just picked up The Witcher 2 somewhat recently (thanks to suggestions from people here, and the fact that got it for $20 (non-EE) and got said EE upgrade for free), and I have got to say... even after only recently finishing the tutorial and making a brief foray into Chapter 1 thus far, I am really, really enjoying this.

For this type of game, a really good story makes it that much better on its own (I've got other titles if I want mindless entertainment), and I must say, on my first play through, I am already attempting to figure out second and third-order effects of choices.
If I enjoy it enough, it might also be the first game I ever even think about playing again and actual mean to finish up.
With the promise of missing possibly hours of content throughout the game due to choices made, I really want to play different roles for this game. [I have said that before for other games and it never happened, so... we'll see. ]

But the combat, for an RPG, I've really enjoyed, and it's super early in the game.

It only gets better!

I recommend that you do explore all the other choices in the game. Play the way you want at first, but then play again, differently. It's great!

 

[Madia]

I didn't like the first Witcher at all but am a huge fan of the second. I thought it was last year's game of the year. I got it for sale at Amazon (for something like $24) and played through it twice to see both sides. When the enhanced edition came I out I played it for a third time and just beat it tonight.

I enjoyed it the most on this playthrough since I understood the political climate and the various players and their motives. Going through the first time I was competely in the dark about the Witcher's world. The enhanced edition actually does enhance the game particularly at the conclusion. The ending feels more epic and now sets the stage very nicely for the Witcher 3. Just remember to the view the movie after all the credits roll.

 

[thejunglegod]

The good thing about Skyrim was that there was a lot of content. The sad thing was that they were mostly similar to Oblivion's, so nothing felt new. The game was gorgeous but the main questline let me down. The Dark Brotherhood/Thieves Guild quests were much better, but those too, seemed quite recycled.

Anyhoo, was a big big fan of the 1st Witcher so it was an obvious choice to get the 2nd one. The storyline-exceptional, combat-perfect (if u can master it), visuals gorgeous and an Epic soundtrack (personally i like the Skyrim OST better, but i may be biased towards Jeremy Soule).

The Witcher 2 is definitely one of the most complete & underrated RPG experience alongside Dragon Age: Origins. Cheers fellow fans!!

 

[shurato]

Witcher 2, one of the best PC games of all time for me. Probably the best RPG I've played in a loooooong time. Oh and +1 for bewbz.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

What's the difference between the cheap-o "standard" edition and the enhanced edition?

EE is a free upgrade. CD Projekt RED FTW!

Also I am a huge fan of the game. Only beaten it once, but now that the EE is out I'm going to give it another play through after I put my new motherboard in. In fact, I might tear my computer apart tonight, I don't really need it over the next 24 hours :hmm:

 

[ShadowVVL]

I still haven't played it yet but will pick it up once it goes on sale.

 

[Madia]

I think I've finished at least five playthroughs, one on Normal, two on Hard, and two on Dark. I'm currently doing another on Dark, on the Alchemists Path, without using Quen.

In all my playthroughs I've ended up going predominatley mage. The main problem with the alchemist's path is that there are a couple of times you can't drink a potion and it makes the battles very difficult. There really should have been an upper level talent in the tree that lets you drink potions in combat. For example:

Level 1

Drink up to two potions during combat at 50% effectiveness.

Level 2

Drink up to four potions during combat at 90% effectiveness.

I'm currently playing it on hard since I'm not interested in the unique items on dark mode especially since they cause visual effects when you draw your weapon.

I still haven't played it yet but will pick it up once it goes on sale.

I think amazon has the standard edition for $30 which is a good price. The update to the EE is free so don't be tricked into buying the EE which costs $15 more. All you need is the product key and you can get a free backup copy of the Witcher 2 EE at gog:

http://www.gog.com/en/witcher2/backup/

So just buy it wherever you find it cheapest, enter the key at the above website and download the entire enhanced edition there.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

The Witcher 2's depth and story choices make Mass Effect 3 looks like a Bob the Builder V-Tech game.

 

[Steelbom]

In all my playthroughs I've ended up going predominatley mage. The main problem with the alchemist's path is that there are a couple of times you can't drink a potion and it makes the battles very difficult. There really should have been an upper level talent in the tree that lets you drink potions in combat. For example:

Level 1

Drink up to two potions during combat at 50% effectiveness.

Level 2

Drink up to four potions during combat at 90% effectiveness.

I'm currently playing it on hard since I'm not interested in the unique items on dark mode especially since they cause visual effects when you draw your weapon.

That's all right though, you've still got bombs and traps which are outright lethal

You can play on Dark Mode for the difficulty and not buy the Dark items. I'm not getting them in Chapter 1, and perhaps not even throughout the entire game -- I want some +50% bomb or trap damage *fist pump*

 

[ShadowVVL]

I think amazon has the standard edition for $30 which is a good price. The update to the EE is free so don't be tricked into buying the EE which costs $15 more. All you need is the product key and you can get a free backup copy of the Witcher 2 EE at gog: http://www.gog.com/en/witcher2/backup/ So just buy it wherever you find it cheapest, enter the key at the above website and download the entire enhanced edition there. Madia is offline Report Post

oh wow thanks, will do.

 

[lamarwisneski]

Hello Steelbom ,

Witcher 2, one of the best PC games of all time for me. Probably the best RPG I've played in a loong time. I really liked it. Great visuals, an awesome story, and characters that aren't your stereotypical fantasy genre cookie cutouts of good or evil...

 

[Madia]

I just finished the EE this time going the Roche path. I think the changes at the end of the game really improved the ending and are a great setup for the Witcher 3.

I have a question for anyone who's read the books (there might be spoilers in the answer). Why is Nilfgaard considered evil? Is it because they were the invaders or is their empire more decadent than the northern kingdoms?

 

[Martimus]

I just finished the EE this time going the Roche path. I think the changes at the end of the game really improved the ending and are a great setup for the Witcher 3.

I have a question for anyone who's read the books (there might be spoilers in the answer). Why is Nilfgaard considered evil? Is it because they were the invaders or is their empire more decadent than the northern kingdoms?

Here is what the Wiki says about how the Nilfgaardian Empire is portrayed:

In the books, Nilfgaard is displayed as the main antagonist. With most of the races and free peoples hating them with a passion. They are introduced into the series in the Blood of Elves novel, when they invaded Cintra. Nilfgaard draws many paralells with the Roman Empire of the real world, with disciplined armies, an empire, slavery, an Emperor and feeling of superiority within its delgates and subjects, as they believe that they are of the Elder Blood, meaning they have Elven blood running through their veins.

http://witcher.wikia.com/wiki/Nilfgaardian_Empire

 

[thespyder]

I didn't like the first Witcher at all but am a huge fan of the second. I thought it was last year's game of the year. I got it for sale at Amazon (for something like $24) and played through it twice to see both sides. When the enhanced edition came I out I played it for a third time and just beat it tonight.

I enjoyed it the most on this playthrough since I understood the political climate and the various players and their motives. Going through the first time I was competely in the dark about the Witcher's world. The enhanced edition actually does enhance the game particularly at the conclusion. The ending feels more epic and now sets the stage very nicely for the Witcher 3. Just remember to the view the movie after all the credits roll.

I am curious what you didn't like about the first one. I have tried twice now to play through the first game and never got out of the courtyard. I just didn't like the guy waving his sword above his head like a fool. Admittedly this is the smallest thing in the world, but it was a HUGE immersion break for me.

Was curious if there was other things about the game that I might enjoy/hate.

 

[Dagorim]

I am curious what you didn't like about the first one. I have tried twice now to play through the first game and never got out of the courtyard. I just didn't like the guy waving his sword above his head like a fool. Admittedly this is the smallest thing in the world, but it was a HUGE immersion break for me.

Was curious if there was other things about the game that I might enjoy/hate.

Same here. Right when the story seems to be picking up, I get thrown off by the combat. I want to enjoy the game, but the stances and timing attacks of the combat from the first game just don't do it for me. Maybe I need to go back and re-play it...

Is combat in Witcher 2 basically the same as the first game? With regard to combat, what specifically does Witcher 2 improve upon the first?

 

[terry107]

Is combat in Witcher 2 basically the same as the first game? With regard to combat, what specifically does Witcher 2 improve upon the first?

Completely different and much more action RPGish. You have to attack, parry, and roll/dodge while juggling your signs, traps, and bombs. It's challenging, but a lot of fun. YouTube some videos.

 

[Madia]

I am curious what you didn't like about the first one. I have tried twice now to play through the first game and never got out of the courtyard. I just didn't like the guy waving his sword above his head like a fool. Admittedly this is the smallest thing in the world, but it was a HUGE immersion break for me.

Was curious if there was other things about the game that I might enjoy/hate.

Honestly I didn't like much of anything in the first game. I tried the game maybe three times but the farthest I got was near the end of chapter 2 (out of 5). The combat was the first thing to turn me off. It just wasn't fun. The voice acting was pedestrian. A lot of time was spent just walking around from point a to b. The quest in chapter 2 where you have to figure out who the murderer is was rather confusing. The story is supposed to pick up later in the game and be very good but I couldn't put 40+ hours into a mediocre game just because it has a somewhat decent story later on. The concensus seems to be give the game a shot until you're into chapter 2 and if you don't like it by then you'll never like it.

With the Witcher 2 I had none of the adformentioned problems. The combat is no longer time based and although it's difficult to learn at first (you die a lot in the prolouge) once you learn it it's quite fun. The voice acting is excellent, only the actress who voiced Triss isn't that good (just listen to her response when you ask to remove your tattoo). You're not running around a long time from point a to b, there's always a quest to do and you can get to it rather quickly. The only thing you might have to do is farm some monsters for gold/gear but the combat is fun so it's not a chore. And compare the vizima confidential quest to the end of the royal blood quest to see how much better the quests are.

 

[thespyder]

With the Witcher 2 I had none of the adformentioned problems. The combat is no longer time based and although it's difficult to learn at first (you die a lot in the prolouge) once you learn it it's quite fun. The voice acting is excellent, only the actress who voiced Triss isn't that good (just listen to her response when you ask to remove your tattoo). You're not running around a long time from point a to b, there's always a quest to do and you can get to it rather quickly. The only thing you might have to do is farm some monsters for gold/gear but the combat is fun so it's not a chore. And compare the vizima confidential quest to the end of the royal blood quest to see how much better the quests are.

Isn't Triss the HEAVILY endowed chick from the first one? does her voice acting actually matter at that point? LOL...

Seriously, thanks for the review. I might just skip the first one entirely. I do remember getting through the first couple of 'tutorial' battles in the castle (one against the wizard) and was not impressed. So if the story isn't stellar from the get go and the combat is annoying at best, I might just take a miss.

 

[VashHT]

I found the first 2 or 3 chapters pretty slow at points in witcher 1, but I ended up being really happy I finished it, I thought the ending was great.

 

[CPA]

I tried playing TW2 right after finishing TW1 and had a hard time with the controls and GUI. I decided to back off and play a few other things first, then come back. Maybe by that time my brain will have forgotten how TW1 controls worked and I won't have to unlearn anything.

 

[Bateluer]

Isn't Triss the HEAVILY endowed chick from the first one? does her voice acting actually matter at that point? LOL...

Seriously, thanks for the review. I might just skip the first one entirely. I do remember getting through the first couple of 'tutorial' battles in the castle (one against the wizard) and was not impressed. So if the story isn't stellar from the get go and the combat is annoying at best, I might just take a miss.

I like her character, Triss Merigold was a very important character in the books.

I believe you get her magazine spread with TW2 purchase too.

 

[gladiatorua]

Played through prologue and I'm disappointed. Twice king talked to people on towers and no Monty Python references.

 

[Red Storm]

Now that my Ivy Bridge machine is built, I can finally play this game! :awe:

 

[Martimus]

Played through prologue and I'm disappointed. Twice king talked to people on towers and no Monty Python references.

The Swallows don't bring you any coconuts until act 1.